Your SSKB Flight is Now Departing
BY: RICK DEERING
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What do a 747 jumbo jet pilot and community manager have in common? Whilst the first reaction may be that any comparison between these two vocations would be stretching things quite a bit, there is one aspect of the roles that is common to both - well at least when comparing a 747 jumbo jet pilot with an SSKB community manager.
A 747 jumbo jet pilot, as experienced as he or she might be possibly having taken off and landed on hundreds of occasions, still goes through a check list before each and every take off and landing. At SSKB we too have check lists to insure that nothing is missed in managing an Owners Corporation or Body Corporate.
For example, the Annual General Meeting is the major yearly activity for a community. There is much preparation for this major event to ensure that everything runs smoothly on the day and that nothing is missed. After the meeting there will be items to be addressed and followed up. As there are legally enforced matters to be addressed nothing can be left to chance.
At SSKB our Annual General Meeting Check List has no less than 68 items to be checked off. And, if it is the first Annual General Meeting of a new community, this number climbs with no fewer than 90 items to be checked.
However, I can still hear the sceptics saying that with the 747 jumbo pilot, it is all about safety - with an SSKB Community Manager not so. Well, yes, to a point. For SSKB the Check Lists are all about quality - but.
In Victoria recently, a court ordered an Owners Corporation to make a payment of $210,000 to person who had slipped at the entrance to their building. It was found that the duty the Owners Corporation had failed to provide was the general duty of care owed by occupiers to entrants to take such care as is reasonable in the circumstances for their safety, and to protect them from risks of injury which can be foreseen and avoided.
The risk in this case was the risk of injury to a person exiting the premises by tripping on a carpet off-cut which had been wedged under the front door to hold it open temporarily. This risk, combined with the failure to provide a slip-proof mat, resulted in the fall and eventual massive payout.
The judge stated that in order to comply with the general duty of care the Owners Corporation would have only had to supply an external slip-resistant weatherproof doormat (which can be purchased for as little as $25), as the landing was located at the top of a flight of steps and was known to be exposed to rain.
He ruled that the provision of such a mat would have prevented the trip and averted the person's injuries.
So, where is the link? One of the items on the SSKB Annual General Meeting Check List requires confirmation of the status of an Occupational Health & Safety Report for the building. Had the above building been having regular safety audits then it is more than likely that a matt would have been provided and the slip avoided.
SSKB pride themselves on their commitment to the quality of the service they deliver. Having Check Lists covering the major aspects of a community is critical to ensure that this commitment is met.
So the next time you fly, and just before take off, think about the pilot in the cockpit running through the pre flight check list and take comfort that you are in safe hands. If you are also a member of a community managed by SSKB you can feel doubly safe!
