Essential Safety Measures (ESM) are the life-safety systems and features designed to operate as an integrated network that provides multiple layers of protection for building occupants during an emergency, particularly in the event of fire.
ESMs are critical to first responders, providing the systems and information essential to safe, timely and effective emergency response. Their performance directly influences operational decision-making, responder safety and the effectiveness of emergency interventions.
Cladding Safety Victoria has conducted a survey of buildings in its program to observe the readiness of ESMs through the mandatory maintenance obligations and to observe the actual ‘ready state’ performance of the systems.
The survey was designed to focus on gaining insights into their operability rather than auditing for compliance. Specifically, the objective was to ascertain whether ESMs were present, maintained and functioning and how they were managed across multi-owner residential settings.
Key findings of the report indicate that of the buildings surveyed:
- All wet, detection and warning systems were found to be operational at the time of inspection, providing functional assurance in practice.
- 34 per cent of buildings had inconsistencies between Occupancy Permit documentation and on-site conditions.
- 100 per cent of buildings surveyed did not have a complete set of maintenance documents.
- 18 per cent of building owners could not produce their latest Annual Essential Safety Measures Report (AESMR) upon request, indicating that owners do not have a high-level understanding of their obligations.
The findings identified the following key observations:
- Insufficient verification of performance assurance and inconsistency in annual and milestone performance testing.
- Misalignment between approved documentation and on-site ESMs.
- ESM records are fragmented and incomplete.
- Limited evidence of a whole-of-life asset management approach.
- The quality of AESMRs limit their ability to provide assurance as a standalone instrument.
Download a copy of the full report published by Cladding Safety Victoria below.
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Contact email: communications@claddingsafety.vic.gov.au
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