Level 2 - Health and Safety

Question 1

N7. What is the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974?

Answer 1

• The Primary piece of legislations covering occupational health and safety in the UK.

Question 2

N8. What is the aim of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974?

Answer 2

• To secure the Health, safety and wellbeing of all people at work.
• To protect people against risks from work activities.

Question 3

N9. What does the Management of Health and Safety at Work act 1999 do?

Answer 3

• Placed a duty on employers to assess and manage risks to their employees and others, arising from work activities.

Question 4

N10. How do employers manage the health and safety of their employers, as per the Management of health and Safety at Work Act 1999?

Answer 4

• Through the Risk Assessments and Method Statements.

* Ensuring that employees understand THEIR obligations relating to their health and safety.

Question 5

N11. What is a Risk Assessment?

Answer 5

• A Risk Assessment is a systematic examination of tasks, examining the likeliness they will occur, and the impact they will have.

Question 6

N12. What do you consider when writing a Risk Assessment?

Answer 6

1. Identify all risks.
2. Determine who might be harmed by the identified risk.
3. Evaluate the risk and decide on precautions.
4. Record your findings
5. Review your risk assessment and update if necessary.

Question 7

N13. What is a Method Statement?

Answer 7

• A document detailing how a particular task or activity will be carried out. It should detail the possible risks/dangers, and the methods of control established to show how the work will be managed safely.

Question 8

N14. What do you need to do before producing a Risk Assessment?

Answer 8

• First you need to carry out a Risk Assessment to identify the risks.

Question 9

N15. What goes into a Method Statement?

Answer 9

• Working systems to be used.
• Arrangements for access.
• Arrangements for protecting the safety of members of the public.
• Plant and Equipment to be used.
• Procedures to ensure compliance with CDM Regulations etc.
• Procedures to prevent local pollution.

Question 10

N18. What is the main regulation covering asbestos?

Answer 10

• The Control of Asbestos Regulation 2008.

Question 11

N19. What does this Act impose on employers?

Answer 11

• A duty to manage asbestos on the premises.
• Employers must undertake a Risk Assessment before commencing work around asbestos.
• They must produce a plan of works detailing how the work is due to be carried out.
• Prevent and reduce worked exposure to Asbestos.

Question 12

N20. What is asbestos?

Answer 12

• A fibrous form of natural material, that doesn’t rot, is insoluble and non-flammable.

Question 13

N21. What was asbestos used as?

Answer 13

• Insulation
• Ceiling Tiles
• Roof Sheets
• Lagging on boilers and pipework
• Floor Tiles

Question 14

N22. When must a Licensed Contractor be used to remove asbestos?

Answer 14

• When there is high exposure to asbestos.
• When the Risk Assessment cannot clearly demonstrate control.
• When there are asbestos coated materials, such as when removing asbestos sprayed coatings and works that will disturb asbestos pipe lagging.

Question 15

N23. When is a licensed contractor required to work with asbestos?

Answer 15

• Where there is continuous exposure to Asbestos.
• When the Risk Assessment cannot clearly demonstrate control.
• When there are asbestos coatings.
• i.e. removal of pipe lagging and asbestos insulation.

Question 16

N.24 When must the HSE be notified regarding Asbestos?

Answer 16

• All licensed work must be notified to the HSE.
• Non-licensed work such as the removal of asbestos cement products where the product is substantially damaged.
• Removal of asbestos insulation boards.
• Large scale removal of asbestos.

Question 17

N25. What is survey would you undertake prior to demolishing an existing building?

Answer 17

• A Refurbishment and Demolition Survey.

Question 18

N26. What does a Refurbishment and Demolition Survey do?

Answer 18

• It should identify all asbestos containing materials within an existing building.

Question 19

N27. What other surveys do you know that relate to asbestos?

Answer 19

• Asbestos Survey.

Question 20

N28. What does an Asbestos Survey do?

Answer 20

• It will identify all existing all asbestos within a premises, by providing information about the location, amount, condition and type of Asbestos Containing Material.

Question 21

N29. How do you dispose of Asbestos Waste?

Answer 21

• It should be placed in suitable packaging to prevent fibres being released.
• It should be sent to a licensed disposal site.

Question 22

N30. What is the Health and Safety Executive?

Answer 22

• A national independent watchdog for work-related health, safety and illness.
• It acts in the public interest to reduce work-related death and serious injury across Great Britain.

Question 23

N31. Does the RICS publish any guidance on Health and Safety for a Surveyor?

Answer 23

• Yes, Surveying Safely, which has traffic lights on the front cover.

Question 24

N32. What is covered in surveying safely?

Answer 24

1. Personal and Corporate responsibilities.
2. Legal Considerations and duties.
3. Assessing Hazards and risks.
4. Occupational Health.
5. Visit premises and sites.
6. Procurement and Management of contractors and construction work

Question 25

N33. What should you do if attending a derelict site by yourself?

Answer 25

1. Carry out a pre-assessment of the likely hazards on the site. 2. Consider how you are going to travel to and from the site. 3. Take the appropriate PPE 4. Tell others you are going to site and the likely time you will return. 5. Assess the condition of the site, if unsafe do not enter. 6. Assess if the site is occupied, if so you may have to inform them of your visit. 7. Is there the likeliness of any Dangerous substances, COSHH etc. 8. Only enter if there is no risk to your safety and wellbeing.

Question 26

N. In your submission, you mention that you had experience demolishing a building containing ACM’s, can you elaborate further on your involvement?

Answer 26

* I reviewed the Refurbishment and Demolition Survey, which identified that the property contained large amounts of ACM’s. * I passed this survey and the specifications etc. for the demolition onto three specialist demolition for pricing. * I required the chosen contractor to notify the HSE of the Asbestos, complete the asbestos strip and dispose of the asbestos at a licensed waste disposal unit, complete the remaining soft strip and demolish the building. * The remnants of the building would all be crushed down for Re-use on elsewhere on the project.

Question 27

N. On your project described within your case study, how measures did you or your company take to ensure good standards of Health and Safety where adhered to when undertaking work?

Answer 27

* Ensure all workers were wearing the appropriate PPE. * Producing and preparing Method Statements. * Adhering to the principle contractor’s site rules. * Attending site inductions. * Submitting appropriate RAMS etc. to Network Rail, putting restrictors on excavators when working below the bridge to ensure they could not strike the bridge.

Question 28

3.6 What are your and your client’s responsibilities under CDM?

Answer 28

• My responsibility to inform my client of their responsibilities. Clients: • Provide pre–construction information to designers. • Appoint PD and PC with suitable Skills, Knowledge and Experience and ensure they comply with their duties. • Ensure Construction Phase H&S Plan in place prior to works staring. • Retain Health & Safety File.

Question 29

3.8 What would you do if you saw an unsafe practice on site?

Answer 29

Report it to the site manager.

Question 30

3.10 Where you may find asbestos:

Answer 30

* Ceiling voids – sprayed asbestos lagging or coating to structural members for fire protection. * Pipework – sprayed asbestos or lagging tied round pipework for insulation and fire protection. * Ceiling boards or boards applied to doors for fireproofing – Asbestos Insulating Boards (Asbestolux) * Roof Coverings – asbestos cement roofing. * Water tanks may be made from asbestos cement. * Floor tiles. * Fire doors – may contain Asbestos Insulating Board for fire proofing.

Question 31

3.11 What are the current regulations for asbestos?

Answer 31

Control of Asbestos Regulations (2012). • Prohibits the importation, supply and use of all forms of asbestos. • Places a duty of care on the ‘duty holder’ to undertake an assessment to find out if any asbestos is present within their building. • The duty holder can be a building owner, occupier or manager. • Asbestos inspections must be conducted annually or if there are any changes e.g. refurbishment or demolition works, and the assessment reviewed and updated to ensure continuous monitoring of the condition of any asbestos containing materials.

Question 32

3.12 What types of asbestos survey are there?

Answer 32

Management Survey • Required during normal occupation and use of the building to ensure continued management of the ACM’s in situ. • A visual inspection which specifies types of material that should be sampled. Refurbishment and Demolition Survey • Fully intrusive survey undertaken when the building is to be upgraded, refurbished or demolished. • Full sampling programme undertaken.

Question 33

3.13 How is asbestos removed?

Answer 33

Process of Asbestos Removal: 1. Notify the HSE via online form if the works are notifiable i.e. high risk of fibre release if disturbed must be done 14 days before start of licenced removal. 2. Obtain licence for removal from HSE unless works are exempt under Reg3(2) and 3(2)(c) of the CAR 2012 must be done at least 28 days prior to the start date of licence. 3. Appoint UKAS accredited Contractor (United Kingdom Accredited Service) – a list of contractors can be found on the HSE website. 4. Commence removal works – HSE inspect during works. 5. Enclosure / Decontamination Unit for asbestos removal works as required. Ensure asbestos removed is appropriately disposed of, i.e. double bagged etc. and taken to suitable refuse tip.

Question 34

What RICS guidance is available on health and safety?

Answer 34

RICS Surveying Safely 2011

Question 35

Principles of the h&s act 1974

Answer 35

Put responsibility on employers, employees and contractors Unlimited fines and 2 years imprisonment Link to cdm regs

Question 36

What guidance does the RICS give on H&S?

Answer 36

RICS Surveying Safely 2011 Being updated to be published as a draft Professional Statement. Consultation took place in 2017. Mandatory compliance will be required by all Members. To include important changes to statutory compliance in terms of CDM Regulations and Asbestos. Current Guidance Note out of date - published in 2011. Emphasis on Members having correct operational practices in place. A checklist to be provided. ‘Safe Person’ – accept responsibly for own actions and have the tools to do their job safely.