SANS 10080: The rodentproofing of buildings

2009·2.2 MB·English

by  South African Bureau of Standards

Republic of South Africa
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SANS 10080 (2009) (English): The rodentproofing
of buildings

ISBN 978-0-626-22191-1 SANS 10080:2009
Edition 2.2
Any reference to SABS 080 is deemed
to be a reference to this standard
(Government Notice No. 1373 of 8 November 2002)

SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL STANDARD

The rodentproofing of buildings

Published by SABS Standards Division
1 Dr Lategan Road Groenkloof (cid:13) Private Bag X191 Pretoria 0001
Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]
www.sabs.co.za
(cid:148) SABS
SANS 10080:2009
Edition 2.2

Table of changes
Change No. Date Scope
Amdt 1 1975 Amended to delete reference to SABS 018 and replace by
reference to SABS 0124.
Amdt 2 2009 Amended to change the designation of SABS standards to SANS
standards, and to remove reference to South Africa in relation to
the position of a health officer.

Forword

This South African standard was approved by National Committee SABS TC 59, Construction
standards, in accordance with procedures of the SABS Standards Division, in compliance with
annex 3 of the WTO/TBT agreement.

This document was published in February 2009. This document supersedes SABS 080:1972
(first revision).

A vertical line in the margin shows where the text has been technically modified by amendment
No. 2.

Preface

Rodents are found throughout South Africa in both urban areas and open country. Because of the
diseases they can spread (particularly plague and food poisoning) and their destructive habits,
rodents are regarded as the enemy of man.

Control of rodents may be divided into measures for:

a) direct extermination (such as trapping, poison baiting, or fumigation);

b) indirect extermination (by denial of access to food and to hiding places (harbourage) where they
can breed undisturbed);

c) facilitating rodent control (by, for instance, the method of staking and storing of materials and
merchandise).

This code is concerned with the application in buildings of measures to deny rodents access to food
(water also where practicable) and harbourage and to deny them entry into the buildings.

A knowledge of the habits and capabilities of rodents will help in the planning of a campaign of
extermination, and information on these will be found in appendix B.

Recommended methods of control that have been well tried are described in appendix C, while
suggestions for stacking and storing so as to facilitate rodent control will be found in appendix D.

In terms of the Public Health Act, 1919 (Act No. 36 of 1919) the onus rests upon the owners or
occupiers of land or buildings to take the necessary steps to render buildings rodentproof and to
destroy rodents; the Act empowers local authorities to legislate for the taking of necessary
measures. This code is intended to be of use in implementing the provisions of legislations and
must not be regarded as replacing any provisions or making compliance with them unnecessary.

It should be noted that before existing buildings are altered or added to, or new buildings erected,
plans in compliance with the local by-laws must be submitted to the local authority for approval.
SANS 10080:2009
Edition 2.2

Contents

Page

Foreword

Preface

1 Scope ..................................................................................................................................... 3

2 Definitions .............................................................................................................................. 3

3 The site .................................................................................................................................. 4

4 New buildings ......................................................................................................................... 4

5 Furniture, fittings, and built-in cupboards ............................................................................... 11

6 Rodentproofing and maintenance of existing buildings ......................................................... 11

Figures 1 to 8 ............................................................................................................................12-19

Appendix A Applicable standards ............................................................................................. 20

Appendix B Information on rodents found in South Africa: their habits and capabilities .......... 20

Appendix C Recommended well-tried methods of control ........................................................ 23

Appendix D Suggestions for the stacking and storing of merchandise and materials to
facilitate rodent control .......................................................................................... 30

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The rodentproofing of buildings

1 Scope

1.1 This code of practice deals with the conditioning of building sites and with details of building
construction which facilitate the rodentproofing of buildings.

NOTE The titles of standards referred to by number in the specification are given in appendix A.

2 Definitions

For the purposes of this code of practice the following definitions shall apply:

finished ground surface
the permanent surface of the ground adjoining or under the building as distinct from the ground
surface before commencement of building operations

interspace
any wholly or partly enclosed space not intended for use by human beings or animals

masonry
an assembly of structural units (bonded together) of natural stone, cast stone, brick, concrete, or
similar building units

class A material or construction
a material or construction which cannot be penetrated by rodents even when gnawable edges are
accessible

NOTE The term includes a material or construction which is accepted as class A by the local National Health
Officer, and a material or construction which, after being tested in accordance with SANS 5419, is classified as
having an A degree of rodentproofness. Amdt 2

class B material or construction
a material or construction which, after being tested in accordance with SANS 5419, is classified as
having a B, C, D, or E degree of rodentproofness

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3 The site

3.1 If buildings are to be kept free from rodents, it is necessary to control the site. In any case of
doubt the local authority should be consulted as to the methods to be adopted. The following
measures are recommended:

a) Feedstuffs, food waste, and refuse should be stored in weather-resistant containers of class A
construction, having close-fitting lids or doors.

b) Garden refuse should be buried, composted, or removed at intervals of not more than one week.

c) Junk, rubble, and other waste materials which could afford harbourage should not be allowed to
accumulate. Other material should be stacked in such a manner that it provides minimum
harbourage for rodents and allows easy access for their control (see appendix D).

d) Poultry houses, aviaries, stables, and places of a similar nature should have floors of class A
construction and should be kept clean; manure should be collected daily and only minimum
quantities of seed, grain, and forage should be put out at one time.

e) Disused drains, pipes, and ducts should be removed from the site or properly disconnected and
sealed, and all cavities, holes, etc. filled in with solid class A material so that no harbourage for
rodents remains.

f) Dense vegetation, especially hedges, should be so trimmed that the harbourage is reduced and
visibility for control purposes is improved. Creepers and overhanging trees providing means of
access to a building (particularly to the windows and roofs) should be trimmed.

g) Dilapidated buildings, rooms, walls, floors, etc. should either be completely removed or restored.

h) No interspaces should be allowed in sheeted fences, and interspaces between buildings should
be avoided or should be sealed with class A material.

i) Any opening giving access to excavations, tunnels, disused mineworkings, or similar places
which may provide harbourage for rodents should be closed by the installation of corrosion-
resistant screens of class A construction or by another satisfactory method.

4 New buildings

4.1 General

In new buildings it is usually comparatively easy to incorporate rodentproofing at the design and
construction stages. Health authorities may require the shell of every building to be completely of
class A construction. In the case of domestic buildings the health authorities, after taking into
consideration the area and environment, may allow a class B construction.

Any food storage facilities in a building should be of class A construction. Interspaces within the
building which could afford harbourage to rodents should be protected, but for this purpose,
because rodent attack would not be heavy, class B material may be used. (Materials which are
penetrable by rodents can be used in class A constructions provided that they are protected as
detailed in this code.)

All interspaces of width or height at least 450 mm should be provided with easy means of access for
inspection purposes. External access doors to such interspaces should be of class A materials or
be, like internal access doors, of class B materials of which all free edges are protected by class A
material. Such doors should be kept closed.

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The walls and floors of the building present fewer problems than do the necessary openings in them
and the interspaces between the various parts of the building.

4.2 Foundation

Foundations cannot be relied upon to prevent entry of rodents to below-floor spaces (see appendix
B, B.3.4), but the following should be observed:

a) Materials. Materials should be of class A quality, i.e. concrete or masonry should be sufficiently
hard. For footings of minimum dimensions for single storey houses, a concrete mix of proportion
1 : 3 : 6, hard burnt brick, or hard stone masonry should be used.

b) Joints. Mortar joints thicker than 10 mm should be completely filled with mortar of a mix not
weaker than 1 part cement to 6 parts sand; or 1 part cement to 1 part lime and 6 parts sand.

c) Width and depth of foundation footings. Because it is not practicable to construct foundations
wide enough and deep enough to completely prevent the access of rodents to below-floor
spaces by burrowing, access (for inspection purposes) to below-floor spaces should be provided
by means of access doors (see 4.1) and by making the under-side of the floor at least 450 mm
above ground level at all points.

4.3 External walls

4.3.1 Inherently class A walls

A wall of brick, stone, solid concrete blocks, or cast-in-situ concrete may be considered to be of
class A quality when the thicknesses and details of joints are as shown in figure 1 and they, and the
proportions of mortar or of mix, are as follows:

a) a wall at least 110 mm thick of hard burnt bricks with a minimum crushing strength of 14 MPa or
of weaker bricks which have been proved by test to provide a class A construction with no joints
wider than 10 mm, or two joints wider than 10 mm completely filled with mortar of a mix not
weaker than 1 part cement to 6 parts sand; or 1 part cement to 1 part lime and 6 parts sand; or
with a mortar of weaker mix which has been shown by test to provide a class A construction;

b) a wall of concrete blocks of nominal thickness at least 100 mm and with a minimum crushing
strength of 7 MPa, or of weaker blocks which have been shown by test to provide a class A
construction;

c) a concrete wall at least 100 mm thick of a mix not weaker than 1 : 2 : 4, or a concrete wall at
least 150 mm thick of a mix not weaker than 1 : 3 : 6, or a concrete wall of thickness and of mix
proved by test to be a class A construction.

Walls made of materials (other than the masonry materials discussed) that have been proved to be
of class A quality need no protection other than at the joints between the units or sheets and at
openings.

4.3.2 Other walls

Walls of materials that are known or proved by test to be not rodentproof should have a class A
membrane incorporated in their thickness as shown in figure 2. If they are of hollow construction,
walls should be so protected on all sides of the cavities as to deny rodents access to this
harbourage. The membrane should be sufficiently close-fitting to ensure that no harbourage occurs
between the class A membrane and the wall covering on the interior or the exterior surface of the
wall. The extent of the protection required will depend on the circumstances. If the wall surfaces are
smooth and cannot be climbed by rodents and if there is no stacked material, shelving, or other

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object on which rodents can climb, within 450 mm of the surface of the wall (see appendix D), the
membrane need only extend to 225 mm above the level of the floor, skirting board, or other feature
on which a rodent could stand. Where there is shelving or stacked material within 450 mm of the
wall or where there are other means of access to higher parts of the wall, the membrane should
extend to 225 mm above the top of such features and to 225 mm beyond the end of a shelf or
similar feature which does not extend for the full length of the wall. Remember that temporary
features (such as clothing hanging against a wall) may provide access for rodents. The whole area
of walls whose surfaces can be climbed by rodents needs protection. The lower edge of the
membrane should in all cases be secured against the top of the foundation wall or beam by being
turned in under the outer or the inner face of the wall or under the wall plate.

Where door, window, or vent openings occur in the wall, the protective material should be closely
fitted to door or window frames.

Where the ends of beams or trusses penetrate cavity walls and the openings are not closed by
walling, they should be protected by class A material. These measures are illustrated in figures 1
and 3.

4.3.3 Beam-filling

Beam-filling should be done as illustrated in figures 1 and 3. Wire netting should be so embedded in
the mortar on top of the beam-filling as to reinforce it and prevent pieces of mortar from breaking
off. The mortar should not be weaker than a 1 cement : 1 lime : 6 sand mix.

4.3.4 Protection against physical damage

In a building in or around which hand trucks or powered vehicles are used, external walls of sheeted
construction should be protected against physical damage resulting from the impact of moving
objects. This can be done (as illustrated in figure 4) by building the sheeted wall on a substantial
solid masonry or reinforced concrete wall 225 mm high above ground level or floor level (higher
where necessary) and at least 225 mm thick if only light barrows are used, and at least 350 mm
thick if heavy hand trucks or powered vehicles are used. External protection may also be provided
by means of flowerbeds, kerbing, or rails.

4.4 Internal walls, partitions, and skirtings

4.4.1 Internal walls

The impacts to which light internal walls of buildings of the warehouse, workshop, or factory class
are likely to be subjected should be considered when deciding on the material and type of
construction to be used. The proposed construction should be tested to ensure that it is capable of
withstanding the probable maximum impact; otherwise it will not retain its class A quality in use.
Permanent guard-rails or similar protection may have to be provided at those points where
mechanical damage is most likely to occur.

a) Solid walls. Solid internal walls need no protection except where they enclose spaces in which
food is stored, prepared, eaten, or sold, in which case they should be built as described for
external walls in 4.3.1.

b) Hollow walls and walls constructed of hollow units. Where hollow walls and walls built with
hollow or perforated units are constructed of class A or class B material they need no protection
except at joints between the units and at joints with floors, ceilings, and adjacent walls. Care
should be taken that the units are not damaged and that joints and exposed cavities are treated
as described in 4.3. Where hollow walls and walls of hollow units are constructed of material that
is not of class A or class B quality they should be protected as described in 4.3.2.

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