or many home or building owners, the rules and regulations regarding SANS are an utter nightmare to get a grasp of. Understanding all of the rules and regulations required for a SANS compliant building project is something that few construction professionals can boast and is simply too daunting a task for a non-construction professional that doesn’t deal with the codes on a daily basis. It is due to this mystery surrounding SANS and what is actually required to be compliant, that many unethical construction professionals are able to take shortcuts when manufacturing their client’s balustrade system. This allows shady subcontractors to reduce their costs and the time required to complete the project, thus increasing their profits. In other cases, bakkie-brigade subcontractors who do not posses the required knowledge and skills to produce a compliant balustrade system, simply tell the client that the balustrade system is compliant when in reality it is not. The dangers of a non-compliant balustrade system are both financial and life threatening. If a non-compliant balustrade system is installed, the client will not receive an occupation certificate and they will have to have a whole new system installed. Often this will be at a greater cost than the initial installation as they will be required to repair the damage from the initial blotched installation. From a safety point of view, a non-compliant balustrade system is a tragedy waiting to happen. Along with a variety of other purposes, SANS serve to ensure that a building project can accommodate the amount of people that will be utilising the facility and the associated loads that they will exert on the structure. A non-compliant balustrade system will be unable to cope with some of the potential loads it may face and in this case, the balustrade system is at risk of failing. This often results in the client being held responsible for the damages, injury or even death caused by their faulty balustrade system. At this stage you’re probably thinking, “how can I prevent myself from this kind of thing happening?” The answer is quite simple really; ensure your balustrade system is SANS compliant.
But how do you go about ensuring your balustrade system is SANS compliant?
You need to ensure that a building inspector issues an occupancy certificate. In order for a building inspector to issue an occupancy certificate, the building inspector needs a certificate from a professional engineer stating that the balustrades meet or exceed the minimum requirements of SANS. By demanding this legally required, yet often neglected piece of documentation, you’ll protect yourself from any potential damages that could be caused by your balustrade system failing in the near or distant future.