Action Sheds Australia Warns Consumers: Make Sure Your Shed is Safe from Flooding
Announcement posted by Action Sheds Australia 26 Feb 2013
Shed designer and builder teaches consumers how to ensure that they have safe sheds in flood prone areas.
The recent floods in Queensland have Australians wondering if their buildings are safe from flooding. While it’s very difficult at best to make a building that is totally unaffected by flooding, Action Sheds Australia has provided readers of their blog with some food for thought in a recent post about building a safe shed in a flood prone area.
Action Sheds Australia is accredited under the ShedSafe program, which is an independent accreditation program which requires those who are accredited to follow safety regulations that are above and beyond those already in place in government building codes.
Any shed manufacturer or builder who is accredited by ShedSafe has to fulfil ShedSafe’s requirements. These requirements include independent third party review of all building plans by a structural engineer, an assurance of compliance to ShedSafe regulations, and adherence to Australian Steel Institute guidelines.
ShedSafe also requires that all companies train their personnel to properly use ShedSafe guidelines to recommend sheds to their customers, based on their building site and specific use. ShedSafe compliance also includes factoring maximum sustained wind loads projected for any site into structural plans.
Action Sheds Australia recommends that those who are thinking about buying a shed find out from their local government if they are included on the 1% and over Annual Exceedence Probability (AEP) map.
Their blog post compares ShedSafe and Action Sheds Australia standards to those recommended for building in a flood area, and assures the public that most of the safety tips and requirements are already covered in the routine planning of a ShedSafe shed.
For example, the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) recommends that frames of houses be made of double brick, concrete, or steel. ShedSafe recommends steel frames, and Action Sheds Australia uses steel frames. Other recommendations that are already followed by Action Sheds Australia: slab foundations, steel sheeting on the roof, and non-absorbent insulation.
In addition, the Department of Environment (DOE) recommends that factors such as rainfall, topography, ground cover, weather conditions, catchment, and runoff capacity are taken into consideration when building a house in a flood prone area. ShedSafe routinely uses those factors when recommending a shed design.
Max Italiano, owner of Action Sheds Australia, is adamant in his desire to provide the safest structures he can to his customers: “First of all, we’d like to extend our condolences and support to everybody up in Queensland who has been affected by the floods. We hope that what happened in Queensland serves as a wake-up call for everyone along the coast that flooding can happen anywhere.”
Italiano continued, “We went through a lot of hard work to become ShedSafe accredited. The reason we went through all of that hard work was to make sure that we are doing everything we can to provide our customers with the safest sheds we possibly can. We also want our customers to see the ShedSafe accreditation and know that they are in the right place when looking for a company that sees safety as its number one priority.”
Italiano concluded, “When natural disasters hit, we want your shed to be the last thing you have to worry about. We want you free to concentrate on your family and possessions. For us, it’s simple: if you want a safe shed, buy a ShedSafe shed.”
Action Sheds Australia provides ShedSafe accredited sheds in Perth and across Australia. Call them at 1300 778 628 or visit their website: http://www.actionsheds.com.au/.
Action Sheds Australia is accredited under the ShedSafe program, which is an independent accreditation program which requires those who are accredited to follow safety regulations that are above and beyond those already in place in government building codes.
Any shed manufacturer or builder who is accredited by ShedSafe has to fulfil ShedSafe’s requirements. These requirements include independent third party review of all building plans by a structural engineer, an assurance of compliance to ShedSafe regulations, and adherence to Australian Steel Institute guidelines.
ShedSafe also requires that all companies train their personnel to properly use ShedSafe guidelines to recommend sheds to their customers, based on their building site and specific use. ShedSafe compliance also includes factoring maximum sustained wind loads projected for any site into structural plans.
Action Sheds Australia recommends that those who are thinking about buying a shed find out from their local government if they are included on the 1% and over Annual Exceedence Probability (AEP) map.
Their blog post compares ShedSafe and Action Sheds Australia standards to those recommended for building in a flood area, and assures the public that most of the safety tips and requirements are already covered in the routine planning of a ShedSafe shed.
For example, the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) recommends that frames of houses be made of double brick, concrete, or steel. ShedSafe recommends steel frames, and Action Sheds Australia uses steel frames. Other recommendations that are already followed by Action Sheds Australia: slab foundations, steel sheeting on the roof, and non-absorbent insulation.
In addition, the Department of Environment (DOE) recommends that factors such as rainfall, topography, ground cover, weather conditions, catchment, and runoff capacity are taken into consideration when building a house in a flood prone area. ShedSafe routinely uses those factors when recommending a shed design.
Max Italiano, owner of Action Sheds Australia, is adamant in his desire to provide the safest structures he can to his customers: “First of all, we’d like to extend our condolences and support to everybody up in Queensland who has been affected by the floods. We hope that what happened in Queensland serves as a wake-up call for everyone along the coast that flooding can happen anywhere.”
Italiano continued, “We went through a lot of hard work to become ShedSafe accredited. The reason we went through all of that hard work was to make sure that we are doing everything we can to provide our customers with the safest sheds we possibly can. We also want our customers to see the ShedSafe accreditation and know that they are in the right place when looking for a company that sees safety as its number one priority.”
Italiano concluded, “When natural disasters hit, we want your shed to be the last thing you have to worry about. We want you free to concentrate on your family and possessions. For us, it’s simple: if you want a safe shed, buy a ShedSafe shed.”
Action Sheds Australia provides ShedSafe accredited sheds in Perth and across Australia. Call them at 1300 778 628 or visit their website: http://www.actionsheds.com.au/.