FEATURES
Certification of the material being fire
proof is required by municipalities if the
application forms part of the legislative
process for boundary distance relaxation.
Very often a construction built without
permission is erected too close to a
boundary or cannot be erected in another
position. This building will have a direct
impact on the safety of the adjacent
premise from a radiation point of view.
This requirement also pertains to
combustible roof constructions over a
certain roof area and where a building is
closer than 4.5m from a boundary or
within the safety distance from any other
building on the same premises.
The insurance angle
The use of fire retardant technology for
the protection of combustible structures
such as thatched roofs are also
recognised by the insurance industry
from a fire mitigation point of view and
offer reduced premiums to their clients
should a suitably evaluated system be used.
The insurance company would also
require full details of the product (test
report) and certification that the product
or system has been applied correctly
prior to insuring the roof, or they may
request for the roof to be sprayed with a
protective chemical application as they
will also request that the client install an
approved lightning protection system in
accordance with SANS 10313 and
SANS 62305-3.
When it comes to insuring a thatched
roof, Morné Smit, director of Thatch Risk
Acceptances (TRA), says it’s important to
have information in respect of the
construction of the building, the location
where it is situated, and the fire
protection measures that are in place.
“Risk surveys can also be conducted;
however, this is usually only done after
inception of cover for those high valued
risks or risks where the underwriter
requires more information. Insuring
thatch risks is a specialised field where
the more information you have, the better
you can underwrite the risk,” says Smit.
“The minimum requirement is that
sufficient fire protection, such as fire
extinguishers, are in place and that in
areas with high lightning strikes, lightning
conductors could be required,” notes
Smit, adding that the only challenge they
face is obtaining the correct information
from the client via his or her broker for
TRA to rate the risk correctly.
TRA are aware of the chemical
argument and, while there could be some
truth to it, says Smit, they have not seen
any actual proof of this. “Many factors
WORD FROM THE NATIONAL REGULATOR
According to Rudolf Opperman, senior
technical advisor at the National
Regulator for Compulsory Specifications
(NRCS), the NBR and Building Standards
Act clearly requires that building work is
not allowed before obtaining written
approval from the local authority.
“Currently there is no deemed to
satisfy solution (SANS 10400) for thatch
roofs or thatched roofing structures.
Where a thatched roof is used to satisfy
Regulation L roofs, such solution must
be designed and erected under the
supervision of a ‘competent registered
person’ – meaning a qualified and
experienced engineer who is registered
with the engineering council.
“The SANS 10400 does not provide
solutions to thatch roofs as they are
considered by the legislators to be
special categories, and that each thatch
roof should be designed to specific
engineered solutions. The fire code in
SANS 10400 only prescribes fire
distances that has to be observed when
thatch roofs are considered. The specific
solution that is provided by the rational
designer can differ from SANS 10400-T if
the ‘competent person’ can prove that
they have employed mitigation to
prevent the fire from spreading. One
such mitigation could be found in the
rational designer utilising fire retardants
as part of their rational solution.
“There is no uniform standard in
South Africa for fire retardant spray
applications on thatched roofs. There
are some who claim accreditation or
approval by SABS, but this claim is false –
SANS 10400 specifies that an ‘approved
fire retardant’ is to be used. If no
standard exists, then to what would
such ‘approved fire retardant’
be judged.”
can influence the quicker deterioration of the
thatch that is treated including the area and
the specific climate. We do not require that a
thatch roof be treated, and we provide a
discount when calculating the insurance
premium for risks treated with a fire retardant.
We do require certification that it is done by a
professional company or thatcher,” explains Smit.
According to Susan Walls, insurance
technical advisor from the South African
Insurance Association (SAIA), insurers will
require that a thatch structure adheres to the
relevant regulations. Where deemed
necessary, insurers may request additional
protection be installed in addition to what is
required in the standards.
Saving the thatch sector
Amidst the industry’s deep-seated concerns,
good practice is taking place – the Thatchers
Association of South Africa (TASA) boasts an
insightful publication, the Guide to Thatch
Construction in South Africa, which follows
SANS 10400-T and outlines specifications on
how to select and construct a thatch roof both
for thatching grass and thatching reed.
SA Roofing has learnt that several
associations have taken steps to regulate the
industry and have approached the South
African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) to
register as a regulatory body. Through
registering with SAQA, they aim to hold
workshops and run courses for municipalities,
contractors, chemical suppliers and
applicators, as well as insurance companies to
highlight the key issues at hand and help
educate the sector’s role players.
In light of this ongoing matter, we encourage
the industry to send their views to:
[email protected].
Look out for part two of the next thatch
sector instalment in SA Roofing.
THATCHED ROOFS • INSURANCE
FIRE RETARDANT TREATMENT
TEL:+27 (0) 21 850 0779
FAX: 088 021 850 0779
CELL: +27 (0) 82 559 2122
EMAIL: [email protected]
www.highveldcapethatchers.co.za
CLADDING // CONCRETE // INSULATION // STEEL // THATCH // TIMBER // TRANSLUCENT // WATERPROOFING // COMPONENTS
SEPTEMBER 2018
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