July 1, 2016
“All fabricated steel being erected in Australia must be certified as compliant with the standards and the standards must be enforced,” Crittenden said. Crittenden added that he had received copies of documentation that show a grain silo under construction in a rural Australian location, which he would not identify, is being built from imported fabricated steel modules that are not compliant. Crittenden said a WTIA-certified senior welding inspector’s report showed ten separate items tested did not comply. Problems identified included undersize, missing and incomplete welds. A separate qualified consultant’s visual weld inspection of the imported silo support structure found none of the welds inspected was compliant with the Australian standard, AS/NZS 1554.1:2014. According to the report, the welds are “deemed unacceptable”. Both reports include photographs that clearly show the sub-standard welds. “Despite the serious safety issues raised in these reports, my understanding is construction is proceeding with no rectification of the non-compliant welds,” Crittenden said. “Compliance with Australian standards is not mandatory and there is…