Auditing

Systems

Safety SME consultants have an extensive technical and practical understanding of AS/NZS 4801 and 4804 “Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems”.  We can help your organisation achieve compliance, or identify gaps and improvements to your system by conducting audits of your company and providing report s outlining the improvements required and how they can be achieved.

We highly encourage our clients to conduct regular audits to ensure organisations are not at risk from legislative non-compliance.  Further, by systematically auditing OHS Systems in the workplace you can effectively validate your goals and achievements and identify areas which require improvement.

Annual Essential Safety Measures Report

Purpose
Essential safety measures are vital to ensuring that a property stays safe and keeps occupants safe as well.  Therefore the maintenance of the essential services is vital because the risk of failure in an emergency could be extremely costly.

Adequate maintenance is the best means of ensuring that the fire safety systems will operate reliably if an emergency arises.

Essential Safety Measures defined under the Building Regulations 2006 include:

  • Air conditioning systems
  • Emergency lifts and lighting
  • Exit doors and exit signs
  • Emergency power supply
  • Fire control centres
  • Fire curtains and doors
  • Emergency warning systems
  • Fire detectors and alarm systems
  • Fire extinguishers
  • Fire hydrants
  • Fire windows
  • Mechanical ventilation
  • Fire isolated stairs, passages ramps
  • Fire rated materials
  • Path of travel to exits
  • Smoke alarms
  • Smoke control systems
  • Sprinkler systems

Victorian Building Legislation has made it mandatory for both building owners and occupiers to fulfil their roles in ensuring that these Essential Safety Measures are maintained and performing as required.
Certification is to be achieved on an annual basis in the form of an Annual Essential Safety Measures Report.

This annual report provides occupants and stakeholders with the peace of mind that assessment has taken place and that the building’s systems will perform /operate as intended.

Safety SME offers building owners/property managers a compliance package whereby we manage this process offering clients peace of mind that their building/s are complying with current legislative requirements and providing safety to their occupants and the physical building.

How can we help?

Safety SME will inspect your property and compile a report of findings and recommendations.  If there are no issues raised as a result of the inspection, then Safety SME will forward the Annual Essential Safety Measures Report for you to keep on your premises for review by the Chief Officer or Municipal Building Surveyor upon request.

In the case of any required actions, Safety SME will forward the Annual Essential Safety Measures Report after compliance has been met.
To which buildings does it apply?
Essential Safety Measures – buildings built before 1 May 2004
Buildings built before 1st May 2004 but after 1st July 1994 will be subject to an Occupancy Permit and have Essential Safety Measures listed. These will have Essential safety Measures listed in five categories – Egress and Access, Electrical Services, Fire Detection and Suppression Equipment, Fire Resistance and lastly Mechanical Services.

Essential Safety Measures – buildings built after 1 July 1994
All buildings built after 1st July 1994 and subject to an Occupancy Permit must have an Annual Essential Safety Measures  Report prepared each year.

Essential Safety Measures – building built before 1 July 1994
For buildings built before 1st July 1994, essential safety measures and systems are still present and they are to be maintained. From 14th June 2009, Annual Essential Safety Measures Reports must also be prepared for these older buildings. The owners in most cases will need to engage the services of a competent specialist to identify the Essential Safety Measures present and to create a maintenance schedule to ensure the safety measures will be inspected and maintained to an acceptable standard. The  acceptable standard that should be considered should be the latest maintenance standard AS1851-2005 unless the owner can justify why some other standard can be used.

Hazard / Risk Identification and Control

Safety SME can conduct onsite comprehensive safety inspections in your workplace.  The inspection includes all aspects of your business including the identification of workplace risks and hazards, as well as suggesting appropriate control measures.  Conducting an inspection of your workplace is the best way to pro-actively identify hazards and risks, implementing specific controls, and reducing the chances of incident and/or injury to employees.
Safety SME has the experience and demonstrated knowledge to provide your business with a practical, concise inspection report with recommendation and solutions to identified issues.

Electrical Testing and Tagging 

Safety SME can provide onsite Electrical Testing and Tagging Services.