NECA Has a Strong Voice on Fire Safety Systems Reform

FIRE SAFETY SYSTEMS REFORM

THE AUSTRALIAN BUILDING CODES BOARD (ABCB) RECENTLY RELEASED A DISCUSSION PAPER RESPONDING TO RECOMMENDATION 19 OF THE BUILDING CONFIDENCE REPORT, WHICH WAS AUTHORED BY PROFESSOR PETER SHERGOLD AC IN 2018.

Recommendation 19 relates to the Inspection and certification of fire safety system installation. Professor Shergold’s report recommended that each state and territory jurisdiction require registered fire safety practitioners to design, install and certify the fire safety systems necessary in commercial buildings. The discussion paper released by the ABCB supports the original recommendation of the Building Confidence Report, and proposes the following principles to guide national reform: 1. Installation and testing, certification and maintenance of nominated fire safety systems is regulated. 2. Installation and testing of fire safety systems is undertaken by registered practitioners. 3. Certification of fire safety systems is mandatory and undertaken by independent and registered practitioners. 4. A statutory building surveyor is responsible for inspecting fire safety systems prior to issuing an occupancy approval or final certificate. 5. Routine maintenance of essential fire safety systems is regulated, undertaken by registered practitioners and reported to the building regulator annually. Some states have already implemented similar reforms to those being recommended nationally. In states like NSW and Queensland, the changes already in place are causing headaches for electrical contractors. Members have reported that competing fire and safety system installers are seeking to exclude electrically qualified people from carrying out electrical work, such as exit and emergency lighting, in turn creating confusion and uncertainty for clients. NECA will be providing a robust submission to the ABCB on behalf of our industry. Our fundamental argument is that electrical work must remain the responsibility of fully qualified electricians. Safe and compliant construction, and the safety of workers, is paramount in the development of all technical and compliance standards. Having clear independent requirements for trades is paramount to achieving this, and overlapping requirements has a high potential to destabilise any building construction. Installing electrical wiring is specialised work, and non-compliance or incorrect installation can result in significant consequences for both the electrician and the end user. Any suggestions that other non-electrically qualified workers could do this work under the guise of a “fire system installer”, is both unsafe and against the provisions of relevant state and territory licensing legislation. NECA also believes any further regulation of routine maintenance must be beneficial to the electrotechnology industry, and not open the door for that work to be undertaken by unqualified people. For members in NSW and Queensland, NECA has sought clarification from the respective departments, clarifying that electricians are qualified to perform installation work on fire safety systems without further training. That advice has been sent to members, but if you need another copy please contact member services.

Peter McCabe

NECA Director Policy and Government Relations www.neca.asn.au

AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY

This year, we were very pleased to host our combined 2020/21 NECA Excellence and Apprentice Award nights in Western Australia, Tasmania, Queensland and the ACT.

The Excellence and Apprentice Awards are one of the highlight events for each state, showcasing our industry’s most exceptional projects and best performing apprentices. The quality of all the submissions was outstanding, making it a challenging job for our judging panels to decide on this year’s winners. We would like to thank everyone for the time and effort they put into preparing their submissions, and for attending the events. It was wonderful to celebrate in person and acknowledge the achievements, commitment and hard work of all our members and apprentices. A big thank you also to our industry sponsors who made these events possible. We look forward to sharing the Excellence and Apprentice Awards winners for South Australia/ Northern Territory, Victoria and New South Wales in future editions of NECA News.

All state winners will go into the National Excellence and Apprentice Awards, which are planned for early 2022.

TASMANIA