HHSRS VERSION 2

SEPTEMBER 2004

PERSONAL HYGIENE ETC

Vulnerable age

Related hazards

Front north elevation

w.c. compartment

Persons aged under 5 years

Food safety, domestic hygiene

HHSRS VERSION 2

Multiple locations

Yes

No

Secondary hazards

Yes

No

Ground floor plan of back extension

Rear living room

North

Kitchen

Sink

lobby

W.C.

DESCRIPTION OF HAZARD

3 bedroomed 1850 mid terrace house

Background - This 3-bedroomed early Victorian house was modernised in the 1970s. In this

modernisation, the original external door to the south facing back addition was made into a window

and a new back porch/lobby was constructed to give a new back door and internal access to the

original outside w.c. compartment. At the same time, a new bathroom with a bath and wash hand

basin, but no w.c, was installed at first floor level in the small back addition above the kitchen.

Subsequently, central heating was also installed, including the installation of a radiator in the

otherwise cold ground floor w.c. compartment.

Ground floor w.c: Despite the modernisation, the narrow downstairs w.c. compartment was left

without a wash-hand basin. Although the compartment's single leaf brick wall was rendered

externally, the floor was also never adequately damp-proofed, the consequent rising damp leading to

the lifting and subsequent break up of the thermo plastic floor tiles. The lid to the wc is also now

missing.

LIST OF RELEVANT MATTERS

LIKELIHOOD & OUTCOMES

A

A

Sanitation facilities

k

Unhygienic compartment

3

a

Sewage system

-

l

Inadequate lighting

-

b

Sanitary provision

1

m Door to compartment

-

c

Sanitary closet siting

3

n

Adjacent wash-hand basin

3

d

Disrepair of sanitary closet

-

e

Water to wc.

-

# Secondary hazards

A

f

Effective flush

-

None

g

Macerator defects

-

h

Earth closet defects

-

i

Seat/lid to sanitary closet

2

Key

3

Seriously defective

1 Not satisfactory

j

Ventilation to compartment

2

2

Defective

- Satisfactory/NA

Likelihood to

1 in 5,600

Outcomes to

0.0

2.2 21.5 76.3 %

Ideally, a w.c. needs to be installed in the first floor bathroom, if necessary by replacing

the bath with a shower. Alternatively, the existing w.c. compartment could be rebuilt to

modern building regulation standards. The new compartment would need to be wide

enough to accomodate a new wash hand basin as well as any re-positioned radiator.

This would reduce the HHSRS score to average.

Improved

IMPROVE

Justification

NEW RATING

Av: Nos

A B C D E F G H

I

J

Average likelihood, outcomes and HHSRS score for hazards associated with inadequate

sanitation for persons aged under 5 years in pre 1920 houses, 1997-99

Score

1

HHSRS VERSION 2

SEPTEMBER 2004

HEALTH AND SAFETY RATING SYSTEM SCORES

Pre 1920 House

1 in

18

LIKELIHOOD

Low

High

Average: 7,040

Example

18

< 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

With no wash-hand basin on the ground floor and the upstairs bathroom being the

furthest possible walking distance in the house away, anyone using the ground floor w.c.,

particularly children, are likely to forego washing their hands. The inconvienent location

of the w.c. and its extreme separation from the w.h.b. is also likely to have some

physcological effects. The related risk of washing hands in the nearby sink is scored

under food safety, while the unhygienic floor to the w.c. compartment is scored under

domestic hygiene.

%

Average: 0.0

0.0

< 0.05 0.15 0.3

0.7

1.5

3

7

15

26

38 >

Av: 2.0

2.2

< 0.05 0.15 0.3

0.7

1.5

3

7

15

26

38 >

Av: 22.0

21.5

< 0.05 0.15 0.3

0.7

1.5

3

7

15

26

38 >

Av: 76.0

76.3

< 0.05 0.15 0.3

0.7

1.5

3

7

15

26

38 >

0.0

2.2

21.5

76.3

While the likelihood of infection is increased, there is nothing to suggest that the

outcomes should be changed from the average. However, with the high likelihood this

still gives an HHSRS score of 522 and a band rating of D-.

Example

Average: 1

A B C D- E F G H

I

J

522

Score

RATING SCORES AFTER IMPROVEMENT