H&S Flashcards
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What health & safety legislation are you aware of?
Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005.
How do you ensure that you comply with Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 legislation?
- Take reasonable care to protect the health and safety of themselves and of other people in the workplace
- Not engage in improper behaviour that will endanger themselves or others
- Not be under the influence of drink or drugs in the workplace
- Undergo any reasonable medical or other assessment if requested by the employer
- Report any defects in equipment or the place of work which might be a danger to health and safety
What are the penalties under current health & safety legislation?
Most offences/ breaches have a maximum penalty of €3,000 per charge and/or up to six months imprisonment.
Tell me about your employer’s health & safety policy?
- Provide and maintain a safe workplace which uses safe plant and equipment
- Prevent risks from employees using any article or substance, and from exposure to physical agents, noise and vibration
- Prevent any improper conduct or behaviour likely to put the safety, health and welfare of employees at risk
- Provide instruction and training to employees on health and safety
- Provide protective clothing and equipment to employees
- Appoint a competent person as the organisation’ safety officer
What are your health & safety duties as an individual surveyor?
- Take reasonable care to protect the health and safety of themselves and of other people in the workplace
- Not engage in improper behaviour that will endanger themselves or others
- Not be under the influence of drink or drugs in the workplace
- Undergo any reasonable medical or other assessment if requested by the employer
- Report any defects in equipment or the place of work which might be a danger to health and safety
What guidance does the RICS produce about H&S?
Surveying Safely, which was updated to its second version effective November 2018.
When was Surveying Safely last updated?
November 2018.
Tell me something you understand from reading Surveying Safely.
What is covered in ‘Surveying Safely’ guidance note?
- Personal and Corporate responsibilities.
- Relevance to RICS professional groups
- Assessing hazards and risks (to include risk assessments, H&S policy etc)
- RICS members’ places of work (to include emergency arrangements and building services)
- Occupational hygiene and health (to include stress and bullying)
- Visiting premises or sites
- Fire safety
- Residential property surveying
- General procurement and management of contractors
Basic, good practice principles for the management of H&S for RICS-regulated firms/ members.
Individuals must:
1) accept responsibility for their own actions &
2) they have the tools they need to do their job safely.
- Legal considerations and duties for employers and employees (including relevant law, employers’ liability insurance and public liability) and includes advice on asbestos.
- An audit template is provided to assist Members.
- It places greater emphasis will be placed on Members having correct operational practices in place
What is the safe person concept?
RICS considers the concept of a ‘safe person’ to mean that each individual assumes individual behavioural responsibility for their own, their colleagues’ and others’ health and safety while at work
What must Regulated Firms provide in terms of H&S?
RICS Regulated Firms must ensure they provide:
- A safe working environment
- Safe work equipment
- Safe systems of work
- Competent staff
What happened in the case of Suzy Lamplugh? Why is this important for surveyors?
The tragic story of Suzy Lamplugh, an estate agent who disappeared during the course of her work as an estate agent in 1986. You can read more about what happened on the Suzy Lamplugh Trust website, as well as downloading their guides to keeping yourself safe on site.
What is Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)?
Personal protective equipment (PPE): providing individuals with appropriate personal protective equipment that meets appropriate specifications is necessary.
The employer should tell employees about any risks that mean they need to wear PPE (such as protective clothing, headgear, footwear, eyewear or gloves). The employer should provide protective equipment for free and training on how to use it.
Computer screens should be tested for reflection and glare. Screen breaks should be provided.
What is a risk assessment?
A Risk Assessment is a systematic examination of hazards, examining the likeliness they will occur, and the impact they will have. The law requires every employer to carry out a risk assessment for the workplace.
The aim of Risk Assessment is to reduce the risk of injury and illness associated with work.
What is a risk?
Risk is the chance (high or low) that someone could be harmed by hazards.
What is a hazard?
Anything that may cause harm or injury, e.g. chemicals, electricity, working from ladders.
How would you undertake a risk assessment before attending site?
BeSMART.ie is free online tool developed by the H&S Authority..
Purpose: to generate your own workplace risk assessments and safety statement.
It will guide you through the entire risk assessment process using simple language and easy-to-follow instructions. On completion you will have a workplace-specific safety statement that can be saved and implemented.
5 steps in the risk assessment process
Identify the hazards. …
Determine who might be harmed and how. …
Evaluate the risks and take precautions. …
Record your findings. …
Review assessment and update if necessary.
What is asbestos?
Asbestos is a hazardous material which is harmful to health. More specifically, it is a naturally occurring fibrous mineral silicate which was historically used in building materials.
It is now illegal to place asbestos or asbestos-containing products on the market. So, if you are removing a roof, for example, that contains asbestos, the material must go for disposal and cannot be re-used or adapted for re-use.
