Health & Safety Guidance Notes : Residential Mobile Homes Sites

The main hazards associated with Residential Homes Sites (The list is not exhaustive) include:

1. Electrical:
   • All equipment should be installed and maintained by a competent person.  It is recommended  (IEE Wiring Regs. BS7671) that fixed electrical installations up to the connection point should be inspected every year or such longer period (not exceeding 3 years) as recommended by a qualified electrician and that all electrical appliances are examined/checked  ("PAT" Tested) at a frequency appropriate to the risk.  Regular maintenance should include visual checks for general wear and tear ensuring that plugs, leads and sockets are in good condition and that there is no exposed wiring.  Any corrective actions must be carried out immediately.  Where sites rent holiday homes all electrical appliances within the homes/vans should be checked regularly by a qualified electrician.
   • For further information see HSE online publication: www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg231.pdf
   • wherever possible the supplies to the hook-ups should be by means of underground cables.  These cables should be installed outside the area of the pitch to ensure that pegs used for securing awnings etc do not damage them.  If overhead supplies are used they must be at least 2 metres outside the area of each pitch and mounted at least 3.5 metres high or 6 metres where vehicle movements are possible.  There must be at least one supply socket for each pitch (positioned between 0.8 - 1.5 metres high).  The current rating must be at least 16A of the splash proof type to IPX4.  Each socket must have its own individual over current protection in the form of a fuse or circuit breaker.  All sockets must be protected by an RCD with 30mA rating, either individually or in groups, which must consist of no more than three sockets.
2. LPG Installations:
   • LPG (propane or butane) is a colourless liquid, which readily evaporates into a gas.  It has no smell, although it will normally have an odour added to help detect leaks.  When mixed with air, the gas can burn or explode when it meets a source of ignition.
   • Information on the safe use and storage of LPG in cylinders and small bulk installations is published online at: www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/chis4.pdf & www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/chis5.pdf.
   • Further guidance on arrangements for storage and display of LPG containers can be found in the Liquefied Petroleum Association's (LPGA) Code of Practice CoP7 (Storage of full and empty LPG cylinders and cartridges) - LPGA, Pavilion 16, Headlands Business Park, Salisbury Road, Ringwood, Hampshire BH24 3BP Tel. No. 01425 461612
3. Gas appliance safety:
   • Gas appliances must be maintained in a safe condition.  Effective routine maintenance should involve a programme of regular and periodic examination and where necessary remedial action and checked for safety at intervals not more than twelve months from the last safety check/date of installation.  A registered CORGI gas installer must carry out installation, maintenance and safety checks.
4. Roads, gateways and footpaths:
   • Roads and footpaths should be suitably lit and emergency vehicle routes should, at all times, be kept clear of obstructions.
5. Water temperatures & Legionella control:
   • Where there are communal washing facilities arrangements should be made to prevent the risk of infection from legionella bacteria.  One way to minimise the growth of legionella is to store hot water above 60C and distributed it at above 50C.  However, care is needed where water runs hot.  The risks of scalding should be assessed and appropriate measures taken to prevent burns, e.g. warning notices and thermostatic mixing valves on taps.  Water systems should be designed to avoid conditions that favour the growth of legionella by ensuring adequate insulation of storage tanks and pipes, using materials that do not encourage growth of legionella and protecting against contamination by fitting tanks with lids.  Water systems need to be routinely checked and inspected by a competent person and the risk assessment should be reviewed regularly.  Water stagnation can encourage conditions that favour growth of legionella.  It is therefore advisable to remove dead runs in pipe work from the system, flush out seldom used shower heads, taps and remaining dead legs periodically (weekly), and to remove any dirt or limescale.
6. Fire:
   • Fire points should be established so that no caravan/building is more than 30 metres away.  It should be a weatherproof structure easily accessible and marked "FIRE POINT." Where fire extinguishers are provided in place of standpipes or water tanks/buckets the extinguishers are to be of the water type (2 x 9 litre).
   • There should be a means to raise the alarm at each fire point.  All alarm and fire fighting equipment should be installed, tested annually and maintained in working order by a competent person.
7. Hazardous substances:
   • Proper arrangements should be made for the use and safe storage of substances that have the potential to cause personal harm, especially to young children e.g. cleaning chemicals, pesticides and herbicides.
8. Main legislative requirements:
   • The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
   • The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
   • The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH).

Guidance notes - printable version