A. STRUCTURAL SPECIFICATION FOR INDIVIDUAL DESIGNS – 8
A.1 GENERAL BUILDING REQUIREMENTS – 8
A.2 SIMPLE STEEL FRAME – 9
A.3 LEAN-TO STRUCTURES – 13
A.4 STEEL FRAME WITH STEEL TRUSS ROOF – 14
A.5 STEEL PORTAL FRAME – 19
A.6 TIMBER STRUCTURED DESIGN – GENERAL – 22
A.7 TIMBER PORTAL FRAME – 28
A.8 TRADITIONAL SOLID WALL AND TIMBER ROOF – 28
A.9 CONCRETE FRAMED STRUCTURE – 28
A.10 STEEL HOOPED STRUCTURE – 29
B. GENERAL CLAUSES FOR ALL BUILDING TYPES – 30
B.1 EAVES HEIGHT & ROOF SLOPE – 30
B.2 VENTILATION – 30
B.3 PROTECTION OF STEEL – 32
B.4 STANCHION ELIMINATION – 33
B.5 GRAFTING ONTO STANCHIONS – 34
B.6 CONCRETE SPECIFICATION – 34
B.7 CONCRETE FOUNDATIONS – 36
B.8 CONCRETE FLOORS – 37
B.9 MASS CONCRETE / BLOCKWORK WALLS – 37
B.10 ROOF CLADDING & SIDE CLADDING – 38
B.11 PURLINS, SIDE RAILS & FIXING OF CLADDING – 39
B.12 ROOF DRAINAGE – 40
B.13 ELECTRICAL INSTALLATIONS – 41
B.14 NATURAL LIGHTING – 41
B.15 DOORS – 42
B.16 CERTIFICATES – 42

APPLICANT’S RESPONSIBILITY FOR SAFETY

Applicants are reminded that they have a duty under the Safety, Health, and Welfare at Work Act 2005 to provide a safe working environment on the farm, including farm buildings, for all people who may work on that farm. There is a further duty to ensure that any contractor, or person hired to do building work, provides and/or works in a safe environment during construction. It is the farmers responsibility to provide a construction stage project supervisor.

SAFETY DURING CONSTRUCTION
Farmer/Applicant Responsibility: Certain construction dangers may be encountered in the course of building or conversion work. Neither the Minister or any official of the Department will be in any way liable for any damage, loss or injury to persons, animals or property in the event of any occurrence related to the development and the applicant shall fully indemnify the Minister or any official of the Minister in relation to any such damage, loss or injury howsoever occurring during the development works.

Dangers: If any or all of the work is undertaken by the applicant/farmer he/she should seek competent advice and undertake all temporary work required to ensure the stability of excavations, superstructure, stanchion foundations and wall foundations, also to divert any drains, springs or surface water away from the works, and to guard against possible wind damage, or any other foreseeable risk. Additionally, a 150mm thick layer of hardcore should be placed around the site to provide a hard standing area for lifting equipment.

Power lines: Due to the complex criteria involved, where buildings are proposed within 35 metres of the centre of any overhead power line, the landowner shall contact ESB Networks in advance to ascertain the specific minimum building clearance requirement. It is a requirement on landowners under The Electricity Supply Acts to notify ESB Networks, at least, two months before commencement of any construction works near overhead lines. As a guide, Table 1 below set out the usual minimum clearance distances required, however, ESB Networks shall be contacted and their advice followed for any structure within 35m of the centre line of an overhead power line. ESB will provide landowners with written confirmation of the required clearances. Landowners can contact ESB through phone numbers provided on their electricity bills.

Where building work is undertaken near power lines there is also a safety issue regarding Machinery, Tipper Trucks and Elevators operating without proper safety measures in place. When landowners contact ESB they will be provided with relevant safety literature.

Danger to children: It is the applicant’s responsibility to prevent children from playing or spending time in the vicinity of any building work.

Roof work:  When working on any roof, it is essential to assume that the roof is fragile, unless confirmed otherwise by a competent person.

The HSA Code of Practice for Safety in Roofwork shall be consulted prior to any work being undertaken on a roof. All advice in the code of practice shall be followed.

The HSA code of practice gives recommendations and practical guidance on how to work safely on roofs, including the safe maintenance of roof mounted plant and services, and how to design and plan for safe working. It offers guidance on the design and construction of roofs on new buildings and the maintenance, cleaning and demolition of existing roofs. All work at height poses a risk and a risk assessment should be carried out to assess those risks and put appropriate controls in place.

It is strongly recommended that all agricultural roofs have a safety sign warning that the roof is fragile. While roofs are non-fragile when installed, they may become fragile over the lifetime of the roof.

All farm buildings require regular maintenance to ensure the health and safety of personnel and animals. After each winter-season buildings should be thoroughly washed and cleaned out. Fittings such as slats, electrical fittings, drinking arrangements, etc., should be periodically checked, and all defective items replaced. Include reference to design to enable safe maintenance.

Bay Width: The bay width is the distance from the centre of a stanchion of a bay frame to the centre of the corresponding stanchion of the adjacent bay frame. Agricultural buildings in Ireland are designed to two standard bay widths of 4.8m and 6.4m. It is very strongly recommended that these bay widths are used in all designs, and that any adjustments to the floor area are made by changing the span. Buildings with alternative bay widths shall conform to the specifications of that standard bay width which is higher than the particular bay width in question, e.g.: a bay width of 5.0m shall comply with the specification for the 6.4m bay width. Alternative bay widths are therefore uneconomic.

Span: A span refers to the distance or dimension between two free-standing stanchions comprising a single bay frame of a steel frame building. The distance measured is from the inside flange of one stanchion to the inside flange of the other.