Housing Health & Fitness Standard

NEW DEMANDS FOR RENTAL HOUSING PROVIDERS

The new Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) comes into effect on 6 April 2006, at the same time as mandatory licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO)
in England. Scotland & Wales already had such provision.

                       
 

 

Reducing The Risks DCLG (was ODPM) link    

                

Kidde Landlord & Housebuilder Guide

So, the pressure is on for both public and private sector housing providers to refurbish their properties to meet the standard.
Gerald Jones of Kidde Fyrnetics, part of the world’s leading manufacturer of fire detection and suppression systems, looks at the implications for fire and carbon monoxide safety.

HHSRS is a risk assessment procedure introduced by the Housing Act 2004 to replace the old fitness standard which formed part of the ‘Decent Home Standard’.
The underlying principle of HHSRS is that any residential premises should provide a safe and healthy environment for any potential occupier or visitor - including freedom
from both unnecessary and avoidable hazards.
The published HHSRS specifically identifies both fire and carbon monoxide as ‘Category 1’ hazards – endorsed by the latest statistics from the ODPM,
recording that 327 people died in accidental house fires during 2004, as well as the 50 or more deaths and 200 serious injuries result from CO poisoning every year.

Local authorities must inspect properties to determine whether there are category 1 or 2 hazards and are under a general duty to take appropriate enforcement action
in relation to a category 1 hazard, while the government requires that a ‘decent home’ is free from all category 1 hazards.

HHSRS specifies ‘Ideals’ as optimum preventative measures, usually based on British Standards or relevant UK Building Regulation Approved Documents. In the case of fire: 
“there should be sufficient properly designed and appropriately sited smoke and/or heat detectors with alarms in every dwelling.
These should be properly maintained and regularly tested.” The current British Standard Code of Practice BS 5839-6: 2004 gives excellent,
up-to-date and comprehensive guidance.

It considers ‘Grades’ - effectively whether mains or battery powered, with or without standby supply - and ‘Categories’ – or the locations of alarm units within dwellings.
Combinations of minimum Grade and Category are tabulated against different types of dwelling (rented or owned, and number of storeys)
and whether these are new-build, existing with structural fire precautions that meet current regulations or existing dwellings with poorer structural fire protection.
It is therefore far more relevant for HHSRS purposes than the Part B Approved Document (which is under review, in any case).

The Code of Practice recommends a minimum Category LD2 and Grade D for existing rented properties (unless it is certain that structural fire precautions meet today’s regulations), as well as new housing. This means a heat alarm in every kitchen and also the principal habitable room, as well as smoke alarms in circulation areas – well in excess of current regulations for new-build. Alarms should be mains powered with a standby supply and battery-only alarms are considered inappropriate in most situations. This is endorsed by the latest statistics which show that three times as many battery alarms failed compared with mains powered – the main reason for smoke alarm failure being missing or flat batteries.

To deal with carbon monoxide poisoning, the HHSRS proposes that: “properly sited and maintained carbon monoxide detectors of a suitable type will warn occupants of danger,
enabling them to take action to prevent further build-up of the gas or escape from the dwelling.” A new standard BS EN 50292 will apply to the location,
installation and selection of CO alarms.  In essence, there should be at least one on each level, and preferably in bedrooms.

There are currently no Building Regulations or other similar legislation requiring CO alarm installation, unlike as in the US.
A major problem faced by HHSRS inspectors is the huge range of, often unpredictable, situations where CO could become a hazard. CO is usually associated with boilers, fires, cookers, BBQs and cars, but less obvious sources including neighbouring properties and even an incident involving electric night store heaters have been reported. So, without CO alarms there is always a risk.

Returning to fire safety, audibility of smoke alarms is an area of concern and there is an overwhelming case for hard-wired, interlinked smoke alarms or similar
sounding devices in every bedroom. While a new draft Part B does propose a smoke alarm in the main or largest bedroom, this is one aspect which the
Code of Practice fails to address.
Clearly, an holistic approach is needed and new product developments are available to give realistic solutions.
For example, the ‘Smart Interconnect’ feature on the latest range of Kidde Fyrnetics CO alarms enables a number of the company’s hard-wired CO, smoke or heat alarms
to be interconnected within a home.
Here, a CO alarm in at least one bedroom can act as the sounder for smoke and heat alarms elsewhere, as well as protecting sleeping occupants against carbon monoxide poisoning.

When a smoke or heat alarm is triggered by a fire, all the interconnected alarms (including CO alarms) activate to alert occupants of danger, giving whole property protection.
When a CO alarm is triggered by carbon monoxide, all the interconnected CO alarms activate.
The new hard-wired CO alarms have different, distinct alarm sounder patterns for carbon monoxide and fire - supported by different digital display messages on one model.
Developments such as this will help the move towards combining the new requirements and make all our homes safer.

*Update* August 25th 2006

Kidde Fyrnetics has published a Guidance Booklet covering HHSRS amongst other issues as it relates to fire & co safety issues, a copy of which is shown above; click on the link to request a copy; it is free for housing professionals.