If your the owner of a building, place of public entertainment, health care building or aged care facility in Victoria you most likely are required to display a copy of your Occupancy Permit and kept displayed at an approved location.
In Victoria, an Essential Safety Measure ("ESM") is defined in Regulation 214 of the Building Regulations (Vic) 2018. In general, an Essential Safety Measure is provided for the safety of persons in the event of fire.
In Victoria a building or structure constructed on or after July 1, 1994 are required to be issued with an Occupancy Permit ("OP") from the Relevant Building Surveyor ("RBS") as evidence of safe and habitable occupation. When you come to the end of your building project the RBS will need to issue an Occupancy Permit or a Certificate of Final Inspection depending on the requirements of the building permit.
According to the Victorian Building Authority ("VBA") the objectives of the Building Act 1993 is to (1) protect the safety and health of people who use buildings and places of public entertainment; and (2) improve the amenity of buildings. This includes TWO principal subordinate regulations; Building Regulations 2018; and Plumbing Regulations 2018.
The Building Regulations (Vic) 2018 sets out the requirements for the owner of a building or place of public entertainment to prepare a maintenance schedule. A maintenance schedule is a document, in a form approved by the Victorian Building Authority ("VBA") prepared by the municipal building surveyor ("MBS") or a private building surveyor ("PBS") that details the required essential safety measures in a building (Regulation 222) and their respective maintenance requirements.
In Victoria, an occupancy permits are documents that signify that a building surveyor is satisfied and has approved your building as being suitable for occupation. This article discussed the features of an Occupancy Permit and common mistakes in them that can adversely affect building owners.
On December 1, 2012, both the Country Fire Authority Act (Vic) 1958 and the Fire Rescue Victoria Act (Vic) 1958 were amended to include fines for people who damage or interfere with a Fire Indicator Panel or other Apparatus. The fines (measured in penalty units) are each 60 Penalty Units or approximately $9,900.00.
An essential safety measure defined under the Building Regulations 2006 include the following examples:
On June 6, 2006, the Minister for Planning, the Hon Rob Hulls published the Victoria Building Regulations 2006, statutory rule No. 68/2006.