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Introduction
Acknowledgements
Acknowledgment is given to Asset Skills for source material.
Crown Copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO and the Queen's Printer for Scotland.
Introduction to Subject
The Housing Health & Safety Rating System (HHSRS) is the way in which local authorities ('councils') assess housing conditions in England and Wales. It uses a risk assessment approach. The aim is to provide a system (not a standard) to enable risks from hazards to health and safety in dwellings to be removed or minimised. The method is prescribed by Regulations, made under the new Housing Act.
HHSRS replaced the Fitness Standard and as such, has become an integral part of the Decent Homes Standard.
It provides a method of grading the severity of threats to health and safety in any dwelling, in all sectors. A dwelling can include a:
- house
- self-contained flat
- non self-contained flat
- bedsit
- a room in a university hall or similar residential building and includes the means of access and shared or common rooms and facilities.
The key principle of the system is that a dwelling, including the structure and associated outbuildings and garden, yard and/or other amenity space, and means of access, should provide a safe and healthy environment for the occupants and, by implication, for any visitors.
The inspection process is a risk based assessment and considers the effect of any 'hazards' in the property. Hazards are rated according to how serious they are and the effect they are having, or could have, on the occupants, that is, 'the effect of the defect'.
It should be borne in mind that all properties contain hazards, for example stairs, electrical outlets etc. and it is not possible (or desirable) to remove all hazards. The emphasis should be to minimise the risk to health and safety as far as possible either by removing the hazard altogether or minimising the effect, as appropriate.
The system can deal with 29 hazards summarised as follows:
- Dampness, excess cold/heat
- Pollutants e.g. asbestos, carbon monoxide, lead
- Lack of space, security or lighting, or excessive noise
- Poor hygiene, sanitation, water supply
- Accidents - falls, electric shocks, fires, burns, scalds
- Collisions, explosions, structural collapse
Each hazard is assessed separately, and if judged to be 'serious', with a 'high score', is deemed to be a category 1 hazard. All other hazards are called category 2 hazards.
Legislation
Resource 1 of 4 in Housing Health and Safety Rating System