Title Page
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Conducted on
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Prepared by
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Location
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This report provides recommendations to executive management, where applicable, on how to correct deficiencies to ensure that legislative requirements are being met and to enable the provision of a safe workplace for employees.
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Work through the electronic document entering the inspection findings recorded on the advisory notes (QFES Advisory Notes for Fire Safety Management Tool for Owner/Occupier). Insert photos with the inspection findings data, to support the issue identified (where applicable).
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Section 8 of the BFSR 2008 applies.
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Section 8 - Occupier not to allow evacuation route to be obstructed –
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1. The occupier of a building must not allow a thing to be placed or to remain —
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(a) within 2m of a final exit outside the building; or
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(b) in another place on an evacuation route of the building, if the thing would be likely to unduly restrict, hinder or delay a person, if the person were using the evacuation route in the event of a fire or hazardous materials emergency.
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1. Are evacuation routes clear of obstructions?
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2. Are final exits clear of obstructions for two metres?
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3. Are the final exits of any adjoining properties clear?
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Section 9 of the BFSR 2008 applies. Section 9 – Occupier not to allow final exit of adjoining building to be obstructed.The occupier of one building must not block the final exit from a neighbouring building or tenancy. The owner/occupier must ensure that the final exits of the adjoining property are clear (i.e. that no thing impedes or obstructs travel for two metres outside the final exit). A final exit door is the last exit door from the neighbouring building or tenancy and leads to a place of safety without any further impediments such as locked gates.
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The regulation defines a thing that may impede or obstruct travel as a vehicle, an animal, fixtures or fittings, goods or materials. It may also include people. (An example of a thing obstructing travel would be placing a rubbish skip within two metres of a neighbouring tenant’s final exit). This item relates to Section 9 of the Building Fire Safety Regulation 2008.
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Exit Doors
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4. Is the door hardware the correct type?
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Sections 10 and 11 of the BFSR 2008 may apply. Section 10- Meaning of locking a door –
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A reference to locking a door is a reference to locking the door in a closed position.
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Locking a door includes fastening the door or otherwise interfering with its ability to be opened.
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However, a door on an evacuation route of a building is not locked if it can be opened: —
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(a) from the internal side using 1 device that can be operated by 1 downward or pushing action using 1 hand; or
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Examples of devices—
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• a handle, lever or panic bar
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• a device consisting of a button or switch that can be operated to allow a door to open electronically and automatically allows the door to be opened if the door fails to open electronically
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(b) in another way that complies with the Building Code of Australia.
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Section 11 – General obligations about locking doors –
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A person must not lock a door on an evacuation route of a building if the person knows, or reasonably ought to know, that another person is within the building on the internal side of the door.
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The occupier of a building must ensure that a door on an evacuation route of the building is not locked, if the occupier knows, or reasonably ought to know, that a person is within the building on the internal side of the door.
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This section does not apply if section 12 applies.
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5. Are the doors along the evacuation route unlocked and unobstructed?
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The owner/occupier must ensure doors on evacuation routes are not locked if people are known to be in the
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building.
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Doors on evacuation routes must be able to be opened by a single handed downward or pushing action on a
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single device. Knob type handles are not acceptable door hardware for these doors.
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5. 6 - Public - QFES Advisory Notes (Effective: 11-2013)
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The door hardware of buildings used as detention centres, mental health facilities, child care centres (including
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Prep and After-School Care where full-time adults are present) and secure parts of banks, are required to comply
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with the Building Code of Australia, Part D2.21.
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Where special door locking arrangements are in place the method of operation and the information provided to staff/occupants is required to be retained in the evacuation coordination procedures, which must be kept with the
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fire and evacuation plan. (For more information regarding fire and evacuation plans refer to item 44).
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12. This item relates to Sections 10, 11 and 12 of the Building Fire Safety Regulation 2008.
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Fire / Smoke Doors and Walls
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6. Are the fire/smoke doors unobstructed and undamaged?
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The owner/occupier must ensure that fire/smoke doors are not obstructed nor damaged.
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Fire or smoke doors are not to be ‘chocked’ or held open. Fire doors must automatically close and fully latch after each opening.
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An exception to this is when the door is held open by a device connected to the buildings fire alarm system that allows the door to close on activation of a fire alarm.
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This item relates to Section 13 of the Building Fire Safety Regulation 2008. See the Queensland Development Code MP 6.1 at for further details regarding maintenance requirements. [Type text]
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[Type text]
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7. Can current maintenance records for fire doors be produced upon request?
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A log book is required to record current inspections
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Fire doors in Class 5, 6, 9a and 9c buildings must be inspected at 6 monthly intervals.
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A Class 5 building is defined as an office; Class 6 buildings include shops, hotels, service stations; Class 9a buildings are health care buildings and Class 9c are aged care buildings.
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Fire doors in all other buildings must be inspected annually.
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8. Are the fire/smoke walls free from unprotected penetration?
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The owner/occupier must ensure that fire/smoke walls are free from unprotected penetration.
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If, for example, tradespersons or other persons have to penetrate fire or smoke walls to fit equipment, air conditioning ducts etc. or run cabling, the person as well as the occupier must ensure these penetrations are filled with the appropriate fire rated compound, or in the case of smoke walls, sealed.
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3. Building plans should indicate whether walls are fire or smoke walls.
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4. This item relates to Section 13 of the Building Fire Safety Regulation 2008.
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Evacuation Signs / Diagrams – General
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9. Do the evacuation signs/diagrams contain the required information? Section 18 - Meaning of evacuation diagram
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An evacuation diagram, for a building, means a diagram, in an understandable form, of the building showing the following (the fire safety reference points)—
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(a) the place that corresponds to the place in the building where the diagram is displayed;
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Example for paragraph (a)—
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An evacuation diagram in a building shows an arrow pointing to a red spot that corresponds to the place in the building where the diagram is displayed. The words ‘You are here’ are stated in bold text near the arrow.
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(b) the route from the place mentioned in paragraph (a) to the nearest exit of the building;
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(c) each exit of the building;
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(d) any intercommunication devices in the common areas of the building;
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(e) the manually operated fire alarms in the building;
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(f) the firefighting equipment in the building;
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(g) each designated assembly area for the building;
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(h) the route from each exit shown on the diagram to a designated assembly area.
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2. For subsection (1), the fire safety reference points under subsection (1)(a) to (f) and (1)(g) and (h) may be shown on separate diagrams.
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3. An evacuation diagram, for a part of a building, means a diagram, in an understandable form, of the part of the building showing the following (also the fire safety reference points)—
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(a) the place that corresponds to the place in the part of the building where the diagram is displayed;
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(b) each exit that is reasonably accessible from the part of the building;
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(c) the route from the part of the building to each exit shown on the diagram;
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(d) any intercommunication devices in the common areas that are reasonably accessible from the part of the building;
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(e) the manually operated fire alarms that are reasonably accessible from the part of the building;
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(f) the firefighting equipment that is reasonably accessible from the part of the building;
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(g) a designated assembly area for the part of the building;
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(h) the route from each exit shown on the diagram to a designated assembly area.
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4. For subsection (3), the fire safety reference points under subsection (3)(a) to (f) and (3)(g) and (h) may be shown on separate diagrams.
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5. In this section— *
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understandable form, for an evacuation diagram, means a form that would be easily understandable by a person who would be likely to be reading the diagram, if the person were reading the diagram in the event of a fire or hazardous materials emergency.
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Examples of matters that may be relevant for understanding a diagram—
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• whether the diagram is in a reasonable scale
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• whether the diagram includes a legend clearly showing different parts of a building. [Type text]
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[Type text]
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10. Are the evacuation signs/diagrams securely fastened and orientated for the building?
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Evacuation signs/diagrams must be displayed in a conspicuous position, securely attached to a wall or the internal side of a door and orientated in line with the building layout. Sticky tape, blue tac or velcro is not securely fastened, however screws or sufficient double sided tape providing sufficient strength is acceptable.
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Evacuation signs/diagrams must be appropriately located on each evacuation route of the building.
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‘Orientated’ means the diagram must be understandable to a person reading the sign and the instructions must be accurate and correspond to the building layout.
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4. Class 2 buildings with direct exits to a road or open space that do not have common areas (i.e. corridors, stairways or hallways) must have the evacuation signs/diagrams displayed in line with the requirements for accommodation units. (This includes owner/occupied units and residencies with long term tenancies or registered tenancy agreements). For more information regarding accommodation units refer to item 11.
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5. Some Class 2 and Class 3 buildings may require both types of signs.
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6. See Item 58 for explanation on instruction to residents and visitors to the building.
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This item relates to Sections 18, 29 and 30 of the Building Fire Safety Regulation 2008.
