A Good News Story

The Power of Influencing Change

– By David Solomon

At Master Builders NSW, we strive to service our Members’ needs. It’s one of the pillars or core values that we stand by. Why wouldn’t we? If we didn’t, we would be an Association without them.

Earlier this month, I was put into contact with a member who has a very innovative business model whereby you can hire a fully fitted out portable bathroom as a substitute during a house renovation. The business is called Backyard Bathrooms and is operated by a husband-and-wife team, Melissa and Alex. Melissa’s sister Wendy suffered a stroke some years ago and needed a more accessible needs-based living arrangement. Wendy bought an apartment in a suitable complex. The kitchen required replacing to suit Wendy’s mobility needs yet required to comply with the relevant codes, Standards and regulations. Melissa and Wendy engaged an Occupational Therapist prior to submitting what they thought were compliant concept drawings to the strata that managed the complex for subsequent approval. A slow and drawn-out trail of correspondence ensued for almost six months. They were advised that Stata legal requirements included a by-law to be drafted for the works. They engaged a lawyer to draft the by-law as required and submitted this to the strata manager. They were met with correspondence from the strata’s lawyer condemning their submission. The strata lawyer suggested an amendment to the newly drafted by-law, which required the current owner (Wendy) to reinstate the kitchen works and return the kitchen cupboards to their original height, etc, if Wendy passes away or moves out. Furthermore, enforcing that the scope of works, to form an attachment to the by-law in that it sufficiently describes the works in enough detail so that those works will be identifiable for future purposes of rectification to reinstate what was originally there. When I heard this for the first time, I was immediately angered and wanted to help our member in any way possible. When I advised Melissa and Wendy that I completed my trade as a furniture maker in Tasmania many years ago and was familiar with kitchen dimensions, they were slightly relieved. When I added that I was the chairman of a strata block of apartments and relatively au fait with the strata laws, you could hear their sigh of relief in their voices. I went on to add that in a former life, I used to be a General Foreman and a Site Manager before moving into a pure safety role and immersing myself in numerous Standards Australia committees; both Melissa and Wendy were delighted. After much research and consultation with a private certifier, I contacted a furniture testing facility in Launceston Tasmania (FurntechAFRDI), which is an old contact of mine spanning some 30 years, for assurance that the information I was about to provide was accurate. An examination of the relevant Standard1 while on the phone with my old colleague led me to identify, in particular, Appendix A Ergonomics (informative) and a section of the Standard A2 Working heights and A2.1 Standing a) for food preparation, that clearly articulated 850mm to 1000mm, as a suitable working height and that our interpretation was accurate. Bingo! This was the detail in print that I needed, coupled with all the other information, that would help our member form a response to submit to their strata in an attempt to overturn their decision not to approve Wendy’s renovation application. Upon contacting Melissa to let her know of the excellent news, Melissa advised me that her sister Wendy had broken her arm AGAIN, yes, for a second time, trying to reach beyond capability due to the kitchen not being userfriendly to her mobility needs. Spurred on to get a win for our member, I offered to proofread their application ahead of their submission. A few technical additions bolstered their plight, one I’d hoped they would win.

A month passed before Melissa wrote to me thanking the MBA for all our help, advising that the strata had approved their submission. The next step is for their Occupational Therapist to submit an application with quotes etc to the NDIS for their approval. Melissa went on to say, “we could not have proceeded at all without the strata approval, and that was only possible with the MBA’s assistance. We would have had little to no chance of having strata allow this without incurring the considerable, unnecessary expense of the special clause in the extra by-law and having to return the unit to prerenovated state at a later date; thank you, MBA NSW”. After receiving such positive feedback, senior management thought this story worthy of advising our broader Membership on some of the good things we do in the background for our Members.

1AS 4386:2018 [Current] Cabinetry in the built-in environment — Commercial and domestic. This Standard sets out requirements for the design, manufacture, and installation of cabinetry in the built environment covering kitchens and built-in furniture.

Author: David W Solomon Executive Officer Technical Safety & Risk Master Builders Association NSW Chairman Standards Australia Committee for OH&S Management SF-001 Chairman PwC Certification Accreditation Body External Advisory Board Head of Delegation Australia ISO TC283 Convenor ISO TC283 WG4 45004