Risk Assessments.

Agencies and other headaches, keys and cleaners, running costs and contracts...in short, all the things we spend so much of our time doing behind the scenes.<br>
Drax
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Risk Assessments.

Post by Drax »

I am new on this site so apologies if this subject has been covered before. It is with regard to risk assessments in holiday homes.
Advice would be welcome if other holiday home owners have carried out risk assessments for their properties and what types of risk assessments have been carried out, i.e. fire, trip hazards etc.
We have only a small 2 bedroomed holiday bungalow and to date I have only carried a fire risk assessment but I am wondering if there are other assessments I should also undertake. We maintain and clean the bungalow ourselves thus we do not employ anyone.
We do have a garden for guests to use, off-road parking. and a garage for their bike storage but no swimming pool, hot tub or sauna which would be obvious area for risk assessments.
Comments/advice would be welcome.
Keep your powder dry.
Jenster
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Post by Jenster »

I only have a fire risk assessment too but have a section in my house file for safety considerations - for example I warn people that there are cleaning products under the sink (with safety tops) in case they have young children, ask that children be supervised at all times and advise to keep the windows unlocked in case of fire. I also have a section on beach safety as we are a beach apartment.

I have read somewhere though that a legionella RA is a good idea and plan to do one this winter.
akwe-xavante
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Post by akwe-xavante »

Fire Risk Assessment
Fire exits, can you get out of bedroom windows.
Smoke, Heat and CO2 sensors
Annual Gas test certificates
Common sense, slip, trip and head room issues
Furniture and furnishings fire resistance
I also think a little about the opposite too, protect yourself and your belongings etc from risks caused by the guests.

How to use / do something to prevent guests from forcing something and their fore breaking it for example.

What If!? No matter how unlikely something might happen it will / can and you should think about what might happen as a result and is it a risk worth ignoring.

Not long ago we a had a post about the safety of a lift, two disabled people got trapped for a few days in think!!!!! The owners were very very lucky indeed. They knew that there was a chance that guests could get trapped in the lift and they chose to ignore the risk "It'll never happen" it did.
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greenbarn
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Post by greenbarn »

Separately from a Fire RA and all that includes (furnishings, exits, lighting, smoke alarms etc - but not CO detectors) a common sense RA is a good idea, rather like a typical workplace risk assessment.

The need or otherwise for CO detectors is a part of this, plus things that have been mentioned such as potential for slips and trips (loose rugs, slippery stair treads), anything placed above head height that a guest might move and have fall on them, stair handrails and steepness of stairs - a walk around with eyes wide open and a “what if, how likely, how bad?” approach.
Some things might be simple for risk reduction, some might be things that you need to flag up to guests before they even book, such as steep stairs that might be an issue for some and there’s only so much you can do to reduce the risk, others might be an acceptable risk - I was in one of our units removing a microwave from its housing and hit my head on the corner of the cooker hood; removing the microwave is not something the guest would/should be doing, so the risk is minimal. I don’t intend removing or padding the cooker hood... I have made a mental note to reduce my personal stupidity level.
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teapot
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Post by teapot »

greenbarn wrote: Some things might be simple for risk reduction,
Yes, like banning guests having alcohol above 35micrograms/100mltr of breath.
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COYS
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Post by COYS »

teapot wrote:
greenbarn wrote: Some things might be simple for risk reduction,
Yes, like banning guests having alcohol above 35micrograms/100mltr of breath.
:D
This time next year Rodney, we'll be millionaires.
Drax
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Post by Drax »

Some good suggestions akwe-xavante and Greenbarn. Jenster I like your tip with regard to cleaning products.
I am also considering the possibility of a legionella RA.
Teapot your comment made me smile.
Thank you all.
Keep your powder dry.
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greenbarn
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Post by greenbarn »

Your post has reminded me that my annual review of our Fire RA is due - another one for my To-Do list!
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teapot
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Post by teapot »

Drax wrote:Some good suggestions akwe-xavante and Greenbarn. Jenster I like your tip with regard to cleaning products.
I am also considering the possibility of a legionella RA.
Teapot your comment made me smile.
Thank you all.
What apart from the shower head would cause aerosol of water? No pool or spa, hot tub which would be a concern for legionella. Regular cleaning of limescale from the shower and a rinse in water 60c or hotter should suffice.
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COYS
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Post by COYS »

I wonder if I should assess the risk of renting my house to numpties!!
This time next year Rodney, we'll be millionaires.
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teapot
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Post by teapot »

It should be high on your list, problem is, if you make it idiot proof, nature will supply a better idiot.
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CSE
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Post by CSE »

legionella;
It can be found in very small quantities in the ground, and in water. The problem occurs when it is able to multiply, e.g. in water with a temperature between 25o and 55o Celsius that is (especially) stagnant for a long period of time.
A strong flow can prevent the growth of the bacteria however the owner should be checking dead spots in the plumbing system of the property.
All hot water systems with a storage tank are at risk if the temperature of this water is between 25o and 55o Celsius. This iswhen the legionella bacteria can grow.
At temperatures higher than 60C the bacteria will no longer grow. But that is also very hot for a person and the guest can harm themselves on that.
Also water features in the garden should be checked, especially waterfalls or fountains.
http://www.hse.gov.uk/legionnaires/what-is.htm
Risk assessments; for UK self employed only
http://www.hse.gov.uk/treework/areyou/employed.htm
http://www.healthyworkinglives.com/advi ... assessment
Never try to out-stubborn your guests.
Jenster
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Post by Jenster »

How do you check for dead spots in your heating system? And how do you ensure strong flow if your property is empty for a while? Tricky as I have a hot water tank that heats overnight every night and cannot be easily turned off as the switch is in the loft. I was under the impression it was mainly aerosols (ie showers as teapot says) that I had to worry about.
Drax
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Post by Drax »

With regard to legionella we only have a shower unit in our holiday home which is a pressurised mains-fed water system. I am under the impression that this system is not susceptible to legionella apart from the shower head. The shower unit comprises of a fixed head shower and a flexible riser type shower.
I can remove the shower head of the flexible riser unit to clean the interior but I cannot work out how to remove the fixed shower head to gain access to the interior to cleanse.
We do apply disinfectant to the exterior of the shower head after guests have left. We also live in a 'soft water' area so there is no build-up of lime scale, which is a bonus.
Keep your powder dry.
COYS
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Post by COYS »

I was going to pop out for a newspaper this morning but thinking about it...
It was still slightly frosty, so there is a risk I might get cold ... or too hot if I overdo it with hat, scarf, gloves & sturdy walking boots.
Suitably attired, there is now the front door & step to negotiate. I could shut my fingers in or forget the ‘one foot in front of the other method’ of overcoming the step & garden path, but I’m feeling quietly confident.
Once safely outside the house, the paper shop is at least 5 minutes walk & involves crossing a minor road - twice if I make it in one piece & head back. Roads mean cars, motorbikes or cyclists or at worse all three. (note to self: Remember the Hi-Vis jacket & head-cam next time)
It’s getting riskier but after weighing it all up I decided I should be able to manage the ‘look both ways method’ before reverting to the ‘one foot in front of the other method’ whilst also remembering to step up or down when encountering a kerb.
Looking further ahead I will have damp pavements to negotiate, maybe the odd wet leaf or crack in the concrete, not forgetting bright winter sunshine, low flying pigeons or blue ice from a distant aircraft (note to self: Remember hard hat & anti-glare safety goggles next time).
Now it’s looking like a lot to take on board but it was the blue ice that finally did it. I know it’s as rare as hens teeth but all things considered, I just can’t take that chance.
It’s a risk too far so there’ll be no newspaper for me today, I’ll watch it on telly instead, once I’ve assessed the risks of sitting down, electric shock, RSI .... :shock:
I was gonna take a shower first but reading above have now realized it’s been a while (read: forever) since we stripped down & disinfected the inside of our shower hoses so there’s no chance of that now :wink:
This time next year Rodney, we'll be millionaires.
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