THE IMPORTANCE OF ENSURING COVERS AND GRATES COMPLY TO AUSTRALIAN STANDARDS.

Stormwater covers and grates are present on all civil construction works. Used extensively in countless infrastructure projects across the nation, the importance of these types of civil construction products is not to be taken lightly.

When it comes to grates and covers that are utilised for stormwater drainage for roads, it’s easy to be dismissive of the products. After all, people think that they just serve as drainage for water on roads. But that couldn’t be further from the truth, as they also provide a critical function in the safety of roads and also pavement as they need to support large, repetitive loads for both vehicular and also pedestrian traffic.

The selection of civil stormwater and drainage products for Australian roads is very important. If the products are not robust of high-quality and do not comply with Australian Standards, they can fail, leading to injury or even death.

The majority of State Road and Municipal Councils across Australia are vigilant on the correct specification and compliance of their drainage products.  Unfortunately the same cannot be said for everyone operating in the civil construction market.

There is currently no regulation of grate and cover product compliance within the civil construction industry.  Therefore, the onus is on road authorities, councils and other asset owners to ensure that the products selected and utilised are fit-for-purpose and compliant with Australian Standards (AS3996-2019 – Access Covers & Grates).

AS3996 is quite clear in its Classes for products detailing both design loads, wheel loads for each Class.

Products of poor quality, non-compliant and even non-compliant products claiming to be compliant is something that can be seen all too often in our industry. For example there are instances of products claiming to be Class D with a Design Load of 240kN and Wheel Load of 8000kg only to be found to be a Class C with a Design Load of 150kN and a Wheel load of 5000kg.  Depending on the application, product failure due to load could have a devastating effect.

Unfortunately, some manufacturers choose to take shortcuts in order to offer cheaper products in market.

The civil construction industry sees its fair share of non-compliant products. Understanding quality and identifying a reliable product brand is crucial to avoiding falling victim to non-complaint, poorly made, inferior products offered at cheap prices

Beware of inferior products and fakes

Civil stormwater and drainage products must be compliant with Australian Standard AS3996-2019 which will be physically identifiable on the product. Another identifier of quality product is that the manufacturer’s company name will be featured on a product as well its load class.

All reputable manufacturers feature their name on their product and have the standard stamped on it. If the product does not feature these basic marks, then it is not compliant with Australian Standards and may be subject to failure with possible devastating consequences.

How to recognise a quality supplier

All Civilcast products are compliant with Australian Standards.  What’s more Civilcast is JAS-ANZ Certified to ISO 9001:2015. This means our quality, safety, and environmental management systems have been certified to comply with the highest of standards. It also means our sales, production, distribution, and design processes are regularly audited.

All Civilcast products are manufactured in accordance with Australian Standards

• AS3500 – Plumbing & Drainage
• AS3600 – Concrete Structures
• AS3996-2019 – Access Covers & Grates

Civilcast differentiates itself by being a manufacturer of a range of high quality, compliant products for the civil construction industry

Our Grates and Covers are produced to meet AS3996-2019 and are stocked and available for fast delivery. Civilcast supplies grates and covers suitable for electrical, stormwater and sewer applications. We are Sydney Water accredited and as mentioned we’re Quality Assured to ISO9001:2015.

Whatever your access cover or grate needs, Civilcast provides technical advice to ensure the correct product is chosen for the application

If you would like more information about any of our products or wish to discuss custom precast manufacturing for your project, please enquire online at civilcast.com.au or call 1300 012 278