TAFE NSW launches ‘How to stay steel safe’ course

A new online course is helping builders, planners, engineers, procurers, developers and others to understand steel safety, compliance, and third-party certification. 

The course, available through TAFE NSW, helps train industry on the risks of uncertified steel; how to identify, prove, and advocate for compliant steel; and how to use independent third-party certification to ensure you receive the correct steel and that steel is compliant.

Steel plays a crucial role in construction, with implications for safety, building performance and legal responsibilities. Much of the steel used in Australia is imported, but not all steel bought for use in Australia meets Australian Standards, and misleading labels and false documentation are common.

Building with non-certified steel can lead to product failure, decreased durability, increased liability, and financial losses. Using product certification from independent third-party certifiers helps ensure compliance and quality, protecting against these issues.

This course explains how steel is regulated in Australia, the risks you should be aware of, and how to avoid these risks by correctly identifying certified steel.

At the end of this course, you should be able to:

• Understand the risks of using uncertified steel in building projects, and the advantages of using properly certified steel.
• Identify steel that is compliant to Australian Standards and recognise signs of counterfeit certificates or false claims relating to the quality of steel.
• Be able to use third-party certification to ensure and demonstrate compliance.

This course is aimed at planners, architects, engineers and designers, procurers and developers, builders, inspecting engineers and certifiers.

The course is self-paced, with a final assessment to obtain a certificate of completion. It was proudly developed with the assistance of the Australasian Certification Authority for Reinforcing and Structural Steels (ACRS).

Take the course >