Part H7 Ancillary provisions and additional construction requirements

The Objective is to—

1. safeguard young children from drowning or injury in a swimming pool; and
2. safeguard people from drowning or injury due to suction by a swimming pool water recirculation system; and
3. safeguard the occupants from illness or injury caused by fire from heating appliances installed within the building; and
4. safeguard the occupants from illness or injury in alpine areas from an emergency while evacuating the building; and
5. protect a building from the effects of a bushfire; and
6. reduce the likelihood of fatalities arising from occupants of a Class 1a dwelling not evacuating a property prior to exposure from a bushfire event.

A swimming pool is to be provided with—

1. means to restrict access to it by young children; and
2. means to reduce the possibility of a person being entrapped or injured due to suction by a water recirculation system.

A heating appliance using controlled combustion located in a building is to be installed in a way which reduces the likelihood of—

1. fire spreading beyond the appliance; and
2. smoke from the appliance entering the building.

A building in an alpine area is to be provided with additional measures in view of the increased difficulties in fighting fire and maintaining access and means of egress in snow conditions.

A Class 1 building or a Class 10a building or deck associated with a Class 1 building constructed in a designated bushfire prone area is to provide resistance to bushfires in order to reduce the danger to life and reduce the risk of the loss of the building.

A structure designed for emergency occupation during a bushfire event must provide shelter to occupants from direct and indirect actions of a bushfire.

(1) A barrier must be provided to a swimming pool and must—

1. be continuous for the full extent of the hazard; and
2. be of a strength and rigidity to withstand the foreseeable impact of people; and
3. restrict the access of young children to the pool and the immediate pool surrounds; and
4. have any gates and doors fitted with latching devices not readily operated by young children, and constructed to automatically close and latch.

A swimming pool water recirculation system must incorporate safety measures to avoid entrapment of, or injury to, a person.

A heating appliance and its associated components within a building, including an open fire-place, chimney, or the like, must be installed—

1. to withstand the temperatures likely to be generated by the appliance; and
2. so that it does not raise the temperature of any building element to a level that would adversely affect the element’s physical or mechanical properties or function; and
3. so that hot products of combustion will not—
   1. escape through the walls of the associated components; and
   2. discharge in a position that will cause fire to spread to nearby combustible materials or allow smoke to penetrate through nearby windows, ventilation inlets, or the like in the building containing the heating appliance.

(1) An external doorway from a building in an alpine area must be installed so that opening the door is not obstructed by snow or ice.

(2) A building in an alpine area containing external trafficable structures forming part of the means of egress must be constructed so that they remain, as far as practicable, useable under snow conditions.

(3) A building in an alpine area must be constructed so that snow or ice is not shed from the building onto the allotment, any adjoining allotment, road or public space in a location or manner that will—

1. obstruct a means of egress from any building to a road or open space; or
2. otherwise endanger people.

A Class 1 building or a Class 10a building or deck associated with a Class 1 building that is constructed in a designated bushfire prone area must be designed and constructed to—

1. reduce the risk of ignition from a design bushfire with an annual exceedance probability not more than 1:50 years; and
2. take account of the assessed duration and intensity of the fire actions of the design bushfire; and
3. be designed to prevent internal ignition of the building and its contents; and
4. maintain the structural integrity of the building for the duration of the design bushfire.

A private bushfire shelter must be designed and constructed to provide a tenable environment for occupants during a design bushfire with an annual probability of exceedance not more than 1:200 years, appropriate to the—

1. location of the private bushfire shelter relative to fire hazards including—
   1. predominant vegetation; and
   2. adjacent buildings and structures; and
   3. allotment boundaries; and
   4. other combustible materials; and
2. occupancy of the private bushfire shelter; and
3. bushfire intensity having regard for the bushfire attack level; and
4. fire intensity from adjacent buildings and structures, allotment boundaries and other combustible materials; and
5. ready access to the private bushfire shelter from the associated dwelling and occupant egress after the fire; and
6. tenability within the private bushfire shelter for the estimated maximum period of occupancy; and
7. generation of smoke, heat and toxic gases from materials used to construct the private bushfire shelter; and
8. structural and fire loads and actions to which it may reasonably be subjected, appropriate to—
   1. the topography between the private bushfire shelter and the predominant vegetation or other fire hazards; and
   2. the distance between the private bushfire shelter and the predominant vegetation or other fire hazards; and
   3. the size of the potential fire source and fire intensity; and
   4. wind loading; and
   5. potential impact from debris such as falling tree limbs; and
9. degree of external signage identifying the location of the private bushfire shelter; and
10. degree of internal signage identifying the design capacity and maximum period of occupancy; and
11. degree of occupant awareness of outside environmental conditions; and
12. degree of essential maintenance.

Compliance with H7P3(a) and (b) is verified when—

1. components used within an appliance and its installation are constructed from—
   1. heat-resistant materials for maximum operating temperatures more than 600℃, where the material complies with (c); or
   2. heat-tolerant materials for maximum operating temperatures more than 150℃ and less than 600℃, where the material complies with (c); and
2. the building elements surrounding the appliance maintain their designed function and material properties inclusive of a full range of thermal movements when exposed to the heat effects of the appliance; and
3. a sample of the material is tested to the maximum operating temperature, specified in (a)(i) or (a)(ii) for a minimum of 96 hours; and
4. the tested sample, when allowed to cool, must be free from—
   1. visible cracks and fractures; and
   2. visible indication of de-lamination; and
   3. linear distortion in excess of the equivalent of 10 mm per metre, and
   4. deterioration of the appearance of any surface finish, when compared to an unheated sample.

(1) Compliance with H7P5 is verified if the ignition probability for a building exposed to a design bushfire does not exceed 10%.

(2) Bushfire design actions must be determined in consideration of the annual probability of a design bushfire derived from—

1. assigning the building or structure an Importance Level in accordance with (3); and
2. determining the corresponding annual probability of exceedance in accordance with Table H7V2.

(3) A building or structure's Importance Level must be identified as one of the following:

1. Importance Level 1 — where the building or structure presents a low degree of hazard to life and other property in the case of failure.
2. Importance Level 2 — where the building or structure is not of Importance Level 1 or 4 and is a Class 1a or 1b building accommodating 12 people or less.
3. Importance Level 4 — where the building is a Class 10c building and is subject to a necessary ‘defend in place’ strategy.

(4) The ignition probability for a building must be assessed by application of the following:

1. An event tree analysis of relevant bushfire scenarios.
2. Design bushfire conditions that include combinations of the following actions appropriate to the distance between the building and the bushfire hazard:
   1. Direct attack from airborne burning embers.
   2. Burning debris and accumulated embers adjacent to a building element.
   3. Radiant heat from a bushfire front.
   4. Direct flame attack from a bushfire front.

(5) Applied fire actions must allow for reasonable variations in—

1. fire weather; and
2. vegetation, including fuel load, burning behaviour of vegetation (including the potential for crown fires); and
3. the distance of the building from vegetation; and
4. topography, including slopes and features that may shield; and
5. ignition of adjacent buildings, building elements, plants, mulch and other materials; and
6. effective size of fire front; and
7. duration of exposure; and
8. flame height; and
9. flame tilt; and
10. flame adhesion to sloping land; and
11. the height of the building and its elements.

(6) The assessment process must include consideration of—

1. the probability of non-complying construction of critical aspects of an approved design; and
2. the probability of critical aspects of an approved design being fully functional during the life of the building; and
3. inclusion of safety factors; and
4. sensitivity analysis of critical aspects of a proposed design.

(1) Where a Deemed-to-Satisfy Solution is proposed, Performance Requirements H7P1 to H7P5 are satisfied by complying with H7D2 to H7D5.

(2) Where a Performance Solution is proposed, the relevant Performance Requirements must be determined in accordance with A2G2(3) and A2G4(3) as applicable.

(3) If a private bushfire shelter is installed, it must comply with Performance Requirement H7P6.

(1) Compliance with Part 12.2 of the ABCB Housing Provisions satisfies Performance Requirement H7P4 for buildings that are located in alpine areas

(2) The Deemed-to-Satisfy Provisions of this Part apply in addition to other Deemed-to-Satisfy Provisions of NCC Volume Two and the ABCB Housing Provisions.

(3) Where any Deemed-to-Satisfy Provisions are in conflict, the provisions of H7D3 take precedence.

(1) The requirements of (2) only apply in a designated bushfire prone area.

(2) Performance RequirementH7P5 is satisfied for a Class 1 building, or a Class 10a building or deck associated with a Class 1 building, if it is constructed in accordance with—

1. AS 3959; or
2. NASH Standard – Steel Framed Construction in Bushfire Areas.

Performance RequirementH7P3 is satisfied for a heating appliance if it is installed in accordance with—

1. for a domestic solid fuel burning appliance, AS/NZS 2918; or
2. for a heating appliance, Part 12.4 of the ABCB Housing Provisions.