City Home Renovations and Chapter 8 Compliance
Undertaking any renovations in major cities like London creates a list of additional safety considerations which must be taken before work begins. This can cause a real headache for ambitious home renovators and project managers, who want to get everything moving quickly and efficiently.
However, by having a thorough understanding of the rules and regulations that surround home renovation projects on busy streets, you will be able to quickly know when additional considerations and measures need to be taken. Ultimately saving you a lot of time, confusion and even potential legal issues in the long run.
What is Chapter 8?
To state it simply, Chapter 8 is a section of the Traffic Signs Manual, published in 2009 by the Ministry of Transport. This section highlights best practices when it comes to traffic safety measures concerning temporary situations.
The section is broken into three separate sections:
- Design of signs and safety measures
- Where to place signs and how to place them appropriately
- Additional updated guidance on part one and part two per The Traffic Signs Regulation and General Direction 2016.
When does it apply?
Chapter 8 was written to provide a guide of best practices and is widely considered as the minimum standard required to ensure the safety of workers and road users during temporary situations. This of course widely applies to businesses that have their employees working on the street such as communications providers and highway maintenance.
However, Chapter 8 also applies to home renovation projects. This is especially true where works are or have the potential to involve public highways, public pavements or any sites near these spaces. In this case, it is worth being aware of the recommendations made in Chapter 8 and applying them wherever necessary.
Common issues and concerns
A common issue with understanding the applicability of Chapter 8 is the fact that it is not legislation in itself. This can mean that occasionally businesses and very often home renovators believe that the guidance does not apply to them or that there will be no legal issues with not following it.
However, the recommendations laid out are intended to help businesses and home renovators to comply with the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and Safety at Work (NI) Order 1978. Therefore helping protect you from legal repercussions associated with non-compliance in these cases.
How do I comply with Chapter 8?
How an individual or business should comply with Chapter 8 depends widely on the situation in which they undertaking work. For example, for those who regularly undertake temporary work such as communication engineers, there is guidance around how their vehicle should be made visible.
When it comes to home renovation the most applicable content of Chapter 8 is likely to be that which focuses on clearly defining the area of work and potential danger. This is usually done via the application of Chapter 8 compliant safety barriers. The details of which are laid out specifically in Part 1, section D3.10, and Part 2, Section O4.11.
Complying to Chapter 8 can seem like a hassle for ambitious home renovators. However, by following the guidelines highlighted in the guide it can save a huge amount of time and potential legal costs should an issue arise. Even for experienced home renovators, it can be worth working with a professional business to ensure that all relevant compliance is considered and met.
