Building Regulatory Update By DEREK HENDRY
A Ten Percent Chance of Trouble During our essential safety measure inspections we are noticing a number of clients have enclosed part of a storey (usually a basement or carpark area) and are using the area as a store or workshop. The Building Code of Australia allows up to 10 percent of a floor area of a storey to be used as a different classification, but this is contingent on an authority’s approval. Not only are these enclosures rendering a number of essential safety measures inoperative, but the existence of the enclosure is illegal. In the aftermath of an emergency a property owner may be called to account by authorities or an insurance company. Engineers need to be diligent in this area and ensure tenants (occupiers) do not compromise the building owner’s asset.
Building Alterations Costing Owners Engineers should ensure their consultants, contractors or tenants’ contractors know when ‘fire-rated wiring’ is required. A problem occurs when a tenant instigates a new fit out and finds out the existing cabling does not comply. A request for the owner (engineer) to upgrade the noncompliant cabling is then made, causing all stakeholders to study the lease conditions. A number of tenants can experience significant inconvenience through contractors installing incorrect cabling for safety measure items (eg. emergency lights, EWIS systems, etc), when rewiring has to occur in adjoining tenancy areas that are not associated with the tenant undertaking the works.
Annual Essential Safety Measures Report The main changes to Victoria’s Building Regulations now make it compulsory for all building owners to provide an Annual Essential Safety Measures Report (AESMR) each year. The AESMR is now applicable to all buildings in Victoria (except houses) no matter when the building was constructed.
Building owners are required to prepare the AESMR on all buildings by the 13 June 2009. The catch is, to sign the AESMR on the 13 June 2009 you must be capable of providing the maintenance/ inspection records for the proceeding 12 months, which commences on the 13 June 2008.
Fire Lines - Disconnected Telstra has advised that a number of its fixed line customers will be disconnected by 31 December 2009. These Dedicated Lines are extensively used by various organisations (building owners) for monitored fire alarm systems in all states, wherever fire alarm systems are connected and monitored directly by the fire brigade (NSW regional, VIC, QLD, NT, SA and WA). Management should ensure an alternative is put in place.
Insurance and Electricity Engineers are advised to read the fine print when they receive a copy of a building’s insurance policy. Some underwriters include as a condition, the requirement to provide a current electrical safety report (and a requirement to act on any maintenance items mentioned). It should be obvious that if a current electrical safety report is not obtained (and acted upon), that from a risk and insurance perspective, the building owner is exposed. A fire in the building caused by a malfunctioning electrical system that could have been foreseen in an electrical safety report would, as a consequence most likely result in the rejection of a claim under the building’s insurance policy.
BCA: Poor Fitting Out Some engineers entering into building contracts are finding themselves financially embarrassed after completion of a fit out in their building. Problems can be traced back to the specification provided to the designer/ builder because the criteria mainly concentrated on the building fabric and not the potential internal tenancy layouts. A partition layout (plant or storage layout) can cause the building to no longer comply with the regulations for items such as exit travel, excessive fire loads, inadequate emergency lights and exit signs, insufficient hose reel and hydrant coverage as well as an inadequate sprinkler system originally installed. Engineers should insist that design and construction contracts (new buildings or alterations to existing) take into account the future use and include in the tender documentation of all internal plan details. n The Hendry Group pioneered the private certification of building approvals in Australia. Derek’s nationally based Group (includes Essential Property Services) provides building control and essential safety measures audits. The Group’s monthly e-newsletter can be viewed on www.emau.com.au and BCA Illustrated (BCA Online with 3000 illustrations) on www.bcai.com.au
The Australian Building Services Journal | Volume 3 – 2008 |
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