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TheKnowledge Health and Safety


give employees: A. breaks from the equipment every 30 minutes


1.


B. breaks from the equipment every hour


C. breaks from the equipment every two hours


D. periodic breaks from the equipment


2.


Employers have numerous obligations under health and safety legislation, but employees are expected to: A. take reasonable care of themselves and others


B. be trained in fi rst aid so they can help colleagues and others if necessary


C. have full fi re drill training so they can help anyone in the building in case of fi re


D. attend classes in dealing with violent people


3.


If you have to deal with an angry or abusive person


you should: A. take control by asking questions in a calm voice to fi nd out what the problem is


B. shout back at the person if they are shouting at you


C. stand up and face the person to show that you are not intimidated by them


D. ask them to leave the offi ce immediately or you will dial 999 and ask for the police


1.When a property is fi rst built the weight of the property will cause the ground supporting the building to compress under the load. Ideally this movement will occur equally all round the property. This initial movement is termed settlement, so answer A is correct. Where movement occurs after the initial settlement, usually because of weak strata below ground, or burst water pipes or leaking drains movement will occur under part of a property causing subsidence. Hogging (or heave) occurs when clay soils swell and lift a property. Compression is not a term used about property.


2. A variety of cracking can be found within the walls of a property. Major problems such as subsidence from leaking drains usually produce diagonal cracking. Corrosion of metal supports in a wall will usually cause


34 ● May 2012 ● TheNegotiator


Kevin decided it was time to express his health & safety concerns at work.


colleagues you would return to the offi ce before going out again on a market appraisal. The viewing takes far longer than you anticipated and you will be late for the market appraisal if you return to the offi ce. The best course of action would be to: A. Return to the offi ce and ring the new landlord to explain you have been delayed and will be late for the market appraisal


4.


horizontal cracking such as the corrosion of wall ties or corrosion of lintels at the head of window and door openings. Thermal and moisture movements cause brickwork in a wall to expand and contract especially on south facing elevations and this will produce vertical cracking at points of weakness, so answer C is correct. Eccentric loading from the roof of a property will normally cause leans or bulges in a wall.


3. Old roof coverings can suff er from many problems. With slate roofs the nail fi xings usually fail before the slates are worn out. Corroded nails allow slates to slip and slide off a roof causing a hole in the roof. Victorian roofs were built without any underfelt, with slates usually being backpointed, but the pointing perishes over time and allows rainwater to be blown up the slates and


You have a viewing to undertake and told your


B. Ring the offi ce and ask them to reschedule the market appraisal with the new landlord


C. Ring the offi ce and inform them that you will not be returning but will proceed straight to the market appraisal


D. Ring the offi ce and suggest that someone else does the market appraisal with the new landlord


5.


A gas engineer arrives unannounced at your


offi ce and asks for the key to


enter the roof where there is no underfelt. Wherever a chimney stack breaks through the roof there is a weak spot where rainwater may enter unless the fl ashing is good. A perished, damaged or missing fl ashing will allow water in. Condensation may occur within a roof space if the ventilation is inadequate, but this is not allowing rainwater in, it is moisture condensing within the roof space. This is a negative question so needs care. The one thing that does not allow rainwater in is the condensation so answer D is correct.


4. All the answers are possible causes of dampness in properties, but rising dampness will only occur up to a height of around 750mm, rarely more than one metre above ground fl oor level so could not be the cause in a fi rst fl oor bathroom. The other three causes are all possibilities, but the question


When working with computers employers must


one of your managed properties so that an annual gas safety inspection can be undertaken. In this situation the best course of action is to: A. take a photocopy of the gas engineer’s identity card and ensure your key register is signed and the keys will be returned the same day


B. send one of your staff to the property with the gas engineer to let the engineer in, stay until the inspection is completed and lock up afterwards


C. send one of your staff to the property to unlock it for the gas engineer, ask the engineer to phone the offi ce when the inspection is completed so your member of staff can return to lock up


D. politely refuse to release the key and request that the gas engineer makes an appointment in advance so you have time to check all details and confi rm arrangements with all parties involved


Answers published next month.


These questions are provided as examples by MOL the specialist distance and blended learning division at The Manchester College. MOL provide learning materials for the NFoPP technical awards and provide VLE support for learners wanting additional support. T: 0161 203 2103 W: www.MOLtraining.co.uk


ANSWERS FROM THE LAST QUIZ (MARCH ISSUE) BUILDING DEFECTS Correct Answers 1 A, 2 C, 3 D, 4 B, 5 B


asked which is MOST likely to cause the damp and mould growth. Bathrooms are notorious for being inadequately ventilated, especially in winter, and large volumes of water vapour are created from hot showers or hot baths so condensation is very likely. Mould growth is particularly associated with condensation so the most likely and correct answer for is B.


5. All the situations in the answers will cause wood rot to start. All of them are likely to cause wet rot in exposed timber and in some instances dry rot may well be caused by water leaking into a roof space or timber being soaked by a leak. However, the classic cause of dry rot starting is unventilated spaces with high moisture contents such as might be found in cellars, so of the options in the question the MOST likely cause is B.


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