Important Safety Checks

• Why is the Annual Gas Service so important?
• What Electrical safety checks are carried out?
• Do you have Emergency Lighting?
• Are Fire Alarms & Smoke Detectors tested?
• Are the Lifts serviced?
• What is Water Chlorination?
• What is Asbestos?
• What can you do to keep your home safe?

Under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, landlords have to ensure that the electrical systems in their properties are safe to use.  Legislation also requires that electrical installations are maintained in a safe condition throughout your tenancy. “Johnnie” Johnson Housing carries out electrical checks as a standard practice when someone moves out of one of our properties, so that the next person moving in can be sure that all electrical installations are safe.

We also carry out other electrical safety checks – Portable Appliance Tests and Fixed Wire Tests.

Portable Appliance Tests

Any electrical appliances supplied by us as part of your tenancy (including electrical items in communal areas) are checked by qualified professional contractors every 12 months, with the exception of  cookers which are checked for safety under the Fixed Wire Test.

For your safety, it is very important that these tests are carried out. If your home contains any portable electrical appliance provided and maintained by the Trust, we will require access in order to carryout the tests.

Fixed Wire Tests (Periodic Inspections)

We carry out Fixed Wire Tests on a routine basis. Fixed Wire Tests are electrical checks to ensure the electrical wiring throughout our buildings is safe.

Fixed Wire Tests are carried out every 10 years for individual domestic properties. For retirement and special needs properties, the tests are carried out every 5 years.

The approved contractor carrying out a periodic inspection will check the electrical installation against the current British standard BS 7671 and will report any necessary repairs to us for action.

As part of your tenancy agreement, you must allow JJHT contractors access to your property to carry out these essential electrical checks.

Never attempt to carry out any electrical alterations to the property, without first seeking the permission of “Johnnie” Johnson Housing.

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Emergency lighting is a safety feature that is installed throughout our retirement and special needs schemes. It is used to provide light in an emergency if the normal lighting fails.

For the emergency lighting to be effective, it needs to be sufficiently bright, illuminated for a sufficient length of time and the light sources so positioned, that the building occupants can be evacuated safely in an emergency. 

For your safety, our approved contractor inspects and tests our emergency lighting systems every 6 months and reports back with any recommendations for future safety.

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Where there are buildings in multiple occupation (for example our retirement schemes and blocks of flats), we have a legal duty to ensure that adequate fire safety precautions are in place.

In order to ensure the long-term reliability of our fire detection systems, we regularly carry out inspections of all our fire alarms and hardwired smoke detectors on a regular basis. There are various tests stipulated by the British Standards Institution and “Johnnie” Johnson Housing strives to comply with these standards.

Weekly testing is performed, manual call points (break glass panels) are checked to test the control panel is operating correctly and to make sure the “alarm receiving centre” is alerted.

Period inspections are carried out every quarter by an approved contractor.  These inspections are more rigorous, inspecting individual fire alarm devices and batteries, as well as the control panel, sounders and electrics. 

We also have a programme to upgrade fire alarm systems on a cyclical basis, to ensure that our essential systems are up-to-date and meet all current legislative standards.

Smoke detectors are provided in most of our individual domestic properties – either battery powered or connected to the mains with battery-backup.  If your smoke detector is battery powered, we recommend that you test the sounder monthly and replace the batteries on an annual basis.  (For any new tenants, the smoke detector will have been tested by us to ensure that it is working correctly before you move in).

Fire alarm systems are crucial to your safety. Never disconnect fire detectors or obstruct the sensors.

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We aim to provide suitable and functioning lifts at many of our developments to enable less mobile tenants and visitors to reach properties above the ground floor.

We are kept informed of current legislation by our approved lift servicing contractors and comply fully with current standards.

• Every lift has a comprehensive file available for inspection, which details information about faults and service visits
• Lifts are inspected by our approved lift servicing contractor on a monthly basis and any recommendations are reported back to us
• Lifts are inspected by our insurers twice yearly and any recommendations are implemented immediately
• Repairs to lifts are classified as “emergency” and, where possible, are carried out on the same day as the fault is reported
• We are committed to improving our facilities and we have a programme to upgrade lifts in line with current legislative standards

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Over recent years there has been government and public concern about the safety of our water systems and legislation is in place to ensure that water systems meet current safety standards.

“Johnnie” Johnson Housing carries out routine inspections of all water tanks and water pipes in our properties to makes sure that they are safe and free from contamination. We also commission specialist reports to assess the risk of our water systems and to carry out any necessary repairs.

We employ a contractor ( Wells Water Treatment Services Ltd) to carry out risk assessments and report any safety requirements or recommendations directly to us, so that we can take immediate action.

For your protection and safety we:

• Train all our Scheme Managers on water safety issues
• Routinely use chlorine to disinfect water and make it safe for consumption
• Check hot water storage tanks to ensure water is held at 50?C - 60?C so that bacteria cannot multiply
• Check cold water storage tanks to ensure the distribution temperature is not exceeding 20?C, so bacteria cannot multiply
• Flush out, on a weekly basis, any water outlets that are not frequently used
• Recommend that showerheads be dismantled and cleaned every 3 months

Individual domestic properties are considered to be low risk. However, we strive to check all our water systems, as often as we can, to ensure they are free from contamination and meet the legislative guidelines.

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