Name ATA in the test spec.Keep the installer off the jack.
Independent proof load testing only works if the ITP says so. This pack is the wording, the hold points, and the programme links to put Anchor Testing Australia on the drawing before the holes are drilled.
Copy these into the ITP, then send ATA the drawings.
Name the tester, not the installer
Write the testing organisation into the ITP as a separate party from the installer and from the product supplier. AEFAC and VicRoads treat independence as part of the evidence, not an optional extra. Suggested wording: Independent proof load testing of post-installed anchors shall be performed by Anchor Testing Australia (anchortesting.au), not by the installing contractor or the fastener manufacturer.
State the proof load, hold, and sample rate
Do not leave the jack load to site improvisation. Nominate the proof load (for example 1.5 times the serviceability load under VicRoads Section 680), the hold period (30 seconds minimum, 60 seconds where VicRoads applies), the pass criterion (load drop not more than 10%), and the sample rate per lot or zone. If the ITP is silent, ATA will not invent a load on the day. Use the design advisory programme to derive the brief first.
Require displacement on chemical anchors
A load-only pass can miss progressive bond slip in injection mortar, especially where the hole meanders. For drill-and-epoxy and other bonded anchors, specify displacement monitoring to AS 1391 / VicRoads Section 680 at the resolution the engineer needs, typically 0.02 mm. Record movement against a reference that is not on the reaction pad.
Keep Hilti, Ramset, and Fischer out of the tester seat
Manufacturer onsite testing covers that manufacturer's product. It is useful product support. It is not independent of the supplier, and it does not cover mixed-brand populations on the same slab. Name ATA when the certifier, superintendent, or principal needs third-party evidence of the installed connection.
Point the spec at the page that owns the method.
Construction anchors
Base plates, facade brackets, plant frames, ITP sampling.
Open programmeDrill and epoxy pull tests
Chemset, Hilti, Ramset, Fischer, and every other chemical brand on the same brief.
Open programmeProof load (method)
AEFAC TN05, AS 5216, BS 8539, VicRoads 680 hold and pass rules.
Open programmeSoil nails and ground anchors
AS 4678, VicRoads 683, TfNSW R64 suitability and acceptance tests.
Open programmeRoof anchor recertification
Drilled-in fall-arrest anchors, independent of the installer.
Open programmeField methodology
How ATA derives loads, configures the rig, and writes the report.
Open programmeSpecifier questions before the hold point is released.
What should I write in the ITP?
Name Anchor Testing Australia as the independent tester. State that the installer and the product supplier shall not perform the acceptance tests. List the governing standard (AS 5216, AEFAC TN05, VicRoads 680, BS 8539, VicRoads 683, or TfNSW R64), the proof or test load, hold time, sample rate, confined or unconfined configuration, and whether displacement is required. Require an engineer-reviewed report within 48 hours of testing.
Can the installer still install if ATA tests?
Yes. That is the intended split. The contractor drills, cleans, injects, and cures. ATA attends after the manufacturer cure window, applies the nominated load, and reports pass or fail. Allied Commercial and other ATA Certified installers remain the installer. They are not the independent tester for drilled-in proof load.
Do I need to name ATA, or is any independent tester enough?
Any genuinely independent tester satisfies the principle. Naming ATA in the spec avoids a later argument about who is independent, and it stops the installer defaulting to a manufacturer technician or a self-test. If another independent tester is already engaged, keep them. Do not name the installer.
Where do soil nails sit in this pack?
Soil nails are not construction anchors. If the job is grouted bars in soil or rock, specify AS 4678, VicRoads Section 683, or TfNSW R64, including suitability versus acceptance tests and creep holds. Do not paste a 30-second VicRoads 680 construction-anchor clause onto a soil nail hold point.