Future-proofing of requirements has enabled a new school to employ state-of-the-art ventilation to achieve a BREEAM very good standard. Manchester City Council engaged the North West Construction Hub as a procurement vehicle to select ISG Construction Ltd as building contractor for a new, £1.6m extension at Benchill Primary School.
Incidents within confined spaces all too frequently result in fatalities. Working within confined spaces is common in many industries, posing a real issue for managers and others responsible for health and safety in the workplace, prompting the launch of a new report from specialist training provider Develop Training Limited (DTL).
A Staffordshire-based housing association is in the running for two prestigious industry awards for its commitment to regeneration and the innovative ways it engages with local communities. Stafford and Rural Homes (SARH) has been shortlisted in two high-profile categories at the Housing Innovation Awards, with the transformation of the Penkside area of
Making impressive inroads into the UK workwear and PPE market is Danish company F. Engel, one of Europe’s leading workwear manufacturers; UK workforces are now recognising Engel for its high quality, long lasting and superbly fitting clothing ranges and their suitability for almost any kind of work situation or outdoor
Redbacks Cushioning Limited, the manufacturers of the World’s only patented, ‘leaf-spring’, non-foam or gel kneepads, has introduced a new strapped version as an addition to its original, big-selling product for pocketed work trousers. Designed, overseen and approved by a senior Ergonomist, Clinical Scientist and Biomedical Engineer, the new product retains
Future-proofing of requirements has enabled a new school to employ state-of-the-art ventilation to achieve a BREEAM very good standard. Manchester City Council engaged the North West Construction Hub as a procurement vehicle to select ISG Construction Ltd as building contractor for a new, £1.6m extension at Benchill Primary School. Architect Stephenson Studio designed in natural ventilation for the modular two-storey, 900m2 timber frame building comprising 6 x classrooms, a nursery, kitchen, administration area and ‘break out’ area. Building services engineers Ameon and international construction services company ISG met the ventilation brief by using the new Mistrale Fusion, developed and manufactured by leading air movement specialist Gilberts (Blackpool) Ltd. The Mistrale Fusion 128 units have been fitted into the bulkhead of each of the classrooms and the nursery, with bespoke double direction grilles to provide compliant airflow of 8l/p/s into the room required by current Department of Education Building Bulletin (BB101) and PBSP guidelines. Installed through the façade, uniquely, Mistrale Fusion mixes internal and external air to ventilate the internal space and deliver optimum internal air control for less than £5.00/room/annum1. The unit focuses on natural ventilation, incorporating a mixing damper within to modulate airflow and allow the new, fresh air to mix with warm exhaust air, thus extracting its heat without the need for an exchanger. An integrated low energy fan energises to blend the internal air, ensuring an even distribution of airflow, with control over temperature and CO2 levels within, and maintenance of internal occupant comfort conditions. Each unit also achieves relevant acoustic considerations: its operational ‘noise’ is less than 32dbA, and it has been engineered to absorb external noise to keep within the classroom criteria required by BB93. Mistrale Fusion attains air leakage better than legislative requirements- 5m3/HR/m2, and a U value of 1W/m2/°C. As with all Gilberts’ ventilation solutions, it delivers efficient weather performance via its bespoke louvre system. Explained a spokesperson for ISG, “Planning and aesthetics of the building meant we needed a ventilation solution that would function as a ‘stand-alone’ system in each classroom that would be simple to expand as/when additional learning space is added in the future. “Gilberts’ Mistrale Fusion met that requirement, and could be discreetly installed in plasterboard bulkheads; Gilberts’ ability to tailor-make a deflection grille to meet the design and airflow requirements was also an influencing factor.” Founded 50+ years ago, privately owned Gilberts is unique in having its own, on-site (85,000ft2) manufacturing facility, producing engineered solutions, with an in-house test centre. Technical expertise is supported with full in-house testing addressing air movement andcombining with computational fluid dynamics CFD).
Incidents within confined spaces all too frequently result in fatalities. Working within confined spaces is common in many industries, posing a real issue for managers and others responsible for health and safety in the workplace, prompting the launch of a new report from specialist training provider Develop Training Limited (DTL). The report highlights a chronic lack of awareness of the dangers of working in confined spaces, or even what constitutes a confined space. This means managers can expose workers to hazards without realising it or putting adequate safeguards in place, heightening the chances an accident will happen. Employers, managers and responsible persons may face prosecution if they put lives at risk through failure to comply with current regulations. A confined space is one which is either fully or partially enclosed, and has a foreseeable risk of fire, explosion or loss of consciousness or suffocation to the entrant. Accidents like this can occur in a range of industries including construction, manufacturing, utilities and marine work, and it is estimated that between 15 and 30 deaths occur in confined spaces accidents every year. The white paper Confined Spaces: Training and Compliance for Safe Working looks in detail at the topic, considering everything from the definition and the risks associated with them, to employers’ duties and training requirements as set out in UK legislation. It concludes that greater awareness of the problem and appropriate investment in training and procedures are overdue across UK industry. Chris Wood, CEO at DTL, explains: “Companies have a responsibility to protect those working in confined spaces, and training is essential to this. Our state-of-the-art confined spaces units train delegates on how to navigate the obstacles that arise from working in dark, cramped spaces, while providing procedural guidance to help reduce the risks of the work.” The introduction of new confined spaces legislation has made this type of training more important than ever – companies including TATA global beverages, Rolls-Royce Aerospace, BMW Mini and Northumbrian Water have already taken up training. To download a free copy of the whitepaper, please click here: http://tinyurl.com/zxdr38g DTL can provide specialist confined spaces training at any one of its five training bases nationwide, and can also deliver on-site solutions through its mobile confined space training unit, which is immensely popular with clients. Visit www.developtraining.co.uk for more information.
A Staffordshire-based housing association is in the running for two prestigious industry awards for its commitment to regeneration and the innovative ways it engages with local communities. Stafford and Rural Homes (SARH) has been shortlisted in two high-profile categories at the Housing Innovation Awards, with the transformation of the Penkside area of Stafford firmly in the spotlight. Known as ‘Total Place‘, the £6.7 million project caught the attention of judges in the Most Innovative Regeneration Scheme category, whilst the housing association’s Community Learning Programme, engagement days and estate ‘walkabouts’ have seen it shortlisted for a Most Innovative Use of Community Engagement Award. The award winners are set to be announced at a special event in London on Thursday, February 18, and SARH Chief Executive, Karen Armitage, said she was delighted to have reached this stage of the competition. “These Awards are highly respected by professionals in the housing industry, and we feel justifiably proud to be amongst a wide range of high-profile organisations to reach the shortlist.” “We’re particularly pleased at this recognition for Total Place, a partnership project that’s done so much to improve an important area in Stafford with the refurbishment of more than 350 homes. “This has significantly improved the appearance of the area whilst having a hugely positive impact on the lives of our customers and other local residents.” Work on the properties included new raised roofs, double glazing and cladding alongside the creation of garden areas with privacy walls, picket fencing, gravel and paving. Meanwhile the housing association’s Community Involvement Team is also looking forward to the awards, organised by Excel Publishing and Housing Magazine. SARH reached the shortlist in the Community Engagement Award for its efforts to help build stronger communities by helping customers and other local residents to boost their job hunting skills, learn practical skills or even improve their diet. Alongside a wide range of workshops and events, customer engagement runs through all levels of the organisation. Whilst Customer Inspectors play a vital scrutiny role, and make recommendations when they see room for improvement, the Customer Board focuses on improving landlord services. Karen added: “Customers are at the heart of everything we do, alongside our efforts to build neighbourhoods that residents feel proud of. “It’s fitting that the award judges have recognised both a flagship project to improve the built environment and our efforts to build stronger communities.”
Making impressive inroads into the UK workwear and PPE market is Danish company F. Engel, one of Europe’s leading workwear manufacturers; UK workforces are now recognising Engel for its high quality, long lasting and superbly fitting clothing ranges and their suitability for almost any kind of work situation or outdoor use. Heading up the wide choice of brands under the Engel banner is the COMBAT collection which includes the Engel COMBAT ‘Tradesman’ work trousers with hanging tool pockets (2761-630) and the COMBAT Pilot jacket (232-107). Designed for action to give maximum comfort and flexibility, both items have the brand’s instantly recognisable contrast stitching and reflective piping and are offered in a choice of colours. The work trousers have been designed to be as practical and useful as possible with many functional and easily accessible pockets including a Cordura hanging tool pocket either side and thigh pockets with flaps. In addition there are two flapped back pockets, a reinforced ruler pocket with extra sections, an adjustable hammer strap and Cordura reinforced knee pockets with two knee pad positions. The trousers have an extra deep hem so the length can be increased if required. Made from 65% polyester, 35% cotton, 280 g/m2 and available in a wide range of sizes to ensure a perfect fit. Often sold alongside matching trousers, is the COMBAT pilot jacket. Made from 100% Oxford Polyester with PU coating 260g/m2 with a quilted nylon lining and soft fleece collar, the jacket has pockets for almost every purpose throughout the working day so that everything is kept both safe and to hand when needed. It has adjustable cuffs with Velcro, a storm placket and a detachable hood with zipper. All Engel garments are available from The Workwear Trade Centre, Milton Keynes; Telephone: 01908 561569; email: sales@wtc-workwear.co.uk and Anchor Safety, Ipswich; Telephone: 0800 328 5028; email: sales@anchorsafety.co.uk For more information visit: http://www.fe.dk/en/ email: Mark McBrayne at mmc@f-engel.com or telephone: +44 (0) 7933 150197
Redbacks Cushioning Limited, the manufacturers of the World’s only patented, ‘leaf-spring’, non-foam or gel kneepads, has introduced a new strapped version as an addition to its original, big-selling product for pocketed work trousers. Designed, overseen and approved by a senior Ergonomist, Clinical Scientist and Biomedical Engineer, the new product retains the company’s award winning cushioning technology which incorporates a flexible TPE (Thermo Plastic Elastomer) leaf-spring set within a unique honeycomb matrix. Elasticated, soft Neoprene straps which have dust and particle resistant fastenings, allow the kneepads to be worn on bare skin without chafing, or over trousers, and ensure that they stay in the correct position when kneeling, walking or sitting. The pads have a water-resistant covering and a soft breathable, inner fabric that wicks away sweat whilst providing thermal protection from warm or cold surfaces. Scientifically proven to reduce point pressure and distribute weight evenly, the impact forces associated with kneeling are absorbed giving added protection against back and neck pain. Durable and hardwearing, Redbacks strapped kneepads give the user unrivalled, all-day comfort and long-term protection even in the most harsh environments. For more information and to order visit www.redbackscushioning.com email: or info@redbackscushioning.com or telephone: + 44 (0) 1327 702104
