Audit fans fire safety concerns in apartments

Dec. 7, 2014, 12:15 a.m.

High-rise towers in inner Melbourne may be at risk of damage by fire and the residents could face other safety concerns, an audit of Victoria's building permit system found.

High-rise towers in inner Melbourne may be at risk of damage by fire and the residents could face other safety concerns,an audit of Victoria's building permit system found.

The audit revealed a pattern of poor compliance with regulations.

As fire authorities continue investigating the cause of a blaze at a 21-storey Docklands apartment building last month, The Sunday Age can reveal documents for hundreds of building permits checked by the state's construction watchdog were substandard, with many lacking key fire safety details.

Paperwork for 64 per cent of the commercial building permits audited lacked enough detail and drawings to tell if they met fire-resistance standards, leading the Victorian Building Authority to conclude the "buildings may be a risk to occupants in a fire situation".

It could also potentially lead to "safety issues, particularly the safety of occupants in case of fire and the spread of fire within a building and between buildings".

The statewide audit examined 1000 permits from 20 different local government authorities and found 450 were missing information ranging from minor details to potentially alarming health and safety breaches.

The authority quizzed surveyors about the 450 substandard permits and found 95 per cent "posed no risk to health and safety," the authority's technical and regulation director Jarrod Edwards said.About 1 per cent with serious breaches needed enforcement action, he said.

But with 100,000 building permits issued in Victoria each year, thelack of compliance revealed by the audit sample suggests paperwork for as many as 2250 permits may harbour serious breaches, calling into question the effectiveness of fire safety and other building regulations.

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Audit fans fire safety concerns in apartments