Health & Safety Flashcards
Why is health and safety so important?
Important because of legislation and company policy and my own protection and others.
What do you know about the RICS Surveying safely 2018?
Effective 2019. Sets out good practice principles for the management of health and safety for RICS regulated firms and members.
What is the structure of the RICS Surveying Safely 2019?
PAWOV - FRP
1. Personal responsibilities for RICS members and firms
2. Assessing hazards and risks
3. Workplace health and safety
4. Occupational hygiene and health
5. Visiting premises and sites
6. Fire safety
7. Residential property surveying
8. Procurement and management of contractors
What are the lone working procedures at your firm?
Must carry charged mobile phone and inform colleagues of whereabouts. Sign in and out.
What is the role of the health and safety executive?
Polices the health and safety act 1974, provides best practice and health and safety guidance, can give out fines or imprisonment.
What is included in health and safety at work act?
Legislation to enforce a duty on employers to protect employee’s health and safety at work
What are different types of PPE?
It is equipment to keep you safe at work (hi-vis jacket, steel capped boots, hard hat, protective goggles, gloves, ear defenders, covid 19 protection)
What are the 5 steps of assessing risks and struc?
- Identify the hazards present
- Identify the people at risk
- Evaluate risk and decide precautions
- Record findings
- Review risk and update regularly
What are hazards?
A hazardous material harmful to health e.g., asbestos, lead piping, radon gas
What do you do if you discover hazardous materials on site?
I would recommend a specialist report and make appropriate assumptions. Check contents of an asbestos report/register
What are three types of asbestos?
Brown (amosite) – banned 1985
Blue (crocidolite) – banned 1985
White (chrysotile) – banned 1999
What does HSE website say about asbestos?
It is advised that asbestos can be found in any building built before the year 2000 and causes c. 5,000 deaths per year.
What is the key asbestos legislation?
The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012:
* Non-compliance is a criminal offence
* Provides obligations to the duty holder and employer
* Duty holder is the owner of the premise if vacant or a tenant if holding a repairing lease
* Duty holder must undertake a risk assessment
* All work is to be done by a licensed contractor
* Asbestos register must be produced and kept up to date
Where is asbestos usually found?
e.g., roof sheeting and tiles, pipe lagging, insulation, textured coatings and paints, cement, guttering and drainpipes
Are you aware of any new RICS guidance on asbestos?
RICS 4th edition Guidance Note Asbestos (Aug 21) – aims to ensure surveyors and their clients comply with UK legislation relating to asbestos and ensure no one is put at exposure risk.
What are the two types of asbestos survey?
- Management – locates, assesses, and advises management
- Refurbishment / demolition survey – samples taken and advise on management
What do The Control of Asbestos Regulations (2012) say are the five steps for the duty holder in managing asbestos?
C-R-R-A-R
(1) Assess whether premises Contains asbestos, the location and condition of it.
(2) Assess Risk of it
(3) Create an Asbestos Register
(4) Make that register Available
(5) Review that register regularly.
How, and under what regulations can a Surveyor be Punished for Dealing with Asbestos Inappropriately?
Under the Health and Safety (Offences) Act 2008, a surveyor dealing with asbestos can face a maximum fine of £20,000 and a potential 12-month prison sentence. More serious offences can be tried in higher courts where fines and sentences are not limited.
RICS Guidance Notes 2021 Asbestos: Legal Requirements and Best Practice for Property Professionals is a comprehensive guide to law and industry guidance setting out best practice for property professionals to comply with the law.
What is the Fire Risk Management Regulatory Form (Fire Safety) Order 2005?
Risk assessment for fire prevention in non-domestic properties
How would you prepare for visiting a site?
As mentioned in Surveying Safely 2019:
* Carry out DD beforehand and undertake personal risk assessment of site
* Think about travelling to site, lone working, condition of property, occupation, what activity is carried out, site rules & Covid-19 requirements
* Bring PPE and COVID PPE
What is the Construction (Design and Management) (CDM) Regulations 2015?
- Aim is to improve management and coordination of health and safety during all stages of a construction project
- Duty holders are the client, principal designer, and principal contractor – onus on client
- Criminal offence – policed by the HSE
Under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2021, who is a duty holder?
Owner of the premises if vacant, occupier if holding a repairing lease.
What is a ‘safe person’?
Someone who takes responsibility for their own, their colleague’s and other’s health and safety while at work.
How can you ensure safety when visiting premises?
Sign in and out of sites to let people know you are there.
What are visible signs of deleterious materials?
HAC: look for brown stains. Presence of concrete frames. Crumbling concrete.
What is the 6 pack Health & Safety regulations?
- Management of health and safety at work
- Display screen equipment
- Manual handling operations
- PPE
- Provision and use of work equipment
- Workplace H&S at work
What are reasonable fire precaution measures?
- Fire detection and warning alarm system
- Firefighting equipment
- Safe exit routes
- Evacuation plan
- Suitable fire doors
- Emergency lighting and signage
What is the Suzy Lamplugh Trust?
This is the key UK legislation relating to health & safety. It is underpinned by various specific regulations.
The Health & Safety Act 1974 places a duty on employers to ensure that that health, safety and wellbeing of employees and other affected persons is not at risk, so far as is reasonably practicable. This includes providing and maintaining equipment, safe systems of work and safe premises.
A key aspect of the Act is that a director or senior manager commits an offence if the company’s breach was committed with their consent, connivance or neglect.
Breaching the Act is a criminal offence, which can carry an unlimited fine, plus imprisonment up to 2 years. Furthermore, corporate and gross negligence (manslaughter) charges can lead to more severe custodial sentences, whilst directors can be disqualified from acting as a director for up to 15 years.
What are the corporate requirements?
- Appropriate line management structure to monitor and manage health & safety, i.e. lead from the top with a policy statement
- Clear accountability, policies and procedures
- Risk assessment
- Staff training
- Adequate resources provided Insurance in place
- In the event of an accident/incident, a firm must determine the root course and take action to avoid a recurrence, with learning points passed on to key stakeholders
- Firms must take account of time pressures, distractions/interruptions, fatigue, inexperience/lack of knowledge, complacency
What should company policy and procedures include?
Providing a safe place of work relating to ventilation, heating, lighting and welfare facilities etc.
Minimising risks relating to monitors and workstations
* * Providing personal Protective Equipment (PPE), e.g. helmets, steel capped shoes, ear defenders, face masks, overalls, torches & batteries
* * Manual handling
* * First aid
* * Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995
* * Safe electrical systems
* * Hazardous substances
* * Asbestos
* * Fire risk assessment
* * Working hours
* * Health & safety induction
* * Driving
* * Stress
* * Lone working
What is a risk assessment?
This essentially considers how could a plan of action deviates from your expectations. The RICS define it as carefully examining what in your work could cause harm to people, so that you can judge whether or not you have taken enough precautions to prevent harm.
This requires an understanding of hazards and risks:
* Hazard - something with potential to cause harm
* Risk - likelihood of harm being realised
What is the basic procedure to undertake a risk assessment?
- Identify hazards
- Decide who may be harmed and how
- Evaluate risks and decide on precautions
- Record findings and implement
- Review and update
- Advise all those affected of the outcome of the assessment and methods of work, or other control measures necessary, to minimise or eliminate risk
You will then need to dynamically assess risk on site. This is because the situation on the day may change so you need to ensure that you continue to assess potential risks prior and during your time on site.