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As Ireland’s official Standards Body, NSAI is facilitating the review of I.S. 465 by utilising the  experience and expertise of the voluntary members of NSAI’s Technical Committee, NSAI/TC 63“Concrete Blocks”. These members represent a wide range of stakeholders, including homeowners, to deliver on this crucial work.

NSAI recognises the urgency of the review of I.S. 465 and is treating this as top priority.

Review of I.S. 465

The review of I.S. 465 will initially take the form of an extensive amendment to the testing protocol and the drafting of this amendment is nearing conclusion. The NSAI/TC 63 have considered the interim output from the Geological Survey Ireland (GSI) managed research regarding internal sulphate attack (ISA) and testing to identify ISA, Pyrrhotite alteration and other highly reactive forms of iron sulphide will be included in the amended I.S. 465.

Changes will also include updates to the building condition assessment and sampling protocols, taking account of information currently available, including the learnings from the application of the current standard.

The amendment will then be published by NSAI for a period of public consultation. Stakeholders will be able to engage with this process using the “Your Standards, Your Say” platform which can be accessed via the NSAI website. All comments in relation to these protocols received during this consultation period will be considered by the technical committee as part of its final recommendation on the amendment of I.S. 465.

Ongoing Research

The primary research to investigate pyrrhotite oxidation in concrete blocks and the potential impact of deleterious materials on foundations is ongoing, under the management of GSI. The research projects are expected to be concluded shortly, with final reports issued by GSI to undergo an evaluation by the technical committee. The data from this research will further improve understanding relating to the impact of deleterious materials on concrete blocks and foundation concrete.

Current Estimated Timelines for the Review of I.S. 465

The current drafting process for the amendment has been progressing well with substantial commitment and input from the voluntary members of NSAI/TC 63. Every effort has been made to complete committee deliberations and produce a public consultation draft amendment for Q3/2024. However, it is now expected that the draft amendment will be published by NSAI in Q4/2024 for public consultation.

This revised timeline is necessary to:

  • Complete the evaluation of input from the expert committee members as part of the development of the draft amendment;
  • Ensure the revised text of the standard is reasoned and provides clarity on the assessment, sampling and testing of dwellings;
  • Facilitate time required to reach a final consensus among our expert committee members; and
  • Facilitate the NSAI standardisation process in preparing the amendment for public consultation

The amendment serves as a step forward in the ongoing process to develop the 2nd edition of I.S.465. However, the amendment cannot address remediation options or foundations as these critical aspects are reliant on the final outputs of ongoing research projects expected from GSI and other sources. These outputs will need to be assessed as part of the 2nd edition of I.S. 465.

NSAI and the NSAI/TC 63 committee are committed to this process which is also reliant on:

  • the evaluation by committee experts of the final outputs of the research on receipt;
  • assessment of feedback from the public consultation on the new edition; and
  • execution of the NSAI standardisation process thereafter.

While the standardisation process is lengthy, each step is crucial in ensuring that the next edition of the standard is meaningful, robust and effectively serves all stakeholders.

It is also important to note that, taking into consideration the feedback from the consultation of the amendment to I.S. 465, the timely availability of the final research output and its evaluation by the committee, the appropriate course of action may be to pivot straight to the development of a public consultation draft for the 2nd edition of I.S. 465 to expedite the overall review process. This decision will only be taken where it is deemed that this course of action would best serve the interests of all stakeholders and deliver the most effective solution in the shortest possible timeframe.

These evolving circumstances will be kept under constant review.

NSAI’s Role in the Defective Concrete Block Enhanced Scheme

Whilst the work that is carried out by NSAI does support the Defective Concrete Block Enhanced Scheme in terms of developing an amendment and revision of I.S. 465, the scheme itself is under the remit of the Department of Housing Local Government and Heritage.

Under the ‘Scheme’, the Housing Agency, also under the aegis of the Department of Housing, Heritage and Local Government, act as agents of the local authorities and is responsible for determining the appropriate remediation option.

To support and deliver the necessary research and data required by NSAI and their Technical Committees to inform the review of I.S. 465, a dedicated interagency steering group Defective Concrete Blocks – Technical Matters Steering Group (NSAI/TC 73), chaired by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, has been established. Other projects have been identified and are ongoing to support the review of standards related to concrete blocks within the programme of work of NSAI/TC 73.

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