Owning or managing a commercial building requires a lot of effort, in fact, you have to make sure that you comply with all sorts of regulations and standards to maintain the safety of any persons that enter your building.
However, it can be daunting, and even confusing for some. When it comes to commercial building management, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve compiled a list of 3 of our top tips for managing a commercial building:
1) Schedule Routine Maintenance
From lifts and escalators, to kitchens and washrooms, if your commercial building has features that are related to the safety of persons and the functionality of the building, then it’s important that you make sure that these features are routinely maintained and serviced to prevent not only untimely repairs, but also to ensure that they’re safe for use.
You could end up saving money in the long run by avoiding preventable repairs/replacements via routine maintenance checks!
2) Create Evacuation Plans
Your commercial building should have adequate fire safety and other emergency measures in place. This includes evacuation plans. In the event of a fire, both employees and any visitors/customers inside your commercial building should be able to evacuate safely before they get hurt. This is incredibly important as you have an obligation to safeguard the wellbeing of any persons that enter your building.
3) Ensure You Have a Valid BWOF
A BWOF (Building Warrant of Fitness) is a legal certificate that you must publicly display within your commercial premises to prove that your building complies with New Zealand building standards. Obtaining a BWOF involves maintaining your compliance schedule, and having an Independently Qualified Persons (IQPs) carry out inspections and maintenance of specified systems within your building. BWOFs need to be renewed annually.
You could face fines and penalties for displaying an expired BWOF or having no BWOF at all.
At Fireaway, we provide first class commercial building management solutions, such as the ones above, for commercial building managers or owners. If you are responsible for managing a commercial property, as IQPs, we can help you successfully do this by ensuring that your building is compliant with New Zealand standards and regulations! For more information on our range of services, or if you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the Fireaway team!