For more than a decade, Steelwork Compliance Australia (SCA) has helped builders, engineers and asset owners identify steelwork fabricators with the systems, skills and traceability to deliver to the Australian Standard.
SCA has been auditing and certifying structural steelwork fabricators for more than ten years. Over that time, the standards landscape has matured considerably.
The publication of AS/NZS 5131 in 2016 brought the Australian and New Zealand Standard for the fabrication and erection of structural steelwork into line with international best practice.
Before then, fabrication and erection requirements sat within the steel structures design Standard, AS 4100, which did not fully cover the scope of fabricated steelwork. Those provisions have since been replaced by a direct reference to AS/NZS 5131 within AS 4100.
As AS 4100 is referenced in the National Construction Code (NCC), meeting the performance intent of AS/NZS 5131 is now a requirement for structural steelwork.
Confidence from the start
If fabricators are required to work to the full intent of AS/NZS 5131, how can a builder or head contractor be confident that a fabricator has the systems, qualified people and traceability processes to meet it?
Independent certification provides that assurance. SCA audits fabricators against the ASI’s National Structural Steelwork Compliance Scheme (NSSCS), a comprehensive scheme built around the requirements of AS/NZS 5131. Choosing an SCA-certified fabricator gives project teams confidence, before work begins, that the fabricator’s capability has been independently verified.
Certification you can rely on
SCA is accredited by the Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand (JAS-ANZ). To keep issuing accredited certifications, SCA itself undergoes annual audits to confirm that its own systems and processes meet its scheme rules and the full scope of the NSSCS.
The ASI and SCA continue to work with government departments to have SCA certification recognised in their specifications. Some state road authorities also require certification to AS/NZS ISO 3834 Parts 2, 3 and 4. SCA offers dual certification to both the NSSCS and ISO 3834, helping fabricators position themselves to tender for this work.
To protect the integrity of its certificates, SCA certifies only against the schemes it audits directly. Over the years, it has been asked to recognise certifications issued by other bodies. It has chosen not to, because it cannot independently verify how those schemes are audited and awarded.
Simplifying compliance together
SCA welcomes the recent Memorandum of Understanding between the ASI and Construction Quality Australia (CQA). Under the MoU, the two organisations have committed to working together to improve quality outcomes, strengthen industry confidence and simplify structural steelwork compliance for the benefit of the Australian construction industry and the communities it serves.
By reducing unnecessary complexity and duplication of effort, the collaboration aims to promote practical, risk-based approaches to meeting standards, specifications and regulatory requirements.
The value of certification is also recognised in the newly developed Fabrication Construction Data Report (FCDR). The FCDR identifies areas where additional checks are not required when a fabricator is SCA certified, because those requirements are already addressed through certification. For project teams, that means less duplication and a more efficient path to compliance.
Supporting fabricators on the journey
SCA is also assisting the ASI to evaluate a quality management system designed specifically to help fabricators meet the intent of AS/NZS 5131.
Tools like this are particularly valuable for SCA’s clients. To maintain its impartiality under JAS-ANZ accreditation and ISO/IEC 17065, SCA cannot provide consulting support to fabricators preparing for certification. Practical, purpose-built resources help fill that gap.
“We strongly believe that certification to the NSSCS equips fabricators to compete on a level playing field for quality systems, and gives constructors and their clients a high level of assurance,” says Bushan Salunke, Manager at SCA.
For more information, visit: https://www.scacompliance.com.au/
