compliance
Introducing
Market
Surveillance
tracey
gramlick
AWA Executive
Director
T
here is a great diversity of window
and door types manufactured in and
imported into Australia as well as
ongoing and fantastic innovation. The many
types of windows available to the market
include timber, aluminium, thermally broken
aluminium, uPVC, fibreglass and composites.
A great deal of innovation in design has
also been taking place to meet our unique
environmental demands. This includes
better sealing, improved designs to increase
thermal efficiency and new glass solutions
including coated glasses, high performance
tinted glass and insulated glass units to name
a few.
That being said, issues with compliance for
windows and glazing, and in fact across a
wide variety of industry and product sectors,
continue to increase, highlighting an inherent
problem of societal proportions.
The market (both local and international)
knows that AWA members have products
tested to AS 2047 and are a part of a
third party accredited program through
our NATA Accredited Inspection Agency.
This accreditation program is a proven
and nationally recognised method of
achieving compliance to assist certifiers,
builders, specifiers and homeowners to
ensure products selected comply with the
Australian Standards regulated through the
National Construction Code (NCC).
The AWA continues to work relentlessly,
representing the industry in as many
6 Australian Window Association Autumn 2015
forums and on as many work groups and
committees as they practically can on this
issue. Participation to date, and reported
in previous issues of Windows, includes
the development of the APCC guide, AiG
Non-conforming Products working groups
and the FCJ industry leaders’ forums. Some
of these have led to the opportunity to meet
with state and territory departments and
a presentation to the Senate ‘Friends of
Manufacturing’ group at Parliament House.
With our growing success in gaining national
understanding of the lack of compliance in
the building and construction sector, and the
need for accredited product conformity, the
AWA has put new developments in place for
2015 to improve the value of membership
and continue to raise the profile of windows
with regulators, architects, building
designers, energy raters, builders, specifiers
and homeowners.
These changes include the introduction
of market surveillance to supplement the
existing audit program with the random
purchase and independent testing of window
and door systems from the marketplace.
These may include imported and local
product and, whilst focusing primarily on
non-member products, may include member
manufacturers and fabricators.
Under a new tiered program, audit
frequency will be reduced for AWA member
fabricators who have consistently passed.
Members found with non-conforming
products will partake in an internal
mentoring and rectification program
similar to that which currently exists. Nonmember products claiming conformance,
but identified as non-conforming, will be
notified to the appropriate authorities such
as the ACCC. This will be supported with
a dedicated portal on the AWA website
highlighting AWA members companies and
their audit currency and exposing non AWA
member products tested and found to be
non-conforming.
The program rollout commenced in
February 2015 and the AWA will monitor
its acceptance and success throughout the
coming year.
How can you do your bit? Utilise the AWA
Compliance brochure and make sure
you are abiding by or demanding proof
from fabricators that they are under the
AWA Accreditation Program and Code
of Conduct. The AWA is serious about its
renewed and vigorous national campaign to
show the building industry and the end user
that we mean business.
The Association has included a growing
number of support tools to underpin
compliance as a part of membership over
the past few years. The annual fee now
incorporates participation in the AWA,
WERS, efficientglazing.net suite of tools and
Accreditation Program fees - everything
rolled into one.