None

Noise

Vulnerable age

Related hazards

BCC (14-02)

January 2007

No particular age group

None

HHSRS VERSION 2

Multiple locations

Yes

No

Secondary hazards

Yes

No

Front Elevation of Building

Dwelling: First floor one

bedroom flat.

DESCRIPTION OF HAZARDS

Background: This is a terraced house, originally built around 1900, It was converted, in the 1970s,

into three self-contained flats. All flats share a common access stairwell with separating walls between

the flats and the common parts being of brickwork with a plaster finish. The flats have a 30 minute fire

door to their entrance, fitted with an overhead closing device which operates smoothly with no intrusive

"slam". The party floors throughout the building are constructed of 225mm deep timber joists, 18mm

butt edged floorboards and a lathe and plaster ceiling. There is no sound insulation fitted. The second

floor flat has an underlay and carpet floor covering, as does the common hall and stairwell.

Throughout the building, the bathrooms, kitchens, living rooms and bedrooms are all "vertically"

stacked. The building is located on a quiet road and not subject to any source of unusually loud

external noise.

Dwelling: The flat comprises of a kitchen, bathroom, living room and bedroom. The windows are

single glazed, timber, double hung sliding box sashes in a fair condition.

LIST OF RELEVANT MATTERS

LIKELIHOOD & OUTCOMES

a

Site of Dwelling

b

Internal Insulation

c

External Insulation

d

Disrepair

e

Siting of Plumbing

f

Equipment

g

Door Closers

# Compounding matters

-

2

Key

3

Seriously defective

1

2

Defective

-

1

Not satisfactory

-

-

Satisfactory/NA

-

-

RATING SCORES AFTER IMPROVEMENT

Likelihood to

1 in 560

Outcomes to

0

1.0 10.0 89.0

%

The provision of sound insulation to the party floors so as to comply with the current

Building Regulations will reduce the likelihood of an occurrence causing harm to at

least the national average, if not better.

Av:7

A B C D E

F G H

I

J

IMPROVE

Justification

NEW RATING

Av: Nos

Average likelihood, outcomes and HHSRS score for noise hazard for persons of all ages in

pre 1920 HMO,1997-99.

Score: 8

HEALTH AND SAFETY RATING SYSTEM SCORES

LIKELIHOOD

Low

High

1 in

100

Av Pre 1920 HMO: 620

< 4200 2400 1300 750 420 240 130

75

42

24

13

7.5

4

2.5

1.5 >

Justification

OUTCOMES

Class I

Class II

Class III

Class IV

Justification

RATING

The lack of any sound insulation within the party floor construction allows for the

transmission of domestic noise and increases the likelihood of an occurrence above

the national average leading to stress and sleep disturbance. The ‘stacking’ of like

rooms and the quiet self-closers to doors and the absence of excessive extrernal

noise are mitigating factors.

%

Av Pre 1920 HMO: 0.0

0

< 0.05 0.15 0.3

0.7

1.5

3

7

15

26

38 >

Av: 1.0

1

< 0.05 0.15 0.3

0.7

1.5

3

7

15

26

38 >

Av: 9.0

10

< 0.05 0.15 0.3

0.7

1.5

3

7

15

26

38 >

Av: 90.0

89.0

< 0.05 0.15 0.3

0.7

1.5

3

7

15

26

38 >

Despite the increased likelihood of an occurrence resulting in harm, there is nothing that

justifies changing the spread of harm outcomes from the national average.

Av. Pre 1920 HMO:7

A B C D E

F G H+ I

J

Score: 49