Health & Safety - KT Qs Flashcards
How does the Health & Safety at Work Act (1974) impact on YOUR work?
RISK ASSESSMENTS before any inspection (to IDENTIFY any hazards, and MITIGATE the risks).
I ensure I wear appropriate PPE where required.
I ensure I comply with all Health & Safety training provided by my firm (as I understand non-compliance is a criminal offence).
Any other legislation that could impact on your safety at work?
The Control of Asbestos Regulations (2012).
Fire Safety Act (2021) and Building Safety Act (2022).
Tell me about common threats to the built environment and how you mitigate these?
The most common threat to the built environment = FIRE.
Mitigation:
Comply with the Fire Safety Act (2021) - RISK ASSESSMENT with the emphasis on FIRE PREVENTION.
MUST be fire detection and FIRE ALARM system, fire-fighting equipment, safe exit routes, emergency lighting and signage and suitable fire exit doors.
Need for good record keeping - risk assessment, fire procedures and staff training.
Following Grenfell in 2018, the use of COMBUSTIBLE MATERIALS such as ALUMINIUM COMPOSITE MATERIAL (ACM) has been banned on residential buildings over 18m tall.
Developers will be obliged to fund unsafe cladding removal.
The RICS and UK Finance created EWS1 (Exterior Wall Survey) which requires a “qualified professional” to confirm an external wall system on residential buildings has been assessed for safety.
BUT, the problem is that there are very few fire safety inspectors who can classify the cladding.
The Fire Safety Act applies to all workplaces, COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS as well as public places.
I see you undertook a lone working inspection of an industrial unit in Bromley.
What is your firm’s Lone Working Policy?
Try to encourage where possible that all inspections are attended with a colleague.
You MUST take a mobile phone that is charged and set a calendar note in your diary saying where you are.
Diary invite must clearly state your location and expected timings (and who you are meeting if possible).
My firm uses the “STAY SAFE” lone working app which you must check in and check out of - the Health & Safety officer has oversight of this information.
You say you always adhere to RICS Surveying Safely (2018). Tell me how?
1) The “SAFE PERSON CONCEPT” = Places the emphasis on the individual for their own, their colleagues and third parties health & safety.
2) RISK ASSESSMENTS = Carry out risk assessments before each inspections. IDENTIFY the hazard and MITIGATE the risk.
3) Ensure appropriate PPE is worn where required (hard hat, steel toe boots, eyewear, ear protection, high vis jacket).
4) Comply with my firm’s Lone Working policy.
You inspected a construction site in Aldgate. Talk me through how you approached this with your clients?
I called the building manager in good time prior to the inspection to identify what PPE was available on site.
I ensured all attendees SIGNED IN and OUT of the building register at the site.
I ensured I allocated extra time in between viewings to account for safety briefings.
I ensured I made all attendees aware of any hazards and identified the locations of FIRE ESCAPES.
You wore PPE - 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 of hard hats?
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, mistreatment.
How would YOU conduct a Risk Assessment?
It is a LEGAL requirement to carry out risk assessments. I would carry one out in accordance with the 5-step process:
Step 1 = IDENTIFY the HAZARDS
Step 2 = Assess WHO is at risk from the hazards (e.g. employees, contractors, visitors).
Stage 3 = EVALUATE the RISKS and any existing precautions in place.
Stage 4 = RECORD the findings and IMPLEMENT them.
Stage 5 = REVIEW the risk assessment regularly.
What Health & Safety signage did you note at the construction site in Aldgate?
Warning Construction in Progress
Unauthorised entry prohibited
First Aid kit kept in site managers office
Fire Exit signage
What different types of asbestos are you aware of?
Asesbtos is a HAZARDOUS MATERIAL = Harmful to Health when disturbed. It is most commonly found in insulation.
The 3 types of asbestos are:
- BROWN (amosite) - Banned in 1985.
- BLUE (crocidolite) - Banned in 1985.
- WHITE (chrysotile) - Banned in 1999.
WHITE asbestos was the final type to be banned in the UK in 1999. Blue and Brown were banned in 1985.
WHITE asbestos is LESS deadly than blue/brown asbestos (hence it was banned later) but still a hazardous material.
All types of asbestos can lead to serious health problems and fatal diseases such as lung cancer and lung disease.
Blue asbestos (crocidolite) is the most deadly with the thinest fibres that remain in the air the longest.
In what situations does asbestos become hazardous?
Left undamaged and undisturbed, it poses no risk to health.
However, when it is disturbed or damaged, it can release very small toxic fibres which can lodge into the lungs and cause illness.
Tell me about any RICS guidance around Asbestos?
The law is: The Control of Asbestos Regulations (2012).
The RICS Guidance Note: Asbestos: Legal Requirements and Best Practice for property professionals and clients (2021).
This sets out BEST PRACTICE for surveyors to comply with the law on managing asbestos.
