Don’t get burnt by changes to legislation.

With the introduction of the new Work Health and Safety Regulations 2011, those persons classified as being a PCBU have onerous responsibilities for the safety of all persons and employees. Fire Compliance is a major responsibility.

Section 43 of the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Emergency Plans) stipulates that the PCBU must develop Emergency Plans to ensure the workplace has effective plans in place to manage all types of emergencies including fire emergencies.

The major new requirements are:

An improved fire and evacuation framework that includes;

• The changes apply to all persons classified as a PCBU (that is anyone operating a business or any undertaking even if they are not being paid
• In Queensland, this applies to all buildings including unit complexes (not detached houses)
• High occupancy buildings
• Relevant approval documents are obtained and kept with the fire and evacuation plan
• The entity responsible for the whole building (e.g. strata manager or building manager) ensure that evacuation arrangements for the whole building are integrated with those of all tenants or residents
• Building fire safety plans must be developed
• Training of all occupants must be conducted annually
• Critical defects in fire safety installations are reported to the occupier and that they be repaired within 1 month

Evacuation plans

Evacuation plans must be or include the following;

• Building specific
• Reviewed annually
• Details of the persons responsible for developing, changing and reviewing the plan
• The name of the fire safety adviser (if applicable) for the building

Serious consequences for inaction!

Harsh penalties apply to owners/occupiers who do not abide by the regulations. Far more serious, however, is the possibility of loss of life, combined with the destruction of property. Inaction would truly be an avoidable tragedy.

The solution is simple

QBM will evaluate and customise an Emergency Management Plan for your building or workplace. Eliminate the stress and worry of keeping up to date with current legislation, as our Fire Safety Adviser can take on the roles and responsibilities for your building:

• Annual fire safety training
• Annual fire safety audit of fire safety installations including the Emergency Management Plan & Diagram
• Development and Implementation of an Emergency Management Plan
• Drawing and printing of evacuation diagrams orientated to specific exit points and locations