Why do Essential Safety Measures need to be maintained?

It is mandatory to maintain Essential Safety Measures within your building as per the requirements of Part 12 of the Victorian Building Regulations 2006. This requirement to maintain Essential Safety Measures encompasses buildings of BCA class 1b-9 regardless of the age of the building.

The purpose of maintaining Essential Safety Measures is:

• To help prevent general wear and tear;

• To provide reliability of a system- i.e. sprinkler system, mechanical ventilation system, Emergency    Warning and Intercommunication System (EWIS);

• To identify faults within systems;

• General housekeeping - to ensure paths of travel are free from obstruction, extinguishers are in place    etc.

Stakeholders and occupants of buildings have an expectation that Essential Safety Measures installed within their building/s will perform as they are intended and are undergoing required maintenance as applicable to the building. This helps to ensure the continued safety of the building’s occupants, surrounding properties and the building itself.

Victorian building legislation has made it mandatory for both building owners and occupiers to fulfill their roles in ensuring that these Essential Safety Measures are maintained and performing at the required level.