Every High-Rise Condominium Has Risks; Strong Boards Put Structure Around Them
Condominiums are unique. They are not just buildings. They are vertical communities with shared systems, shared responsibilities, and shared consequences when something goes wrong.
From pool chemical rooms and mechanical spaces, to fire protection systems, electrical rooms, generator fuel, and cleaning products used daily, most condominiums contain hazards that can affect residents and staff quickly if controls are not in place. That is not meant to be scary. It is simply the reality of operating complex buildings.
And while property managers and site staff play a critical role in day to day implementation, it is important to recognize something that is often misunderstood. This is not “management’s job” to figure out alone.
The condominium corporation, through its Board of Directors, has the responsibility to provide structure through policies, procedures, safety requirements, and emergency planning expectations. The property manager and building staff then implement those plans, maintain them, and carry them out consistently.
A recent incident in a Toronto condominium complex, where multiple people were injured and transported to hospital following a chemical hazard, is a reminder that hazardous materials events can occur in residential buildings and can escalate quickly.
This is exactly why emergency management planning in condominiums cannot stop at fire alarms and evacuations. A modern condominium emergency plan needs to address the full range of realistic risks, including hazardous materials exposures, swimming pool chemical safety, gas detection system activations, floods, fires, medical emergencies, and more.
Below are five practical board level actions that help prevent incidents, reduce liability, support management, and protect residents.
Build a Board Directed Emergency Management Framework
Condominium safety cannot live in someone’s head, or depend on who is on shift. A strong Board ensures the corporation has an emergency management framework that includes approved procedures, clear roles, and expectations for training and documentation.
This does not complicate operations, and it should never become a make work project. It gives property management and site staff clarity, support, and authority to act quickly when something is not right.
A good emergency framework is also broader than fire alarms. It should address realistic condominium events like fire, flooding, medical emergencies, utility failures, hazardous materials incidents, and gas detection alarms, because those are the situations that often disrupt buildings the most.
Identify Hazards and Put Controls in Place Before an Incident Happens
Most hazardous materials incidents in condominiums are not caused by one dramatic failure. They are usually the result of everyday conditions that were not fully controlled, such as storage issues, incompatible chemicals, ventilation gaps, or systems that are not maintained as intended.
Boards should ensure the building knows what hazardous materials exist on site, including pool chemicals, cleaning products, fuels, refrigerants, batteries, and other materials used during operations. Controls should then be in place to prevent incidents, prepare for likely emergencies, mitigate impacts, respond effectively, and support recovery.
Prevention is not about fear. It is about planning. The right controls reduce risk quietly in the background so emergencies do not have the opportunity to develop.
Strengthen Procedures, Inspections, Training, and Contractor Oversight
In many condominiums, incidents occur during maintenance, renovations, reopening after shutdowns, or contractor work. Even good teams can run into trouble if procedures are unclear, or if changes are not properly commissioned and verified.
Boards should ensure there are practical procedures and training in place for staff. The goal is not to make them hazardous materials experts. The goal is to help them recognize warning signs, avoid unsafe actions, and escalate early - all in the name or community safety.
Just as importantly, boards can support management by setting expectations for contractor oversight, including pre work briefings, documented handovers, and confirmation that safety systems and system interlocks function as intended.
Tie Planning to OHSA Responsibilities and Real World Liability
Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act is not just for industrial sites. Condominium operations involve workers, contractors, and supervisory responsibilities, and emergency planning is one of the most practical ways to demonstrate due diligence.
Clear procedures, training, hazard controls, and documented inspections reduce risk to workers and residents. They also protect the corporation when an incident results in injury, investigation, or litigation.
Inspections are especially important in pool operations, where chemical safety and water quality controls must be maintained consistently. Many public health requirements are built around routine daily and multi hour testing, and those records become documented evidence that the building is meeting safety expectations.
In fact, inspections are so critical that many condominium corporations are turning to simple, cost effective inspection technologies to ensure tasks are completed, tracked, and auditable, including platforms such as Safe Buildings.
This is one of the strongest reasons boards should lead safety planning. It is not simply operational. It is governance, compliance, and risk management.
Recognize the Financial Reality Preventable Emergency Responses Can Be Costly
When emergency services respond to incidents that could have been prevented through reasonable controls, it can trigger significant costs. In some cases, this may include invoices issued by Authorities Having Jurisdiction for preventable emergency responses. These costs can escalate quickly and can reach into the tens of thousands of dollars.
Even when there is no invoice, the indirect costs can be just as painful.
- Amenity closures and disruption
- Emergency contractor callouts
- Remediation and cleanup
- Insurance impacts
- Resident confidence and reputational harm
Emergency planning and hazard controls are not just safety decisions. They are financial protection strategies for the corporation.
Most property managers and site teams are doing their best with the tools they have been given. The strongest condominium corporations recognize that safety leadership starts at the board level, and that management succeeds when structure is provided.
If your condominium corporation would like support with emergency management planning, hazardous materials risk controls, staff procedures, or preparedness training, National Life Safety Group is here to help. Our focus is practical, building specific guidance that improves readiness without creating unnecessary disruption.