When you own and manage a building that other people work or live in, it’s absolutely essential that you are responsible and make sure your structure is safe and fit to be in. One way that you can prove that your building is up to code is to obtain and display a building warrant of fitness in a prominent place.
Buildings that are not maintained or that have not been inspected in a while can pose a threat to anyone who is in them, and if the proper measures are not taken, unfortunate incidents can happen. By having a proper BWoF, you can ensure everyone in your building is safe.
So, what exactly is a BWoF, do you need one for your building and what would happen if you do not get one?
As its name implies, a building warrant of fitness, or BWoF for short, is an official document that ensures that your building’s specified systems have been maintained in the past twelve months. If your specified systems have been maintained and inspected, it means that they are most likely entirely safe for anyone to use appropriately.
Your BWoF will need to be updated every twelve months to make sure that your building is safe and sound. If you fail to get a warrant of fitness for your facility, you may face fines and penalties.
However, not every building requires a building warrant of fitness - you only need a warrant of fitness for your building if your structure contains specified systems and follows a compliance schedule.
‘Specified systems’ refers to systems within your building that are essential to your building’s occupants’ safety. These systems can include automatic sprinkler systems, emergency lighting systems, lifts or escalators, air conditioning systems, smoke control systems and more.
Any one of these systems could become a hazard if they are not appropriately maintained. So, by responsibly having them maintained and inspected every year, you can ensure the safety of your building and its occupants. Therefore, by keeping your building warrant of fitness up to date, you can prevent disaster.
In addition, if your building has specified systems, you will also need to follow a compliance schedule. A compliance schedule for your building lists all of your specified systems and the procedures that need to be followed to keep them working correctly.
As you can tell, getting a BWoF for your building is essential. Not only does it prove that your facility is safe to work and be in, but it is legally required for you to have and display for everyone to see. But, how do you get one for your building?
Luckily, to secure a warrant of fitness for your building, you can simply go to people like us at Compliance Consultants for help. We help building owners like you by inspecting their buildings and making sure that all of your specified systems are up to date and well-maintained. By making sure your building is safe, we can help you complete your building warrant of fitness.
All responsible building owners who maintain specified systems within their buildings should pay attention to their warrant of fitnesses and make sure they stay up to date - however, you may be wondering, ‘what happens if I don’t get my BWoF in time?’
As mentioned above, if you neglect to get or update your warrant of fitness, you may be facing fines and penalties. If you fail to obtain and display your BWoF, you can be given a fine of up to $20,000. In addition, you may be prosecuted for it as well.
Furthermore, if you do not get an authentic warrant of fitness and instead display a falsified copy of one, you can also face fines or be prosecuted.
Would you like some assistance with your BWoF? Here at Compliance Consultants, we specialise in helping responsible building owners like you make sure that their buildings are safe for their occupants and legally up to code. So if you need help with your building’s compliance schedule and warrant of fitness, we are here for you.
In addition to helping building owners with their BWoFs, we are also happy to offer several other fantastic services, such as fire design, consultancy services, and project management.
If you would like to speak to our qualified team about your building, please do not hesitate to give us a call at 0800 325 435 to get in touch. We have helped heaps of New Zealanders in the past, and we look forward to assisting you as well.
Make sure your building is safe and adequately maintained with help from our experienced team at Compliance Consultants!