The private rental property market supports many different professions, skills and disciplines. Most of these are administrative and office-bound. But because this sector is ultimately about bricks and mortar there is inevitably a very hands-on physical side to the lettings process. This means that for those traders that work in the property, there is always the potential for danger or risk whilst on site. So what are Dynamic Risk Assessments, why are they important and when should you apply them?
The Inventory Professional
Everyone is familiar with the varying and crucial roles filled by building and maintenance companies, the activities of which are regulated and protected by legislation as well as industry bodies.
The inventory professional is a rather different character.
Their duties and responsibilities are not prescribed in law, no obligatory codes guard their safety. And yet inventory professionals or clerks as they are more widely known, play a vital role in the rental industry. They are expected to carry out complicated tasks in frequently inhospitable, awkward or even, in some circumstances, dangerous conditions.
For this reason, it should be a matter of routine that a dynamic risk assessment is conducted before any property report or inspection which might be in any way problematic.
What is a Dynamic Risk Assessment?
An ordinary, formal risk assessment is a process of examining the physical environment in which work is to be carried out in order to identify potential dangers. A building site is a prime example.
In many circumstances, the assessment might also extend to the risks posed by people – in a maximum-security prison for example. Such assessments follow a prepared format, completed and then regularly monitored by managers or appointed individuals.
A dynamic risk assessment is based on the same principles as a formal one but differs in one significant aspect: it is concerned with the ever changing conditions on site.
Even when a formal assessment deems an environment safe, it cannot account for sudden, unexpected developments which might increase existing risks or create new ones.
A Dynamic risk assessment is a process of continually identifying, observing and evaluating hazards, mostly out in the field and treating each situation as fluid, changeable and potentially volatile.
When should I consider a Dynamic Risk Assessment?
Dynamic risk assessments could almost have been invented for inventory clerks.
It’s a job they perform almost always alone and never in the same environment from one day to the next. Many other jobs involve visiting people’s homes – meter readers, for example – but it is only the inventory clerk who is obliged to spend more time in or tour the entire property, inspecting in minute detail.
Imagine for a moment a typical scenario.
The clerk has been asked to perform an interim property inspection or interim report as the tenancy continues in its life lifecycle. They arrive at the property equipped with the usual tools, including a smartphone or tablet loaded with their Inventory Base software.
The tenant is at home and although not thrilled at the prospect of the inspection, admits the clerk.
There are now two classes of risk to consider:
- the ones posed by dangerous structures and fittings at the property
- those which come from the tenants themselves
An inventory clerk needs to be conscious of issues including bare wiring, loose bannisters, unsafe shelving, unstable furniture, flooring that may cause them to trip and or any number of risks to the person from the property itself.
However conscientious they might be, clerks should never put themselves in what they reasonably see as a dangerous position by attempting to inspect a poorly lit room, where an unstable wardrobe might fall on them or test light sockets or electrical items which can give them an electric shock.
Every inventory clerk has stories of encountering some type of hazard or unpleasantness at the property or during a report – usually in bathrooms and kitchens – but often these are not the same as risk.
The kind of dangers we’re talking about cannot always be prepared for, they can only be assessed at the time, on the spot, as they happen. This includes the potentially more pressing and more likely reason to conduct a dynamic risk assessment, the changing temperament or behaviour of the tenants.
Protecting yourself
Clerks should always remain observant and be attuned to the signs of mood changes. Inspecting someone’s home can, by itself, seem like a provocative act if the tenant is feeling vulnerable, worried or angry for any reason. Resentment of the landlord or any other party might be wrongly directed at the clerk, this happens more than you might think especially if tenants think the clerk is a member of an agency rather than an independent contractor.
Most of the time it’s possible to carry out the report with limited interaction but there will be times when you’ll have to seek clarification of an issue from the tenant. It is therefore vital to be aware of your surroundings and to read their body language including picking up on any changes to their tone of voice, body language or overall demeanour.
One way to mitigate some of the risk is to have an understanding of how the tenancy has been going before you arrive at the property door. It is helpful to know in advance anything about the tenant that is salient.
Have they any history of alterations with the landlord, agent or indeed violence for example? So ask the agent or landlord when booking the workstream. There’s no reason to take this on its own as a risk, but it is a factor to bear in mind.
Any indication that the tenant might have been drinking or taking any kind of drug taking especially if it involves mind-altering substance (spice) should ring alarm bells, because unpredictable or irrational behaviour can be prompted or exacerbated if the conversation is misinterpreted or the tenant feels irrational and or unsafe in your presence.
It is at this point that you need to decide (and quickly) whether you feel threatened or whether what may be a frosty situation has the potential to turn aggressive.
Always make sure that as you enter a property, especially one you have never visited before, that you know how to get out quickly. Seek an exit route apart from the front door and always be prepared. In the most extreme cases, consider the availability of anything you could use to defend yourself. But be careful, any physical response to a situation should always be measured and only be enough to allow you to exit the property safely and no more.
The Government and Police determine any self defense, or defense of others or property, must be proportional, and must fulfill the criteria of ‘reasonable force’.
Dynamic Risk Assessments
To carry out a dynamic risk assessment, an inventory professional should:Identify the risk – spot or see and acknowledge the risk and it’s source.
This could be as simple as an uneven floor, builders in the property with tools and cabling on the floor – trip hazard. Or cleaners washing carpets and wooden flooring – slip hazard. Or, as is relevant now – the workers in the property are not socially distancing and not wearing masks. Identifying the risk quickly or dynamically is important as it provides the material and the time to make a judgement on how you should manage the situation.
Assess the risk – measure and evaluate the situation as it is developing.
Decide whether the risk is so large that they require your immediate removal from the property or can be managed by working in other rooms or areas of the property whilst the cleaners continue to carry out their work. As yourself, is the risk large enough to warrant any further consideration or your immediate action? How big is the risk if you continue to work in the property rather than leave?
Consider the tools you have available to mitigate the risk – what can you do to safely continue the report or inspection?
Is it safe to carry on and what can you or the builders or cleaners in the property do to mitigate the risk? For example; wear masks, remove tools that are not needed or wipe down floors to rescue the risk of slipping.
Identify the risk – spot or see and acknowledge the risk and it’s source.
This could be as simple as an uneven floor, builders in the property with tools and cabling on the floor – trip hazard. Or cleaners washing carpets and wooden flooring – slip hazard. Or, as is relevant now – the workers in the property are not socially distancing and not wearing masks. Identifying the risk quickly or dynamically is important as it provides the material and the time to make a judgement on how you should manage the situation.
Assess the risk – measure and evaluate the situation as it is developing.
Decide whether the risk is so large that they require your immediate removal from the property or can be managed by working in other rooms or areas of the property whilst the cleaners continue to carry out their work. As yourself, is the risk large enough to warrant any further consideration or your immediate action? How big is the risk if you continue to work in the property rather than leave?
Consider the tools you have available to mitigate the risk – what can you do to safely continue the report or inspection?
Is it safe to carry on and what can you or the builders or cleaners in the property do to mitigate the risk? For example; wear masks, remove tools that are not needed or wipe down floors to rescue the risk of slipping.
If the dynamic risk assessment you or your staff member or clerks has carried out has found risk, and they have the means necessary to reduce that risk to safe levels, they should do so.
Utilising other tools to further reduce the risk could include calling the managing agent or landlord for clarity on when the work will be complete, to ask them to insist on masks in the property or for further guidance and or requesting additional equipment such as disposable masks.
Safety first – Dynamic Risk Assessments are important
At Inventory Base, we are proud to be part of the rental industry and we work constantly to improve the resources we provide to inventory clerks and reporting professionals.
Our property inventory software is used extensively all over the UK, but it is only one key aspect of our service so we strive to offer advice and guidance wherever we can.
And while we have no wish to alarm anyone about the chances of physical injury in what can be an immensely rewarding job, our experience compels us to recommend the value of dynamic risk assessments.
Be mindful of your surroundings, recognise faulty infrastructure, anticipate confrontation and always be prepared to defuse or remove yourself from escalating situations.
Safety is paramount; don’t put yours at risk. Always carry out a dynamic risk assessment.