15 January 2021 / New Toolbox Tile

Construction Dictionary

Hutchies has added a new Toolbox tile for the National Dictionary of Building and Plumbing Terms.

This online resource is powered by the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) and Standards Australia.

You'll find this new tool on Hutchies' Toolbox home page under 'Information & Resources'.

The New Tile

What it is

The National Dictionary of Building and Plumbing Terms combines terms and definitions from:

  • NCC

    The National Construction Code (NCC) 2019 Amendment 1
    © The Commonwealth of Australia and the States and Territories

  • Standards

    Australian Standards (AS) referenced in the NCC
    © Standards Australia Limited

  • Standards

    Australian / New Zealand Standards (AS/NZS) referenced in the NCC
    © Standards Australia Limited/the Crown in right of New Zealand, administered by the New Zealand Standards Executive

  • HB50

    Handbook 50:2004 Glossary of Building Terms (HB50)
    © Property Council of Australia Limited

These sources are not exhaustive in the building and construction industry in Australia.

In all cases, please refer to the original sources of the relevant definitions. The National Dictionary is in no way a substitute for the NCC, AS Standards, AS/NZS Standards or State and Territory legislation.

The definitions for terms in these publications are often different. This website aims to:

  • help industry find the right definition
  • highlight consistency and conflicts
  • provide a general hierarchy of results to assist interpretation

To know more about the NCC please visit Australian Building Codes Board. To know more about the related standards please visit Standards Australia.

Hierarchy of definitions

In general, the following order of precedence applies when viewing terms and definitions:

NCC Standards HB50

However, users should make their own decision as to which term or definition is relevant or applicable to their specific circumstances. This website is for general information only and is not intended to provide or substitute professional advice on the subject matter.

How you can access it

This resource is:

  • Free
  • Available via your web browser on any device
  • Accessible via Hutchies' Toolbox 24x7
Open Dictionary

Other Recent Activities

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23 July / Update
Environmental Management Plan (Version 7)

The Environmental Management Plan (EMP) has been revised and is now available in the Doc Library.

The plan has been restructured for clarity, updates content against current legal and other requirements, and reflects our current management approach.

What's new

  • Community complaints
  • Spill prevention and response
  • Unexpected finds
  • Environmental testing and monitoring


Revised content

  • Project team responsibilities revised, including Team Leader
  • Subcontractor responsibilities moved into a standalone section
  • Incident management, including the incident management flowchart
  • Monitoring section restructured to consolidated inspections, audits, corrective actions, testing and performance


What do project teams need to do?

  • Use Version 7 for all new Environmental Management Plans
  • Review existing project documentation and update if the project has >3 months remaining
  • Familiarise site teams with new sections
  • Refer to the Environmental Project Legislation Register when identifying applicable legal and other requirements

If you identify opportunities for improvement, please send feedback to Hutchies' Systems Team.


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