Network News - June 2009

What’s new – the Noticeboard

School fires

Many of the recent school fires appear to have been set by placing rubbish from rubbish bins against external walls and lighting it. A number of fires have also been set in rubbish bins.

Many rubbish bins have removable liners that are often used as step-ladders to get into buildings.

Tips for minimising rubbish as a fire risk include having a ‘you bring it, you take it away’ or ‘zero waste’ policy and remove your rubbish bins altogether.

Some other tips include:

• placing or moving rubbish bins away from buildings
• ensuring bins are empty at nights and weekends, and
• locking bin liners to the bin exterior so that the liner cannot be used as a stepladder and the bin contents cannot be used to light fires.

More ideas on keeping your school safe from rubbish bin related fires are available in the Security In Your School section.

The use of translucent sheeting on roofs, verandahs and pergolas

The following is the Ministry’s current policy on the use of netting under translucent sheeting. It applies to all applications including proprietary pergola systems:

Netting

• For additional safety, all translucent sheeting must be laid over netting which is strong enough to hold the weight of an adult if the sheeting gives way.
• Plastic coated safety mesh must be used where possible, and especially in areas exposed to the elements, as standard roofing netting will corrode after a couple of years exposure.
• The netting must be fitted in the opposite direction to the run of purlins (purlins are the beams on the roof or the studs in the wall, that the sheeting is nailed to).
• The purlins must be placed no more than 1200mm apart before nogging is introduced (nogging, or dwangs, are the horizontal timber spacers fitted between two purlins or studs).

All types of translucent panel materials

The design requirements outlined above apply to all types of translucent panel materials, fibreglass, polycarbonate or others. This includes material that suppliers claim already complies with the Ministry’s Fire Safety and Design Requirements and the Building Code relating to the spread of flame and smoke developed indices and/or independent standards for impact resistance.

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Backflow prevention

Backflow is the flow of water in the wrong direction, for example, waste water flowing back into the main water supply.

A backflow preventer is a device that keeps backflow contamination from occurring.

Backflow preventers may be fitted at the point of possible contamination (within the school grounds), or at the point of supply (the point where your water supply is connected to the network).

Backflow prevention within school grounds

Potential sources of contamination from backflow within the school include:

• science laboratories
• dental clinics
• boilers
• fire sprinkler systems
• untreated water storage tanks
• swimming pools.

If there is an actual or potential backflow hazard identified at your school, you must install an appropriate backflow preventer or air gap system to meet Building Code requirements.

Although the Building Code does not apply to existing buildings (unless new work is done), it is good practice to meet current standards for safety reasons. You have a responsibility under the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 and the Ministry’s Health and Safety Code of Practice to take all reasonably practicable steps to minimise any hazard.

Backflows on boundaries

Some local councils have been asking schools to install backflow prevention at the school boundary, regardless of the risk or whether any backflow prevention is installed at the site of contamination.

While councils have a right to do so under the Health Act 1956, any such requirements should be based on a proper assessment of the risk for the individual school. You do not have to accept a ‘blanket’ decision of the council requiring all schools in its area to install a backflow preventer on their boundary, regardless of the individual risk for each school.

If your council is making these demands it may be helpful to discuss the matter with the Ministry of Health drinking water assessor (DWA) for the area, who may be able to offer some advice, before going back to the council. You should also contact your local Ministry of Education office for advice.

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Historic dental clinics

The review of dental clinics on school sites is well underway. Read about the changes to the way dental clinics will be managed in future and the new lease arrangement between boards of trustees and District Health Boards (DHBs).

Some dental clinics will be retained and upgraded by the DHBs while others will be decommissioned.

Those being decommissioned as dental clinics will remain in school management. Schools can choose to use these clinics for school uses or dispose of them by sale or demolition (although sale is not usually an option as these buildings are not usually transportable).

If your school has a clinic which is no longer needed by the DHB, before doing any work on it to convert it for school use, or before considering disposal options, you need to ask whether your clinic has any historic heritage significance.

Have a look at the Ministry’s Historic Heritage Guidelines which require schools to identify any features on their school sites that might have historic heritage significance. The guidelines give advice about how to identify historic buildings and also include advice about what to think about if you are altering buildings that are historically important.

Local knowledge is one of the best sources of information. If you suspect your dental clinic (or any other school building/site) is historically significant you can contact the NZ Archaeological Association (NZAA) District File Keeper or the Historic Places Trust for help.

The Ministry is currently compiling an inventory or all historic heritage features on school sites, so please email robyn.luscombe@minedu.govt.nz [no spam] if you find anything of interest at your school.

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New on the web

Construction rates - updated for the 2009-10 financial year.

Security in your school - the download has been updated.

5YA budgets - text on the page has been updated.

10YPP checklist - latest version of the checklist added.

What to look out for

2009 Property Forums

For more information on the forums see the Regional Forums page.