Health & Safety

Asbestos

Regulation 4 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations (CAR 2006), imposes a legal duty to assess and manage the risk from Asbestos Containing Material (ACM) on those who have responsibility for the communal areas of blocks of flats built before the year 2000 (when asbestos was finally phased out). An asbestos survey should be completed to allow the person(s) responsible to comply with the Control of Asbestos Regulations.

Currently between 3500 and 4000 die every year from asbestos-related diseases and by the year 2020 it is predicted that 625,000 deaths directly related to asbestos exposure will have occurred.

Reasonable steps must be taken to identify ACM, if necessary, by presuming the presence of asbestos until proven otherwise.

Where asbestos is located managers are required to keep an Asbestos Register reports on the likely locations of asbestos in the communal areas together with any recommendations.

The presumed asbestos noted in the survey was encapsulated in 2022 and therefore no longer requires inspection.

Asbestos Register 2022
Asbestos Register 2021
Asbestos Register 2020
Asbestos Survey 2014

The asbestos survey carried out in 2014 did not positively identify any asbestos on the premises. The original report appears to have been colour-coded although only a black and white copy was provided to the company by the commissioning managing agent.

The report presumed the existence of asbestos in various cupboards as access was not made available for inspection. The survey recommended action to determine whether asbestos is present in those areas within 12 months of the report as part of the annual asbestos management plan.

Fire Risk and Health and Safety Assessments

Fire Risk and Health and Safety Risk Assessment

Fire Safety Notice

Fire Safety In Your Flat

Emergency Lighting

The Buildings Regulations 2010 state that it is not necessary to provide escape lighting in small blocks of flats of no more than two storeys, with adequate levels of natural or street lighting (borrowed lighting). If installed, emergency lighting should be tested every month.

Fire Alarms

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO) and the Housing Act 2004 state that in ‘general needs’ blocks designed to support a ‘stay put’ policy, the guide makes it clear that it is unnecessary and undesirable for a communal fire alarm system to be provided. There has never been any requirement under Building Regulations, local acts or bye-laws to install a communal fire alarm system in a purpose-built block of flats, nor is there any such requirement today under the Building Regulations 2010. A communal fire detection and alarm system will inevitably lead to a proliferation of false alarms. This will impose a burden on fire and rescue services and lead to residents ignoring warnings of genuine fires. A fire alarm system ought to be provided only in a building in which some control can be achieved over the occupants to ensure that they respond appropriately. For most blocks of flats, it would be unrealistic to expect this. Nor is it necessarily desirable that evacuation should take place from areas remote from the fire, unless and until these areas themselves become threatened by the fire.
In view of the above, only in unusual circumstances will a communal fire detection and alarm system be appropriate for a ‘general needs’ purpose-built block of flats.

There are no fire alarms at Wessex Court as the building is a modern conversion.

EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report)

This is a report of the condition of the electrical installation and will highlight any safety shortcomings, defects or deviations from the current revision of the electrical regulations BS7671.

An electrical installation condition report should be performed by a competent electrician with the necessary experience and knowledge of the type of installation tested.

It is a statutory requirement that properties where the public have access; are regularly checked and that an EICR is undertaken on the electrical services. The period between inspections is determined by the function and the use of the building.

EICR codes

The codes used to determine whether there are non-compliances or issue with the electrical installation and are numbered C1 to C3. These codes are shown on the Electrical Installation Condition Report, along with a description of the nature of any fault, and determine whether a ‘Satisfactory’ or ‘Unsatisfactory’ report will be applied to the installation.

Code C1 ‘Danger present’: There is a risk of injury and that immediate remedial action is required to remove the dangerous condition.

Code C2 ‘Potentially dangerous condition’: Urgent remedial action required, this should declare the nature of the problem, not the remedial actions required.

Code C3 ‘Improvement recommended’ This code more often than not implies that while the installation may not comply with the current set of regulations, complies with a previous set of regulations and so is deemed to be safe although this safety can be improved upon.

Test reports:

EICR 2021
EICR 2016

The EICR states that the overall condition of the electrical installation is 'satisfactory' however, this is contradicted by observation 1 on page 4 that states that the earthing conductor is in a potentially dangerous condition and urgent remedial action is required.