Safety Latches Explained
Safety latches are MaintenanceOS's core safety mechanism. They automatically detect high-risk repairs and prevent them from being assigned to contractors until a designated safety officer reviews them.
What Is a Safety Latch?
A safety latch is an automatic hold placed on a repair when specific danger conditions are detected. It cannot be bypassed by managers or contractors — only a Safety Officer or Admin can clear it.
Default Safety Rules
MaintenanceOS ships with these non-configurable safety rules:
1. Gas & Carbon Monoxide
Triggers on: Keywords "gas smell", "carbon monoxide", "CO alarm", "boiler leaking gas", "gas leak"
Action: Immediate Safety Hold + SMS to all Admins + Safety Officer
Regulation: Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998
2. No Heating in Winter
Triggers on: Category "Heating & Hot Water" + date between 1 Oct – 31 Mar + tenant vulnerability flag
Action: Safety Hold (Urgent priority) + notification to Manager + Safety Officer
Target: On site within 4 hours
Regulation: Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018
3. Water Near Electrics
Triggers on: Category "Plumbing" + keywords "electrical", "socket", "light fitting", "consumer unit", "fuse board"
Action: Safety Hold + immediate escalation
Regulation: Electricity at Work Regulations 1989
4. Structural Instability
Triggers on: Category "Structural" + keywords "crack", "bulge", "leaning", "subsidence", "collapse"
Action: Safety Hold + immediate escalation
Regulation: Building Regulations 2010, Part A
5. Fire Safety Equipment
Triggers on: Category "Fire Safety" + keywords "fire alarm", "extinguisher", "fire door", "emergency lighting", "smoke detector"
Action: Safety Hold (24-hour SLA)
Regulation: Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
6. Asbestos Disturbance
Triggers on: Keywords "asbestos", "artex", "pipe lagging", "ceiling tiles" + category "Structural" or "Plumbing"
Action: Safety Hold + specialist contractor required
Regulation: Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012
7. Legionella Risk
Triggers on: Category "Plumbing" + keywords "stagnant", "dead leg", "cold water tank", "shower not used"
Action: Safety Hold + risk assessment required
Regulation: ACOP L8, HSG274
How the Safety Latch Flow Works
```
1. Repair Reported
↓
2. Auto-Triage (keywords + category + property flags)
↓
3. Safety Rule Match? → YES → SAFETY HOLD
↓ ↓
NO Safety Officer Notified
↓ ↓
4. Normal Priority Safety Officer Reviews
↓ ↓
5. Assign Contractor Clear Hold OR Escalate
↓ ↓
6. Continue Normal Flow If Escalated → Specialist Required
```
Safety Officer Role
Who can be a Safety Officer: Any Admin or Manager with the "Safety Officer" permission enabled.
Responsibilities:
- • Review Safety Hold repairs within 30 minutes (emergency) or 2 hours (urgent)
- • Verify contractor has correct certifications (Gas Safe, NICEIC, etc.)
- • Authorise emergency spend limits
- • Document decision rationale (audit requirement)
Clearing a hold:
1. Open repair → Safety Hold banner → "Review"
2. Confirm contractor certifications match risk
3. Add mandatory note: "Cleared: [reason], contractor [name] certified for [trade]"
4. Click "Clear Hold" → Repair moves to Assigned
What Happens If No Safety Officer Is Available?
- • After 30 minutes (emergency) or 2 hours (urgent), escalates to all Admins
- • After 1 hour (emergency) or 4 hours (urgent), sends SMS to all Admins
- • Repair remains in Safety Hold until cleared — never auto-clears
Custom Safety Rules (Admin Only)
Admins can add additional rules (cannot remove defaults):
- • Property-specific risks (e.g., known RAAC concrete)
- • Tenant-specific vulnerabilities
- • Seasonal risks (e.g., frozen pipes alert)
Custom rules follow the same clearance process.
Audit & Compliance
Every Safety Hold creates an immutable record:
- • Triggered rule
- • Timestamp
- • Safety Officer who cleared
- • Clearance note
- • Contractor assigned post-clearance
Export at Reports → Safety Latch Audit for regulator requests.
Testing Safety Latches
Use the "Test Safety Latch" tool at Settings → Safety → Test Rules. Enter a test description and see which rules would trigger.
Next Steps
- • Configuring Safety Officers
- • Emergency Spend Limits
- • Regulatory Compliance Reports
- • Contractor Certification Tracking
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Pre-launch documentation. Features and workflows may change before general availability.