Virtual Audits in building 

The Building and Plumbing Commission (BPC) takes pride in its role as Victoria’s building and plumbing regulator and has responsibility for monitoring and enforcing compliance with the Building Act 1993 (the Act) and associated regulations.

Our primary focus is on reducing risk to members of the Victorian community by prioritising our efforts towards activities that pose a greater threat to their health and safety or economic loss.

Building inspections

The regime for plumbing inspection is distinct from the regime for building inspection. Section 34 of the Building Act requires that certain mandatory stage inspections be performed ‘in person’ (by the relevant building surveyor). Other non-mandatory inspections need not be performed ‘in person’.

Plumbing inspections

The use of virtual plumbing audits by the BPC forms part of an expansion of the capability of the Plumbing Audit Program. Virtual audits complement the work BPC plumbing auditors do on the ground, with site visits still necessary for a range of works, including roofing, drainage and carbon monoxide testing.

We launched virtual plumbing audits at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, when it sought to continue important plumbing audit work, while balancing the safety of the community, plumbing practitioners and our auditors.

We continue to undertake virtual plumbing audits, where appropriate, however in decreasing volume, as our on-the-ground presence has increased.

Items of plumbing work where virtual technology (VT) is used are: air conditioners, split systems, hot water services (external), heat pumps, small renovations plumbing and some limited external plumbing work and rectifications (e.g. limited, of scale and specific types of work that lend themselves to the reasonable and responsible use of VT).

Examples of where we do not use VT:

• We do not use VT for roof plumbing, as the works for inspection are too extensive to be covered by remote viewing and it would present an unacceptable safety risk to ask a plumbing practitioner to walk across/around an unprotected roof while being directed to point the phone camera in certain areas.
• We do not and have not used VT in the testing of gas open flue heaters. The testing and verification capacity via VT in this instance fails to provide suitable assurance of assessment accuracy and the item being assessed is of a high-risk nature.

BPC can confirm that:

• It has received advice from Executive Counsel that confirms that our virtual audits, conducted during COVID or otherwise, have been and remain lawful.