Statutory Obligations
All the premises and equipment are expected to comply with all relevant statutory and government regulations. It is well known that most caravan and camping resort owners do however affect their own electrical, plumbing and building installation and repairs. In most cases these installations and repairs are due to emergency action that has had to take place, but in some cases these were done to keep costs down. Some resort owners employ their own maintenance staff, possibly qualified in a particular field, but normally are a ‘Jack of all trades', and these employees will undertake various maintenance repairs or installations.
What is neglected in these cases is to obtain a clearance certificate from the local authority for the installation made. In the event of an accident, without the appropriate clearance certificate, this could lead to costly legal battles.
Assessors may request that relevant documentation, certificates, etc be presented at the time of assessment. This could include:
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Public liability insurance |
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Fire safety certificate |
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Compliance with building regulations |
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Occupational Health and Safety Act |
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Electrical clearance certificates by accredited persons |
We have seen so many ‘Heath Robinson' installations, and in some instances it is absolutely scary, especially when it comes to the electrical power boxes presented to the camping public by some resorts. Fire fighting equipment, clearly conspicuous should be present. Extinguishers or extinguisher boxes must be firmly secured on walls or posts, hoses must be tidily wound on reels, and the equipment should have some protection from the elements. We have encountered fire-fighting equipment, especially fire extinguishers, buried in the sand outside an ablution facility. Not even a broken wall mounting in sight! Let alone a valid expiry date on the extinguisher!
It must be pointed out that Assessors are NOT Inspectors. Each local authority has Inspectors at ALL levels, and if it is discovered that the resort possibly does not comply with the relevant statutory and local government regulations, the Assessor could report the matter to the Local Authority of the area. An Assessor is NOT a plumber, electrician or building inspector but is simply an Assessor!
Please realise that the onus is NOT on the Assessor to ask for and inspect this documentation. The Assessor is assessing the resort according to set criteria and CANNOT open every power point, for example, to see if wiring has been gypped. They cannot plug into every power point simply to see if it works! The Assessor randomly opens power boxes to see if it appears safe and appears to be in good working order. If boxes contain exposed wiring or an unsafe or dangerous situation, one of two things happens. The park is classified as not complying with minimum requirements and therefore does not qualify for grading, or the resort owner or manager is instructed to see that the problem is rectified within a set time frame/period. The ONUS is on the resort owner to ensure that the resort DOES comply with all relevant statutory and local government regulations, electrical, building health and so on. As mentioned: Assessors are NOT Inspectors, but are simply Assessors!
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