CONSTRUCTION FIXINGS
news and information dedicated to construction fixing products
HEAVY-DUTY ANCHORS FEATURE
Competency in anchor applications By John Muir, technical manager, Construction Fixings Association On a construction project, the monetary value of the anchor package is very small in relation to the project value, but should an anchor failure occur, especially with safety critical anchors, large costs could be incurred.
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hese costs would be in terms of remedial and remediation works and loss of reputation, or worse, human injury or death. This being the case, it is essential that the incidence of anchor failures is reduced or eliminated. The major causes of anchor failures are incorrect selection and design of the anchor, incorrect installation, as well as the incorrect change of anchor specification. Consequentially, the key functions that impact such failure incidences are specifiers – who design and select the appropriate anchor and provides a full specification; installers – who install the anchor to the correct procedures and manufacturers’ instructions; and contractors/supervisors – who manage and supervise the total application, including changes of specification. Increasing and maintaining the competence of all these roles and functions is an area that needs to be addressed within the anchor industry. In broader terms this has become a focus for the construction industry as a whole.
Construction industry perspective
Safety for the occupants and users of buildings is paramount, with the competence of all those who provide services in the construction or maintenance of a building key to achieving this. A new code of practice, BSI Flex 8670 1 has been produced to minimise building safety risks and improve protection to building users and occupiers, through supporting the development competency frameworks to achieve a level of competence across the industry.
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FASTENER + FIXING MAGAZINE ≡ ISSUE 135: MAY 2022
The code sets out core criteria for competence and aims to facilitate the development of competency frameworks based on specific sectors and across all roles and functions involved. Key to such a framework is the definition of competence. The code defines these elements as Skills, Knowledge, Experience and Behaviours (SKEB). Each sector, such as a trade or discipline, should develop a framework to meet the specific needs of their sector and the range of roles and functions within that sector, who ultimately impacts safety. In essence, the code relates to all roles involved, such as designers, contractors, managers statutory and end users.
Anchor industry perspective
Prior to the development of BSI Flex 8670, the code of practice BS8539 ‘Code of practice for the selection and installation of post installed anchors in concrete and masonry’ 2 was developed to define best practice in the area of selection and installation of anchors. The main purpose of the code was to provide a clear system approach to the whole process, where no formal approach previously existed. The lack of such a clear holistic process has previously led to anchor failure issues. Within the code, the roles and responsibilities for all functions are defined and competence (for the installer) is also stated as having Skills, Knowledge and Experience, which is aligned to the BS Flex 8670 definition. BS8539 also covers the roles directly involved in the areas of anchor failures.
