NYE revellers warned about balconies

New Year revellers have been warned to ensure balconies and decks are safe before
allowing partygoers on them.
Architectural advice organisation Archicentre says the dinner or party where people
gather on the balcony for a drink or a barbecue can be a high risk activity.
It's urged anyone planning to hold a New Year's Eve function during which there
could be a crowd of people on their balcony or deck to check that it is safe and not
in danger of collapse.
About six per cent of Australian homes have a timber balcony or deck and about two
per cent of those are potentially fatal, it says.
That means around 8,000 balconies could be at risk of a life-threatening collapse,
says Archicentre managing director Robert Caulfield.
"In recent years, balcony collapses have occurred where decks that had not been used
for years were subjected to heavy crowd loads when the new owners held house warming
parties," he said in a statement.
He urged people to check their structures and if faults were found to "take
immediate action to repair them and if they are not sure to seek professional
advice".
"Holidays are also the time when many home owners decide to build a balcony
themselves and we are urging them to do it properly and ensure that they obtain
council building approval," he added.