Home Safety Advice
If you own a home you must be aware of the aspects in safety that you may not of thought of. You will find safety information on:
A number of injuries have occurred as a result of the attachment of basketball hoops to brickwork, particularly if the weight of a youth is placed on the hoop, as in slam-dunking.
Attachments and brickwork are stressed to such an extent that the brickwork may become detached from the wall. Constant hammering of the ball on the hoop will also tax fixings and the brickwork. This is particularly evident where the attachment is made to the top courses of a "parapet" type wall or where the attachment is above a lintel (a steel bar/angle placed over openings such as garage doors that in time may have rusted and weakened the bond between the brick courses).
Prior to the attachment of these types of hoops it is essential that the fixings and fixing points be assessed and be of sufficient strength to withstand the forces generated by slam-dunking loads. This type of fixing is not the recommended method The alternative that is suggested is a purpose built stanchion to be used independent of any other structure.
The noise generated by the bouncing ball both on the flat and on the hoop/backboard is of concern to many neighbours so please take this into consideration when deciding upon the purchase or location of a hoop.
No Building Licence Application is required prior to the erection of a basketball hoop however we do ask you consider a safe location for the installation.
For more information view the recommended installation methods at www.docep.wa.gov.au/basketballsafety
Residential, Commercial and Industrial Premises.
Residents are requested to ensure that their dwellings, commercial and industrial properties, are properly numbered with a luminous or reflecting sign which is easily found at night. Emergency service vehicles depend on accurate and visible numbers especially after dark. Reflective numbers on aluminium plates, suitable for residential properties, can be purchased from Council (i.e. number and plate).
Council has adopted a policy regarding street numbering which ratepayers are requested to adhere to. Co-operation will ensure that community and emergency services can easily locate their destination.
The Building Code of Australia requires all new dwellings and additions to dwellings constructed after 1st July 1997, to have installed smoke alarms that are connected to the consumer mains power with a rechargeable battery back-up.
The City strongly recommends that all existing dwellings and other places of residence have installed consumer mains power smoke detectors for the safety of occupants.
NOTE: April 1st every year is the date to check the battery in the smoke alarms (even in mains connected systems).
There are two types of smoke alarms:
Photoelectric: This type of smoke alarm uses a light source and photocell. As the smoke enters the detection chamber it interferes with the light beam that in turn causes the alarm to sound.
Ionisation: A small amount of radioactive material is used to create an electrical current which travels through ionised air. When smoke enters the detection chamber it impedes the flow of current and causes the alarm to sound.
When deciding on the position of smoke alarms it is important to remember that they are intended to detect smoke before it reaches the sleeping occupants of a building.
The ensuing alarm is designed to wake the occupants and give them time to evacuate the building.
The introduction of the Performance Requirement gives the appropriate authority flexibility when considering the location of smoke alarms.
For instance, in Class 1a dwellings if the Deemed-to-Satisfy Provision states that the smoke alarm should be located in the hallway, and there is a bathroom adjacent this location (that will potentially cause nuisance alarms) the local government may accept the alarm being installed in the bedroom as a suitable option using the performance clause.
This approach should also be adopted when considering sleep-outs or similar type residential buildings that are not connected to the remainder of the building by a hallway or other enclosed structures. In these situations the alarm could be located in the room itself.
The deemed-to-satisfy provisions require that a smoke alarm be located "between each area containing bedrooms and the remainder of the dwelling".
In some dwellings the bedrooms are located in a common area and connected by a hallway. In this instance the alarm should be located as shown in this Smoke Alarm Diagram.
A smoke alarm is also required on each other storey that is not already provided with a smoke alarm. It should be noted that smoke alarms are required to be installed in other storeys even if those storeys consist of only car parking, bathrooms, laundries and the like. "Storey" in this context differs from the definition contained in BCA96 Volume One which excludes such spaces from being considered as storeys.
The favoured location for this alarm will be in the path of travel people will most likely take to evacuate the building. This will ensure an alarm will be raised before smoke makes the common exit path impassable for example if the bedrooms are on the first floor, then an alarm should be positioned near the area of the inter connecting stair at ground level.
If the other storey is not connected to the remainder of the building (for instance a ground floor garage) then the alarm should be centrally located in the lower area. However, it may be reasonable, using a performance approach, not to install smoke alarms where the storey is predominantly open, such as the basement level of a highset house on stumps that is used for car parking or laundry purposes.
