Building owners and facility managers often don’t have access to a full set of accurate documentation for of their buildings to support effective and safe ongoing operation, maintenance and modifications. This limits the ability to manage a building over its lifecycle and ensure occupant safety and regulatory compliance.

Although on-site building and fire safety manuals are not yet compulsory for commercial buildings in Australian jurisdictions their importance was reinforced in the 2018 The Shergold Weir ‘Building Confidence’ Report.

Recommendation #20 from the report advised; “that each jurisdiction requires that there be a comprehensive building manual for commercial buildings that should be lodged with the building owners and made available to successive purchasers of the buildings.”

Now some 6 years later, Victorian and New South Wales State governments are poised to implement legislative changes that will see the adoption of this advice.

In Victoria, the government has introduced a bill to implement Recommendation #20 — “This Bill will amend the Building Act to introduce a requirement that a draft building manual be prepared by the applicant for an occupancy permit and provided to the relevant building surveyor for approval… By making information about the design, construction and maintenance of a building more readily accessible, the building manual will aid not only owners and owners’ corporations but also other parties such as building practitioners and regulators in future. Once the draft building manual has been approved by the relevant building surveyor, the manual will be provided to the owner or the owner’s corporation, who will be responsible for maintaining and keeping the documentation current.” (Source: Parliament of Victoria, Hansard Debates, Building Legislation Amendment Bill 2023)

As specialist providers of fire and life safety systems A.G. Coombs Advisory and Walker Fire Protection have extensive expertise and experience in developing building and fire safety manuals to support safe and compliant facility operations throughout their lifecycle.

For more information, download and read the A.G. Coombs Advisory Note titled “Buildings Fire Safety Systems Manual – Reducing Compliance Risk” pictured below or contact Marcus Royle, Leader – Fire at mroyle@agcoombs.com.au.