The Victorian Building Authority’s (VBA) practitioner masterclasses continue to educate the building and plumbing industry while breaking new records, with more than 1300 people attending the most recent webinar.

The Practitioner Education Series (PES) continues to be in high demand, with a recent webinar on research results about water damage and the risk of mould in buildings attracting 1324 building and plumbing practitioners as well as other interested stakeholders from across the state.

Architectural Scientist Dr Tim Law and the VBA’s Principal Plumbing Specialist Anwar Gayed presented insights into what causes water damage and the risk of mould in buildings, as well as ways to avoid it.

The webinar follows newly published research, commissioned by the VBA in partnership with the Victorian Managed Insurance Agency (VMIA) and Victoria University, that seeks to identify problematic building or plumbing work that could result in water damage and indoor mould.

The VBA’s State Building Surveyor Andrew Cialini said water damage was a serious issue and the high turnout showed that there was a keen interest from practitioners to understand how to avoid it.

“We have a role in ensuring practitioners understand how to do things correctly, and in discouraging risky, harmful or illegal behaviour in the building and plumbing industries,” Mr Cialini said.

This series is helping support industry by providing practical insights, evidence-based strategies and useful resources to a broad range of practitioners.”

Practitioners seeking further information can access the VBA’s Building Practitioner Resource Hub.

“The VBA engages, educates and regulates the building industry to deliver positive social and economic outcomes for Victorians, and the Practitioner Education Series is a key part of this.”

Water damage is one of the most common problems encountered in buildings and represented in complaints to the VBA and claims to VMIA.

Mould in buildings can be an indicator of the presence of an underlying moisture problem in a building.

A key cause of water damage is due to a lack of understanding of roofing and waterproofing requirements among designers, building surveyors and builders. Poor storage of materials can also contribute to water damage during construction that may create ongoing building issues.

To register for a virtual masterclass, visit the VBA website.
Previous Practitioner Education Series masterclasses can be viewed online.