AS1657 Australian Standard – new Industry Code

Video transcript

Hello welcome to one of our latest Tek Talks.

Today I’m going to be going over a new interesting Industry Code. So, it’s an Industry Code which is predominantly around the AS1657. We’ll put a link to help you to get a copy of this new Industry Code. It is from the WAHA (Working At Heights Association) website.

So what this is, is predominantly it helps you understand the AS1657 Standard.

Where there’s a few grey areas this gives you an understanding of how best to design systems on roofs around the AS1657 Standard.

Remember an Industry Code is not a legal document, it’s not law but it’s there to help the industry understand what is best practice. Remembering in that whatever is suggested it’s all got to be done according to the risk of the task taken on site.

So, going through a few things, one of the main points, the first one I want to discuss. So, there’s a section in here on sloping roofs and that is the pitch. Now this is quite clear in the Standard this is just making it a bit more clear where it should be taken. So, any walkway going along the horizontal section where the slope of the roof is 12 degrees or greater then you’ve got to have guardrail on that side of the walkway. Then when you’re going up the slope of the roof we used to specify that at more than 12 degrees also requires guardrail but we’ve made this more clear that the Standard does specify that it’s only 15 degrees. So, going up the slope of the roof 15 degrees or greater you only need guardrail on one side of that walkway.

Moving on a couple of the other areas which have made recommendations and I will refer to them as recommendations because again it’s not a law or Standards but based on risk.

So, the next the next section we going to bring to your attention is step ladders in that step ladders will require cage protection after 3 1/2 metres as well. Currently the Standards are saying you only need cage protection after 6 metres but a recommendation according to risk and so on is it is recommended to have cages after 3 1/2 metres on step ladders.

Then the third main section that I’m going to bring your attention to is guardrail lead ons. So, I think this has been something which has been very grey in the AS1657 Standard and that is that every ladder when you gain access over 2 metres in height you should have fall protection as you are leading onto that roof or area. What they recommended in the Industry Code is that for any ladders over 2 metres in height does require a fall protection such as a guardrail lead on kit or guardrails each side of of the ladder.

Then finally one of the sections I want to bring your attention to is also hatches. Coming out of a roof hatch where the rung has to be in relation to the landing and that is basically 300 mm maximum below the landing that you step onto that is the walkway. Read those sections. We’ll put those sections in the link and please make use of this document. It makes it very clear how you should be designing systems in relation to access on roofs and what is best practice.

If you’ve got any queries feel free to give us a call and we’ll try and help you through it. Thank you.