Elements describe the essential outcomes.

Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. Where bold italicised text is used, further information is detailed in the range of conditions.

1.

Scope and plan the building surveying audit.

1.1.

Application and related documentation requesting building surveying audit are reviewed for property details and purpose of building surveying audit is clarified.

1.2.

Scope and limitations  of building surveying audit are determined and agreed criteria of the audit are negotiated with client and other relevant stakeholders.

1.3.

Building plans and documentation are obtained where possible and reviewed prior to and during building surveying audit.

1.4.

Building ownership and classification are confirmed and owner or owner’s corporation are contacted to arrange access to the building.

1.5.

Compliance requirements for the building are identified and researched according to building classification, location, and potential change of use.

1.6.

Work health and safety (WHS) requirements  are identified and applied to the planning process.

1.7.

Specialist consultants  with relevant expertise are identified and engaged where appropriate.

1.8.

Liaison with relevant stakeholders, including local planning authorities, is undertaken as required to confirm compliance requirements and relevant planning permissions.

2.

Conduct building surveying audit.

2.1.

Visual inspections of the building interior and exterior are undertaken, construction elements of the building are noted and documented, and photographic evidence of the building is obtained according to workplace procedures.

2.2.

Actual use of the building is confirmed, checked against compliance requirements, and documented.

2.3.

Agreed elements of the building are evaluated against agreed criteria according to audit scope and limitations, and areas of non-compliance are documented.

2.4.

Elements of the building that comply with deemed-to-satisfy provisions of the BCA are noted and documented.

2.5.

Construction materials that may pose a risk to health and safety are documented and specialist consultants are engaged where appropriate to investigate and report on findings.

3.

Produce building surveying audit report for client.

3.1.

Audit scope, purpose, limitations and assumptions are specified in report.

3.2.

Findings of building surveying audit are documented in an approved format with sufficient detail according to workplace procedures.

3.3.

Findings and recommendations of specialist consultants are included in audit report.

3.4.

Areas of non-compliance and strategies for upgrade works to ensure compliance or other requirements are documented according to workplace procedures, and estimated costings for recommended works are included where required.

3.5.

Compliance strategies are prioritised and suggested timeframes to achieve compliance are provided according to workplace procedures.

3.6.

Final audit report is provided to client and other relevant stakeholders according to workplace procedures.

This section describes the language, literacy, numeracy and employment skills essential to performance in this unit but not explicit in the performance criteria.

Skill 

Performance feature 

Learning skills to:

• independently access and interpret a range of complex technical information relating to compliance requirements for class 1 and 10 buildings and structures, including specific requirements for different planning schemes and codes
• maintain currency of skills and knowledge relating to audit requirements through, for example, email alerts, conferences, or subscriptions to relevant journals.

Numeracy skills to:

• extract and interpret a range of mathematical information contained in technical documentation relating to the design of class 1 and 10 buildings and structures, including ratios, rates and proportions.

Oral communication skills to:

• determine client requirements regarding purpose of audit through open-ended questioning, active listening, paraphrasing and summarising
• select and use specialised construction industry vocabulary in a variety of situations, for example when providing explanations, and in discussions with architects, building designers and specialist personnel.

Reading skills to:

• understand technical texts with complex structures, specialised vocabulary, acronyms and diagrams specific to plans and compliance requirements for class 1 and 10 buildings
• use different reading strategies to locate specific compliance requirements in a range of resources, including the National Construction Code (NCC).

Writing skills to:

• complete audit checklists using appropriate construction industry vocabulary.

This section specifies work environments and conditions that may affect performance. Essential operating conditions that may be present (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) are included. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below.

Scope and limitations  must specify whether the audit will include:

• access
• asbestos and other hazardous materials
• egress
• energy efficiency
• fire services
• NCC compliance.

WHS requirements  must include:

• camera
• ladder
• personal protective equipment (PPE):

• goggles
• mask
• overalls

• tape measure
• torch.

Specialist consultants  must include one or more of the following:

• access consultants
• energy efficiency assessors
• fire services engineers
• geotechnical engineers
• heritage consultants
• hydraulic engineers
• mechanical engineers
• structural engineers
• waterproofing specialists.