I have been asked to complete a damp and mould RA ? honestly wouldn't know were to start - i have things in my head like face fit tests but these are only for people who go in and out of affected homes for 30 mins? would this be overkill or will an FFP3 suffice?
I don't want out care staff visiting the sites cleaning or touching the substance so I have assessed this will need to be completed and removed by a professional contractor.
HSE haven't been all that helpful so is there anyone who can point me in the right direction??
Is the risk assessment for staff entering a property on a visit where mould and damp is present or for the health effects on the person living in the house?
Penfold
"If you can't beat them, arrange to have them beaten."
It would be the person's visiting the house at this point, the care home group has an assest team who need to complete on for the tenants which will probably involve moving them out until the works have been completed
You might find this download of interest, has some useful advice and information relating to damp and mould along with possible actions to take. It's a fairly old report (2009) so not sure if all the additional links at the end of the document will still be active.
If you in any way represent the housing / council (directly or contractors) you cannot reasonably have staff members entering someone's home wearing PPE, while expecting the residents to remain in the environment – either the site is safe enough for people to live in, or the site should be vacated and masks worn by staff.
If these are owned homes, then it will be much trickier. How will you know about the degree of damp / mould until you arrive? I would assume that different types of mould have varied dangers, ranging from nothing at all, to fairly notable. My head says that basic masks would probably be good enough for short visits, but you are going to need something to back that assumption up.
Easy wins:
* Where possible open windows for ventilation when in spaces with identified mould issues.
* Ensure all identified mould issues are reported correctly.
* Do not spend longer than necessary in environments where mould has been identified as an issue.
* Staff with a respiratory condition like asthma or COPD or a weakened immune system must stay away from mouldy locations.
* No young persons or pregnant persons to attend these sites.
We often think that when we have completed our study of one we know all about two, because 'two' is 'one and one.' We forget that we still have to make a study of 'and.'
witsd wrote: ↑Wed Feb 22, 2023 2:41 pm
If you in any way represent the housing / council (directly or contractors) you cannot reasonably have staff members entering someone's home wearing PPE, while expecting the residents to remain in the environment – either the site is safe enough for people to live in, or the site should be vacated and masks worn by staff.
If these are owned homes, then it will be much trickier. How will you know about the degree of damp / mould until you arrive? I would assume that different types of mould have varied dangers, ranging from nothing at all, to fairly notable. My head says that basic masks would probably be good enough for short visits, but you are going to need something to back that assumption up.
Easy wins:
* Where possible open windows for ventilation when in spaces with identified mould issues.
* Ensure all identified mould issues are reported correctly.
* Do not spend longer than necessary in environments where mould has been identified as an issue.
* Staff with a respiratory condition like asthma or COPD or a weakened immune system must stay away from mouldy locations.
* No young persons or pregnant persons to attend these sites.
Thank you Witsd for this reply, which also answered my own query on this situation. I saw almost exactly the same scenario at my Mother's house a number of years ago to which absolutely no precautions were taken except to open a side door.
Molly - It's great to see how much you care in getting this right.
As far as my Mother's scenario, I had to fight with the Council to even contemplate there was a problem for my 93 year old Mum and her Home-helps. If my memory serves me correctly and with intervention from Jack Kane, we decanted my Mum, therefore no Home-helps had to go into the area, whilst the kitchen renewal was carried out.
"A candle loses none of its light by lighting another candle."
