While much attention has, quite correctly, been given to the ongoing bushfire problem in Australia, residential fires each year still carry quite a threat. It's little wonder that the government pays much attention to fire safety in any building and why you need to pay particular attention to fire precautions if you own or manage a large building. Are you sure that you comply with the relevant Australian Standards?
Understanding 1851
In accordance with legislation, employers, managers or owners of buildings must meet the requirements laid down within the Australian Standards for Fire Safety and Protection, also known as AS1851. These rules stipulate what type of fire protection services must be in place and how they need to be tested, surveyed or maintained. These systems have to be installed and designed according to specification, so they are guaranteed to function as and when they are needed.
Fire Protection Systems
Typically, a building will have a variety of different fire mitigation systems. In addition to fire extinguishers, there may be hose reels, lift access systems, heat and smoke detectors, integrated sprinklers and fire-rated doors. Each item of this system has to be inspected and maintained according to the specified intervals, or significant fines or penalties can be imposed.
Code Requirements
There are four different stages involved. These involve a list of areas that need to be inspected, the process of how to keep records after each inspection, what to do in the event of an anomaly and, finally, the annual report. All subsequent work will be based on the initial, approved design of the fire protection system, and the equipment installed will have been approved by the local authority before the building was deemed safe for occupation. All of the data generated at that time will then become the baseline for future work. Also, inspectors will look at a variety of different logbooks and will compare the current data during the test.
Certification
Regulations do not allow a building owner to approach this important task on a DIY basis. Rather, each state has set up a licensing body, and anyone who wants to perform any of these jobs must be properly certified. They will receive the appropriate training before they get their qualification and be able to perform work on-site.
In Compliance
If it has been some time since the equipment in your building was tested, do not risk any fines for non-compliance. Instead, reach out to a fire equipment inspection professional so that they can get you back up to speed as soon as possible.
