Hundreds of thousands of South Australians spend most of their days living, working and or shopping in our large buildings or complexes. Logistically the legal and safety requirements of managing such a facility is a huge task.
In the past, owners of these buildings and their agents have not been required to declare and list the fire defects in their buildings
In 2016 legislation changed the responsibility of building management with the introduction of the new Form 3 ESP maintenance certificate.
Professional building managers need to be aware, that now in South Australia, any building over 500 sqm or 2 storeys in height needs to submit a Form 3 yearly as proof that the essential safety provision (ESP) are maintained with no defects.
Unlike in the past, the forms were required on the anniversary of the completion of the building. Now the Form 3 will need to be provided to council in first 60 days of 2023 for every building over 2 storeys or 500sqm.
It requires a competent maintenance provider to inspect the property, listing what is maintained and also listing outstanding defects and is to be co-signed by the building owner or their representative.
The Form 3 includes the checking of one of the following three statuses.
- No Defects
- Defects have been identified and rectified and now perform to required standard
- Outstanding defects have been identified and are in the process of being rectified
This list or schedule of defects must be updated every year and forwarded to the council.
Maintenance providers like FESSA (Fire & Emergency Services SA), a leader in the industry, are providing support and assistance to building managers to achieve compliance with the new legislation. This support will also include upcoming training, via webinar, to ensure that building owners, facility and strata managers meet their legal obligations regarding the maintenance of fire protection equipment.
FESSA Managing Director, Alan Short, confirmed that “because of the changing legislation everybody is much more aware of it and the councils are more aware of their obligation to request this information. Professional building managers are now more aware that they need to be providing it.” “Your maintenance provider should be helping you do that.”
FESSA prides itself on being an advocate for customers in meeting their legal and moral obligations, regarding the maintenance of fire protection equipment and will provide support and training in managing compliance processes with the new Form 3 legislation.