Evacuation routes to be kept isolated
13 Evacuation routes to be kept isolated
A person must not install or alter a mechanical ventilation or air conditioning system in a building in a way that, in the event of a fire or hazardous materials emergency, may allow air to flow onto an evacuation route of the building from another space in the building, including, for example, a fire-isolated compartment.
Maximum penalty—30 penalty units.
A person must not do an act, other than an act mentioned in subsection (1), that, in the event of a fire or hazardous materials emergency, may allow air to flow onto an evacuation route of a building from another space in the building, including, for example, a fire-isolated compartment.
Examples of doing an act for subsection (2)—
• penetrating a wall on the perimeter of a fire-isolated compartment
• failing to seal a hole in a wall on the perimeter of a fire-isolated compartment
• chocking open a door on the perimeter of a fire-isolated compartment
Maximum penalty—30 penalty units.
However, subsection (2) does not apply if the act is authorised or required for building work under a building development approval.
The owner or occupier of a building must ensure that a person does not—
install or alter a mechanical ventilation or air conditioning system in the building in contravention of subsection (1); or
do another act in contravention of subsection (2).
Maximum penalty—30 penalty units.
It is a defence in a proceeding against a person for an offence under subsection (4) for the person to prove that—
the person took reasonable precautions and exercised proper diligence to prevent the contravention; or
the contravention was due to causes over which the person had no control.
In this section—
doing an act includes omitting to do an act.
fire-isolated compartment means a compartment in a building that is designed and constructed to prevent the spread of fire or flow of smoke from the compartment into another part of the building.
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