As South Africa moves towards a far more regulated building industry, more and more homeowners find themselves unaware that they are on the wrong side of these regulations. SANS are a set of guidelines that ensure your building project is safe and able to deal with the task at hand. What does that mean for you as a consumer? Well your new staircase, balustrade or pool enclosure might not be able to withstand the loads that it is burdened with. These codes are extremely technical and detailed and make reference of different loading (Kilo Newton/meter) for different occupancy classifications. In layman’s terms the load a balustrade must be able to withstand in a shopping centre is substantially more than in a residential dwelling. In terms of SANS, installations need to be signed off by an engineer. This sign off is crucial when getting an occupation certificate. The building inspector requires this professional engineer’s sign off before an occupation certificate can be issued. It has therefore become a critical requirement that manufacturers and installers comply with SANS. There are multiple impact tests that apply to various occupancy classifications. There are specific heights and widths which differ for the several occupancies as well as incorporating the disability act. There are literally hundreds of these specifications which need to be taken into account when designing, manufacturing and installing a balustrade system. As it currently stands, it is ultimately the client’s responsibility to ensure that their balustrades comply with SANS. To avoid liability, ensure that your manufacturer and installer has an engineer sign off on your project. Also make sure that your balustrade and staircase company complies with SANS in terms of their design capabilities, manufacturing processes and installation. By following these steps you can ensure that your building is firstly compliant with the regulations, but more importantly safe for all that use it. This recent shift to a far more regulated building industry is in response to the fact that many projects have placed emphasis on form over function and in the process neglected the concern for the safety of those utilising the facility. To allow for the SANS compliant yet design focused construction of balustrades, staircases and pool enclosures a new compound of steel would be needed. This steel would need to be impossibly thin, while still being able to withstand the loads required to pass SANS requirements.