VDIS10011 Restoration Interiors 2 Lecture 2: OH&S for Heritage Buildings

VDIS10011 Restoration Interiors 2
Lecture 2:
OH&S for Heritage Buildings
Ramona Solomon

Workplace Health and Safety for Heritage Buildings
Incorpora(ng
the
requirements
of
current
Occupa(onal
Health
and
Safety

legisla(ve
requirements
with
a
heritage
building
can
be
challenging
to
say

the
least,
as
such
buildings
were
constructed
at
a
(me
when
persons
were

expected
to
assume
their
own
risk
and,
as
such,
were
more
likely
to
avoid

hazards.

Although
it
is
s(ll
a
requirement
for
a
person
to
avoid
hazards,
it
is
no

longer
acceptable
as
the
only
form
of
risk
control.
Current
Occupa(onal

Health
and
Safety
legisla(on
requires
people
who
carry
out
ac(vi(es

involving
heritage
buildings
to
ac(vely
manage
health
and
safety
risks
from

the
design
stage
throughout
the
life
cycle
of
the
building
to
the
end
user.


In
general,
building
codes
and
regula(ons
are
for
the
construc(on
of
new

buildings
and
structures,
they
are
also
applied
to
exis(ng
buildings
when
they

are
subject
to
significant
renova(on
or
a
change
in
use.

Building
codes
and
regula(ons
mainly
focus
on
safety
and
health
in
the
areas
of

fire,
structural
failure,
indoor
air
quality
and
hygiene,
and
not
necessarily
within

the
tradi(onal
realms
of
Occupa(onal
Health
and
Safety.
Building
regula(ons

play
an
important
role
in
protec(ng
the
community
from
catastrophic
losses

with
requirements
to
mi(gate
losses
resul(ng
from
fire,
structural
collapse
and

natural
hazards.
They
also
address
issues
associated
to
the
protec(on
of
human

rights
such
as
access
to
buildings
for
persons
with
physical
disabili(es.

The
eight-‐storey
commercial
building
that
collapsed
in
Bangladesh
on
April
24

highlights
the
importance
of
Building
codes
and
regula(ons.
These,
however,
do

not
necessarily
aim
at
mi(ga(ng
losses
or
harm
from
end
user
hazards

(occupa(onal),
but
direct
the
majority
of
their
intent
at
the
mi(ga(on
of
a
major

hazard
(the
one-‐off
catastrophic).


Clients,
developers,
building
owners,
occupiers,
design
professionals

such
as
architects,
engineers,
industrial
designers,
health
and
safety

professionals,
construc(on
workers
and
users
all
have
a
role
in
the

iden(fica(on
and
control
of
the
exis(ng
latent
hazards.
A
safe
work

environment
and
effec(ve
safety
outcomes
do
not
happen
by
chance
or

by
guesswork
planning
but
through
the
effec(ve
coordina(on
of
all
the

relevant
stakeholders.

Each
stakeholder
must
ensure
they
are
aware
which
of
their
ac(vi(es

are
likely
to
harm
people.
It
is
important
to
understand
what
could
go

wrong,
what
the
consequences
could
be
and
to
inform
those
that
could

be
impacted.


Risks
associated
with
heritage
buildings
should
be
iden(fied
and
addressed

following
a
systema(c
process
including:

•  Iden(fying
hazards
–
what
could
cause
harm?

•  Assessing
risks
–
how
serious
the
harm
could
be
and
the
likelihood
of
it

happening?

•  Controlling
risks
–
implement
an
effec(ve
control
measure
that
is
reasonably

prac(cable

•  Reviewing
control
measures
to
ensure
they
are
working
as
planned.

This
process
should
be
documented
and
shared
between
the
stakeholders
as

informa(on
transfer
is
key
in
the
effec(ve
management
of
risk.


Areas
that
pose
high
risk
to
all
users
include:

•  Exi(ng
base
building
electrical
wiring

•  Walk
ways
and
stair
cases

•  Indoor
air
quality

•  Use
of
hazardous
material
(asbestos,
PCBs,
Lead
Paint
etc)

•  Manual
handling
and
ergonomics

•  Fire

•  Structural
failure

The
objec(ve
is
to
achieve
a
maximal
level
of
protec(on
for
the
health
and

safety
of
the
building
occupants
while
minimising
the
impact
on
the
heritage

signiﬁcance
of
any
given
building.


There
will
be
no
one
solu(on
to
a
problem.
Different
buildings
will
have

varying
levels
and
items
of
heritage
significance
and
exist
within
different

seZngs
and
environments,
and
there
may
well
be
a
range
of
possible

solu(ons.
Each
case
will
need
to
be
assessed
on
its
own
merits
and
the
most

prac(cable
set
of
solu(ons
found.

Very
lile
aen(on
is
given
to
this
issue
in
the
literature
readily
available

regarding
refurbishment
of
buildings
of
heritage
significance.
A
mul(tude
of

publica(ons
and
guidelines
in
preserving
heritage
buildings,
or
modifica(ons

in
this
area
which
address
environmental
sustainability
and
access
for

people
with
disabili(es,
however
scant
considera(on
to
Occupa(onal
Health

and
Safety
is
generally
offered.

1 .
Retain the original character of the house. This means
preserving its original appearance and interior
features.
It’s best not to remove or rearrange doors and windows
unless it is absolutely necessary. Work with what is
available.
Use design skills to disguise any features that may have
proportion or placement problems. Only when the design
or requirement of the building’s new use dictates
changes should doors, windows and interior features be
replaced or removed.
Guidelines for restorers and renovators
when dealing with Heritage buildings.

2 .
Don't 'over-restore'. Make sure the house still looks
like an old building after you've finished the job.
Some restored houses look like new buildings.

3 .
For major external and internal work stick to materials
that were used when your house was built.
This rules out modern building materials such as
concrete blocks, metal-framed windows and so on. Some
unobtrusive use of modern materials, such as laminates
in the kitchen, is often necessary.

4 .
Details are important.
This includes the type of decorative glass, moldings on
doors, hardware, light fittings and so forth. To explain
the reference to glass, you don't introduce leadlight
into a building which has never been fitted with it.

5 .
Understand and respect as far as possible the original
uses of rooms.
Sometimes changes are necessary but try not to alter the
interior so completely that all trace of the original
interior plan is lost.

6 .
Some houses were never meant to have en-suite bathrooms.
Introducing an en-suite to a small house or cottage may
cause serious damage to the original character of the
building.

7 .
Old houses really come to life when painted in
fashionable colours of the period and in the manner of
the period.
Stick to colours and colour schemes that are known to
have been used on houses of your period.

8 .
Floors are best finished in the manner of the period in
which your house was built.
Avoid too much use of the floor-sander, perhaps limiting
it to kitchens and lesser rooms. Modern polyurethane
finishes should be avoided. Use finishes such as japan
and tung-oil.

9 .
Fences are very important in enhancing the overall
appearance of your property.
Look at genuine old fences; observe the way they are
designed and constructed and give your contractor
detailed, preferably written and/or drawn, instructions
on your requirements.

10 .
Garden design and plantings, especially in the front
garden, will best complement your work on the building
if you keep it in period with the house.
Use plants and garden layouts of the time. Look at
original gardens to understand the type of surface used
on paths and driveways.

11 .
Additions and alterations should be in the manner and
materials of the period in which your house was built.
Extra living space is often best obtained by rear
extensions. Hilly terrain often makes it possible to fit
new rooms underneath, at the rear of the house, by
excavating.
Avoid jacking-up timber cottages on level blocks because
the result is often most unfortunate.

VDIS10011 Restoration Interiors 2 Lecture 2: OH&S for Heritage Buildings

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VDIS10011 Restoration Interiors 2 Lecture 2: OH&S for Heritage Buildings