Posted By Pamela Hamer Could somebody please give me a starting point..... I am employed as a Health & Safety Advisor and a client has requested a method statement including the following: disconnection and reconnection of gas cookers, to enable flooring to be installed in residential properties. Any help will be apreciated. Thank You Pamela

Posted By Martin Taylor Pamela I would be careful with this one. You do not want to end up carrying the can for work that you may not be expert or competant in dealing with. It sounds to me as an area where other people see responsibility for safe systems fo work and method statements as the sole remit of the H and S professional. In cases of installing and refitting gas appliances I would expect the best people to prepare the method statement would be the experts carrying out the works. Two key things come to my mind:- 1) work of this nature must be doen by CORGI registered people who understand the correct and safe means of working 2) this type of work although similar will not be identical in all cases so a generic method statement would need to be extended to suit each job. I would suggest that your role would be to provide a broad outline of the method statement - identifying the key requirements (after discussions with the people likely to do the job and then require that specific jobs be done under method statements suitably revised by the competent person on the job. hope this helps Martin ps don't forget the need for a risk assessment email me directly if you would like any further information or advice

Posted By Stuart Nagle Pamela. May I suggest the following; The basic work statement will include access and egress and safe working conditions in the homes (presumed) of the customers. these need to be identified (flats, maisonettes, houses, etc) and the access and egress to/from the site of the work assessed, including of course manual handling etc in removal of the gas appliances etc. In addition to this gas disconnection and reconnection is required, which is a skilled and registered trade occupation (CORGI). your 'client' must have, I would presume, contractors or specialists they would/will employ for this work. It is they (the contractors) who should be supplying your client (and yourself if you are their H&S support) with safety method statements for the work (and of course risk assesments), for your client (and yourself?) to scrutinise and then discuss and/or amend if necessary with the contractors, taking all other relevant safety precautions into account for the overall works. Basic risk assessment for the overall works would be the client requirements, taking into account all the perameters of the works and the competence (i.e. GORGI registration for gas fitters) into account. If your client is in the housing management or housing construction sector, I expect they have a select list of contractors who would be invited to undertake this work, who should be pre-qualified, i.e. have already satisfied the client of their ability and competence to undertake such works. I suggest you contact your client and seek additional information first before proceding further, by doing so you may save yourself a lot of work and browbeating. Regards... Stuart