At the request of a supplier, and this includes everyone in the steel reinforcing and prestressing strand supply chain from manufacturing mill to steel processor, The Australian Certification Authority of Reinforcing Steels (ACRS) conducts extensive quality assurance analyses of materials and processes to ensure the supplier meets relevant Australian Standards in the Building Code of Australia.

To assist users, ACRS has recently updated and expanded its website to include a great deal more information on the scheme, including:

  • A full listing of all certified firms by material supplied and by location
  • Downloadable copies of all company certificates
  • Scheme rules that set out clearly the expectations, duties and rights of applicants for certification and ACRS
  • A new policy for allowing the limited use of non-ACRS certified materials under the Scheme
  • A new appendix for the assessment of manufacture of prestressing materials to AS/NZS4672

In addition, new and revised working assessment documents will be rolled out progressively during 2007.

Australian Concrete Construction - February 2007 17

Benefits of ACRS Certification at a glance

  • ACRS benefits to the construction industry and specifiers include:
  • Certification provides assurance of quality and fitness for purpose of assessed materials, regardless of origin of manufacture.
  • Experience shows it will not affect availability or competitive price levels.
  • Certification preserves and fosters Australia’s world-class construction techniques.
  • Certification at source prevents the costly reintroduction of individual site inspection and testing.