Part H3 Farm buildings and farm sheds

The Objectives and Functional Statements for Part H3 are contained in Sections C, D, E and F of this Guide. The Performance Requirements for Part H3 are contained in Section C, D, E and F. Part H3 contains Deemed-to-Satisfy Provisions for farm buildings and farm sheds in addition to those contained in Section C, D, E and F. A number of the Deemed-to-Satisfy Provisions in Part H3 offer concessions for farm buildings and farm sheds from the corresponding Deemed-to-Satisfy Provisions contained in Section C, D, E and F.

The Objectives and Functional Statements for Part H3 are contained in Sections C, D, E and F of this Guide. The Performance Requirements for Part H3 are contained in Section C, D, E and F. Part H3 contains Deemed-to-Satisfy Provisions for farm buildings and farm sheds in addition to those contained in Section C, D, E and F. A number of the Deemed-to-Satisfy Provisions in Part H3 offer concessions for farm buildings and farm sheds from the corresponding Deemed-to-Satisfy Provisions contained in Section C, D, E and F.

The Objectives and Functional Statements for Part H3 are contained in Sections C, D, E and F of this Guide. The Performance Requirements for Part H3 are contained in Section C, D, E and F. Part H3 contains Deemed-to-Satisfy Provisions for farm buildings and farm sheds in addition to those contained in Section C, D, E and F. A number of the Deemed-to-Satisfy Provisions in Part H3 offer concessions for farm buildings and farm sheds from the corresponding Deemed-to-Satisfy Provisions contained in Section C, D, E and F.

H3.1(a) outlines that the Deemed-to-Satisfy Provisions of Part H3 apply to farm buildings and farm sheds.

H3.1(b) provides a rule for resolving inconsistencies between these requirements imposed on farm buildings and farm sheds and those in the remainder of the BCA, by providing that the Deemed-to-Satisfy Provisions of Part H3 take precedence where there is a difference.

H3.1(c) sets out which provisions in Part H3 apply to farm sheds.

H3.1(d) sets out which provisions in Part H3 apply to farm buildings.

H3.2 provides a concession for farm sheds (see defined term) from the Deemed-to-Satisfy requirements in Parts C1, C2 and C3, except for C1.11.

This concession recognises that these buildings will only be occupied by a few people at any time, who are likely to know the building well, thus reducing the risk to life safety. In the event of an emergency in a farm shed, such as a fire, it is expected any occupants will be able to evacuate quickly as there are exits provided.

Further to this, the building elements of a farm shed do not need to be protected from the spread of fire because it is likely there is only one fire compartment, people are not sleeping in the building and there is little likelihood that a fire will spread to another building due to the separation distance required.

The intent of H3.3 is to ensure that the requirements to allow occupants to escape are proportional and appropriate to the very limited number of occupants anticipated in the building at any time. Consequently, the specific provisions from Part D1 which are listed in H3.3(a) are considered the minimum necessary for farm sheds to achieve this objective.

H3.3(b) provides a further concession for farm sheds and farm buildings so that an open space (see definition) need not be directly connected to a public road. This concession gives recognition to the often isolated nature of many farm sheds and farm buildings.

The intent of H3.4 is to ensure that the specific requirements for the construction of exits are proportional and appropriate to the very limited number of occupants anticipated in the building at any time. It is likely that any occupants will be familiar with the building, and therefore, will be able to quickly identify exits and traverse obstacles in order to gain quick and efficient egress in case of an emergency. Consequently, the specific provisions from Part D2 which are listed in H3.4 are considered the minimum necessary for farm sheds to achieve this objective.

H3.5 extends the concession contained in D2.18 to farm buildings and farm sheds, to allow a choice of designing a stairway, platform, etc. to the requirements contained in D2.13, D2.14, D2.16 and D2.17 or within AS 1657.

Doorways to farm buildings and farm sheds are often provided with a threshold (more commonly known as a hob or vermin barrier) in the form of a low-height concrete wall along the sides of the building for the purposes of cleaning, clearing and pest control. This is particularly relevant to buildings used for keeping pigs and chickens.

These thresholds do not comply with the Deemed-to-Satisfy Provisions of D2.15 which generally prevent a step or ramp being constructed at the doorway. H3.6 provides a concession for a farm building or farm shed enabling the construction of a hob up to 700 mm in height, except where the area is required to be accessible by D3.1.

H3.7 specifies that D2.20 does not apply to a farm building. D2.20 also does not apply to a farm shed due to H3.4.

Due to the limited size and very low occupation of farm sheds, the provision of fire hydrants, fire hose reels and sprinklers is considered onerous for these types of buildings as a minimum requirement.

This concession aims to allow what is considered as an appropriate level of fire fighting equipment to facilitate initial attack by any occupants, in the form of portable fire extinguishers in specific locations. Refer to H3.11 for the portable fire extinguisher requirements for farm sheds.

Farm buildings are often located in remote areas which are not serviced by mains water, and these areas can also be affected by drought which can affect the availability and reliability of on-site water supply. To ensure a farm building has adequate water to allow an attending fire brigade to undertake fire fighting operations and in light of the limited availability of water when compared to more urban located buildings, H3.9(a)(iii) provides a concession to the requirements of AS 2419.1 so that 2 hours water supply for a fire hydrant installation is required instead of 4 hours.

H3.9(a)(iv) provides an alternative concession, if certain conditions are met, from the requirement for a fire hydrant system to be installed to serve a farm building. The concession instead requires the provision of an adequate supply of water that can be used by a fire brigade instead of a fire hydrant system, noting that there is also a reduction in the volume of static water required to be supplied for fire fighting purposes from 288,000 litres to 144,000 litres.

Acceptable sources of water are listed in (b)(i) to (vii) and must be located on the same allotment as the farm building, have a minimum capacity of 144,000 litres, and access to the water supply must be within 60 to 90 metres from any part of the farm building. The water source must also be situated so as to enable emergency services vehicles access to within 4 metres. Multiple buildings may be served by a single water supply providing the proximity requirements of H3.9(a)(iv) are met by each building.

If a water supply is a water tank, there are additional requirements such as suitable suction connections to ensure that the fire brigade can access and use the water available in the water tank.

Due to the low occupancy numbers of farm buildings, these buildings are exempt from the requirements for fire hose reels where specific requirements for portable fire extinguishers are satisfied under H3.11.

Farm sheds are not required to comply with the requirements of E1.4 due to H3.8.

Portable fire extinguishers in buildings allow occupants to undertake initial attack on a fire. They should be located in plain view, along normal paths of travel and near exits where possible, and should not be located in hazardous places. Under E1.6, portable fire extinguishers must be provided in accordance with Table E1.6, which refers to AS 2444 Portable fire extinguishers and fire blankets – Selection and location.

H3.11 includes requirements for specific types of extinguishers to be installed to deal with the specific types of hazards which may be associated with farm buildings and farm sheds. When applying H3.11(a)(i) the proposed building use should be considered. In addition, there are requirements to ensure that occupants are aware of the location of portable fire extinguishers as H3.11 includes reference to specific sections of AS 2444.

H3.12 contains a concession from the requirements in E4.2 to provide an emergency lighting system in a farm building, in specific circumstances. For a farm building, H3.12(a) outlines concessions where:

• there is no artificial lighting provided in accordance with H3.18; or
• a farm building is connected to a back-up generator system that will likely ensure sufficient light is automatically provided in the event of a power failure.

H3.12(b) outlines that a farm shed need not be provided with an emergency lighting system due to the very limited occupancy of these buildings.

H3.13 provides a concession for farm sheds from the requirements of E4.5 in the circumstance where there is a large permanent opening, on the basis that where farm sheds are likely only to be occupied during the day there would be sufficient natural light available from a permanent opening to guide any occupants towards the exit.

H3.14 outlines requirements for direction signs in farm buildings and farm sheds, to enable occupants to find their way out of a building in the event of an emergency.

Some farm animals are sensitive to the level or duration of light to which they are exposed and the use of illuminated exit signs can adversely impact the behaviour or welfare of these animals where they permanently occupy a building. H3.15(a) provides a concession to the requirements of E4.8 for farm buildings to allow non-illuminated exit signs to be used provided the size, mounting height and pictorial requirements of Appendix D of AS/NZS 2293.1 are complied with.

For a farm shed, illuminated exit signs are not considered necessary given the limited size and low occupancy of these buildings and a concession is provided in H3.13. However, required exit signs must meet basic criteria, such as maximum viewing distances, to ensure that occupants can safely evacuate.

H3.16 provides a concession for farm sheds from compliance with F2.3.

H3.17 provides a concession for farm sheds from compliance with F3.1.

There are a wide variety of farm buildings. H3.18(a) is provided in recognition of the fact that various farm building uses may negate the requirement for artificial lighting. There are two components in using the concession from F4.4 for farm buildings. The first is ensuring sufficient visibility for safe movement of occupants. Where artificial lighting is not provided, an alternative means of providing sufficient visibility must be demonstrated.

The second component acknowledges that some farm animals are sensitive to the level or duration of light to which they are exposed and the use of artificial lighting can adversely impact the behaviour or welfare of these animals where they permanently occupy a building. Some types of plant and fungi are also sensitive to the level of lighting provided.

H3.18(b) exempts farm sheds from compliance with F4.4.