Essential Safety Measures, as defined in Part 15 of the Building Regulations 2018 and for a moderate-sized, single-storey building can include;

• Exit doors
• Emergency lighting
• Exit signs
• Fire extinguishers
• Fire hose reels and hydrants
• Fire rated construction and materials
• Paths of travel to exits
• Smoke alarms

Additional essential safety measure features are required for large commercial, industrial, residential and/or public buildings.

Building owners are responsible to ensure that all the essential safety measures incorporated in their building are maintained in a reasonable order, inspected on a regular basis and that those inspections are documented.

Owners may engage, specialist maintenance contractors or professional consultants to assist with the maintenance and reporting requirements.

A list professional consultants who operate in the East Gippsland area, has been provided below.

• ‍East Gippsland Building Permits‍
• Smart Choice Building Permits & Inspections‍
• Watershed Building Surveyors Victoria‍
• B4UBuild Building Consultants‍
• Gippsland Building Approvals Service

Note: We do not endorse the above businesses.

Each year, building owners must complete an Annual Essential Safety Measures Report to show that the building's essential safety measures have been maintained to relevant standards.

The report must reference the essential safety measures installed, maintenance standard and inspections completed.

The annual report must be maintained on site and made available to the Municipal Building Surveyor or Country Fire Authority to review on request.

The report must be in an approved layout.

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We offer an education program to assist building owners to meet their statutory obligations.  

This program is reinforced with building audits to ensure a reasonable level of compliance is achieved.

Building owners (and tenants) will be advised in writing of a date and time of the pending onsite audit.  On the day of the audit, the Municipal Building Surveyor and/or technical officers will assess the available essential safety measure records and documentation prior to a physical inspection of the building.

A report of observations will be generated and provided to the building owner and occupant with the aim of assisting with progression of any opportunity for improvement.