There is no substitution for experienceThe introduction of NHBC Chapter 5.4 Waterproofing of Basements and other Below Ground Structures is having an interesting impact on structural waterproofing as a discipline, which I feel is worthy of discussion.
The fact that the NHBC have had to invest over £21 million in the remediation of basement waterproofing on approximately 900 properties is clearly unacceptable. The Basement Campaign Task Group included Architects, Engineers, Contractors, Consultants and leading waterproofing manufacturers such as RIW (naturally), so the final document benefitted from years of practical industry experience. Chapter 5.4, enhances the advice given in BS8102:2009 in terms of assessment of risk, levels of protection, suitable product selection and provision of information.
“Working with industry to bring about improvement in this critical area of construction, NHBC’s Standards Chapter 5.4 ‘Waterproofing of basements and other below ground structures’ sets technical benchmarks aimed at raising the standard of waterproofing” explained Paul Cribbens, Standards Manager at the NHBC.
Workmanship is normally seen as critical, and the cause of most waterproofing failures, but Chapter 5.4 makes it clear that the highest standard of workmanship cannot make-up for incorrect design. This couldn’t be truer for RIW, where our mantra is ‘Design, Design, Design’. We know that waterproofing leaks can be attributed to designs produced by those without the requisite knowledge/experience, as much as by poor workmanship carried out by inexperienced installers.
One of the consequences of Chapter 5.4 is that in addition to decades of design experience (or a century, in RIW’s case), companies now have the option of proving their expertise via the CSSW qualification.. Putting your money where your mouth is has become a short cut to waterproofing design specialist status. Whilst we may churlishly grumble about the added costs of putting our employees through the CSSW qualification, this can only raise standards in designing waterproofing strategies and as such reduce the risk of failures going forward. And the course is an excellent way of getting our newer employees up to speed quickly and professionally.
Paul added, “A thorough understanding of the sometimes complex design issues is essential to the success of any waterproofing installation and the CSSW qualification provides an excellent demonstration that the designer has a suitable level of knowledge and expertise to undertake this work”.
A good benchmark of the industry’s desire to mitigate risk has been illustrated by the uplift in applications to sit the CSSW qualification. In fact, the PCA have confirmed that 2015 saw a 44% rise in the number of CSSW exams sat versus 2014.
Steve Hodgson, Chief Executive of the PCA, said “The Association, backed by specialist practitioners, delivers formal training underpinned by an industry qualification. The training course is beneficial to even those who have experience whilst the examination challenges the knowledge and recognizes the skills and achievements of those actively engaged in waterproofing. The Association believes that this can only benefit the long term credibility of a growing and critically important specialist occupation.”
The CSSW qualification is a welcome addition to our training programme, but a few days in a classroom can never replace the years of frontline experience enjoyed by our more senior (some might say, veteran) Technical Advisors. When it comes to the trickier design issues, we will always ask the Advisor who has been there, done that.
By Martin Radford, Business Manager at RIW Ltd
