ServiceM8 form
ServiceM8 essential safety measures inspection form for Victoria
This ServiceM8 Form records the inspection, test and maintenance of each essential safety measure in a Victorian building, measure by measure, against the requirement set in the occupancy permit or maintenance determination. It gives the owner what they need to sign the annual essential safety measures report under regulations 223 and 224 of the Building Regulations 2018.
Last checked 25 Sep 2026 against the sources listed at the end of this page.
Free form ยท Building Regulations 2018 (Vic) Part 15; AS 1851:2012 where adopted
Essential safety measures inspection record form for fire services and building maintenance
A per measure inspection record in the job diary that shows the requirement checked, the result and defects, ready for the owner's annual essential safety measures report.
The form: 21 questions
| Section | Question | Type | Req. | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Building | Building address | Text | Yes | Regulation 224 requires the report to state it. |
| Building | Occupancy permit or maintenance determination number | Text | Yes | The document that listed this measure. Write Pre 1994 if the building has neither. |
| Building | Maintenance schedule item number | Text | ||
| Building | Owner or agent name | Text | Yes | |
| Measure | ESM category (Schedule 8 part) | Choice Building fire integrity / Means of egress / Signs / Lighting / Fire fighting services and equipment / Air handling systems / Automatic fire detection and alarm / Occupant warning systems / Lifts / Standby power supply / Building clearance and fire appliances / Mechanical ventilation, hot, warm and cooling water | Yes | |
| Measure | Measure as written in the permit | Text | Yes | Copy the wording, for example Fire hose reel system. |
| Measure | Maintenance requirement being followed | Choice As specified in occupancy permit / As specified in maintenance determination / AS 1851:2012 (reg 196 or 217) / Maintenance schedule for pre 1994 building | Yes | If AS 1851:2012 is chosen, the owner must say so in the annual report. |
| Measure | Frequency required | Choice Monthly / Three monthly / Six monthly / Yearly / Five yearly / Other (see comments) | Yes | |
| Measure | Quantity or extent inspected | Text | For example 14 fire doors, levels 1 to 4. | |
| Inspection | Tasks completed | Multiple choice Visual inspection / Functional test / Performance measurement / Cleaning or adjustment / Component replaced / Records reviewed | Yes | |
| Inspection | Linked item forms | Text | Names of the per item forms completed on this job, such as fire door or extinguisher forms. | |
| Inspection | Measure operating at required level | Choice Yes / No / Partly | Yes | |
| Inspection | Defects found | Text | ||
| Inspection | Defect severity | Choice Critical / Non critical / None | Yes | |
| Inspection | Owner told of critical defect on | Date | ||
| Inspection | Photo of measure or defect | Photo | ||
| Inspection | Exits and paths of travel clear | Choice Yes / No / Not inspected | Yes | Occupiers must keep these clear under regulation 228, so note obstructions even on other visits. |
| Sign off | Date inspected | Date | Yes | |
| Sign off | Next due | Date | Yes | |
| Sign off | Inspector name and registration or licence | Text | Yes | |
| Sign off | Inspector signature | Signature | Yes |
Set it up in ServiceM8
- Build a master form in Settings > Forms > Add Form using the questions above, and name it ESM inspection, master.
- For each client building, open the master, choose Make a copy from the three dot menu beside Form Name, and rename it with the building address.
- In the copy, trim the ESM category and Measure as written choices to the measures listed in that building's occupancy permit, determination or maintenance schedule.
- Give each copy its own badge name so the office can apply the right building form to each recurring job.
- Download the sample template and add a summary table with one row per measure, using the check mark IF field method from ServiceM8's help centre for the Tasks completed answers.
- Store the permit, determination and maintenance schedule PDFs on the client or site record so the technician can read the required frequency on site.
The building's own documents decide what you check
In Victoria there is no single statewide checklist for an existing building. Regulation 194 of the Building Regulations 2018 requires every occupancy permit to list the essential safety measures (ESMs) for that building, the level of performance each must achieve, and the frequency and type of inspection, testing and maintenance. Where a measure came in under a building permit without an occupancy permit, a maintenance determination under regulation 215 does the same job. A maintenance schedule under regulation 222 pulls them into one list.
So the first question on this form is not a tick box but a reference: which permit, determination or schedule item is this measure from, and what frequency does it set. Schedule 8 of the regulations lists the categories an ESM can fall into, from fire doors and exit signs to emergency lighting, hydrants, air handling systems, standby power and cooling towers. The form's category choice list copies those twelve parts, so any measure in a permit maps to one of them.
Who signs, and when
The contractor inspects; the owner reports. Regulation 223 makes the owner responsible for an annual essential safety measures report (AESMR) prepared within 28 days before each anniversary of the first occupancy permit or maintenance determination that required an ESM. Regulation 224 says the report must be in the approved form, signed by the owner, state the building address, and state that the owner has taken all reasonable steps to ensure each measure is operating and has been inspected, tested and maintained. An agent such as your business can prepare it, but the signature is the owner's.
That shapes the form. Each completed record needs to show the measure, the requirement it was checked against, the result and any defect, so the owner (or their agent) can build the AESMR without chasing you. Regulation 225 also requires the owner to produce the records of all inspections, tests and maintenance within 24 hours of a request by the municipal building surveyor or chief officer, so every record should land in one place for each building.
One form per building, not one form for every building
Because each building's list is different, the practical setup is a master ESM form you copy per building. ServiceM8's Make a copy keeps the questions, Skip Question If conditions and the Word template, so you can trim the category list to the measures that building actually has. For measures that are lists of items (every fire door, every extinguisher), link to the matching per item form, like the fire door inspection form, and use this form for the measure level summary.
What this form will not do
- ServiceM8 cannot read an occupancy permit. Someone has to transcribe each building's measures and frequencies into its copy of the form.
- The form is the contractor's inspection record. The AESMR itself must be in the approved form and signed by the owner under regulation 224.
- Copied forms do not update when you change the master, so a change to the master has to be repeated in each building's copy.
- Forms bought from the ServiceM8 Form Store cannot be copied, so this approach needs a custom form.
Sources
- An occupancy permit must specify all essential safety measures for the building, the level of performance each must achieve, and the frequency and type of inspection, testing and maintenance for each. Building Regulations 2018 (Vic), reg 194, version 031 (as at 1 September 2026), checked 25 Sep 2026.
- The owner must ensure an annual essential safety measures report is prepared within 28 days before each anniversary of the relevant anniversary date; maximum penalty 20 penalty units. Building Regulations 2018 (Vic), reg 223, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- The annual report must be in the approved form, signed by the owner, state the building address, include details of any inspection report under s 227E of the Act, state where AS 1851:2012 is being followed instead, and state the owner has taken all reasonable steps to ensure each measure is operating and has been inspected, tested and maintained. Building Regulations 2018 (Vic), reg 224, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- The owner must make available within 24 hours of a request by the municipal building surveyor or chief officer the annual reports from the last 10 years, maintenance schedules, maintenance determinations and records of all inspections, testing and maintenance (including repairs); maximum penalty 20 penalty units. Building Regulations 2018 (Vic), reg 225, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- Where a maintenance determination specifies AS 1851:2005 or an earlier equivalent, complying with AS 1851:2012 is taken to comply, but an owner who switches must keep complying with AS 1851:2012 for that measure. Building Regulations 2018 (Vic), reg 217, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- The occupier of a Class 1b, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9 building must keep required exits and paths of travel to exits readily accessible, functional and clear of obstructions; maximum penalty 20 penalty units. Building Regulations 2018 (Vic), reg 228, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- Making a copy of a ServiceM8 Form copies its questions, Skip Question If conditions and custom DOCX template, but not completed forms; Form Store forms cannot be copied. ServiceM8 Help Center, checked 25 Sep 2026.