An Essex school has been fined after poorly-planned and managed refurbishment and maintenance activities exposed school staff and others to asbestos. Chelmsford Crown Court heard that managers at The Boswells School, Chelmsford, decided to convert an old boiler room at the school into a cleaning store. During the course of this work, asbestos residue on the walls was disturbed and caretakers swept contaminated debris from floors. Their exposure to risk only came to light after a later asbestos survey was completed in the area. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigated this incident and learned that asbestos containing materials (ACM’s) were also present in other areas. School caretaking staff and contractors disturbed the fabric of school buildings over many years without being alerted to the presence of ACM’s. Persons who entered potentially contaminated areas were placed at risk of developing serious ill health conditions arising from exposure to airborne respirable asbestos fibres. The school also failed to ensure that spread of asbestos was prevented or reduced. The Boswells Academy Trust, of Burnham Road, Chelmsford, Essex, pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 – Sections 2(1) & 3(1).  The trust was fined £26,000 and ordered to pay costs of £20,000. HSE Inspector Glyn Davies said after the hearing: “The Boswells Academy Trust should have controlled this potentially lethal risk by identifying the type, location and condition of any asbestos-containing-materials within the fabric of the school, and by implementing suitable precautions to prevent its disturbance. It should then have ensured that such information was shared with anyone liable to disturb this fabric. It may also have arranged for a licensed asbestos contractor to remove any dangerous asbestos safely before commencement of any work. “This prosecution should act as a reminder, not just to schools but to all persons in control of the repair and maintenance of non-domestic premises, of the need to ensure that a suitable and sufficient assessment of risk from asbestos is carried out, and that correct control measures are put in place to ensure that exposure to asbestos is prevented, so far as is reasonably practicable.” For further information on asbestos visit: http://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/ Notes to Editors: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. It aims to reduce work-related death, injury and ill health. It does so through research, information and advice, promoting training; new or revised regulations and codes of practice, and working with local authority partners by inspection, investigation and enforcement. www.hse.gov.uk  More about the legislation referred to in this case can be found at: www.legislation.gov.uk/    HSE news releases are available at http://press.hse.gov.uk Journalists should approach HSE press office with any queries on regional press releases. Source link

The businesses, including Wates, Costain and the Considerate Constructors Scheme, are built environment partners to the Prince’s Trust. By raising £1m, the businesses hope to help more than 1,000 disadvantaged people. James Wates, chairman of The Prince’s Trust Built Environment Leadership Group, called on other companies to join the challenge. ”The Million Pound Challenge is an ambitious and exciting project. We hope to raise a million pounds in a year but we still need many more companies to take part in this collaboration. A target isn’t worth setting if it’s too easy to achieve, and we definitely won’t achieve our million pound target without the support of many more in the sector.” “There are still three quarters of a million young people who are out of work in this country and there are far too many young people who leave school without any qualifications. The need is great, we must do more. And, collectively, we can do more.” Ben Marson, director of corporate partnerships at The Prince’s Trust said: “For 40 years now, we have supported over 825,000 disadvantaged young people across the United Kingdom, to gain the self-belief and skills they need to create a future that they deserve. ”The only thing that stops us helping more young people is the funding to do it. We are very grateful to our partners who have already signed up to the challenge and we hope many more will join them.” One young person to have been supported by the charity, is Derin Ade-Ojo, who is now an apprentice at Engie. Speaking at a launch event for the Million Pound Challenge, she said: “Getting in touch with The Prince’s Trust literally changed my life. I don’t know where I would be today without the help of The Trust and the support of its partners. And I probably would have never imagined that I could work in the Built Environment sector. I now feel extremely confident about the future and can’t wait to see what the next step will be.” The Built Environment Leadership Group is a collaboration of Prince’s Trust corporate partners which has changed the lives of over 6,000 young people since 2005, helping them find work. Other partners include Balfour Beatty, ISS, Engie, Rydon, Systech and UPP.  Other companies wishing to take part should contact Tom Halliley at The Prince’s Trust at tom.halliley@princes-trust.org.uk or on +44 (0) 2075347428.   Source link

Suspected gas explosion causes house collapse Published:  09 August, 2016 A suspected gas explosion has caused a house to collapse in Ashton-under-Lyne, Manchester, this morning, leaving at least 10 people injured. Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) was called to the terraced property in Curzon Street just after 5am, where the explosion had caused the property to collapse at both the front and the back. The casualties have all been taken to hospital. GMFRS station manager Alan Ashworth, incident commander at the scene, said: “We were called initially to a fire and when crews arrived there were a number of people injured on the floor and it was obvious there had been an explosion in the house. We helped them but they were later treated by paramedics from North West Ambulance Service while we tackled the fire using covering jets. “We are now aware that there are at least 10 casualties. Some are suffering burns and lacerations. We don’t have full details of the casualties, but we now know three people were inside the property at the time of the explosion. Some people were also injured while helping to rescue people. We had one person who brought a mattress for one of the casualties to get out. “We have stabilising equipment on both sides of the building as there is a potential risk of collapse. We are aware of two collapses so far and therefore are trying to prevent another. “We don’t yet know the cause of the explosion and our fire investigation team are at the scene working with the police.” Neighbours in Curzon Road have told the BBC that the explosion was “like a bomb went off – it woke the whole street”. Gas and electricity supplies have been turned off at the house and at four neighbouring properties. All pictures are courtesy of the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (www.manchesterfire.gov.uk). Source link

Countrywide has announced that they are the first lettings agency that have formed with Heroes4Hire Handymen. The Heroes4Hire Handymen is an organisation that helps veterans of the armed forces to get back in to work. The organisation also makes the most of the veterans’ work ethic as well allows them to use their skills and attention to detail. The organisation is open to ex-servicemen and women, and they carry out a wide variety of services for Countrywide. Countrywide has been working with Heroes4Hire Handymen for the past six months in order to try and create a maintenance concept that can be used by landlords and tenants. Each handyman involved in the programme goes through a five-week residential training course that covers a wide range of different skills including painting, joinery, plumbing, building and plastering. The roll-out part of the programme is being tested with local handymen in Greater Manchester, South Manchester and Cheshire. This regional roll-out will be followed by a 12-month national roll-out that will allow the business to support even more veterans. It is thought that the handyman service will be of great benefit for the maintenance services as it will be able to get driven ex-servicemen and women in to more jobs. This contractor partnership with Countrywide is a project will help get armed forces veterans in to work. The Heroes4Hire Handymen service was founded by Nigel Blanchard, an ex-serviceman himself. Countrywide plc. Works across both commercial and residential sectors as part of the largest network of estate agents and letting agents in the UK. The company has become the first partners of Heroes4Hire Handymen via their Bridgfords and Entwistle Green lettings businesses that are located in Manchester and Cheshire.  As the project expands, more and more of the tenants and landlords under Countrywide will benefit from the services provided by the handymen.

A survey has been conducted by Plentific.com which shows that punctuality is ranked as the most desirable quality homeowners look at when they are hiring tradesmen. The latest survey suggests that 84% of homeowners are more likely to hire a punctual tradesman. The research was carried out on the 17th January, with 2,001 adults participating in the study. Plentific is a home improvement marketplace that has been created in order to put homeowners in contact with the best local tradesmen and professionals. The company was started in 2014 and was selected to be part of the Everline Future 50 for Real Business in 2016. The results show that communication and organisation are also at the top of the list of qualities homeowners look for in a tradesperson. 83% of the participants said that a Polite manner would make them more likely to employ a tradesman. 78% said that they were more likely to hire a tradesperson is they sent through a professional quote, and 69% would hire them if they create a solid schedule for the work that is needed. Plentific asked the participants what mannerisms would make them more likely to hire a tradesperson. There were ten responses reported in the results of the study and includes prompt communication and polite manner. At the other end of the spectrum, the apparent youth of a tradesman would only make 7% of the participants more likely to hire them. Other low scoring answers other that the age of the tradesman is the uniform. It is thought that 22% of the participants were more likely to hire a tradesman if they wore a branded uniform. Looking at the research, Plentific Spokesperson, Stephen Jury has said that the results show which qualities are more important to homeowners. This knowledge could help tradespeople adapt their sales pitch in order to win the work. Mainly it is thought that organisation is a key factor for being chosen for the work.