Level 1 Flashcards
What is defect diagnosis?
Identifying a defect, understanding its cause and recommending a suitable remedy.
You make reference to the RICS guidance note on surveying safely what does this cover?
Personal responsibilities for RICS members and corporate responsibilities for RICS-regulated firms • Assessing hazards and risks • RICS members’ places of work • Occupational hygiene and health • Visiting premises and sites • Fire safety • Residential property surveying • General procurement and management of contractors
When was Surveying Safely published?
November 2018.
What is the purpose of the Survey Safely Guidance Note?
Sets out basic, good practice principles for the management of health and safety for RICS-regulated firms and RICS members. RICS members also need to consider the legal jurisdiction in the country where they work.
What is the consequences of not following the guidance note?
Not meeting individual and corporate
responsibilities can also have a devastating effect on
the way that an individual is perceived by:
managers, colleagues, family and friends,
the reputation of the RICS as a whole.
What are some of the changes from 1st edition of Surveying Safely?
Safe person concept (each individual assumes individual responsibility for their own, their colleagues and others health and safety whilst at work.)
Updated advice on fire safety
What is a desktop exercise?
Reviewing all available plans, including drawings, lease documents, google and online information. Also speaking to site staff etc to understand any other information required.
What client documents would you request before an inspection?
Plans, existing H&S File, asbestos registers, previous surveys, relevant leases if applicable. Current use and if occupied, access arrangements.
What is included within the asbestos report?
Executive summery, introduction and scope of works, general site and survey information, survey results, conclusions and actions, bulk sample results
What is an asbestos register?
The details of a survey report will form the basis of an asbestos register. It is a living document and should be revised should the dutyholder remove or encapsulate any asbestos, find new areas of asbestos or the current asbestos deteriorates
What is a management plan?
The management plan should include the asbestos register, identify the person responsible for ACM management, timetable for implanting the plan, monitoring arrangements, emergency actions in the event of asbestos fibre release, mechanism for informing employees and visitors the location of the ACMs and the risks
What are access arrangements?
Contacting the client/end user to arrange a date and time to carry out an inspection including any sign in procedures/site contacts.
What is a H&S File?
Description of the works carried out, any residual hazards, key structural principles, any hazards associated with materials used, O&M manuals, access arrangements for maintenance, as-built drawings
What would you expect to find in the H&S File?
THE HEALTH AND SAFETY FILE
• Residual hazards and how they have been dealt with
• Hazardous materials used.
• Information regarding the removal or dismantling of installed plant and equipment.
• Health and safety information about equipment provided for cleaning or maintaining the structure;
• The nature, location and markings of significant services.
• Information and as-built drawings of the structure, its plant and equipment.
How can existing drawings assist a survey?
For visual reference to navigate around a site.
What is a construction type?
- Traditional (Brick/Block)
- Timber Frame
- Concrete Frame
- Steel Frame
- Structural Insulated Panels (SIPS)
How would you age a building?
- Request any building information such as As-Builts
- Archival research (Contact County Archivist for old maps/deeds)
- published/unpublished archival research- local histroy librarians
- Look for typical characteristics from different periods. Above ground archeology- revealing areas such as roof voids/basements.
Outline some common material testing techniques.
Boroscope – flexible tube with a fibre optic camera at one end to assist inspection in tight voids
Disto – laser for measuring distances. Not to be used in sunlight. Should be calibrated
Speedy Carbide Meter – Device to measure moisture in masonry through slow drilling masonry and putting dust into a sealed container with a known measurement of calcium carbide. It releases a gas in proportion to the amount of moisture present
What is a borescope meter?
Flexible tube with a fibre optic camera at one end to assist inspection in tight voids
Victorian Property Defects
Roof
- Slipped roof tiles – failed fixings
- Re-clad of the existing roof with a heaver alternative material leading to
bowing of roof timbers
- Wet or dry rot to timbers if roof covering has failed
- Damaged lead work.
- Chimney defects leaning due to wind or sulphate attack, removal of chimney breast internally and lack of support
Walls
- Snapped headers – bowing to brickwork
- Cracking dues to subsidence or heave
- Removal of loadbearing timber walls internally
- Lack of dpc or fails, rising damp
- Bridged dpc
- Differential movement where extension have been added.
- Timber constructed into solid walls – likely to be damp and can lead to decay.
Floors
- Blocking of air bricks which prevent air flow below timber, timber decay
Services
- Likely to be old and cables are brittle, possibly no earth cables.
Industrial Properties
- Pre-2000 asbestos is likely to be present
- Composite panels which are a fire risk especially where provide structural support
- Cut edge corrosion to metal sheet roofing and cladding
- Corrosion in genreal
- Degredation of the roof sheet covering
- Poor fire compartmentation between units within a terrace.
- Overloading of floor slabs
- Leaks to roof lights – poor mastics
- Inadequate movement/expansions joints to floor slabs and walls
- Poor or no insulation
- Internal down pipes – may not be aware of leaks especially with symphonic drain systems
- Defective dpm’s
- No dpc’s below the coping of parapet walls
- Flat roof defects
What is HAC?
high alumina cement - made up of calcium aluminates
Used as it allows rapid strength gain in precast beams
construction during the 1950’s to 1970’s
Can structural issues when in the presence of moisture and lead to failure. - Sir John Cass school (Swimming Pool- roof collapse- chemical attack of steel)
What is High Alumina Cement / Where was it used.
High Alumina Cement Concrete.
High Alumina Cement was added to concrete to develop high early strength and resistance to chemical attack.
It was used extensively in the UK from the 1950s to early 1970s in the manufacture of pre-cast, pre-stressed concrete beams.
Impact of High Alumina Cement
Impact: When exposed to moisture for long period
Concrete increases in porosity and carries out a process of conversion (crystalline re-arrangement)
which leads to loss of strength, structural integrity and increased vulnerability to chemical attack.
- Excessive deflection,
- Lateral boaring
- Cracking
- Concrete may have a brown tinge
How would you identify HAC
Age of the Property - Banned in 1976
I would refer to the document known as BRAC (Building Regulations Advisory Committee) rules which is often used in assessment of HAC components of certain types. The rules are now published by Building Research Establishment.
BRE Digest 392 - assessment of HAC
There are 3 generic stages in an investigation, namely:
Stage 1 - identification;
X Beams or I beams
- Concrete may have a brown tinge
- chemical or laboratory testing of samples
Stage 2 - strength assessment;
required to determine if the precast concrete members have sufficient structural capacity, even at the reduced fully converted strength, to safely withstand the applied loading.
Stage 3 - durability assessment.
required to determine the long-term durability where affected by chemical attack and reinforcement corrosion.
What treatment is available (HAC)
prevent moisture ingress,
cut out and replace defective concrete,
provide additional support if requirement and monitor.
What was the famous case available.
Sir John Cass School- the weakening of the concrete beams in the swimming pool roof was not solely attributable to loss of strength but was also the result of chemical attack on the highly converted concrete.
What is Asbestos
Fibrous material found in numerous building products, mainly in 1950’s -1970’s buildings,
Following Material
including corrugated concrete roof sheets
insulation board
Pipe lagging,
tiles.
It’s a carcinogenic
where can you find Asbestos. (inside 13 - Outside 5)
Inside
- Sprayed coatings on ceilings, walls, beams and columns
- Asbestos cement water tank
- Loose fill insulation
- Lagging on boilers and pipes
- Toilet seat and cistern
- AIB ceiling tiles
- AIB partition walls
- AIB panels in fire doors
- AIB around boilers
- Vinyl floor tiles
- Textured decorating coatings on walls and ceilings eg artex
- Asbestos rope seals, gaskets and paper
- Textiles eg fire blankets
Outside 14. Asbestos cement roof 15. Asbestos cement panels 16. Asbestos cement gutters and downpipes 17. Soffits – AIB or asbestos cement 18. Asbestos cement flue AIB = Asbestos Insulating Board
What are the Health risks associated with Asbestos.
Mesothelioma
Lung Cancer
Asbestosis
Pleural Thickening
What is Asbestos regulated by
Health & Safety at Work Act 1974
The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012
What should you do if you identify Asbestos in a building.
Notify the duty holder.
Types of Asbestos Works
Licencable
Where the workers exposure is not sporadic and of low intensity.
where the risk assessment cannot clearly demonstrate that the control limit will not be exceeded (0.1 f/cm³ over a four hour period)
removing sprayed coatings (limpet asbestos)
removal or other work which may disturb pipe lagging
any work involving loose fill insulation
work on asbestos millboard
Non Licenced
Cleaning up small quantities of loose/ fine debris containing ACM dust (where the work is sporadic and of low intensity, the control limit will not be exceeded and it is short duration work)
Drilling of textured decorative coatings for installation of fixtures/fittings
Encapsulation and sealing-in work on asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) that are in good condition
Notifiable Non Licenced.
Asbestos cement products (eg roof sheeting) where the material will be substantially broken up, creating significant quantities of dust and debris (eg ‘dropping’ an asbestos cement roof)
Removal of asbestos paper and cardboard products if not firmly bonded in a matrix
minor, short duration work to remove asbestos insulating board as part of a refurbishment project
minor short duration work involving asbestos insulation eg repairing minor damage to a small section of pipe insulation where the exterior coating has been broken or damaged
When must the HSE be notified.
14 day notification period for Licencable works
Can you name some other delaterious material
Woodwool Slabs
Defect - When used as permanent shuttering for concrete it may lead to grout loss,
honeycombing
or voids.
Therefore, can lead to reduced fire resistance, reinforcement corrosion or loss of structural strength.
Remedy – Non-destructive testing techniques can be employed to identify whether any problems are likely to exist,
although physical sampling may be more reliable. Removal of the shuttering and repairs using hand placed mortars or sprayed concrete may be necessary if defects are found.
Can you tell me about Brick Slips?
Brick Slips and Brick Panels
Defect - Concrete framed building to shrink created circumstances where the brick slips could be stressed and forced off the building, often with serious risks to health and safety.
The provision of movement joints above and below the course of slips is essential, but great care is needed to ensure that even the smallest amount of bridging of the soft joint does not occur.
Brick panels within either exposed concrete frames or supported on knibs can similarly be affected by unplanned shrinkage in a concrete frame.
Remedy – Depends on the severity of the defect but in essence sufficient movement joints are required to take account of the different movements of the different elements.
How do you measure damp?
- Protimeter
- Capacitance meter
- Speedy-carbide meter
How does a protimeter work?
- Two metal prongs inserted into wall
* Measure the electrical current between the prongs
What are the limitations of a protimeter?
- It is calibrated for use on timber
- Can be affected by salts etc in masonry
- Prongs cause damage in walls
How does a Capacitance meter work?
- Emits a frequency and mesuares the capacitence of a material. This varies with the level of moisture in the material
What is a Speedy-Carbide Meter
Testing a weighed sample of drilled mansory that has been taken from a sample area such as a mortar joint located above the damp proof course.
- This sample is then placed in a container. A measured amount of calcium carbide powder is placed in a separate portion of the container
- The container is shaken and the two substances mix together to trigger a reaction that produces acetylene gas if moisture is present.
How do you get a reading for a Speedy-Carbide Meter?
Themeterwill indicate the results of the test. Readings will range from 0 to 5, with a higher number indicating a higherlevelofmoisture.
What is the limitations of a Speedy-Carbide Meter?
Intrusive
Recommended afer an electronic meter or other method has been used.
