Incorporating the requirements of current Occupational Health and Safety legislative requirements with a heritage building can be challenging to say the least, as such buildings were constructed at a time when persons were expected to assume their own risk and, as such, were more likely to avoid hazards.

Although it is still a requirement for a person to avoid hazards, it is no longer acceptable as the only form of risk control. Current Occupational Health and Safety legislation requires people who carry out activities involving heritage buildings to actively manage health and safety risks from the design stage throughout the life cycle of the building to the end user.

In general, building codes and regulations are for the construction of new buildings and structures, they are also applied to existing buildings when they are subject to significant renovation or a change in use.

Building codes and regulations mainly focus on safety and health in the areas of fire, structural failure, indoor air quality and hygiene, and not necessarily within the traditional realms of Occupational Health and Safety. Building regulations play an important role in protecting the community from catastrophic losses with requirements to mitigate losses resulting from fire, structural collapse and natural hazards. They also address issues associated to the protection of human rights such as access to buildings for persons with physical disabilities. The eight-storey commercial building that collapsed in Bangladesh on April 24 highlights the importance of Building codes and regulations. These, however, do not necessarily aim at mitigating losses or harm from end user hazards (occupational), but direct the majority of their intent at the mitigation of a major hazard (the one-off catastrophic).

Clients, developers, building owners, occupiers, design professionals such as architects, engineers, industrial designers, health and safety professionals, construction workers and users all have a role in the identification and control of the existing latent hazards. A safe work environment and effective safety outcomes do not happen by chance or by guesswork planning but through the effective coordination of all the relevant stakeholders.

Each stakeholder must ensure they are aware which of their activities are likely to harm people. It is important to understand what could go wrong, what the consequences could be and to inform those that could be impacted.

Risks associated with heritage buildings should be identified and addressed following a systematic process including:

• Identifying hazards – what could cause harm?
• Assessing risks – how serious the harm could be and the likelihood of it happening?
• Controlling risks – implement an effective control measure that is reasonably practicable
• Reviewing control measures to ensure they are working as planned.

This process should be documented and shared between the stakeholders as information transfer is key in the effective management of risk.

Areas that pose high risk to all users include:

• Exiting base building electrical wiring
• Walk ways and stair cases
• Indoor air quality
• Use of hazardous material (asbestos, PCBs, Lead Paint etc)
• Manual handling and ergonomics
• Fire
• Structural failure

The objective is to achieve a maximal level of protection for the health and safety of the building occupants while minimising the impact on the heritage significance of any given building.

There will be no one solution to a problem. Different buildings will have varying levels and items of heritage significance and exist within different settings and environments, and there may well be a range of possible solutions. Each case will need to be assessed on its own merits and the most practicable set of solutions found.

Very little attention is given to this issue in the literature readily available regarding refurbishment of buildings of heritage significance. A multitude of publications and guidelines in preserving heritage buildings, or modifications in this area which address environmental sustainability and access for people with disabilities, however scant consideration to Occupational Health and Safety is generally offered.

Andrew Angelides
Functional Risk Solutions

Asbestos has received and continues to receive a significant amount of media attention, and as such awareness of its potentially fatal effects are now well known.  Asbestos was discovered 4,000 years ago and has been widely used for its strength and unique physical properties.  In Australia, the proliferation of asbestos use in construction as well as other industries occurred between 1945 and 1980. There was increasing concern regarding the dangers of asbestos during the 1970s and consequently mining of asbestos ceased in 1983. The use of asbestos was phased out in 1989 and banned entirely in December 2003.

It became increasingly popular among manufacturers and builders during this time because of its sound absorption, average tensile strength, its resistance to fire, heat, electrical and chemical damage, and affordability.  The versatility of asbestos had made it attractive in many industries and is thought to have more than 3000 applications worldwide. Australia was one of the highest users per capita in the world up until the mid-1980s. Approximately one third of all homes built in Australia contain asbestos products which can still be seen building wall and roof cladding.

Asbestos containing materials can be categorised as friable and non-friable. Non-friable asbestos, is the type most commonly found in our built environment and it is mixed with other materials such as cement.

Both friable and non-friable asbestos pose a significant health risk to all workers and others if the materials are not properly maintained or removed carefully. The risk of exposure from the built environment is broad, with the potential to impact the entire Australian community.

Despite an Australia-wide ban on asbestos being sold, reused and/or imported into the country after 31 December 2003, some has inadvertently been imported into Australia and such products are still found in many residential and commercial settings and continue to pose a health risk to workers and building occupants.

The main route of entry for asbestos is through inhalation. When inhaled, the respiratory system cannot effectively filter or clear out these fibres because of their small size. Once inhaled, these fibres begin to penetrate the lining of the lungs, resulting in various types of lung diseases such as mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis, which is the scarring of the lungs.

Such is the problem and associated risk with Asbestos a National Strategic Plan for Asbestos Awareness and Management was developed in consultation with Commonwealth, State and Territory, local governments and a range of non-governmental stakeholders.

While the responsibility for the regulation of asbestos spans all levels of government, the Australian Government is responsible for the regulation of import and export laws as they apply to asbestos. Asbestos in the workplace is primarily regulated by state, territory and local governments and work, health and safety regulators in each state or territory.

While jurisdictions have taken steps to minimise exposure, predominantly in the workplace, this is the first time a national approach to asbestos eradication, handling and awareness is being pursued.

It is a high level document that establishes a framework within which jurisdictions work both cooperatively and independently to achieve set objectives. The aim of the Plan is to prevent exposure to asbestos fibres, in order to eliminate asbestos-related disease in Australia.

State based Work Health and Safety (WHS) Regulations contain specific obligations for a number of duty holders in relation to safely removing asbestos, including requirements for asbestos removalists to be licensed.

The model Work Health and Safety (WHS) Regulations set out a framework for the management of asbestos materials in workplaces including:

• the training of all workers at risk of encountering asbestos during their work;
  
  
• naturally occurring asbestos;
  
  
• removal of asbestos; and
  
  
• the licensing and competency requirements for asbestos removalists and assessors.
  
  

The Model WHS Regulations also create a new license category for asbestos assessors. The role of the licensed asbestos assessor is to carry out air monitoring and clearance inspections following removal of friable asbestos.

Detailed Information on identifying asbestos, and managing the risks of asbestos in the workplace can be found in the Safe Work Australia’s model Code of Practices: How to Manage and Control Asbestos in the Workplace and How to Manage and Control Asbestos in the Workplace. Also each state and territory work health and safety regulator has detailed information on the requirements for working with asbestos under the WHS legislative framework.

By Andrew Angelides

With winter just around the corner there comes a heightened risk for slips, trips, and falls. These incidents can and do happen year-round, however with the increase in rain, and in some instance frost and ice, the risks of a fall increase significantly.
No matter what industry or work people do, slips, trips and falls (STFs) are an ever present danger. Within Australia STFs result in thousands of injuries every year. Most common are musculoskeletal injuries, as well as cuts, bruises, fractures and dislocations, however there is the potential for more severe injuries resulting in seminar disability and even death. SafeWork Australia’s publication Key Work Health and Safety Statistics, Australia, 2013 shows that STFs are the second leading cause of workplace injuries at 21.2 %. These incidents frequently result in severe injuries requiring extensive and expensive recovery and lost time. STFs had also been identified as a priority injury mechanism in the National OHS Strategy 2002–2012, and the proportion of injury claims due to STFs have changed slightly changed since the Strategy began.

A further relatively recent study by the Monash University Accident Research Centre regarding the incidence of STFs and their relationship to the design and construction of buildings, found that STFs in buildings constitute a large and costly public health problem, and was expected to grow due to the ageing of the Australian population as well as the increase in housing density associated with multi-storey dwellings.

STFs are usually defined with the following delineations:

• Slips occur when a person’s foot loses traction with the floor. The most common causes are slippery floor surfaces (eg, highly polished, wet or greasy) and inappropriate footwear.
• Tripping occurs when a person unexpectedly catches their foot. In most instances, the objects people trip on are small and unobtrusive, such as cracks in the floor or electrical leads.
• Falls can result from a slip or trip, but many occur during falls from low heights, such as steps, stairs and curbs.

It has long been recognised that management of issues relating to health and safety is an integral part of sound business practice, and that careful selection and use of appropriate footwear and flooring can substantially reduce the risk of STF accidents. Employers, building owners, persons who have control of a workplace and designers should be aware of their accountability for hazards relating to STFs, including floor quality, cleaning, housekeeping, machinery and equipment, lighting, ramps, stairs, and drainage.

Australian work place health and safety legislation obligates the aforementioned parties to manage the risks associated with STFs by either eliminating them, and if that is not reasonably practicable, minimising them. Examples of possible control strategies can include:

• Elimination: Designers can eliminate STF hazards at the design stage by understanding who the end users will be, removing changes in floor levels and redesigning thorough fares away from wet areas and installing more power outlets to avoid trailing cords.
• Substitution: Replace existing flooring with a more slip-resistant surface.
• Isolation: Prevent access to high risk areas, for example cordon off wet floor areas while cleaning is in progress.
• Engineering controls (redesign): Applying floor treatments to increase slip resistance, improve lighting, and marking edges of steps and changes in floor levels.
• Administrative controls: Implementing housekeeping regimes, use signage to warn of wet or slippery areas, and by also providing training and supervision,
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): supplying PPE such as slip-resistant footwear.

While there are a number of factors that contribute to the occurrence and prevalence of STFs ranging from design through the entire life cycle of the building, a simple yet effective control that can be explored is the introduction of a dress policy focusing on footwear. 

Given the enormous cost STFs present, investment in effective preventative solutions is necessary. A key way forward in reducing the effect of STF accidents can be through the introduction of solutions and mitigation strategies early that are readily available from within the design and construction industry and its regulators.  

Most buildings regardless of scale generally provided at least one plant room. These rooms are essential to the buildings operations and typically house a variety of different plant and equipment. These may include:

• Air handlers Boilers,
• Chillers, Heat exchangers,
• Water heaters and tanks,
• Water pumps (for domestic, heating/cooling, and fire fighting water),
• Main distribution piping and valves,
• Fire fighting equipment (Sprinkler distribution piping and pumps),
• Back-up electrical generators,
• Elevator machinery, HVAC (heating, ventilation and air-conditioning) equipment,

Most owners and occupiers understand that the equipment in the plant rooms provides the means for the heating and cooling for the building but often little thought to the safety of the included equipment on and ongoing basis. Plant and equipment located within such rooms may be 10, 20 or even 50 years old and it is increasingly evident that this plant and equipment, although compliant  with the codes of the day, can poses a significant risk to the health and safety of the people that are required to maintain it.

Due to the very nature of the plant and equipment located within these rooms there are substantial implications to technicians, and maintainers of such equipment. Plant, as defined within workplace health and safety terms, is a major cause of workplace death and injury in Australian workplaces.

Severe injuries to technicians, and maintainers of such equipment can result from unsafe design, manufacture, installation, maintenance and use of plant. Plant and equipment located within such rooms have moving parts and the action of moving parts may have sufficient force in motion to cause injury or death. In addition to the moving parts there are non-mechanical risks including harmful emissions, contained fluids or gas under pressure, chemicals and chemical by-products, and electricity and noise; all of which can cause serious injury to technicians and others if not adequately controlled.

The importance of the equipment contained within these rooms are paramount to the smooth operation of the building and as such technicians are required to periodically assess, maintain and repair these items of plant and equipment  to guarantee the ongoing performance of the building.  

Risks to health and safety exist throughout the lifecycle of the plant from manufacturing through to installing, commissioning, using, maintaining, repairing, decommissioning and disposing of the plant. As such building owners , facility managers as well as persons who conduct a business or undertaking (PCBU)must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that the fixtures, fittings and plant are without risks to the health and safety of any individual.

In order to ensure that the risk associated with the items of plant and equipment are controlled, a systematic process involving the following should be implemented:

• Identify hazards – find out what could cause harm from using the plant;
• Assess risks if necessary – understand the nature of the harm that could be caused by the hazard, how serious the harm could be and the likelihood of it happening;
• Control risks – implement the most effective control measures that are reasonably practicable in the circumstances;
• Review control measures to ensure they are working as planned.

Designers, manufacturers, importers, suppliers and installers of plant are also required apply this process as a way of making plant as safe as possible before it is used within the building in addition to obtaining and providing information about plant so other duty holders can fulfil their responsibility to manage risks. 

The most readily available source of information pertaining to the safe operation and maintenance of plant and equipment is contained within the equipment operations manuals. WHS legislation requires (amongst other things) persons who supply machinery to, so far as is practicable, ensure that persons using the machinery in the manner intended are not exposed to hazards. As part of this obligation suppliers are required to provide adequate information in respect to any dangers associated with the machinery, the proper maintenance of the machinery and the correct use the of  machinery.

Given that most of the equipment located within such rooms may have been present from the day of completion, the reality unfortunately is that operator's manuals are frequently not available.

Building owners, facility managers as well as persons who conduct a business or an undertaking must ensure information pertaining to the safe operation and maintenance of the plant and equipment is readily available and up to date.

A building must accommodate the activities that will occur within and surrounding it. The building should not cause harm to its occupants or the environment and must, for example, be structurally stable and fire safe. In order to achieve this primary purpose it must supply a healthy and comfortable indoor environment to the people using it.

Given that most people now spend a significant portion of their time indoors, indoor environment quality is imperative to health and safety. Good indoor climate is an important factor in design and construction as it decreases the number of illnesses and sick building syndrome symptoms, improves comfort and increases productivity.

The quality of indoor climate is affected equally by heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment, construction engineering, quality of construction work, building materials as well as the operation and maintenance of the building.

Working in hot or cold conditions without adequate control measures can create a number of health effects ranging from discomfort to serious illness

Thermal comfort can be defined as a condition of mind which expresses satisfaction with the thermal environment.

The most commonly used indicator of thermal comfort is air temperature – it is easy to use and most people can relate to it. However although it is an important indicator to take into account, air temperature alone is neither a valid nor an accurate indicator of thermal comfort or thermal stress. Air temperature should always be considered in relation to other environmental and personal factors.

The six factors generally recognised to affect thermal comfort can be classified as environmental (air temperature, radiant temperature, humidity, air speed), and personal (the amount of physical activity, and the amount and type of clothing worn). These factors may be independent of each other, but together contribute to a building occupant’s thermal comfort.

Due to large variations from person to person, it is of course difficult to satisfy everyone’s varying needs within the same thermal environment.

Typically concerns about indoor thermal comfort occur in areas that are poorly ventilated and/or inadequately shaded from sunlight. Individual thermal comfort can also be affected by physical exertion, crowded working areas and some medical conditions. Thermal comfort is determined by subjective judgment, and even in optimal conditions some individuals may experience discomfort.

Indoor temperatures considered to be optimal for winter are 19-22°C; this temperature range is approximately 1-3°C lower than what is considered optimal in summer. A wider range of 18-24°C applies to what is considered acceptable (as opposed to optimal) for winter. These are again lower than those considered acceptable in summer.  A relative humidity of between 30-60% is also applicable to thermal conditions considered acceptable.

Even though there are no specific legislative requirements under Workplace Health and Safety laws relating to thermal comfort, the general duty to provide a safe workplace and safe systems of work represent a responsibility to employers and facilities managers to address this and related issues. There is substantial local and international guidance material on managing thermal comfort; worth noting however is the importance in distinguishing between a condition which threatens health and safety, and a feeling of discomfort as the controls of management will also differ. 

In an existing building a simple way of estimating the level of thermal comfort is to ask the workers or their workplace representatives. If the percentage of workers dissatisfied with the thermal environment is above a certain level that will indicate that there is an issue which should be appropriately addressed.

There are many different types of methods to achieve indoor climate comfort including passive systems, evaporative cooling systems and refrigerated systems. These may be locally controlled, occupant controlled at a building level or electronically controlled via a BMIS system.

It is important, to achieve the best performance out of a building’s system, and that the occupants of a building fully understand how their system operates in order to achieve this.

Thermal comfort can be controlled or adjusted by a number of different measures:

• Environmental monitoring and control (automated or user-controlled systems, active systems such as heating and cooling and passive systems such as shading).
• Adapting or changing clothing. Businesses can allow people to wear different clothing depending on conditions. They can also provide things like cloak rooms or lockers so that people can change clothes or take off and store warmer clothing.
• Allowing flexible working hours.
• Adjusting tasks. For example, allowing breaks or reducing the length of time people are exposed to particular conditions.
• Providing information with regard to the conditions to expect so that they can dress and behave appropriately.
• Providing or allowing personal equipment such as desk fans.
• Separating people from sources of discomfort. For example putting heat generating equipment such as IT equipment in separate rooms, insulating pipes, preventing draughts and so on.
• Providing protective clothing. This however should be an option of last resort.

 

To avoid unnecessary claims and to provide a safe and comfortable building to its occupants, it is important that these issues be managed and addressed at all phases of any building’s life cycle. A robust and well considered design process is equally, if not more critical, than the ongoing management of facilities, associated plant and operational strategies.