Essential Safety Measures
‘We’re all going to jail!’
The sales pitch you unfortunately get when you often seek advice from some companies offering Essential Safety Measures advice. Essential Services are really not that complex. A good systematic approach with planned maintenance is a must, the scaremongering by some providers is not. The good providers of Essential Safety Measures advice and services will help educate you and work with you to resolve outstanding issues quickly. In some circumstances, for example you have only just been made aware of issues with ESM at your development, no Government Authority is going to beat you over the head with a stick, as long as you are working to resolve issues.
What are Essential Safety Measures?
ESM are the fire and life safety items installed or constructed in a building to ensure adequate levels of fire safety over the life of the building.
ESM include all traditional building fire services such as sprinklers, mechanical services etc., but also include passive fire safety such as fire doors, fire rated structure etc. and other building infrastructure items such as paths of travel to exits.
Why do they need to be maintained?
The objective of maintenance is to ensure that every ESM continues to perform at the same level of operation that existed at time of commissioning and issue of the occupancy permit.
ESM involves:
Ensuring the service is maintained at a level of performance specified by the relevant building surveyor. (Usually to the Building Code of Australia (BCA) or an Australian Standard.)
Periodical inspections and checks in accordance with an Australian Standard of specific method.
Maintaining a record of the maintenance inspections and checks in the form of an annual “ESM report”.
Reasons for ensuring maintenance of various services:
General wear and tear — i.e. electro-magnetic hold open devices on fire doors, shut down of air conditioning system in fire situation, replacement of emergency lighting batteries and tubes.
Reliability of a system operating — i.e. sprinkler system, mechanical ventilation system (used as a smoke hazard management system), early warning and intercommunication system.
Faults after commissioning of a system — i.e. emergency power supply.
General housekeeping — i.e. ensure paths of travel to exits are not obstructed, fire protective coverings are maintained, and portable fire extinguishers remain in place.
What Buildings require maintenance of Essential Safety Measures?
The maintenance of essential safety measures applies to Class 1b, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 buildings as defined in the BCA. These classifications include multi-storey residential buildings, hotels/motels, offices, shops, warehouses, factories and hospitals/public buildings respectively.
Part 12 of the Building Regulations 2006(regulations) prescribe the requirement for maintenance of buildings and is divided into two divisions; buildings that were built before 1 July 1994 and buildings that were built after 1 July 1994.
What do you need to know about maintaining Essential Safety Measures?
An essential safety measure (ESM) is defined under the Building Regulations 2006 (the Regulations) as an item listed in Tables I1.1 to I1.11 of Volume One of the BCA, except the item in Table I1.4 relating to artificial lighting. This may include safety systems such as:
Air conditioning systems
Exit doors
Early warning systems
When the construction of a building is complete, the building owner is responsible for its upkeep and maintenance, particularly its safety features or essential safety measures.
The maintenance of essential safety measures will ensure that the safety systems dealing with predominantly fire situations within the building remain at the required operational level throughout the life of the building. The type of maintenance depends on the complexity of the safety measure, equipment or feature and the experience of the person carrying out the inspection or test.
What is an essential safety measure?
Exit signs / Emergency lighting
Emergency Lifts
Emergency power supply
Emergency warning systems
Discharge from exits to public road
Fire control centres
Fire control panel
Fire curtains and doors
Fire extinguishers
Fire detectors and alarm system
Fire hydrants
Fire hose reels
Fire indices for materials
Fire isolated stairs, passageways and ramps
Fire rated control joints
Fire resisting structures
Mechanical ventilation
Path of travel to exits
Penetrations in fire rated structures
Smoke alarms
Smoke control systems
Sprinkler systems