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Roofing
The Department of Education has established a comprehensive roof maintenance
program which is intended to indemnify the DoE against damage, disruption or
inconvenience caused by the failure of the roofing system.
The contract is awarded to Fairbrother Pty Ltd, a Tasmanian builder.
The contract provides routine cleaning, maintenance and emergency call-out
services.
The contract includes a risk sharing arrangement so that roofs in good to
reasonable condition are the contractor's full responsibility. The contract
specifies that those roofs in very poor condition due to age, design or
materials are to be kept patched to prevent further deterioration.
Substantial replacement of aged or otherwise defective roofs
requires additional funds. In recent years the Government have provided
funds through the social infrastructure program or through minor and major works
projects.
When the contract was initiated a survey was undertaken of all roofs across
the state, and from that the highest risk issues identified. The available
funding has been focused on high priority roofs, particularly non
compliant skylights, clear roof sheeting, tiled roofs and box gutters.
The roofing program is focused on prevention and repairs, as distinct
from a roof replacement program. Major and minor projects are still
responsible for the whole of the asset or part thereof that they are upgrading,
including the roofs.
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If emergency action is necessary to rectify a roof leak call 1800
816 057 [same as the Master Maintenance help line]. Your call will be logged
with the relevant sub – contractor for urgent attention.
The contract specifies a response within three days, however in practice
it has usually been the same day or the following day. It should be remembered
that if your school is experiencing roof leaks it is likely that other schools
in the area are similarly suffering and that roofers may be delayed because of
the volume of emergency calls received.
It is also often not possible to rectify leaks while rain is falling,
only to identify the problem area and to return later to effect repairs.
Note: Contractors are not
permitted on roofs during rain or high winds.
In general terms the following is covered
·
Periodic cleaning of roof and gutters on main
buildings – removal of tree litter, balls, bottles etc
·
Minor maintenance – sealing obvious gaps,
tightening screws, replacing loose nails
·
Minor replacement of roof components - < 6m
gutters, flashings & cappings, < single storey downpipe, <
5 square metres roofing
·
Unblocking downpipes above ground level
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-
Replacement
of substantial areas or all of roofs, gutters, downpipes, flashings etc
-
Covered
walkways
-
Leakage
through windows or walls
-
Building
works
-
Vandalism
and storm damage [repairs will be undertaken by contractor but are charged
to the department]
-
Blockages
in stormwater lines
At the commencement of the contract all roofs were inspected and their
condition rated from 1 – 5, 5 being the worst condition. Those rated 1 – 3
are considered the contractors responsibility while ratings 4 & 5 are a
shared responsibility with the department. The latter category roofs are
maintained as well as possible but are essentially awaiting replacement. Only
stop gap measures can be applied to these roofs.
Apply through Branch Office for funding under the Minor Works Program.
All such applications will be measured against rated and current roof condition,
data compiled from the departments emergency call records and other relevant
information before consideration for inclusion in the program.
If you aware that other trades are employed on works requiring a part of
a roof to be lifted eg electricians running cable etc, advise the contractor or
Facility Services of this and the contractor can inspect to ensure that the
finished work is watertight.
Try to limit the amount of tree litter falling on roof surfaces – lop
overhanging branches, restrict the number of tall trees near buildings.
Try not to encourage students to engage in ball games near buildings
with balls of a size that would block downpipes or damage tiled roofs.
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