Health and Safety

Question 1

What is the RICS Professional Standard: Surveying Safely: Health and Safety Principles for Property Professionals 2nd Edition (2018)

Answer 1

It aims to set out basic, good practice principles including health and safety responsibilities.
* Personal responsibilities
* Assessing risks and hazards
* Workplace H&S
* Occupational hygiene and health
* Visiting premises and sites
* Fire safety
* Residential property surveying
* Procurement and management of contractors

Question 2

What is your companies lone working procedure?

Answer 2

To ensure a team member is aware of the trip along with how long it should take. They should be contacted before and after entering the site. The team has a shared calendar where site visits are documented.

Question 3

What do you know about fire safety?

Answer 3

Fire Risk Management Regulatory reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

Surveying Safely provides guidance on how fires are started, risks of fire, and fire safety management.

Question 4

What did your desktop risk assessment involve when visiting the Manchester Hall?

Answer 4

I paid close attention to RICS Surveying Safely to establish whether there would be any risk or hazards to myself or others. From using google maps I did not notice any areas of concern, however when talking to the corps officer I had learned that roof tiles had fallen down. While this is not an area of great concern it could point towards more serious structural issues and hazards. Due to this I refereed to the hierarchy of risk control to reduce risk by wearing and encouraging the use of PPE since the risk could not be substituted, removed or altered through engineering or administration.

Question 5

What PPE did you wear and why?

Answer 5

Steel toe boots, goggles, and a hard hat. This was to best protect myself and others if there were further issues with roof stability.

Question 6

What is the 5-stage risk assessment process and what was the outcome?

Answer 6

• Identifying what can harm people
• Identifying who might be harmed and how
• Evaluating risk and deciding appropriate controls
• Recording risk assessment
• Reviewing and updating your assessment

Question 7

What is a dynamic risk assessment and what would this look like?

Answer 7

• Considering whether the activity is still safe to continue
• whether the working environment is still safe for activity to continue,
• are those working within their competence,
• are appropriate measures in place
• can everyone get to a place of safety in an emergency.

Does not have to be written down but a log should be kept in best practice.