2. Health and safety standards and procedures

2.1 Student residences and their contents as supplied by an establishment must meet the requirements of all relevant health and safety regulations and codes of practice. Certain special circumstances (e.g. legislation relating to listed buildings) may justify a partial relaxation of these requirements.

2.2 H/FEEs must make an analysis of the risk of such events as fire, outbreak of disease or major breakdown of services and equipment and develop procedures for dealing with them.

The analysis and the procedures must be documented (e.g. in risk registers) and should be readily available for inspection.

2.3 Students must be given clear advice and information on what action is to be taken in the event of an emergency e.g. how to access first aid provision, relevant contact details and mechanisms for reporting incidents and raising health and safety issues.

2.4 It must be a requirement in every tenancy or license agreement for the student to maintain a reasonably safe environment for the H/FEE‟s employees who may have to enter the premises e.g. ensuring that cables to personal electrical equipment are safe.

2A. Fire safety Prevention

2.5 Information and advice must be provided to students at the beginning of their period of occupation on such matters as:

• Their role in the avoidance of fire risks

• Cooking and the safe use of cooking equipment

• Electrical safety – particularly voltage differences

• The dangers of using candles or storing flammable material

• Disciplinary action that may be taken if fire alarms or fire fighting equipment is misused

Detection and alarm

2.6 Fire safety systems must be maintained in working order and regularly tested in accordance with regulations relating to each particular piece of equipment and each building type. The design and detail of systems in existing buildings will be determined in accordance with a fire safety risk assessment and in consultation with the fire authority or local authority as appropriate.

Specifically:

• Fire alarm systems must be tested weekly at pre-arranged times (but see paragraph

xxi) of this Code).

• A record of fire alarm testing and inspection must be maintained.

• At the beginning of their period of occupation students must be provided with information on fire safety and good practice. Advice on action to be taken in case of fire including fire containment procedures must be prominently displayed.

• Any fire extinguishing equipment provided must be properly maintained.

Escape routes

2.7 In order to ensure safe evacuation of properties in the event of fire, safe access and egress (means of escape) must be maintained – including corridors, landings, stairs and hallways. The means of fire escape – internal and external – must be maintained and be available at all times. The design and detail of systems in existing buildings will be determined in accordance with a fire safety risk assessment and in consultation with the fire authority or local authority as appropriate.

Safety systems including:

• Emergency lighting.

• Emergency secondary power supplies such as generators and battery back up systems.

• Fire door integrity including door closures.

• Automatic door release mechanisms.

• Emergency escape ironmongery such as push bars must be regularly tested in accordance with the appropriate British Standard.

2.8 Fire evacuation practices must be conducted at the beginning of each academic year in accordance with arrangements for particular buildings, fire detection systems and the local fire authority. A record must be maintained.

2.9 Once a student with a disability (including those with a temporary disability) is identified, the H/FEE must undertake an assessment and put in place any specific arrangements (e.g.personal evacuation plans) in case of fire or other emergency.

2B. Electricity and gas supplies

2.10 Except in the case of emergencies or essential maintenance, electricity and gas supplies and lighting must be maintained without interruption. Gas and electrical installations must be properly maintained and tested in accordance with statutory gas and electrical safety requirements and British Standards.

2.11 Where students need to operate controls for gas fired central heating, hot water systems, and / or fixed electrical room heaters or appliances, simple and precise instructions for their safe and efficient use must be available.

Gas Installations

2.12 All gas supplies, distribution pipe work and gas fired appliances must comply with the relevant gas safety regulations.

2.13 All gas appliances must have an annual gas safety check undertaken by a Gas Safe registered gas installer. A copy of the safety certificate must be available in accordance with the regulations.

Electrical Installations

2.14 All new electrical installations including fixed equipment must be installed and all existing installations maintained in accordance with the most recent version of the Institute of Electrical Engineers (IEE) Regulations.

2.15 All building electrical installations must be inspected and tested in accordance with statutory requirements, and the results recorded in an appropriate register.

Lighting

2.16 Lighting must be provided in accordance with the Chartered Institution of Building

Services Engineers (CIBSE) recommendations. In study bedrooms the recommended level of illumination may be achieved by the use of local task lighting.

Portable Appliance Testing (PAT)

2.17 All portable appliances supplied by an H/FEE, or used in the premises by H/FEE staff, must be inspected and maintained in accordance with an establishment‟s PAT policy.

Where arrangements exist for the testing of students‟ personal electrical equipment these should be set down in the PAT policy. The H/FEE must make students aware of the PAT policy, and any procedure for having students‟ personal electrical equipment tested.

2.18 There must be a procedure for dealing with any potentially dangerous personal electrical equipment. This might include labelling as unsafe, an instruction to remove, or in extreme cases (subject to the terms of the licence or tenancy), for example if there is a risk of fire or electrocution, removal to safe keeping or disabling. The students must be made aware of the procedure and the action implemented.

Water Supplies

2.19 All premises must be provided with hot and cold water to appropriately marked taps. Any cold water supply that is not drinkable should be clearly identified.

Waste water

2.20 All waste water must be removed via an appropriate trapped connection to the sewerage system.

Water Hygiene

2.21 Hot and cold water services must be installed, monitored and maintained in accordance with HSE and statutory public health requirements including Legionella testing.

2C Security

Building and room security

2.22 H/FEE managed accommodation must be securable against intrusion. All registered buildings must be subject to local security risk assessments,with particular attention being paid to access control, surveillance of site perimeter and securing ground and basement windows.

2.23 All main entrances and individual bedroom doors must be lockable, the main entrance door being accessible by all student tenants of the building and bedroom doors accessible only by the student occupant.

2.24 All basement, ground and first floor windows must be securable by the student in order to deter theft and intrusion in student bedrooms.

Staff

2.25 All members of staff (including contractors) must be readily identifiable whilst on the premises. There must be a record kept of staff accessing bedrooms in the absence of the student.

2.26 Staff must be subject to vetting / checks in accordance to the institution‟s policy formulated under the relevant legislation. Such policy to include reference to contractors.

2.27 The procedures regarding the issuing of keys/access cards [including the replacement of lost keys] must be clear and transparent and arrangements for access in the event of lost keys etc must be set out in the students' welcome pack or equivalent.. (see 5.6)

Emergency contacts/ procedures

2.28 Establishments must advise students of the procedure to follow in the event of an emergency e.g. bomb alert, summoning an ambulance, reporting a crime or suspicious behaviour.

CCTV

2.29 Wherever student residences are monitored by CCTV this must be advised in the foyer or on the external entrance to the building. Installation and operation must be in accordance with the relevant legislation.

2D Kitchen facilities, food storage, washing facilities, furnishing, and other matters

Kitchen facilities and cooking equipment

2.30 Where provided, all kitchen facilities must be maintained in good order and repair with all equipment supplied in good working order. Facilities for the preparation, cooking and storage of food must be appropriate to the number of students using the facilities in accordance with local authority published standards.

Users’ instructions must be available.

Food storage

2.31 Cold storage provision must be made available within self-catering properties.

Bathroom, toilet and shower areas

2.32 These areas must be provided with adequate ventilation and slip-resistant flooring. All sanitary ware must be in good working order and free from cracks and breaks. All toilets must be provided with fitted toilet seat. Shower curtains or screens must be provided as appropriate.

Furnishing Quality

2.33 Décor and furnishings should be provided and maintained in reasonable condition. All furnishings provided must conform to the relevant regulations.

2.34 All bedrooms must be fitted as a minimum with bed, mattress, worktop or study desk, chair, curtains/blind, drawers/shelving, wardrobe and waste receptacle.

Post and Mail

2.35 The H/FEE must put in place suitable arrangements for the receipt and distribution of student mail. The arrangements should be set out in the students’ welcome pack or similar induction material. Distribution and collection details should be made available.

Students should be advised of any arrangements for forwarding or redirecting mail after the end of the tenancy/license period.

3. Repair and Maintenance management

Approved contractors

3.1 Where an H/FEE is directly responsible for repairs and maintenance these must be carried out by appropriately identified H/FEE employed staff or external approved contractors.

Fault / Defect notification and rectification

3.2 The H/FEE must provide students with information on how to report a defect or fault, including out of office hours procedure and expected response times from the service provider.

3.3 The information should set down response times in the published categories – the usual terminology will be: emergency, urgent and non urgent. If response times are different for different locations this should be made clear. Students should be kept informed of progress in rectifying any reported defect and in particular any delay in meeting defined response times e.g. if an initial visit is diagnostic or if batching of works occurs.

3.4 Where repairs or maintenance work is necessary due to damage caused by residents or their guests, the residents should be notified of the total costs and charges for the repair as soon as practicably possible.

Planned Maintenance

3.5 All maintenance works should be undertaken so as to minimise inconvenience to residents. This will not always be possible with unplanned (reactive) maintenance. For planned maintenance 7 days notice should normally be given to residents; endeavours should be made to avoid sensitive periods such as examinations. For urgent work the minimum notice should be 24 hours unless an emergency requires immediate action.

Grounds maintenance

3.6 All planting and fences around residences should be maintained to minimise opportunities for concealment of intruders. Principal pathways and car parks must be hard paved (or have another suitable surface) and must be illuminated appropriately for the environment.

3.7 Grounds should be cleared of rubbish and litter on a regular basis and kept tidy.

Students should be encouraged to avoid causing, or adding to, litter. Particular care should be taken to provide adequate and appropriately located cigarette disposal bins.

Snow and ice clearance policies

3.8 Policies on snow and ice clearance should specify expected clearance times and should be displayed in a communal area and/or on the appropriate web site where residences are part of a campus environment. Residences in urban areas should display advice regarding the Local Authority's responsibilities.

6. Health and Wellbeing

6.1 H/FEEs must provide information to students in respect of its provision of welfare support, financial advice and counselling services, particularly to the provision of accommodation. The information provided must also include reference to services provided by the students‟ union.

6.2 H/FEEs must ensure that residents have information on and access to out of hours emergency support including contact details and procedures to follow.

6.3 H/FEEs must encourage registration with the local health service or a local GP or, where these exist, with their own medical services.

7. Anti Social Behaviour and Disciplinary Procedures

7.1 The H/FEE must demonstrate procedures to minimise and, deal with, any anti-social behaviour by tenants or their visitors.

Conduct & behaviour

7.2 The H/FEE should encourage residents to act in a fit and proper manner at all times, treat both the property and neighbours - fellow students, staff and members of the local community – with due respect, regard and consideration.

7 The term anti social behaviour is used here in a general and not a specific statutory sense.

7.3 The H/FEE must make residents aware of the H/FEE‟s code of behaviour and disciplinary procedures, and how it deals with any inappropriate conduct or behaviour.