A full inspection of a property will be completed by the council using a risk based assessment to consider the effect of any hazards in the property. The hazards are rated according to how serious they are and the effect they are having, or could have, on the occupants. The rating will determine if there are any serious hazards (category 1) or less serious hazards (category 2).
The inspector will also assess any possible harm from the hazards. There are four harm outcomes:
- Class 1 - Extreme (death from any cause, permanent loss of consciousness, regular severe pneumonia, 80% burn injuries)
- Class 2 - Severe (cardio-respiratory disease, asthma, loss of a hand or foot, serious factures, severe burns)
- Class 3 - Serious (chronic severe stress, mild heart attack, loss of finger, fractured skull and severe concussion)
- Class 4 - Moderate (occasional severe discomfort, mild pneumonia, broken finger, severe bruising, regular serious coughs and colds)
Please see the document below for a detailed list of the 29 hazards and the four harm outcomes.
HHSRS Hazards and Harm Outcomes(PDF) [54 kb]
It must be remembered that all properties contain hazards and it is not possible to remove all of these. The emphasis is to minimise the risk to health and safety as far as possible either by removing the hazard completely or minimising the effect.