LBP licence changes in place

LBP competencies for Design, External Plastering and Brick and Blocklaying have been amended

Developments in construction industry practices mean licence class competencies need to be updated and clarified from time to time in order to remain relevant. If competencies are not kept up to date, LBPs may not be assessed for competency in some relevant areas, leaving gaps in the industry.

Results of consultation

The LBP team consulted publicly on the proposed competency changes in 2014 and early in 2015. The Ministry received feedback from individual LBPs and industry groups. The consultation process also offered up the opportunity to address some underlying issues in the competency structure and adjust the competencies to reflect other changes in legislation.

The most significant change affects external plasterers, with the inclusion of performance indicators related to the installation of substrates in their competencies. This means the installation of any substrate is now a candidate for restricted building work (RBW), and can only be completed by a licensed carpenter or external plasterer.

Changes made

The changes are generally technical in nature and have been made to the Bricklaying and Blocklaying, External Plastering and Design licence classes. They update and clarify competencies to reflect current practice and to improve competency structure. Some of the main changes to all three licence classes are summarised below.

1. External Plastering changes – will take effect 23 March

• The inclusion of more generic terminology – ‘installation of the substrate’ – in the proprietary plaster cladding system (PPCS) external plastering competencies closes a loophole in the current competencies.Previously, the PPCS competencies were limited to installing and plastering over two specific substrates – lightweight fibre cement-based sheet or an exterior insulating finishing system (EIFS). Now that the language has changed, the PPCS competencies apply to the installation of any type of PPCS substrate. This means it is now RBW, provided it meets other RBW requirements such as being residential only and requiring a building consent.

  This change requires a licensed carpenter or external plasterer to install or supervise the installation of any PPCS substrate where the overall work is RBW.

• A stucco area of practice was previously proposed but was not finally included because the suite of changes intends to create broader competencies rather than specific ones. This trend is being reflected in national qualifications provided by training providers.
• There are also more explicit requirements with regard to following a building consent where one has been issued.
• A new competency ‘Work Safely’ has been added to External Plastering to bring together a range of safety performance indicators currently dispersed throughout the other competencies. The Health and Safety at Work Act is now cited in place of the Health and Safety in Employment Act.
• These changes will become effective from 23 March 2017 to allow the industry time to prepare.

What will these changes mean for practitioners?

• The changes to the PPCS external plastering competencies means that installers of aerated concrete panel products and other related cladding systems will now be carrying out  RBW (if the work is residential and requires a consent). As a result, this work needs to be carried out or supervised by a Carpentry or External Plastering LBP.Installers may need to upskill their staff to become LBPs or engage LBPs to carry out or supervise the work.
• The rule changes were made on Nov 10 and allowed a delayed implementation period of approximately four months; they come into force on 23 March.This means the rules only apply to building consents issue on or after the implementation date of 23 March.
• The other changes are largely of a technical nature and should have a limited effect on current or prospective LBPs, most of the changes are about better aligning the competencies with current work practices and recent regulatory change.

2. Bricklaying and Blocklaying changes – already in effect

• There is an updated list of technical information a LBP should be competent in assessing and interpreting. This reflects changes in Standards and Acceptable Solutions.
• Reference to E2/AS3 (the code of practice for weathertight concrete and concrete masonry construction) has been included and some references to NZS3604 have been removed. This is due to section 11 largely moving into E2/AS1.
• Minor changes have been made to the performance indicator description to better reflect the type of work undertaken by practitioners. It now reads ‘structural masonry or veneer’ and not ‘bricks or blocks’. 
• There are more explicit requirements with regard to following a building consent where one has been issued.
• A new competency ‘Work Safely’ has been added to bring together a range of safety performance indicators previously dispersed throughout the other competencies. The Health and Safety at Work Act is now cited in place of the Health and Safety in Employment Act.
• These changes were implemented on 10 November 2016.

3. Design competency changes – already in effect

• There are some changes to the competencies that relate to the client/designer working relationship. These are centred around establishing agreed terms of engagement, timeframes and associated costs with the design process.
• Some duplication of performance indicators has been removed from the competencies to assist with clarity.
• A new competency ‘Manage construction phase design’ will bring together some performance indicators from other competencies in order to improve the definition and structure of competencies. This competency only applies to Design area of practices 2 and 3.
• These changes were implemented on 10 November 2016.

You can read more about the scheme, including the LBP Rules which outline the competencies, on the LBP website.

Further information is available on the MBIE website www.lbp.govt.nz