West Perth building practitioner Rodney Obeid (BP14339) has been fined $5,000 by the Building Services Board for failing to properly manage and supervise work at an $11 million East Perth apartment development.

Mr Obeid was the nominated supervisor for Nazero Constructions WA, which provided a notice of completion to the City of Perth for the six-storey property in June 2015.

After carrying out a building inspection following complaints about issues at the complex, the City referred the matter to Building and Energy (formerly the Building Commission).

A Building and Energy investigation in October 2017 revealed several defects at the property, including absent or incorrect fire safety measures, a non-compliant fire door and lack of disability access in the rooftop common area.

Mr Obeid has since engaged specialised subcontractors to address the issues at his own expense, after Nazero Constructions was deregistered by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission in December 2017.

At its meeting last month, the Board found Mr Obeid breached the Building Services (Registration) Act 2011 by failing to properly manage and supervise building work, given that applicable building standards had not been met.

Building Commissioner Ken Bowron welcomed the Board’s findings, describing Mr Obeid’s conduct as “unacceptable”.

“This fine reflects the seriousness of the non-compliant areas, which had the potential to cause significant risks to public health and safety in the event of a fire,” he said.

“While I acknowledge Mr Obeid’s cooperation with our investigation and his subsequent remediation efforts, these defects were easily identifiable and this building should not have been declared complete and fit for occupancy.

“This outcome sends a clear message that we will take action against building industry participants who do not meet their obligations, particularly regarding community safety.”

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Media contact:

Sarah Roberts – 0466 409 828 or bemedia@dmirs.wa.gov.au