What a maintenance contract covers
No two sites need exactly the same thing, so we build each maintenance schedule around the building, the equipment in it and the obligations the owner or occupier has to meet. A typical contract combines scheduled compliance work, planned inspections and a clear process for reactive call-outs.
- Six-monthly emergency and exit lighting testing with logbook records
- Periodic test and tag of portable electrical equipment
- RCD testing and recording
- Thermal imaging of switchboards and major plant
- Switchboard inspections, tightening and cleaning during planned shutdowns
- Lighting maintenance, lamp and driver replacement and LED upgrades
- Reactive fault-finding and repairs
- Minor works, new circuits and small modifications as the site changes
Planned versus reactive maintenance
Reactive maintenance is fixing things when they break. It will always be part of looking after a building, but on its own it tends to cost more, because faults happen at inconvenient times and often take other equipment down with them.
Planned maintenance flips that around. Regular inspections, testing and thermal imaging find loose terminations, failing components, overloaded circuits and deteriorating equipment while they can still be fixed in a planned window. The aim is fewer surprises, fewer after-hours call-outs and a clearer picture of what the building will need over the next few years. Our guide to a preventative electrical maintenance plan goes into more detail.
Compliance and your obligations
Building owners, occupiers and employers carry legal duties around electrical safety. In Queensland these come from the Electrical Safety Act 2002 and Electrical Safety Regulation 2013, along with work health and safety laws. In NSW, work health and safety laws and building fire safety requirements apply. The specifics depend on the type of building and the work carried out there.
A few items come up on almost every commercial site. Emergency lighting has to be inspected and tested in line with AS/NZS 2293.2, with results recorded. Portable electrical equipment in many workplaces needs inspection and testing, commonly to AS/NZS 3760. RCDs need periodic testing. We set up the schedule so these happen on time and the records are kept together. If you are unsure what applies to your site, the Electrical Safety Office at electricalsafety.qld.gov.au or NSW Fair Trading are good starting points, and we are happy to talk it through.
Working around your tenants and trading hours
Maintenance happens in buildings people are using. We schedule routine work to suit the site, which might mean early starts in an office, work before opening in a retail centre, or quiet periods in a medical practice. Anything that needs power off is booked with building management and communicated to tenants in advance, and we keep shutdowns as short and as few as possible by grouping tasks together.
Before starting on a new site we complete the site induction, confirm access and key arrangements, and provide a SWMS for any high risk work, such as work at height or near energised equipment. Our technicians sign in and out and leave the site as they found it.
Records and reporting
Good maintenance is only as useful as the records behind it. After each scheduled visit you get a written report with what was tested, the results, any defects found and our recommendations, ranked by priority. Test results, emergency lighting logbooks and test and tag registers are kept up to date so they are ready for insurers, auditors, fire safety inspections or a building sale.
Over time this gives you a clear asset picture. Which switchboards are ageing, which lighting is due for replacement, where the site is short on capacity. That makes it easier to budget for capital works instead of reacting to failures.
Who we work with
We provide maintenance for property managers and facility managers, strata and body corporate buildings, offices, retail and hospitality venues, childcare centres, medical practices, warehouses and light industrial sites. Some clients have a single building, others have several sites spread between the Gold Coast, Brisbane and the Northern Rivers. We can structure a contract across multiple sites so everything runs on one schedule with consistent reporting.
How contracts are priced
We price maintenance contracts after a site walk-through and a review of existing records. The main factors are the number and size of sites, the quantity of emergency fittings and portable equipment, the frequency of scheduled visits, the testing required, access and after-hours requirements, and how reactive work will be handled. You get a written proposal with the scope, schedule and rates laid out clearly in writing.
Monty Electrical is owner-led, so Stefan is directly involved in setting up and running each contract. When you call about a problem, you are talking to someone who knows your building.