In this radio interview, Andrew Golle of Building connection fame, pulls no punches about the state of waterproofing training in Australia –
It is just not good enough.
Waterproofing accounts for 80% of construction failures yet training for this critical skill is sorely lacking and qualified trainers are few and far between. This is a national issue which all state regulars must deal with.
Andrew confronts the ‘that-looks-about-right’ approach to on-the-job training pointing out that many water proofers don’t have the Australian Standards, the relevant Building Code and technical data sheets at hand to do the job properly.
Andrew digs deeper, spelling out where the system is failing, highlighting the cost driven culture, the lack of integration and communication at all levels of the construction process. He emphasises that waterproofing is a process that starts with the designers, moves to builders, then to the product manufacturers and, finally, the water proofers. He offers solutions for water proofers to upskill and advises that supervision is a key component to getting it right.
Andrew is based in Tasmania, but runs trainings all throughout Australia.
