I have a Regional Health and Safety officer visiting the unit in a month or so. Last night I spent an hour or so at the unit, looking over all of the ACP 5, Fire Safety, and other stuff that will be checked on the night. In my Fire Safety Plan, I’m referred to as the building manager, but, whilst there is a whole raft of things we’re meant to check, I have no power to sort it out if it goes wrong.
Legally speaking, does anyone know how accountable we are if something goes wrong?
As an example, my building has suffered from a small amount of subsidence. The surveyor said it was fine for the moment, but if it got worse, than I should call him back. As the building manager, I seem to be the person responsible for looking after the building fabric.
I’m no civil engineer, so worse could mean anything from the crack growing a mm in a year, to the roof caving in.
I’ve not got any civil engineering qualifications, not signed any contract with RFCA, receive any pay for my building inspecting work, nor been given directions how to carry out monitoring. If the wall fell onto a cadet, who would be legally at fault?
For what it’s worth, I’m a mechanical engineer by trade, so don’t ordinarily deal with structures, but have some experience in that arena (the RFCA surveyor didn’t know that when he asked me to monitor the subsidence). If I had any doubt at all, then I would shut the Sqn.