Building and construction practice | Queensland Building and Construction Commission

Role and responsibilities of a certifier

Read more about Role and responsibilities of a certifier

Licensed building certifiers assess building applications, decide whether to issue building approvals and inspect and certify building works. The certifier ensures the building works comply with the building assessment provisions, the Building Act and the approval. Certifiers can work for local government or in private practice.

Integrity of certifiers

There is a high level of accountability in your position as a certifier so it is important that you avoid situations that may cause a conflict of interest.

Building certifiers:

can't carry out certification functions on work where they are personally involved or have an interest in the building work
must follow the Code of conduct for building certifiers (PDF)
must act in the public interest when performing building certifying functions.

Building certifiers need to keep copies of all building inspection documents for at least 7 years after the building work is completed.

Responsibilities

Building certifiers do

carry out building assessment work relating to new, altered and existing building work
give a Compliance Certificate stating building work complies with the building assessment provisions
under a Building Development Approval, inspect the building work to decide whether to certify the work, including mandatory stages for class 1a single-detached buildings - as defined under section 44 of the Building Regulation
give a certificate for a stage of the building work
issue enforcement notices where required
give a final inspection certificate for the final stage of building work for Class 1 and 10 buildings/structures and/or a certificate of occupancy for a building or structure of another class.

Building certifiers don't

ensure a builder is complying with their contract
take responsibility for quality control
supervise the job site.

Notification of a missed inspection

It is the responsibility of the builder to let the certifier know when the project is at a stage requiring an inspection.

Certifiers must let the QBCC know if they did not receive a notice for inspection from the builder. This can be done by completing the form:

Notification of missed inspection (PDF, 33KB)

Lodge it with us:

by mail
in person at a service centre
on myQBCC via our feedback and enquiries form (Note: you must be logged in to upload a form).

Undertake continuing professional development

Keeping up to date with the latest building practices and legislation is an important part of your role. Continuing professional development requirements assist in maintaining your accreditation to meet licensing requirements.

Some of the areas where you may need to continue to increase your knowledge include:

technical building practices and related engineering, design and construction practices
building related law and the implications of those laws
building codes and standards
risk assessment and management principles relevant to the design and construction of buildings
professional and ethical responsibilities and obligations
effective communication techniques with designers, builders, building owners and the general community.

The QBCC's role in certification

Certifier licensing.
Investigating complaints against certifiers.
Keeping a register of certifiers.
Auditing certifiers' work.
Disciplining certifiers where appropriate.

Certifier misconduct

Building certifiers must act in the public interest. Examples of certifiers not doing this include:

seeking or accepting a benefit to themselves or others for acting against their statutory functions
acting against their statutory functions
falsely claiming to hold the appropriate licence needed to carry out building assessments of a particular type
acting outside the scope of their legislated powers
breaching the Code of conduct for building certifiers (PDF)
acting in a grossly negligent or incompetent way.

A certifier's conduct can be reported to the QBCC.

Apply for a certifier licence

Check eligibility requirements and apply for a certifier licence.

Apply now

Last reviewed: 3 Oct 2021 Last published: 3 Oct 2021

Building classes—Building Codes of Australia

Read more about Building classes—Building Codes of Australia

A classification summary of buildings and structures under the National Construction Code (NCC).

All building work must comply with the requirements of the Building Code of Australia (BCA).

The Building Code of Australia (BCA) is contained within the National Construction Code (NCC) and provides the minimum necessary requirements for safety, health, amenity and sustainability in the design and construction of new buildings (and new building work in existing buildings) throughout Australia.

In doing so, it groups buildings by their function and use. These groups are assigned a classification which is then how buildings are referred to throughout the NCC. These groups are summarised below.

Class 1 buildings

Houses or dwellings of a domestic or residential nature—single or...

Houses or dwellings of a domestic or residential nature—single or horizontally attached to other Class 1 buildings such as terrace houses, row houses, or townhouses.

In these situations they must be separated by a wall that has fire‑resisting and sound insulation properties. 2 subclasses include:

class 1a—is a single dwelling being a detached house; or one of a group of attached dwellings being a town house, row house or the like.
class 1b—is a boarding house, guest house or hostel that has a floor area less than 300 m2 , and ordinarily has less than 12 people living in it. It can also be four or more single dwellings located on one allotment which are used for short-term holiday accommodation.

Class 2 buildings

Apartment buildings—residential buildings containing two or more ...

Apartment buildings—residential buildings containing two or more sole-occupancy units where people live above, beside or below each other.

Class 2 may also be single storey attached dwellings where there is a common space below such as a basement or carpark.

Class 3 buildings

A residential building, other than a Class 1 or 2 building, which...

A residential building, other than a Class 1 or 2 building, which is a common place of long term or transient living for a number of unrelated persons, such as:

boarding-house
hostel
backpackers accommodation
residential part of a hotel, motel, school or detention centre.

Class 3 buildings could also include dormitory style accommodation, or workers’ quarters for shearers or fruit pickers.

Class 3 buildings may also be “care-type” facilities such as accommodation buildings for children, the elderly, or people with a disability, and which are not considered to be Class 9 buildings.

Class 4 part of a building

Part of a building that is a dwelling or residence within a non-r...

Part of a building that is a dwelling or residence within a non-residential building (Class 5 to 9), such as a caretaker’s residence in a hospital.

Class 5 buildings

Office buildings for professional and/or commercial purposes (exc...

Office buildings for professional and/or commercial purposes (excluding Class 6 to 9), such as offices for government agencies, accountants or lawyers.

Class 6 buildings

Shops, restaurants and cafés—places for the sale of retail goods ...

Shops, restaurants and cafés—places for the sale of retail goods or the supply of services direct to the public, such as:

dining room, bar, shop or kiosk part of a hotel or motel
hairdresser or barber shop
public laundry
market or showroom
funeral parlour
shopping centre.

Class 7 buildings

Buildings including carparks, warehouses or storage buildings. Th...

Buildings including carparks, warehouses or storage buildings. This class includes two sub-classifications:

class 7a—carparks
class 7b—warehouses, storage buildings or buildings for the display of goods (or produce) that is for wholesale.

Class 8 buildings

Factories—buildings used for production, assembling, altering, re...

Factories—buildings used for production, assembling, altering, repairing, finishing, packing, or cleaning of goods or produce.

It includes buildings such as a:

mechanic’s workshop
abattoir
laboratory.

Class 9 buildings

Public buildings—with three sub-classifications:class 9a—healthca...

Public buildings—with three sub-classifications:

class 9a—healthcare buildings such as hospitals and day surgery clinics
class 9b—buildings where people assemble for social, political, theatrical, religious or civic purposes, e.g. churches, schools, universities, sports facilities, night clubs
class 9c—aged care facilities.

Class 10 buildings or structures

Non-habitable buildings or structures. This class includes three ...

Non-habitable buildings or structures. This class includes three sub classifications:

class 10a—non-habitable buildings including sheds, carports, and private garages.
class 10b— structures such as fence, mast, antenna, retaining wall, swimming pool
class 10c—private bushfire shelter associated with, but not attached to, a class 1a building.

What type of building is it?

Details of building classes included in the builder scope of works.

Learn more

Birdseye view of the Gold Coast highrise buildings and beyond to the horizon

Last reviewed: 30 Sep 2021 Last published: 30 Sep 2021

Code of conduct for pool safety inspectors

Read more about Code of conduct for pool safety inspectors

Resource Type

Guide

Topic

Building and construction practice

Compliance

Safety

Swimming pools

Document

publication-pool-safety-inspector-code-conduct.pdf

Last reviewed: 27 Sep 2021 Last published: 27 Sep 2021

Role and responsibilities of a pool safety inspector

Read more about Role and responsibilities of a pool safety inspector

The QBCC licenses pool safety inspectors to perform the pool safety inspection functions set out in the Building Act 1975 for regulated pools.

Responsibilities of a PSI

A pool safety inspector (PSI) can:

inspect a pool and issue a pool safety certificate or non-conformity notice (PDF 116.68KB)
do minor repairs, e.g. adjusting or replacing a latch or hinges and removing climbable objects
erect, repair, replace or adjust a maximum of 5 metres and no more than 6 posts of a pool safety barrier.

Pool safety inspectors cannot legally perform works valued at more than $3,300 without an appropriate licence and contract.

Issuing a pool safety certificate

A pool safety inspector must issue a Form 23—pool safety certificate through the swimming pool register on myQBCC on behalf of their client. Learn how to do this using our help guide:

myQBCC user guide for PSIs—pool register

Issuing a non-conformity notice

If a pool safety inspector determines a pool is non-compliant, they must issue a Form 26—swimming pool non-conformity notice (PDF 116.68KB) , unless either:

the inspector reinspects the pool within 2 days of the initial inspection and is satisfied the pool now complies
the owner and pool safety inspector agree that the inspector will carry out minor repairs within 20 business days of the original inspection.

Code of conduct for PSIs

As a pool safety inspector, you have a responsibility to adhere to the Code of conduct for pool safety inspectors (PDF, 924KB) at all times

Purpose of the code

The purpose of the code is to:

set standards of conduct and professionalism expected from swimming pool safety inspectors in the performance of pool safety inspection functions
inform the community of the standards of conduct and professionalism expected from inspectors
provide consumer, regulatory, judicial, employment and professional bodies with a basis for making decisions regarding standards of conduct and professionalism expected from inspectors.

Standards of conduct and professionalism

In undertaking pool safety inspection functions and related functions, an inspector must always:

perform pool safety inspection functions in the public interest
maintain satisfactory levels of competence
comply with legislative requirements
not perform pool safety inspection functions where there is potential for a conflict of interest, except for carrying out minor repairs prescribed under regulation
not perform pool safety inspection functions beyond their level of competence or outside their area of expertise
maintain confidentiality
abide by professional, moral and ethical standards expected by the community
take all reasonable steps to obtain all relevant facts
clearly document reasons for decisions.

Download and read:

Code of conduct for pool safety inspectors (PDF, 924KB)

Conflict of interest

Potential conflicts of interest for pool safety inspectors may include:

inspecting a pool owned by you
inspecting a pool owned by somebody with whom you have a personal, professional, commercial or financial relationship
inspecting a fence you have personally worked on unless the work was prescribed minor repairs
recommending fencing contractors or inspecting fencing work performed by a business in which you have an interest. It is acceptable to recommend the services of a contractor with whom you don’t have a personal, professional, commercial or financial relationship
owning, operating or being employed by a business in the swimming pool industry, such as a pool shop or pool maintenance business where your pool inspection functions are not separated from your other business functions.

There is also a potential conflict of interest when a real estate agent or agency employee inspects a barrier for an owner who receives other services from the agency.

Continuing professional development

As part of your role, you must continue to update your knowledge of pool safety legislation, regulations, practices and standards.

We measure your activity using a point system and we approve and allocate points for CPD activities such as training courses, workshops and seminars. See our list of approved CPD activities for PSIs.

You must provide evidence that you have accumulated CPD points from the previous year when you renew or restore your licence.

Pool safety certificate fees

Item	Fee
Identification number for a pool safety certificate	$42.79

Extract from pool register

There is no fee to do a digital search of the pools register.

Paper extract

There is a fee to extract a paper copy of information held in the regulated pools register.

Item	Fee
1st the first page	$6.75
Each additional page	$2.85

Educational videos for pool safety inspectors

When you’re a pool safety inspector, there are responsibilities that come with the job.

To avoid making some of the inspection errors that are reported to the QBCC, we have created a series of short, educational videos to help you prepare for any pool inspection.

Watch the videos: