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Health and safety compliance

We have a duty to ensure the health and safety of residents, staff, operatives, and visitors of a building. Our statutory housing compliance obligations cover the 6 key areas of compliance (Gas, Electricity, Water Hygiene, Asbestos, Lifts, and Fire).  

Gas

If you are a tenant, we will carry out an annual gas service and safety check of your gas boiler free of charge. We must do this every year by law. Our fully qualified Gas Safe staff also check that your radiators and hot water are working properly.

If you are a leaseholder, you should get your gas appliances checked regularly by a Gas Safe registered engineer to make sure they are working properly and safely. If you are a leaseholder who lets out your property, you have a legal responsibility to ensure your gas appliances have an annual test by a Gas Safe registered engineer.

I am a tenant, how will I know when my gas safety check is due?

Before your annual service is due, we will write to you with an appointment. Please make sure someone is at home to let our gas safety contractor in. If you need to change the appointment, please ring the number we give you to arrange a time convenient to you.

After we complete the annual gas safety check, we will give you a copy of the gas safety certificate. If we find a problem during the annual service, we tell you what work needs to be done and when we can fix it.

If our contractors cannot get in to carry out the service after three attempts, we will issue you with a formal ‘final notice’ warning you that we will begin legal action to gain access to your home. If we need to take legal action, you may be liable for any court costs.

If you have any questions about your annual gas safety check, please ask the engineer when they visit or call us.

Gas Safety checks for new lets

When you rent a new home managed the council we give you a copy of the gas and electrical safety certificates when you move in. Remember to keep them safe - your gas or electric supplier may ask to see the certificates when you set up an account.

Properly maintained gas appliances are normally safe. If they are not looked after, they can become deadly for you, your family and your neighbours.

Your gas safety

Leaking gas can cause an explosion and gas appliances that are not working correctly can produce poisonous and deadly fumes. We recommend that you never block up any air vents in your home and that you fit a carbon monoxide alarm to warn you of a carbon monoxide build-up in your home.

If there is a strong smell of gas, or you think there might be a leak, contact the National Grid Emergency Line immediately and:

  • turn off the gas supply at the main gas meter if this is in your property
  • open the doors and windows
  • don’t switch anything electrical on or off, including the lights, as this could cause an explosion
  • don’t smoke, strike matches or light candles

Liquid petroleum gas and paraffin heaters

Under the terms of your tenancy agreement or lease, you must not store or use any form of bottled gas or paraffin heaters. It can be extremely dangerous and any breach of this rule will be treated very seriously.

Electricity

If you are a tenant, we will inspect the electrics in your property every five years and every time a property becomes empty to make sure it is safe and meets electrical standards.  Electricity can be dangerous but by taking some simple steps you can reduce the risk to you and your neighbours.

Plugs and sockets

Keep an eye out for the following:

  • hot plugs or sockets, scorch marks, fuses that often blow, or flickering lights – they are all signs of loose wiring or other electrical problems
  • badly wired plugs – any coloured wires sticking out could come loose and debris could also get into the plug
  • overloaded sockets – plugging too many electrical appliances into one socket can lead to overheating
  • use sockets safely – it’s better to use a multi-socket adapter on a lead than a block adaptor

Heaters

When using a plug-in heater you should:

  • keep it clear of curtains and furniture
  • only sit at least three feet (one metre) away from it
  • buy it from a reputable shop
  • never dry washing on or near it

Cables and leads

The risks include:

  • getting frayed and damaged – make sure the outer covering of all power leads is in good condition and replace if necessary
  • being badly positioned – they shouldn’t be anywhere that they could be tripped over, or near water, cookers or other sources of heat
  • running them under rugs or carpets - where they can wear through without anyone noticing

Appliances

All electrical equipment you buy should have the CE, BEAB and BS safety marks. When using electrical appliances, you should never:

  • get them wet – this includes plugs and sockets, so don’t put a vase of flowers on top of the TV, for example
  • leave them on at night – unless they are designed to be left on, like freezers
  • put anything in the microwave that is made of metal, or has a metallic finish or parts
  • second hand goods - beware when buying second hand goods; they may be old and worn out. If you do buy a second hand appliance, you should get it safety tested by a qualified expert before you use it
  • maintenance - electrical appliances, especially ones that run at high speeds and contain motors such as washing machines, should be serviced once a year by a qualified electrician
  • fuses - when you are fitting or replacing a fuse, it is important to use the right fuse for the appliance. Check the manual or look for a sticker on the appliance to find out its wattage and then use the correct fuse.

Water hygiene

Water safety is important to avoid illness from legionella and damage to your home. We must ensure that all communal water tanks have a Legionella Risk Assessment and the equipment supplying water is tested and inspected often.

Legionellosis is a collective term for diseases caused by legionella bacteria including the most serious Legionnaires' disease, as well as the similar but less serious conditions of Pontiac fever and Lochgoilhead fever. Legionnaires' disease is a potentially fatal form of pneumonia and everyone is susceptible to infection. The risk increases with age but some people are at higher risk including:

  • people over 45 years of age
  • smokers and heavy drinkers
  • people suffering from chronic respiratory or kidney disease
  • diabetes, lung and heart disease
  • anyone with an impaired immune system.

The bacterium Legionella pneumophila and related bacteria are common in natural water sources such as rivers, lakes and reservoirs, but usually in low numbers. They may also be found in purpose-built water systems such as cooling towers, evaporative condensers, hot and cold water systems and spa pools.

If conditions are favourable, the bacteria may grow increasing the risks of Legionnaires' disease and it is therefore important to control the risks and this can be done by:

  • Keep stored hot water in hot water tanks/cylinders at a minimum temperature of 60°C. This does not apply to combi boiler systems that provide instant hot water.
  • Run all unused taps (inside and outdoor) for at least two minutes weekly
  • Keep all shower heads and taps clean and free from a build-up of lime scale, mould or algae growth. Descale taps and shower heads at east every three months. Please note that shower heads are your responsibility and we will not clean or replace these for you. Clean the showerhead and taps in your bath, basin and sink by brushing the scale off with a nylon brush or wiping them with a diluted bleach solution. You can also use any de-scaling solution that you can buy from hardware shops
  • Report any deposits such as rust or any unusual matter flowing from you water outlets. Report any concerns about low hot water temperatures, low water flow, defective taps, boiler issues
  • Flush through showers and taps for 10 minutes following a period of non-use (i.e. after you have been on holiday or if a room is not in regular use or you have just moved into a new home). Remember that when flushing taps or other outlets to open them slowly so you don’t splash water or release water droplets in the air. When flushing the shower, try not to create any spray, either by removing the shower head or by catching the water in a plastic bag/running the shower head into a bucket and disposing of it carefully.
  • Flush toilet/s with the lid down following a period of non-use
  • Drain hosepipes after use and keep out of direct sunlight. Flush through for a couple of minutes before filling paddling pools etc.
  • Water from hot taps should be at a minimum temperature of 50°C. Please be aware of the risk of scalding.

To help avoid accidents and prevent damage caused by flooding, here are some handy tips:

  • Make sure washing machines or dishwashers are plumbed in properly
  • Make sure your bath doesn’t overflow – this is a common cause of flooding which can damage your home and your neighbours homes and belongings
  • Be careful with hot water – check the heat of the water before getting into a bath or shower
  • Take extra care when stepping out of a bath or shower onto a wet floor

If you are going away during the winter months, avoid burst pipes or water leaks by remembering to:

  • Turn off the main stopcock
  • Turn off any immersion heater
  • Turn down your central heating controls and leave your heating on low for a few hours a day to avoid pipes freezing
  • Ask a friend or family member to check on your home regularly

Asbestos

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that was popular among manufacturers and builders because of its good sound absorption, tensile strength, and its resistance to heat, electrical and chemical damage. Asbestos is common throughout the UK. Inside the home, asbestos is usually found in textured wall and ceiling finishes, such as Artex, vinyl floor tiles and some types of insulation. Outside your home, asbestos can be found in roofing felt and guttering.

When undamaged, materials containing asbestos are largely harmless but when damaged, asbestos fibres can be released into the air in high concentrations which can cause cancer and thickening of the lungs.

The greatest risk is when asbestos is damaged or drilled, sawn, scrubbed or sanded. This type of DIY work can result in brief but high levels of asbestos fibres in the air that put your health at risk.

If you think a material might contain asbestos, do not work on it – get expert advice. If asbestos needs to be removed it must be done by a professional company licensed by the Health and Safety Executive.

It is very difficult to identify asbestos. Often it is masked by other materials so you cannot tell whether a product contains asbestos simply by looking at it.

The council keeps an asbestos register and completes surveys to identify it.

If you are a leaseholder and you think there is asbestos in your home you will need to arrange for your own asbestos survey to be carried out. The Health and Safety Executive and Asbestos Removal Contractors Association have a full list of licensed contractors on their website – simply search asbestos licensing.

Lifts

The thought of being shut in a lift is not a happy prospect for anyone – but we are making sure that anyone who finds themselves stranded in any one of our 336 lifts knows exactly what to do.

We have fitted every lift with new signage displaying the new emergency phone number to call should you need assistance. New lifts have a phone link to our call centre and lift contractors. 

We have a duty under LOLER regulations to ensure passenger lifts in our blocks are operating safely. To ensure we are fully compliant with the regulatory requirements, they must be thoroughly examined by professionally qualified engineer surveyors every 6 months and any defects found must be reported to us and dealt with. In addition, our lifts are serviced often by our specialist lift contractor.  

Fire

Fire is a serious potential risk if not suitably managed. Read more about fire safety.