Building owners busted for third time on dangerous accommodation
The owners of a dodgy accommodation facility north of Brisbane were asked repeatedly by authorities to make the building safe but did nothing.
Moreton
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OWNERS of a dodgy budget accommodation building north of Brisbane have narrowly avoided jail after “repeatedly” ignoring authorities urging them to make the facility safe.
A Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) spokesman said Hahn Thi Quach and Tuan Anh Le pleaded guilty in Caboolture Magistrates Court today to 29 building fire safety offences, including failure to have a safety management plan and failure to have an appropriate early warning system.
The pair was slapped with $56,000 in fines and two months jail, suspended for 12 months.
QFES Commissioner Greg Leach said QFES took action against the pair after they repeatedly failed to meet fire safety standards, despite QFES officers inspecting the premises five times in three months.
“Building fire safety standards are in place to save lives and property, so it is essential operators prioritise safety over profit,” Mr Leach said.
“In this instance, the owners repeatedly ignored directives from QFES Safety Assessment Officers to install working smoke alarms and emergency lighting, erect appropriate evacuation signage and to develop a fire safety management plan.
“Budget accommodation buildings already have a greater potential for injury or death of occupants than other types of buildings. By failing to install the appropriate fire safety systems, the owners of this budget accommodation were effectively gambling with the lives of their tenants.”
Mr Leach said QFES would continue to target illegal and unsafe budget accommodation buildings.
“QFES prioritises building fire safety by regularly carrying out routine inspections of budget accommodations across Queensland, including boarding houses, backpacker hostels, farm stays, share houses and pubs.
“Today’s ruling puts all budget accommodation operators on notice that QFES will not tolerate flagrant building fire safety breaches.”
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