Health and Safety Flashcards
What is the RICS Guidance Note on Health and Safety and what does it set out?
RICS Guidance Note ‘Surveying Safely’ - Health and safety principles for property professionals’, second edition, 2018 (effective Feb 2019)
It sets out - basic, good practice principals for the management of health and safety for RICS-regulated firms and RICS members
Principles for thise engaged in the built environment as property professionals and includes health and safety responsbilities:
- at a coporate level (whether the RICS-regulated firm is large or small) and
- at the level of the individual RICS member
Structure:
1. Personal responsilbities for RICS members and firms
2. Assessing hazards and risks
3. Workplace health and safety
4. Occupational health and hygine
5. Visiting premises and sites
6. Fire safety
7. Residential property surveying
8. Procurement and management of contractors
What are the key areas of advice?
Key areas of advice include:
RICS Regulated Firms must ensure they provide:
> A safe working environment
> Safe work equipment
> Safe systems of work
> Competent staff
- RICS considers the concept of a ‘safe person’ to mean that each individual assumes individual behavioural responsbility for their own, their colleagues’ and others’ health and safety while at work
- It seeks to ensure that individuals accept responsbility for their own actions and they have the tools they need to do their job safely
- A requirement for up-to-date personal and corporate resposbilities for property professionals (including relevant law, employers’ liability insurance and public liability)
- Legal considerations and duties - for employers and employees to include advice on asbestos
- Advice on health, well-being and mental health
- How to address fire safety
- An audit template is provided to assist Members
What other information is included on the Health and Safety Guidance Note?
> Assessing hazards and risks (to include risk assessments, H&S policy etc)
Property professionals’ places of work (to include emergency arrangements and building services)
Procurement and management of construction work (to include CDM Regulations)
Precautions relating to potential hazards/risk assessments - refer to your own firm’s specific requirements
What are the rules on visiting premises and sites (to include travel arrangements, lone working, PPE etc)
.1 Tell someone where you are going and when you leave the building/site
- Wear appropriate protective clothing when appropriate such as high visability jacket,
protective footwear, hard hat, protective goggles, gloves and ear defenders. - Sign in and out of a building or construction site and receive a site induction. Do not just enter the site or building, and wear suitable PPE
- Consider whether safe to inspect alone and observe special lone working arrangemnets
- Check dated tag if going on scaffolding
- Wear non-slip shoes/boots when going up a ladder
- Emphasis is placed on Members having correct operational practices in place
What Health and Safety Legislation is there?
Health & Safety at Work 1974, as amended
“Duty to every employer to ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all employees”
> It is policed by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) as a criminal offence - with fines and/or imprisonment
> Must report injuries and dangerous occurrences (1995 Regulations)
> Must undertake, record and regularly review a risk assessment (1999 Regulations)
> A hazard refers to anything that has the potential to cause harm (such as a wet floor)
> The probability/likelihood that someone will be harmed is called a risk (risk of falling over on the wet floor)
> Detailed H&S information is to be held on site, usually in the Operations & Maintenance Manual
What is a risk assessment?
A legal requirement for organisations employing more than 5 staff to carry out documented health and safety risk assessments of all their significant hazards
What is a simple outline of a risk assessment?
- Identify the hazards present
- Identify the people at risk from the hazards e.g. employees, contractors, visitors etc
- Evaluate the risk, considering the likelihood and severity of any accidents. Existing precautions in place should be identified and evaluated
- Recrods the findings on a suitable form
- Review the risk assessment regularly
- Advise all those affected of the outcome of the risk assessment and methods of work and precautions to minimise or eliminate risk
What is a method statement?
A document that details the way a work task or process is to be completed and prior approved
It should outline the hazards invovled and include a step by step guide on how to do the job safely
It must detail which control measures have been introduced to ensure the safety of anyone who is affected by the task or process
What is public liability insurance?
A copy of the contractor’s all risks and public liability insurance is also needed before work is commenced.
What needs to be included in a written health and safety policy document?
It is required for employers if they employ more than 5 employees
Must contain FOUR points:
1. A policy setting out the organisations commitment to health and safety (H&S)
2. Details of the organisation’s H&S structure with roles and responsibilities for organising H&S
3. A risk assessment setting the risks within the workplace and the preventative measures in place
4. Details of the planning implementation of the H&S policy and control measures
What is the Six Pack of H&S Regulations?
Group of six regulations introduced on 1 January 1993 known as the ‘six pack’ covering various key aspects of H&S compliance
These regulations implement various European Directives on health and safety and clarify how employers must comply with duties under the Health and Safety Act 1974
Regulations:
1. Management of Health and Safety at Work
2. Display Screen Equipment
3. Manual Handling Operations
4. Personal Protective Equipment at Work
5. Provision and Use of Work Equipment
6. Workplace Health, Safety and Welfare
How do you report re injuries?
Reporting of Injuries, Diseases, and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR)
> The trigger date for reporting injuries is over 7 days incapacitation
Such an injury must be reported to HSE within 15 days from the date of the accident
All employers must also keep a record of all 3-day plus injuries
This information can be kept in an accident book which must be kept for a minimum of 3 years after occupational accident or injury
Any Act on Homicide?
Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007
- The Act relates to gross breaches of duty of care by a corporate body leading to a person’s death
- The penalties range from an unlimited fine, imprisonment and disqualification as a company director by a member of the ‘senior management team’
What legislation is there on Fires and Risk?
Fire Risk Management Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
- Based on a risk assessment with emphasis on fire prevention
- Applies to non-domestic property in England and Wales
- The ‘Responsible Person’ is the employer, or occupier who controls the property, or owner if vacant
- Must be fire precautions in place following risk assessment
- Need for good record keeping - risk assessment, fire policy & fire procedures and staff training
- Regular review of assessments required and recorded
- Reasonable fire precautions mueasres could include a fire detection and warning alarm system, fire-fighting equipment, safe exit routes, a personal emergency evacuation plan, emergency lighting and signage and suitable fire exit doors
- Matter covered in Part B of the Building Regulations
The Fire Safety Act 2021
Hackitt Review (2018), the FSA (2021) reforms the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 as it relates to multi-occupied resi buildings.
The Act
- requires all responsible persons to assess, manage and reduce the fire risks posed by the structure, external walls and any common areas of the building
- Allows the Fire Service to take enforcement action against responsible persons who fail to comply
Require:
- Regular inspections of lifts to be reported to fire and rescue services
- Ensuring evaculation plans are regularly updated and that personal evacuation plans are in place for residents whose evacuation ability may be compromised
- Ensuring residents are provided with suitable fire safety instructions
- Ensuring individual flat entrance doors comply with current standards where the external walls have unsafe cladding
- Clarifying that the responsible person or duty-holder for multi-occupied, residential buildings must manage and reduce the risk of fire
