Noise

Vulnerable age

Related hazards

No particular age group

None

DESCRIPTION OF HAZARDS

BCC (14-03)

January 2007

HHSRS VERSION 2

Multiple locations

Yes

No

Secondary hazards

Yes

No

Dwelling: Basement/Sub Basement maisonette in a pre

1900, converted house

Background: This is the lowest part of a converted building and underneath a ground floor, non self-

contained, flat and the shared access hallway to this flat and the upper parts of the building. It comprises of a

kitchen/living room, study, bathroom and rear bedroom at basement level and a utility room and further

bedroom below. There is a staircase with a lockable door at the top which provides access to the ground floor

shared hallway etc. There is no sound insulation in the suspended timber party floor. The rear basement

bedroom is below the bedroom of the ground floor flat as is, approximately, the bathroom. There is a side

passageway at basement level, the rear part of which is under the bathroom of the ground floor flat. The

kitchen/living room is below the ground floor living room and common hallway and the study below the

kitchen. The common hallway is carpeted but all the rooms of the ground floor flat are bare floorboards with

the exception of the bathroom which has a covering of thin cork tiles. The ground floor living room floor is

springy. Ceilings to the basement floor appear to be of plasterboard and skim.

LIST OF RELEVANT MATTERS

LIKELIHOOD & OUTCOMES

# Compounding matters

None

a

Site of Dwelling

b

Internal Insulation

c

External Insulation

d

Disrepair

e

Siting of Plumbing

f

Equipment

g

Door Closers

-

2

Key

3

Seriously defective

-

2

Defective

-

1

Not satisfactory

-

-

Satisfactory/NA

-

-

HEALTH AND SAFETY RATING SYSTEM SCORES

6

LIKELIHOOD

Low

High

1 in

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 which allows for

the transmission of domestic noise will significantly increase the likelihood of of an

occurrence that could cause harm, including stress and sleep disturbance, to above

the national average. In addition there is disrepair to the ground floor living room

floor. The bare floorboards to the majority of the ground floor flat will increase the

likelihood of sleep disturbance and general stress through high frequency impact

noise with nowhere to escape this disturbance. There is also inadequate "stacking"

of the units.

%

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: 815

IMPROVE

Justification

NEW RATING

Av: Nos

Likelihood to

1 in 560

Outcomes to

0

1.0 10.0 89.0

%

Providing adequate sound insulation to the party floor/ceilings to meet Building Regulations

and repairing the ground floor would reduce the potential for harm induced by noise

intrusion to near average for the age and type of property.

Av:7

A B C D E

F G H

I

J

Score: 8

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

1920 HMO,1997-99.

RATING SCORES AFTER IMPROVEMENT