Read the latest message from Cladding Safety Victoria
Cladding Safety Victoria’s world-first program is helping owners through a complex process of fixing higher-risk problem cladding on apartment buildings across the state. In pursuing this difficult task, we’ve also needed to react to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and make sure we respond appropriately, especially as Melbourne and Mitchell Shire experience a tightening of restrictions.
Not only have we not let coronavirus slow our progress, we’ve responded by boosting construction jobs during this difficult time and helping to get more cladding off buildings much sooner. We’ve done this by announcing that we’re fast-tracking our program.
To help make this happen, our rectification program has been rephased and funding brought forward so we can get more buildings out to market more quickly. Since the announcement, Cladding Safety Victoria has been working with builders of good standing so they can come back and rectify works on their own projects.
For buildings in our program, we’re also continuing to work closely with each owners corporation to discuss how we’re going to fix the problem cladding on their building.
We’re still conducting the important job of inspecting apartment buildings to plan the best way to rectify each case. We’re not letting coronavirus slow our progress and we have precautions to keep residents and workers safe.
We're only entering apartments where the owners corporation and individual owners have given their consent and it is safe and necessary to do so. We’re also ensuring that workers wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) when they carry out this work.
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. We’ve also got professional cleaners on the job in each of these sites to maximise the safety of workers and residents due to coronavirus.
With people working and staying at home more frequently due to coronavirus, it’s also important that residents understand and practice fire safety – particularly for residents in buildings that may be at a higher risk.
Whether a smaller apartment block, high-rise dwelling or in another living arrangement, there are several steps residents can be encouraged to take to reduce the risk of fire. For more information about practical fire safety tips for residents, please visit our website.
In addition, it is important to remember that owners corporations are responsible for the maintenance of a building’s Essential Safety Measures (ESMs) – the safety features required in a building to protect occupants in the event of a fire.
For more information about ESMs, Cladding Safety Victoria or our fast-tracked initiative, please visit our website: www.vic.gov.au/cladding-safety.
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