Compliance activities targeting plumbing and drainage work

Plumbers and drainers protect public health and safety by ensuring the safe delivery of drinking water and removal of waste.  

As the state’s regulator of the plumbing and drainage industry, the QBCC is dedicated to ensuring these high standards are maintained, and protecting the important work of plumbers now, and into the future.

Cracking down on unlicensed plumbing and drainage work is a key focus area, with unlicensed work making up 45% of all our plumbing-related investigations.

During our proactive plumbing and drainage compliance campaign in June 2023, the QBCC hit the road conducting licence checks at 25 job sites and identifying two persons carrying out plumbing and drainage work without an appropriate licence in the process. Both cases resulted in regulatory outcomes.  

New Service Trades Unit

At the QBCC, we now also have a team of plumbing inspectors that complement our existing team of plumbing and drainage investigators.

Plumbing inspectors are technically qualified and sit within the Service Trades Unit (STU), as of July 2023. The STU is headed up by a manager and currently has four Senior Plumbing Inspectors, with recruitment underway for another Senior Plumbing Inspector. A Senior Fire Services Inspector (Water Based Fire Systems) and Senior Fire Services Inspector (Passive Fire) are also being recruited.

The STU were out and about, auditing 894 building sites from August 2023 to February 2024.

During their inspections:

• 76% of the plumbing work conducted on these sites was deemed compliant at the time of inspection
• 16% exhibited non-compliance issues, with 6% of these receiving action notices for defective plumbing and drainage work.

Further to their compliance activities, the STU conducted 78 educational site visits.

Moving forward, the STU will:

• provide education for those who undertake and/or will undertake service trades building work including plumbing and drainage, fire systems and mechanical services
• engage with key parties, collaboratively and frequently, ranging from sub-contractors and builders to local governments
• perform licence audits/inspections on building sites of persons carrying out plumbing or drainage work, installation of fire systems and mechanical services
• provide early intervention when identifying non-compliant building practices during construction stages and endeavour to kerb industry behaviour through education initiatives
• provide a continual regulatory presence throughout Queensland on live residential sites to ensure code compliance is achieved and those responsible are held accountable for staged building work, particularly as it relates to plumbing and drainage
• attend industry trade forums and committees on behalf of the QBCC as subject matter experts.

Notifiable Work

In 2023, the QBCC developed the notifiable work interactive tool to better support the plumbing and drainage industry awareness of what is notifiable work.  

You can find the Notifiable Work Tool on the QBCC’s website.

The QBCC also supports the Notifiable Work Panel to review the notifiable work framework and implement recommendations to improve both industry understanding and compliance with legislative obligations.

The Notifiable Work Panel was recently established through the Service Trades Council (STC), and the QBCC is part of the panel.

At the QBCC, we are also reviewing how we undertake the notifiable work audit program to identify opportunities to give licensees who are being audited advance notice and to improve education to licensees to support their compliance with audit obligations.  

Queensland compliance blitz

In October last year, QBCC officers from all compliance teams, including plumbing and drainage, were out in force targeting active building sites around Queensland to help stamp out unlicensed, illegal and defective work and engage with homeowners and licensees in the field.

During this joint compliance operation across the state, QBCC officers:

• visited 1,124 commercial and residential sites
• conducted 3,906 licence checks
• handed out 2,000 fact sheets about licensing and compliance matters
• identified 73 suspected unlicensed workers.
• Reporting unlicensed building or trade work

If you have evidence of someone doing unlicensed building or trade work, reporting this can help us improve the industry for everyone. The more information you have to support your complaint, the more likely it is that an alleged offender will be located, and regulatory action taken. At the very least, the QBCC would like to receive the address of the unlicensed building work, the date the work was undertaken, a description and image of the work and, where possible, the name of the person alleged to have undertaken the work.

Other evidence that is useful, but we appreciate is not always available at the time of making a complaint includes: receipts, invoices, contracts, quotes, and bank statements. Even if this information is not provided at the time of lodging the complaint, the QBCC will still assess the information available and consider whether there is sufficient information to investigate.

In order to take action for unlicensed work, the QBCC must first establish the following information:

• the complaint relates to ‘building work’ as defined by the QBCC Act
• the value of the building work is over $3,300; however, work that relates to plumbing, drainage, gas fitting, building design, site classification, chemical termite management, completed residential building inspection or fire protection work may be of any value. Hydraulic services design work must be over $1,100
• the company or individual was unlicensed or not appropriately licensed at the time the building work was carried out – this can be determined using QBCC’s online search or by calling 139 333.

Help protect the industry and uphold QBCC standards by submitting a Notification of Offence form with any supporting documents when you come across unlicensed work

Note: Do not send original documents – the QBCC cannot return documents. Any documents provided by you will be destroyed pursuant to Principal 7 – Information Standard 40.

Queensland Home Warranty Scheme (QHWS)

Principal contractors, including trade contractors such as plumbers and drainers, must collect the home warranty premium from the homeowner and pay it to the QBCC for any insurable residential construction work they perform.

Work you do directly for an owner is insurable if the value of work is more than $3,300 (including cost of materials, even if you did not provide them, labour, and GST). Examples include replacing or refitting fixtures in a kitchen or bathroom, guttering, wastewater or sewerage systems, water tanks that are the primary water supply for a residence, or a project that requires a plumbing approval. However, individual work on hot water systems is excluded. Work you do as a subcontractor is also excluded, as only the principal contractor has the obligation to collect and pay premium.

For more information, visit Home warranty insurance obligations on the QBCC website.

More information 

For more information on plumbing work in Queensland visit qbcc.qld.gov.au/worksite-building-practice/plumbing-work

You can also follow us on Facebook or look out for the STC’s quarterly e-newsletter Pipeline, sent to all current service trade licensees, for news and updates about changes that may affect the plumbing and drainage industry.

Stay tuned for more updates on our plumbing and drainage activities!  

A team of highly skilled professionals from the QBCC Plumbing Investigations Unit were deployed to various building sites to ensure plumbing and drainage work is only carried out by appropriately licensed individuals.

QBCC Commissioner, Anissa Levy, says the QBCC is dedicated to ensuring plumbing and drainage work in Queensland is only carried out by licensed professionals, guaranteeing public health and the safety and quality of construction projects.

“As well as attending building sites, our Plumbing Investigations Unit has been providing licensees with important information to raise awareness of topical issues and increase collaboration," Ms Levy says.

"This campaign is not just about compliance; it also provides an opportunity for our team to engage with industry professionals, sharing important information on notifiable work, insurance requirements, and contractual obligations.

“By building strong relationships with the industry, we can collectively work towards fostering a culture of professionalism and compliance."

Recognising the important role of apprentices in the plumbing industry, the team also visited registered training organisations.

"Engaging with apprentices allows us to educate and empower the next generation of plumbing professionals. By instilling a strong understanding of licensing requirements and industry standards, we can lay the foundation for a highly skilled and compliant workforce.”

The QBCC Plumbing Investigations Unit also collaborated with local government bodies as part of their engagement activities.

"We are committed to working hand-in-hand with local governments to increase notifiable work inspections and promote compliance.

By joining forces, we can amplify our impact and ensure safer construction practices," says Commissioner Levy.

Using licensed plumbers and drainers is the best way to ensure your plumbing project complies with regulations and minimises unnecessary risk to your family's health and safety.

Check that your plumber is licensed by searching online or contacting the QBCC on 139 333.

Campaign Highlights:

• 75 licence checks/inspections conducted at 25 building sites (commercial and domestic).
• Two individuals suspected of performing plumbing work without an appropriate licence have been referred for further investigation.
• Visits to regional areas, including Cardwell, Etty Bay, Brandon, Ayr, Bowen, Strathdickie, Sugar Loaf, Cannon Valley, and Gumlu. Engaged with real estate agencies in Collinsville and Bowen to provide information on the use of licensed plumbers and notifiable work.
• Visited TAFE Qld in Cairns and addressed plumbing and drainage apprentices (second-year students) to provide general information about the QBCC, notifiable work, and licensing.
• Attended the MPAQ Trade Expo in Cairns and engaged with local government plumbing inspectors, including those from Cairns, Mareeba, and Cassowary Coast.
• Conducted two fire audits, one in Townsville and the other in Mackay. All individuals identified through service records/logbook held the appropriate licenses for fire protection work.

The World Toilet Organisation estimates there are 3.6 billion people in the world living with poor quality toilets that ruin their health and pollute their environment. 

Safe toilet products safeguard good sanitation

The QBCC supports the aims of World Toilet Day and would like to take this opportunity to promote greater understanding of the role that non-conforming building product laws play in keeping sanitation in Queensland compliant and safe.

Non-conforming building product laws are designed to ensure building products, including toilets and bidets, are of acceptable quality, meet Australian standards and are fit for their intended purpose.

A building product is considered a non-conforming building product (NCBP) if it is any of the following:

• the product is not, or will not be, safe
• not compliant with the relevant regulatory requirements (e.g. plumbing products must be WaterMark certified to be compliant)
• it doesn't perform to the standard it is represented to perform to.

*In Australia, plumbing products including those purchased via online stores like eBay and Amazon must be:

• WaterMark certified
• marked with the WaterMark trademark, WaterMark licence number and the applicable product specification
• listed on the WaterMark product database, and
• provided with a Scope of Use statement specifying its intended use.

_{*From Australian Building Codes Board} 

Any associated product packaging and promotional material must also be marked with the WaterMark trademark and licence number.

Buying WaterMark Certified products may help you to ensure the product is fit for purpose, authorised for installation and safe.  It is your responsibility to ensure products are not a non-conforming building product, even if they are supplied by the client of other person.

The QBCC recommends referring to the Manual for the WaterMark Certification Scheme to ensure a product complies.

To learn more about NCBPs and your responsibilities visit the QBCC’s dedicated NCBP pages. 

For more information about WaterMark Certification visit the ABCB website.