Health & safety Flashcards
How does the Health and Safety At Work Act impact on your work?
I have to adhere to H&S regulations on site inspections.
Wear appropriate PPE.
Have regard to HSE regulations.
Be aware of hazards such as electrical, trip, asbestos, fire etc.
Any other legislation that could impact on your safety at work?
The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations (CDM) 2015 - about sensibly planning work to manage and mitigate risks. Control of Asbestos Regulations (CAR) 2012 - 'Duty to Manage'. Existing materials containing asbestos can be left in place if in good condition. 'Friable vs non friable'.
Tell me about common threats to the built environment and how you mitigate these?
The most common major threat in the built environment
is fire and the resilience of buildings to fire, smoke and
similar catastrophic events differs greatly depending on the structure and compartmentalisation of the building.
Mitigation: Provision of appropriate detection (i.e. heat, smoke, carbon monoxide or gas); Removal of combustible materials; Appropriate alarms; Emergency lighting; Robust evacuation procedures;
Tell me how you would approach an inspection in the COVID pandemic? Any RICS advice?
Have regard to RICS Guidance Note on Covid-19 as well as national government advice.
- Wear and provide appropriate PPE for visitors.
- Check Covid policy of building if occupied.
- Social distancing on site.
- Hand sanitiser.
- Check if any parties are vulnerable.
What is your firm’s lone worker policy?
If working alone we must advise colleagues of our whereabouts. If on a site inspection make sure we have fully charged mobile phone and the details of the appointment in our diary.
At Battersea How did you know the hard hat was safe to use?
I checked the kitemark on the inside of the hat and the date. It was within the last 3 years.
What is the policy of your firm on replacement?
Our policy is to replace hard hats every 5 years as a minimum. Unless they are damaged, exposed to chemicals or excessive sunlight in which case they would be replaced as required.
What should you avoid with hard hats to protect their integrity?
Excessive sunlight, chemicals.
Tell me about the dynamic risk assessment you carried out at Battersea.
5 stages:
• Is the activity still safe to continue?
• Is the working environment still safe for the activity to
continue?
• Are all those working still within their limit of
competence (skills, knowledge and experience)?
If not, they should assume the authority to remove
themselves and their colleagues from danger.
• Are there appropriate control measures in place?
• Can everyone still get to a place of safety in an
emergency?
What health and safety signage did you note?
- Warning Construction in progress.
- PPE which must be worn.
- Unauthorised entry prohibited.
- First Aid is kept in site managers office.
What does a yellow sign mean?
Yellow is a warning sign.
What different types of asbestos are you aware of?
Chrysotile (white asbestos) is the most commonly used form of asbestos. It can be found today in the roofs, ceilings, walls and floors of homes and businesses.
Amosite (brown asbestos) was used most frequently in cement sheets and pipe insulation. It can also be found in insulating board, ceiling tiles and thermal insulation products.
In what situations is asbestos hazardous?
Hazardous if not managed or contained properly. If asbestos is encapsulated properly it is not hazardous.
Asbestos can be: Friable - i.e. it can crumble into dust.
Non-friable - solid and not as dangerous, unless drilled or crushed etc.
Tell me about any RICS guidance around asbestos.
UKGN4 - The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 require non-domestic property to have management plans in place.
In any building where asbestos is present, the cost of maintenance, alteration and repair can be significantly increased because of the need to take appropriate precautions under the regulations, and this can affect value.
