Totally agree that an EC can effectively carry out an audit & rectify issues but this doesn’t work in the multitudes of OC’s without an active committee and a propensity for ignoring basic maintenance so as to keep levies down.
I think that most SM’s will not really mind whether a consultant or an EC carries out a WH&S audit as long as they have been instructed against obtaining a report and thus are absolved of liability.
The argument regarding what is and isn’t considered non-residential will really only be confirmed by case law and I for one would not like my OC to be the defendant.