Stokes Safety

24/03/2022

Fire Equipment Services (FES) is pleased to be hosting another FREE community education webinar, this time focussing on ‘Preparing for your Annual Essential Safety Measures Report (AESMR)’

Please register here:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_xVozoQv1QDKeoNG1t4hg3g

Join us on Thursday 14th April at 9.30am to hear from a registered building surveyor about how you can best prepare for your AESMR. Find out about the importance of having a consolidated maintenance schedule as a building owner, understand the VBA’s latest Practice Note, hear how you can avoid the consequences of non-compliance and look at case studies and real-life examples.

We’ll even have an FES Service Technician and AESMR Specialist on the panel to assist with our Q&A!

During this webinar we’ll discuss:

• Essential Safety Measure (ESM)
• Occupancy Permits
• Maintenance Determination & Schedules
• Australian Standards
• Approved forms
• Inspection Frequencies
• Building Permits
• Compliance

This webinar is not to be missed!

Agenda:
9:30am – 9:40am Introduction to Fire Equipment Services (FES), FES General Manager - Stuart Yarnall
9:40am – 10:20am Preparing for your Annual Essential Safety Measures Report (AESMR), Stephen Makhlouf & Patrick Stokes of Stokes Safety
10:20am – 10:30am Open Q&A

You are welcome to share this registration link with anyone else interested in attending. All who register will be sent a link to the webinar recording.

We look forward to you joining us online!
Stokes Safety

09/03/2021

Need help with understanding what your compliance responsibilities are as a building owner/operator? Stokes Safety has been consulting in the areas of Building Surveying, Building Compliance and more recently Occupational Health and Safety for more than 34 years. Offering a thorough and comprehensiv...

17/12/2020

Safe Work Australia states if you manage or control a workplace, it’s your responsibility to ensure an asbestos register is prepared, maintained and kept at the workplace.

An asbestos register is a document that lists all identified—or assumed—asbestos in a workplace.

The asbestos register must:

- Record any asbestos that has been identified or is assumed to be present at the workplace
- Record the date when the asbestos was identified
- Record the location, type and condition of the asbestos
- Be maintained to ensure up-to-date information
- Be given to the employer or business (or other PCBU) when there is a change of management or controller of the workplace.

Where possible asbestos must be labelled and photographs or drawings are also useful for showing the location of asbestos in the workplace.

Please see https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/asbestos for further information.

Asbestos becomes a health risk when its fibres are released into the air and breathed in. Breathing in asbestos fibres can cause asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma.

11/11/2020

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral rock that is mined and was used from the 1940s in a range of materials and products. Asbestos is made up of fibres which can be released into the air and remain for extended periods of time where they can be inhaled causing disease.

In accordance with Safe Work Australia Code of Practice - How to Manage and Control Asbestos in the Workplace, the management of in situ asbestos is required if it was installed or fixed before 31 December 2003 in accordance with the WHS Regulations or OH&S legislation as applicable in your state or territory.

At Stokes Safety, we can conduct an Asbestos Audit of your facility and prepare a detailed Asbestos Risk Assessment with an Asbestos Register for compliance with current WHS/OH&S legislation and regulations. We can also assist with labelling of the ACM and Develop an Asbestos Management Plan after the Asbestos Register is completed.

The aim of this audit is to:

• Determine the location, type, extent and condition of asbestos containing materials on site,

• Recommend actions to minimise the exposure of occupants and onsite workers to asbestos fibres, and

• Ensure your building complies with both State and National Asbestos legislation.

30/10/2020

If you are undertaking building works, it is important to consider and apply for a Building Permit, before the works start. This is a crucial step to get right, as many Building Surveyors will not issue permits on work that has either commenced or finished.

Having a building permit provides you with protection by ensuring:

* the building practitioners working on your project are registered and carry the required insurance,
* adequate documentation is prepared so the construction can be carried out correctly and according to building legislation,
* key stages of the work are independently inspected, and
* your building is suitable for occupation.

As the owner, it is your responsibility to make sure any planning and building permits are obtained prior to commencing work. Do not hesitate to call us to discuss if a permit is required for your project.

26/10/2020

Did you know when applying for a building permit it is necessary to have "to-scale-plans"? There are several reasons the building surveyor requires accurate plans, including:

1. To get an accurate picture of the scale of the works and the surrounding building layout and assets,

2. As part of the permit process the plans are stamped "approved", this then becomes a record of what works were undertaken as part of the issued permit, and

3. The permit and plans are submitted to council for their records and review.

As part of the project other documentation most often will be required. If you would like to chat about your project and its potential requirements, do not hesitate to contact us.

09/10/2020

Make sure that you are prepared to submit your Annual Fire Safety Statement on time and avoid the large fines that come with being late.

Follow these key points to ensure things run smoothly and avoid last minute stresses:

- Know what assets are in your building
- Have a CFSP to sign off on each asset in your building
- Make sure you have all the testing and scheduled repairs up to date and
- Three months prior to the AFSS being due is when you can start getting the assets signed off by the CFSP for the year.

Contact our Stokes Safety team to find out how we can assist and direct you through the process.

05/10/2020

In NSW the Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulations 2000 have been amended to place greater emphasis on the assessment of fire safety measures performance.

To facilitate this the annual certification of fire safety measures by a 'competent fire safety practitioner' (CFSP) has been introduced.

This mean as of the 1st July 2020, all fire safety measures listed on a buildings fire safety schedule will now need to be assessed by a CFSP to achieve annual certification.

Stokes Safety are registered Certified Fire Safety Practitioners, do not hesitate to contact us to sign off on your assets.

02/10/2020

Has the pandemic changed your business and how you work? Are you looking to sublet part of your space?

If so, one of the important considerations that needs to be made is a building permit. Issues such as exits, emergency lighting, the location and number of extinguishers and hose reels all need to be examined, in order to achieve compliance and make the workplace safe.

If you are thinking about subdividing your space, do not hesitate to contact us to discuss the project and examine the potential issues.

30/09/2020

As a building owner or property manager, receiving a building notice from the local council can be daunting.

At Stokes Safety our Essential Safety Measures and Building Surveying teams can assist you on managing the process by working through the requirements and liaising with council.

Rectifications requiring Building Permits can be managed and issued, leading to a satisfied council and an owner with a safe building.

24/09/2020

Our Stokes Safety Building Surveying team was recently involved in a remodel and fit out for a large Hotel with a dining area, outside eating and public bar.

Our Surveyors worked in collaboration with the project architects and builder on the 2 storey renovation and extension, which included a demolition and reconstruction of the facade. In order to undertake the project our Surveyors applied for and organised various council consents in a timely manner such as demolition, planning and hoarding.

Our Surveyors have worked alongside the owner, architect, and builder to create a modern design with a facade upgrade, which also has enhanced the fire safety features of the building and included upgrades to the fire detection system, emergency lighting and extinguishers, enhanced energy efficiency and access and facilities to people with disabilities.

22/09/2020

We are all doing it tough during the current Covid-19 situation and our Team at Stokes Safety would like to provide our services to anyone out there that could use our help.

If you are in the preliminary stages of project planning for a new development, fit outs or refurbishments and in need of a building permit, building code or Australian standards advice, please give a call.

Stokes Safety is happy to provide a free 30 minute review of any project plans or provide preliminary feedback on conceptual designs.

As well as building surveying consultancy services, we also undertake fire safety compliance audits, OHS assessments and asbestos and confined space registers.

Please do not hesitate to give us a call on 1800 058 342, we would like to help.