Can You Reduce the Frequency of Your Building Emergency Inspections?
A reader has asked if they can reduce the frequency of inspection and testing of the various emergency facilities in their buildings because they felt the fire service firm may be over-servicing them.
How often should you service your emergency facilities?
The maintenance and testing of building emergency facilities, is usually specified in the Occupancy Permit, which is issued by the local government authority.
You must continue to inspect and maintain building emergency facilities and equipment in accordance with the requirements stated on your Occupancy Permit.
What Are Typical Emergency Facilities?
Building emergency facilities include the following as relevant for the circumstances:
Exit doors & signage
Travel paths to exits
Emergency lighting
Portable fire extinguishers
Fire hose reels
Fire hydrant
Fire detection and suppression systems. E.g. smoke detectors & sprinklers
Emergency alarms and communication systems
Fire blankets
Smoke containment systems. E.g. auto-shut corridors.
Legal Requirements
The workplace safety legislation does not provide specific inspection or testing details for building emergency facilities and equipment,
The Building Act and Building Regulations in each state reference the National Construction Code (NCC) for maintenance and inspection requirements.
The National Construction Code
The NCC incorporates all of the onsite building requirements into one volume from the Building Code Australia (BCA) and Plumbing Code of Australia (PCA).
The Building Regulations via the NCC prescribe the process for issuing of Building and Occupancy Permits, and ongoing building inspection and maintenance standards.
Occupancy Permit
The maintenance and testing of building emergency facilities, is usually specified in the Occupancy Permit, which is issued by the local government authority.
Occupancy Permits usually reference the relevant Australian Standards, as current at the time of issuing the certificate, per the sample table below:
Sample Conditions For Occupancy Permits
Here's an example of the sort of conditions you might find in your Occupancy Permit.
Essential safety measures must be maintained in accordance with the maintenance requirements set out in the following table:
| Safety Measures | Standards | Inspection |
|---|---|---|
| Exit Doors | BCA Section D | Every 3 months Confirm operation & hardware. |
| Travel Paths To Exits | BCA Section D | Every 3 months. Confirms paths clear. |
| Exit Signs | BCA Part E4, AS2293.1: 1998 | Every 6 months to AS2293.2: 1995 |
| Emergency Lighting | BCA Part E4, AS2293.1: 1998 | Every 6 months to AS2293.2: 1995 |
| Portable Fire Extinguishers | BCA E1.6, AS2444: 1995 | Every 6 months to AS1851.1: 1995 |
| Fire Hose Reels | BCA 1.4, AS2441: 1988 | Every 6 months to AS1851.2: 1995 |
| Fire Hydrant | BCA 1.3, AS2419.1: 1994 | Every 6 months to AS1851.4: 1992 |
Note: As the building regulations are generally not retrospective, as opposed to workplace safety laws which are retrospective, the standards also cite the year, so inspection and testing frequencies will be set for the life of the building or until major renovation requires it be brought up to current standards.
Conclusion
You must continue to inspect and maintain building emergency facilities and equipment in accordance with the requirements stated on your Occupancy Permit.
You may be able to do some of the inspections internally. For example, the 3 monthly checks of exit pathways and exit doors could easily be completed and recorded internally by a competent person.