Defect rectification and reporting

Australian Standard AS1851:2005 A2 provides for the first time a framework for defect reporting for fire protection systems and equipment that has not been previously defined.

The criteria for defect rectification and reporting appears in Section 1 - Scope & General, with specific criteria detailed in Clause 1.15.4 - Defect rectification and reporting.

When the Standard was originally written, the definition of both a 'Critical Defect' and 'Non-critical Defect' was omitted from the definitions found in the Standard. Subsequently in Amendment 1 and Amendment 2, the definitions or examples were established.

1.5.3 Critical Defect
A defect that renders a system inoperative.

1.15.4 - Defect rectification and reporting

1.15.4.1 - General
Identified defects shall be rectified and a subsequent inspection and test shall be undertaken to verify satisfactory completion of the rectification work.

1.15.4.2 - Critical defects
Critical defects shall be reported to the building owner or agent immediately and confirmed in writing
within 24 h.

NOTE: Critical defects, e.g., pump failure, should be rectified with the minimum of delay.

1.15.4.3 - Non-critical defects
Details of non-critical defects observed during inspection, test, preventive maintenance and survey, and the date of their rectification if applicable, shall be recorded and reported to the building owner or agent within one week of the defect being identified.

NOTE: Non-critical defect (e.g., water motor alarm failure) should be rectified within one month.

These definitions are important as they provide a basis for the classification of defects and a method for their reporting, that is also referenced in some state legislation.

How Maintenance Essentials reports defects

Over the last few years Maintenance Essentials has invested heavily in workflow, business systems, reporting systems and data collection methods.

The following workflow is a very simplified description of how we how we collect the information necessary to satisfy the standards requirements.

This basic workflow has been in place for a number of years however recently we introduced smart phones to capture the details of a defect in a more efficient manner, and report it to our customer support team.

Our support team confirm the details of the case, checking other details such as maintenance history, current work in progress and the like.

Once this has been confirmed, an automated email is produced and sent to the primary contact as our first level of advice.

Following this additional actions may also occur depending on a range of criteria such as the type and priority of a case.

In addition, our technicians record the details of the defect on the test record which is also made available to the customer at the conclusion of the test.

Does your contractor provide automated defect reporting?

The requirement for notifying building owners by contractors is now described in Australian Standard AS1851:2005 and is proposed to be further extended in the next edition of the Standard.

If you are a building owner who has two or more buildings in your portfolio then ensuring you get timely defect reporting from your contractor may a challenge.

Maintenance Essentials can demonstrate our process and provide building owners with a simple solution that helps achieve compliance.

For more information, contact the Maintenance Essentials sales team on 1300 30 88 22.