NZ Plumber October-November 2023

Ben Mayne is among many Auckland plumbers and drainlayers taking part in the remote inspection pilot using the BRANZ Artisan app. “Since I have been using the app, the time it has taken to do my own inspections has saved me on downtime and given me a professional record keeping of my own work,” he says.

It’s been a tough ride for plumbers and drainlayers to try and get the same right to self-certify their work as other trades. Master Plumbers have been advocating for movement on this with regional councils, resulting in an Auckland remote inspection pilot for plumbers and drainlayers, which began in 2019.

“Gasfitters have been able to self-certify for over a decade, so we have been working on a potential solution for plumbers and drainlayers for some time,” says Master Plumbers Operations Manager Luke Pirie.

Digital solution

The pilot uses the Artisan app, developed by BRANZ’s Artisan team in consultation with regional councils and Master

AUTHOR: DAWN ADAMS PHOTOGRAPHY: ROBIN HODGKINSON

Plumbers. BRANZ describes the app as “a digital solution that enables each key step in the residential build inspection process to be prescribed, seen, assessed, verified and recorded”.

The app is already being used by many trades who can’t self-certify.

Through Artisan, users capture real-time photo evidence of parts of a build that correspond to the stage checks made by BCA inspectors.

Artisan Product Director Grant Ford has been involved with the project since it began. “Through its ‘shotlists’, Artisan spells out what compliant work should look like and describes what photographic evidence of compliance should be,” he says. “By taking photos from the ‘shotlist’ as you are doing the work, the app helps you assure

yourself you have done the right thing and gets you to take a photo that proves you have, at the best time to do that—when that piece of work has just been done.”

The aim of BRANZ through Artisan is eventually to “achieve a digital record of every new build in New Zealand,” says Grant.

Council process

Field Surveying Manager Jeff Fahrensohn manages the building consents inspection team for Auckland Council.

He says when plumbers require a digital inspection, they contact the inspector 48 hours before, “so they can plan their review time to coincide with the plumber uploading the information and photos”.

“If there are any issues identified, the inspector will phone the plumber

The delays for plumbers and drainlayers in the current building consent process are slowing job completions. A remote inspection pilot with BRANZ/Artisan, Auckland Council, Master Plumbers and a group of Auckland plumbers is underway with good results.

REMOTE INSPECTION PILOT: CASE STUDIES

BEN MAYNE BEN MAYNE PLUMBING

As President of Master Plumbers Auckland, Ben Mayne was keen to get involved in the pilot. He’s spent time perfecting the types of images Council needs and now finds the process slick.

Turnaround time from app submission is usually one to two hours. At times he’s had an inspector call back within 10 minutes from submitting a job.

This is a big improvement from the old process, which could see a three to fourweek wait for a site visit and similar delays for follow-ups.

There are typically two to three inspections for each job, says Ben, with one to two inspections to factor in weekly.

The pilot involves the training workshop and then an online assessment tool, which helps explain how the app works. Ben’s approach has been to ‘play around’ with the app to see how it would work best for him.

He has used the app for 10 jobs since joining the pilot in March.

Benefits and challenges

Using the app has cut wait times for Ben, and he’s had flexibility to book in jobs that need inspections. He says previously in bad weather they’d have to postpone jobs and wait another three to four weeks when rebooking.

Ben is in favour of self-certification for plumbers and drainlayers but feels it’s important to make sure individuals have reached a certain standard before they can self-certify.

There have been challenges to overcome. “Having all the right information and struggling with engineer’s information,” has been one. And learning to understand the question that’s being asked with each photo.

Ben has had some fails. He says, because of the lack of site visit, the inspector follows the engineer’s drawings and notes closely to make sure improvements are being made as the engineer dictates.

NZ Plumber spoke to two plumbers taking part in the pilot for feedback.

REUBEN CUTTS CUTTS PLUMBING SERVICES

Reuben Cutts got involved with the pilot through Master Plumbers Auckland. He says he fully supports self-certification for the plumbing and drainage industry and recognises the pilot as a great first step towards this.

During busier times, booking an inspection could take two weeks for his team. Add in weather delays and programme disruptions, and scheduling inspections was tough. With each job needing four to five inspections, long delays are usual.

Benefits and challenges

Reuben found signing up to the pilot was an easy process. Once Artisan was loaded on his phone, he added the jobs and consents into his profile with a simple email, “and was away”.

He’s worked on two jobs through the pilot. Reuben says he’s found working

using the app straightforward, as it provides a step-by-step process that is easy to follow.

Reuben’s jobs are large with multiple consents and so one challenge he’s found is getting used to “the quantity of photos and records required for each consent”. But he says the Artisan team are happy to listen to feedback, and quick to adjust the app to improve the user experience, while “retaining adequate data collection and records from the inspection”.

On the future of self-certification, Reuben says he is all for it. “Taking control of the inspection process will make our job significantly more efficient. Keeping trenches open for days on end to wait for an inspector to arrive is ludicrous, and in the more rural areas of NZ this is a massive problem.”

to discuss and also update the Artisan record,” explains Jeff.

Inspections that pass or fail are given the same checklist as for onsite inspections.

The main challenge Jeff sees lies in understanding what’s required for each photo. He says these problems “are usually cleared up quickly over the phone.

“In addition to this, we do identify non-compliances and, depending on the severity, we may revert to an onsite inspection to manage these.”

MBIE perspective

With housing shortages, streamlining council consents is necessary. The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) is currently consulting on options for changes to the system, and this pilot is laying the foundation for self-certification for plumbers and drainlayers.

BRANZ

In a summary document produced for its consultation process on the Building System Reforms programme, MBIE talks of some issues with the current system being: “overreliance on building consent authorities” and “variability and unpredictability for people navigating the consent process”.

These are all boxes the Artisan app can tick, according to Grant Ford. “It has the potential to bring consistency of approach and inspection feedback to a process that currently has high degrees of variability.”

Plumber involvement

Twenty-five plumbers have signed up for the successful Auckland remote inspection pilot. They were introduced to Artisan at a training session where they learned what info to upload for inspectors.

Jeff Fahrensohn says other Auckland plumbers interested in taking part can contact Artisan at www.branzartisan.nz to get access to the portal. Artisan will then direct them to Council inspectors who will guide the plumber in setting up the project inspections in the app.

Master Plumbers is currently waiting for guidance from Christchurch City Council to roll out the pilot in the area. “With support from local councils and their inspectors the pilot will potentially be rolled out to other regions,” says Luke Pirie.

“A digital solution that enables each key step in the residential build inspection process to be prescribed, seen, assessed, verified and recorded.”