When Are Fire Safety Audits Normally Conducted?

Fire Audits are undertaken to determine if, at a given point in time, the fire safety systems meet, exceed or fall short of nominated benchmarks. The audit may also provide information for determination of options for remedial works or additional activities.

Audits may be commissioned on either a voluntary or required basis. For example, a voluntary audit may be required by a prospective buyer or tenant to ensure the workplace is compliant., or by a vendor in respect to due diligence. Council may have requested the owner to provide an  annual, final or supplementary Fire Safety Statement   The requirement may come from the Fire Brigade or Work Cover or it may simply be internal company OH&S policy.

Minor audits are often required to ensure internal fit outs do not compromise the installed fire detection or suppression systems. Building Managers often ask tenants for an independent opinion during office fit outs. (It's a lot cheaper that pulling it down again)

BENEFITS OF A FIRE SAFETY AUDIT

Fire Safety Audits are management tools to examine fire safety systems against predetermined benchmarks. The benchmark in this case is the Building Code of Australia and Australian Standards. Fire Safety Audits are designed to collect information and provide evidence related to the conformance and effectiveness of fire safety systems depending on the type and category of the audit. The fire safety audit can serve as an effective tool to identify situations of potential hazard, and thus allow corrective or preventative action.

There is an inherent obligation on building owners to use the fire safety audit information where deficiencies are identified, for the purpose of improving the fire safety system within an appropriate time frame.

A fire safety inspection helps to ensure that owners and occupiers of buildings are meeting their responsibilities under the legislation, that buildings are fitted with the correct fire safety installations required by law and that those fire safety installations are maintained in an operational condition.