Sign printers and installers will get an in-depth insight into the enormous fallout from the combustible materials issue, which is currently rocking the industry, at a special ASGA panel discussion at PrintEx in August.
To attend the special Forum panel session being held on Wednesday 14 August, register online for PrintEx19 to gain free access to the show, then reserve your place at the sessions of your choice.
New Australian fire and building regulations, brought in to address safety issues with combustible composite cladding materials following the Grenfell fire disaster in London, are impacting on signage applications, with what the Australian Sign and Graphic Association (ASGA) says is “the potential to have significant detrimental outcomes for businesses in the sector”.
ASGA general manager Michael Punch tells Print21, “It is vital for signage suppliers to understand just what changes have been made to regulations, and how that will impact on both the applications they produce and the substrates and media they use to produce their products,” adding that failure to do so could potentially leave the sign supplier liable for replacement or rectification should their work be judged non-compliant.
Punch says, “At the end of the day, it’s your responsibility to ensure you comply with all these new regulations, obtain all the required permits, and choose appropriate materials – for instance, substrates that meet the rules for combustibility and flammability where that is required,” he says.
“We don’t want to see any sign or display business exposed to unnecessary risk or cost, and are doing our best to support the industry through this challenging transition.”
There are even worse potential outcomes if a sign supplier is deemed to have installed on a building a sign made of potentially combustible materials, which helps spread a fire. There are many aluminium composite material (ACM) products used in the sign industry that are certified as fire retardant, but they are generally the higher priced product from Europe, while the lower cost product manufactured in China and Asia – and often used – may not be certified.
Suppliers of building cladding that were allegedly formerly supplying the combustible building cladding are already being sued in class actions by the despised no-win no-fee litigation business funded lawyers. The cladding in question is aluminium composite material (ACM), which has also been commonly used for exterior signage, and which has a polyethylene core sandwiched between aluminium panels.
The Australian Sign and Graphics Association (ASGA), the peak body for sign industry professionals, has put in an immense amount of work to understand these new rules and how they affect the sign industry. The panel session at the upcoming PrintEx19 Show in Sydney, hosted by Visual Connections and PIAA, will enable many of the current industry challenges in this area to be discussed.
“The PrintEx session will give industry professionals the opportunity to gain valuable insight and information from a panel of experts including regulators, construction and industry specialists,” Punch says. “It’s completely free of charge, and really is a must-attend for any business in the sign and display sector.”
ASGA recently held a series of round-table information sessions around the country, with more than 200 professionals attending across five states. The association has since distributed the information from these sessions to all members, and has set up an online resource to provide member businesses with vital information on specific materials and substrates.
“A lot of signage businesses have particular questions about specific materials – for instance, which acrylic substrates are compliant for particular purposes, or whether there are any transparent materials which are fire-rated,” Punch says.
“The industry suppliers, of course, are well aware of the challenges and are working to verify the ratings on their products and provide this information to us, so that we can make it available to our members.”
To make a confusing situation even trickier, enforcement of regulations and standards varies from state to state, and each project and application has its own particular challenges and requirements. Punch therefore says it behoves all sign industry professionals to do their own careful research, ensure they are up to date with all regulations, and to work closely with their substrate supplier, regulators and project management.
To find out about membership of ASGA or to access member resources, go to www.signs.org.au. PrintEx19 will run from 13-16 August at the Sydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park, and is co-locating with Visual Impact sign, display and wide-format show, and the Label & Packaging Expo.