Cladding Safety Victoria’s world-first $600 million program is helping owners through a complex process of fixing higher-risk problem cladding on apartment buildings across the state. Like most, we’ve needed to react to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and make sure we respond appropriately, especially in light of the most recent Stage 4 lockdown restrictions.
In recognition of the important work we’re doing to keep residents and tenants safe across the state, cladding rectification works have been classified as permitted by the Victorian Government during Stage 4. As such, we’re continuing to work with owners corporations and modified our practices to keep residents, tenants and workers safe.
We have a COVIDSafe Plan in place and all staff and contractors on our sites will have a permit under the state government’s permit scheme. Our contractors are also required to have their own COVIDSafe Plan.
Our COVIDSafe Plan includes requirements for hygiene and face coverings on site, physical distancing, precautions around shared facilities and the use of shared tools, plant and equipment and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE).
We're only entering apartments where the occupier has given their consent and it is safe and absolutely necessary to do so. We’re also ensuring that workers wear appropriate PPE when they carry out this work in line with our COVIDSafe Plan.
For buildings with construction works underway, workers are required to maintain appropriate physical distancing on worksites, as is the case with all construction sites across Victoria. For sites where cladding rectification is underway, deep cleaning will be done throughout the project until the very end.
Owners corporations are encouraged to continue supporting tenants if they have questions about works to their property, and owners corporation managers and owners corporations can contact Cladding Safety Victoria if they have questions. Cladding Safety Victoria also has extensive information on their website, and owners corporation managers are encouraged to direct owners and tenants to this.
For more information about permitted works under Stage 4 restrictions, please visit the Department of Health and Human Services’ website.
A reminder about the importance of fire safety and maintenance of Essential Safety Measures
With people working and staying at home more frequently due to coronavirus, it is important that owners corporation managers remind residents and tenants of the importance of practicing fire safety – particularly for those in buildings that may be at a higher risk. We’ve included useful and practical information about fire safety on our website.
In addition, it is important to remember that owners corporations are responsible for the maintenance of a building’s Essential Safety Measures – the safety features required in a building to protect occupants in the event of a fire. More information about Essential Safety Measures is also on our website and we encourage you to share this information with the owners corporation.
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