Following approval by Kirklees Council’s cabinet on the 19 January, an investment plan has been submitted by the Dewsbury Town Board demonstrating how their bid for £25M of funding from Government’s Towns Deal Fund would be spent. The investment plan which has been submitted to the Ministry of Housing, Communities
The £50 million regeneration of Queen’s Parade, a 13 acre (5.26 hectares) waterfront site in Bangor, near Belfast, Northern Ireland, has been granted planning permission by Ards and North Down Council. The scheme, designed by TODD Architects for Bangor Marine Ltd, will see Bangor’s Marine Gardens returned to its heyday
High-performance curtain wall and door products feature on the refurbished ‘commercial to premium student accommodation’ development. Architectural glazing systems developed and supplied by leading UK manufacturer Kawneer successfully met a trio of criteria for the £50 million award-winning redevelopment of two existing commercial office blocks into premium student accommodation. A
Bellharbour’s is delighted to announce Business Development Associate Director – Katie Barlow Katie joins Bellharbour as a new Associate Director in charge of business development. She comes from Rendall & Rittner and Harrods Estates Asset Management where she was Associate Director of Commercial Property and Associate Director of Operations respectively.
A new pilot platform hosted by the air quality data platform OpenAQ, in partnership with the Environmental Defense Fund, creates the largest open-source repository of low-cost sensor data. Global air pollution data from OpenAQ shows 33 of the largest cities in the world are exceeding WHO guidance for PM2.5 air pollution by 4
Homeowners and prospective buyers looking to purchase a new property can look to these seven ingredients for a happy home from property experts at FHP Waterside Living. It is often said that home is where the heart is – but how much does the layout, location and ‘liveability’ of our
BBD Architects managed the stunning £500k contemporary rear extension to an Edwardian house in a rural village near Southampton. But unusually, this is a project less about adding reams of extra space and more about how good design can transform a home –as the images below exemplify. This family home
Improving property value is key for one in five Brits who decide to take on DIY home renovations according to recent research gathered by Estate Agents Douglas & Gordon. In fact, since last March, Britons have spent an average of £4,035.70 each on DIY projects. The trend has continued into
To the average outside observer, the humble hard hat is a fairly simple piece of kit that, while being an essential part of construction work, doesn’t need much looking after. Hopefully, most of us on the inside know that isn’t the case, but it appears that many workers in the
Following approval by Kirklees Council’s cabinet on the 19 January, an investment plan has been submitted by the Dewsbury Town Board demonstrating how their bid for £25M of funding from Government’s Towns Deal Fund would be spent. The investment plan which has been submitted to the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government was developed following consultation with local people at end of 2020. It proposes nine projects that the Dewsbury Town Board feels would best benefit from the funding and deliver on what is important to local people. Cllr Shabir Pandor, Leader of the Council said: “The council and the town board are working together to make our ambitions for Dewsbury come true. In February 2020 we set out a ten-year vision for the town, many of the schemes that the board has selected to support with this plan were included in that vision. With this funding from the government, and match funding from the council we could see many of our plans come to fruition and demonstrate that Dewsbury really is a town of distinction.” Rob Norreys, of The University of Huddersfield and Chair of Dewsbury Town Board said: “This is an exciting time for the people of Dewsbury, with investment from the council, and the real chance of funding from the Towns Fund, there is a real opportunity to breathe new life into this proud town. The plan we have developed builds on the council’s blueprint for Dewsbury and takes forward the most popular ideas including a new town centre park, the regeneration of the arcade and the market, and the development of high quality residential accommodation. We want Dewsbury to not only serve existing community needs, but also to attract commuters from nearby cities by creating a family friendly place to live, work, shop and play.” Mark Eastwood MP for Dewsbury said: “I welcome the Town Investment Plan and pay tribute to fellow members of the Dewsbury Town Board and Kirklees Council who have worked hard to develop such an excellent proposal. The plan’s projects will transform our historic market town, improve the quality of life for the people who live here, create new opportunities and drive footfall and investment into the town centre.” Should the bid be successful, in order to make sure they can successfully complete the projects, the council and the Dewsbury Town Board will also seek £33.6M of match funding from a variety of sources including council capital, Arts Council grants, private sector contributions, and the Government’s Transforming Cities Fund and Getting Building Fund. Once agreed the Dewsbury Town Board will enter into a Town Deal with government, before drawing up more detailed plans for the proposed schemes. The full list of projects included in the Town Improvement Plan are: £1.3M for the redevelopment of The Arcade as a multiuse space. £6.6M for an improved market offer in the town. £3.15M to build on the success of the Townscape Heritage Initiative with a new Building Revival Scheme. £250,000 investment in digital connectivity for town centre properties. £6.25M to create a town park and improve the public realm throughout the town. £1.5M investment in construction skills for local people. £2.195M investment in the Union Arts Centre and a programme of cultural activities as part of the town’s creative town ambitions. £3m to develop a living town at Daisy Hill in Dewsbury, and finally £1.325M to improve the roads and make it safer and easier to travel by bike or on foot. This latest funding opportunity will build on the council’s earlier investments of over £8M in the town, including the recent redevelopment of Pioneer House as the Pioneers Higher Skills Centre, and the purchase of The Arcade.
The £50 million regeneration of Queen’s Parade, a 13 acre (5.26 hectares) waterfront site in Bangor, near Belfast, Northern Ireland, has been granted planning permission by Ards and North Down Council. The scheme, designed by TODD Architects for Bangor Marine Ltd, will see Bangor’s Marine Gardens returned to its heyday of Victorian seaside elegance whilst creating a vibrant mixed-use development of residential, hotel, office, retail and cultural and recreation floorspace in the heart of the town centre. Nigel Murray, Associate at TODD Architects, says: “We are delighted to see this project being taken forward; it represents a tremendous boost for the whole region and a massive vote of confidence in Ards and North Down and its future economy. “At a time when our already strained high streets and town centres are being fundamentally impacted by lockdown restrictions as a result of the pandemic, this project provides a template for future town centre renewal and recovery. Bringing new homes, office space and a hotel into the town centre will improve the town centre’s viability by creating a critical mass of people in one place that can sustain the town’s other uses more effectively, creating employment, attracting visitors and stimulating further investment for the town and the local area.” The Queen’s Parade project, led by Developer Bangor Marine Ltd, is being developed in conjunction with the Department for Communities and Ards and North Down Council. The project will create a premier year-round waterfront destination for Bangor and for Northern Ireland and is seen as critical to the future of the town and maximising the economic growth potential of the wider borough of Ards and North Down. It forms part of a combined investment of £110 million in Bangor over the next 10 years that is set to generate new jobs, shops, offices, homes and tourist attractions. A prime objective has been to re-stitch the town back together, with TODD Architects’ design for Queen’s Parade placing great emphasis on maintaining and creating connectivity by unlocking and activating underutilised brownfield areas and back lands, providing instead a series of vibrant, active public streets, plazas and private courtyards, which are in turn served and activated by the proposed new buildings. The proposed new areas of public realm are all interconnected, providing both individual focal points with distinct characters, and an overall lattice which knits together the somewhat disparate elements of Bangor’s existing town centre in an entirely more coherent and accessible manner. The scheme seeks to reconnect people to both the town and the sea, with one of the key elements being the creation of an elevated Market Square looking over the Marina and to Belfast Lough beyond, offering the town a different relationship to the water and creating a distinctive character of space to the seafront Marine Gardens. The waterfront will be re-activated by creating all year-round places and spaces to enjoy the water. A lively and inclusive public realm, elegant contemporary promenade and flexible outdoor event space are complemented by the residential and hotel elements which are key to providing 24/7 footfall. Bangor Marine Limited is a joint venture partnership between NI property development company Karl Group and leading NI contractor Farrans, created specially to deliver the project. TODD Architects is the architect lead within a multidisciplinary team that includes TURLEY, Park Hood, Atkins, RPS, Dorans together with Wayne Hemingway as a brand and vision consultant.
High-performance curtain wall and door products feature on the refurbished ‘commercial to premium student accommodation’ development. Architectural glazing systems developed and supplied by leading UK manufacturer Kawneer successfully met a trio of criteria for the £50 million award-winning redevelopment of two existing commercial office blocks into premium student accommodation. A large part of the façade at Crown Place, formerly St Stephens Towers, in Norwich, features Kawneer’s AA®100 curtain wall system with 50mm sightlines and AA®720 top-hung glazed-in and AA®720 standalone windows. Two types of Kawneer commercial entrance doors also feature – the thermally superior AA®720 and the heavy-duty 190 series – to meet the required thermal, acoustic and aesthetic performance. The two eight-storey towers now feature an additional floor and a new link building between them, providing 705 premium student accommodation units including “twodios” (for two people sharing a kitchenette) above live retail units. Main contractor RG Carter Ltd initially built the office blocks in the early 1970s and they returned to refurbish them to ease the high demand for purpose-built student accommodation in Norwich city centre. Crown Place also features high-specification communal spaces including games rooms, cinema, gym, roof terrace and café. The entire building was re-clad in Kawneer’s AA®100 curtain wall system, fabricated and installed by a team of six from approved specialist sub-contractor and Kawneer dealer Drayton Windows on a logistically challenging site next to a high-traffic city centre location and above busy occupied retail units. Architects ECE Westworks were appointed by client Crown Student Living to transform the prominent and unoccupied towers and ancillary buildings into a justified gateway building that provides part of a major investment and regeneration to the local area. As well as the addition of a new storey to each tower, their design incorporated additional storeys to the existing wings of the steel-frame building and two new atria opened up, down to the level of the double basement which comprises a large part of the 0.476 hectare site. ECE Westworks associate Andy Bremerkamp said the Kawneer systems had been chosen by RG Carter Ltd and approved by the client and the practice which has used them on previous office and residential projects. “They met the required thermal, acoustic and aesthetic performance for a variety of curtain wall sizes and have been used to articulate the façade as a response to the large monolithic existing building form,” he said. “The curtain walling interfaces with the metal cladding, with powder coated metal reveals. It was important to make the building of this scale as sustainable as possible. The client is very happy with the finished building.” Crown Place, Norwich won ECE Westworks a RICS Social Impact Award 2020 and a shortlisting in the Student Accommodation Conference and Awards 2019 as well as RG Carter Ltd a gold award in the 2020 Considerate Constructors Scheme.
Bellharbour’s is delighted to announce Business Development Associate Director – Katie Barlow Katie joins Bellharbour as a new Associate Director in charge of business development. She comes from Rendall & Rittner and Harrods Estates Asset Management where she was Associate Director of Commercial Property and Associate Director of Operations respectively. She is bringing with her 20 years of experience in Real Estate as a vital member of those Property Management teams. Katie has managed a large number of fund management, private and overseas clients with a mixed-use and nationwide portfolio. Significant managements for Katie have been the HSBC Tower and One Cabot Square in Canary Wharf, One Blackfriars, Holland Green, 77 Mayfair and One Tower Bridge. Key corporate clients have included the Qatari Investment Authority, Harrods, British Land and St George. With Katie on board, we see future growth for the business within the high-end block management sector. With the combined expertise across the team, the more elite developments in central London receive a unique and personal style of management. Bellharbour was launched as a trading name of Crabtree Property in 2020 to serve London’s finest high-end apartment blocks. Katie will be integral to the team’s expected growth in 2021.
A new pilot platform hosted by the air quality data platform OpenAQ, in partnership with the Environmental Defense Fund, creates the largest open-source repository of low-cost sensor data. Global air pollution data from OpenAQ shows 33 of the largest cities in the world are exceeding WHO guidance for PM2.5 air pollution by 4 times on average. 90% of the world suffer harmful pollution levels, yet only half have access to air quality data. Low-cost sensors help to fill key monitoring gaps and enable cities, governments, researchers, and citizens to participate in monitoring air quality and fighting air pollution in their communities. WASHINGTON, DC, LONDON > OpenAQ, a global nonprofit NGO aiming to build the world’s largest repository of air quality data, today announced a new pilot platform integrating low-cost sensors that will enable citizens to track air quality and fight air pollution in their local communities. New data shows global air pollution on the rise It is estimated that 90% of the world suffers from harmful levels of air pollution, with the problems particularly acute in urban areas in the Global South, affecting some of the least well-off communities. A recent investigation into the largest cities in the world showed that the average annual level of PM2.5 air pollution was 39 ug/m3, nearly 4 times higher than the World Health Organization guidelines (10 ug/m3). The worst affected cities were in Asia – Lahore (Pakistan), Delhi (India), Dhaka (Bangladesh), Ahmedabad (India) and Xi’an (China) having the highest levels measured, according to OpenAQ. The data illustrates the stark global inequalities of air pollution, which could be addressed by providing low-cost pollution sensors to communities across the world. For instance, the recorded PM2.5 levels in Delhi were 102 compared to just 7.7 in New York City. A coalition of NGOs are addressing air pollution inequality through a new open source data platform using low cost air sensors. Developed with the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), the pilot is hosted on OpenAQ.org and provides a portal for research scientists, NGOs, and individuals to access both reference grade air quality data across the world as well as newer, low-cost sensor data. The platform brings together low-cost sensor air quality data from EDF’s Air Quality Data Commons as well as from Purple Air, HabitatMap and Carnegie Mellon University. The OpenAQ Platform already houses more than three quarter billion data points from 11,000+ stations in 99 countries. The new pilot provides a new dashboard for searching and understanding low-cost sensor data, as well as all the data previously available on OpenAQ’s website and platform via an API. The new OpenAQ platform will be a resource for cities, governments, and communities at a time when the effects of air pollution on public health, including the challenges they present in individuals diagnosed with COVID-19, have come into sharper focus. As nations around the world plan for a recovery from the pandemic that prioritizes climate change goals, tackling air pollution will become an important priority. OpenAQ’s data platform will give governments and communities an important tool to track these efforts and inform policies and programs. Over half of the world’s population has no access to official government data on air quality,[1] according to a study also published by OpenAQ[2] The study, entitled ‘Open Air Quality Data: The Global State of Play’ examined 212 countries and found 109 (51%) governments are not producing air quality data of any major pollutants, while 103 are. OpenAQ has published a full list of air quality monitoring by Governments. Low-cost sensors are a new air quality monitoring technology that complement more traditional and expensive reference grade monitors and help address these data gaps. While prices can vary, it is often in the 100s or 1,000s vs 10,000s of U.S. dollars for a reference grade monitor. Low-cost sensor units can be installed by individual users, communities as well as governments to increase coverage and access to air quality data to a greater number of citizens, policymakers and NGOs. Given their smaller size, they can be either mobile or in one place (stationary). Jeremy Taub, Executive Director of OpenAQ, said: “We want to encourage new, affordable solutions to monitor air quality, and bring that data to OpenAQ to increase funding and action for those communities who are most affected by air pollution. It will fill important data gaps allowing communities to develop solutions to air pollution.” Millie Chu Baird, Associate Vice President at Environmental Defense Fund, said: “One of the keys to fighting air pollution inequity is data transparency—ensuring that as wide a range of people as possible have access to as much of it as possible. It’s foundational to the ability to take action.” Michael Heimbinder, Executive Director of HabitatMap said: “HabitatMap makes technologies accessible so communities facing disproportionate environmental burdens can advocate for equity and improved quality of life. We’re excited to have the air quality data contributed to the open-source AirCasting platform made available via OpenAQ’s low-cost sensor pilot.” Albert Presto, Associate Research Professor at Carnegie Mellon University, said: “Sensors bring air pollution data to the neighborhood level, but people need to be able to access the data from trusted sources using reliable tools. OpenAQ is one source that will allow us to further disseminate this valuable data.” Ailun Yang, Head of International Climate and Environment Initiatives, Bloomberg Philanthropies, said: “Air pollution around the world threatens our climate and public health, including increasing peoples’ risk to COVID-19. Bloomberg Philanthropies is proud to support efforts like OpenAQ’s open-source air quality data platform, which increases transparency, expands access, and gives communities and governments the data they need to drive informed policy-based solutions to improve lives.” Matt Whitney, Portfolio Manager, Clean Air Fund, said: “We see the launch of OpenAQ’s low-cost sensor pilot as a critical step in enabling new solutions to fight for clean air. The Clean Air Fund believes that tackling air pollution requires open and transparent access to air quality data, adoption of new and emerging technologies, and creative multi-stakeholder and multi-sectoral partnerships. We are proud to support OpenAQ’s groundbreaking work in achieving these important goals.” Signe Ostby and Scott Cook, Valhalla Foundation, said: “We are proud to support EDF’s
Homeowners and prospective buyers looking to purchase a new property can look to these seven ingredients for a happy home from property experts at FHP Waterside Living. It is often said that home is where the heart is – but how much does the layout, location and ‘liveability’ of our home affect our wellbeing and happiness? From air quality to interior décor, personal space and natural light – there are certain factors that can enhance our daily lives, bolster our happiness and make a home feel like a haven. As a result of our shifting living habits, what we look for in a property is changing and many people have spent more time at home than ever this year due to the pandemic. A study by RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) found that 70% of homeowners who responded to a survey, said that the design of their home affected their mental wellbeing during the recent lockdowns*. “Our physical and mental wellbeing are heavily tied to the homes we live our lives in – from what we can see when we look out of the window, to having enough space to balance work and relaxation, there are many factors that can affect our happiness levels, while we spend time at home. No two homes are the same, which makes identifying and creating the perfect property a challenge. We have therefore identified and compiled a list of seven ingredients, which we believe are key to creating a home that compliments your living style, habits and routines – to maximise overall wellbeing,” said David Hargreaves, managing director of FHP Living. Here are the seven ingredients to consider for a happy home: 1. Open plan living As well as being aesthetically pleasing, open plan living spaces have many benefits in enhancing the way we live at home. A report from RESI titled The Science of a Happy Home, shows that 6.25 million UK households now have open plan living spaces in their properties, confirming that this is a desirable living trend that continues to grow. ** Offering plenty of space, light and a natural ‘flow’ to the home – open plan living, dining and kitchen spaces give us the room we need to cook, entertain, relax and enjoy quality time with the people we share our home with. It also gives us a sense of freedom and space, as we are not confined to one single room and can enjoy multiple activities within a larger area of the home. 2. Views Views from your property can play a significant role in your overall wellbeing – from spectacular vistas over the water, city scapes or even access to a communal courtyard with plenty of greenery – having access to the outside, with aesthetically pleasing views from the comfort of your home, can lift your mood and improve your happiness. 3. High spec fixtures and fittings To keep your home running smoothly, it is important to choose quality appliances and electronics to improve your quality of living. Do your research online, ask trusted friends and family and choose a good standard of main appliances and electronics – the better the investment, the longer appliances will last, so it’s worth paying out for peace of mind. 4. Location Location is one of the most important aspects of any property – homeowners are often looking for a fine balance between access to convenient local amenities, such as restaurants, cafes and shops, easy transport links to work and proximity to nature. Being able to take a relaxing stroll along the riverside, having a trail to jog or cycle along, or simply living close to a public green space can not only increase the value of a property but also boost overall enjoyment of the environment you live in. 5. Indoor air quality Ventilation and air quality within the home can really contribute to overall health and wellbeing. A house that provides clean, fresh air helps us to keep a clear mind and feel uplifted – increasing our productivity whilst working from home, as well as our ability to relax and sleep soundly. Indoor plants are a great way to boost the air quality of a property – many species of plant are known to remove toxins from the air and of course, will release oxygen back into the room. 6. Natural light Ample daylight in a property can make a huge difference to the overall look and feel of the space. A home that lets in swathes of natural light thanks to large windows, a balcony or a sky light, is going to be aesthetically pleasing, as well as beneficial to our mindset and mood. Properties that lack natural daylight can be transformed with artificial lighting, with features such as ceiling spotlights or lamps with natural daylight bulbs, which imitate the sun’s rays to give that extra brightness where needed. 7. Personal space As well as having room to share with loved ones, it is also important to consider making personal space for solitary activities and downtime. This can be as simple as a corner of a house dedicated to reading or your favourite hobby – it is normal to crave some time to yourself, so don’t be afraid to carve out your own space where you can enjoy a quiet moment.
BBD Architects managed the stunning £500k contemporary rear extension to an Edwardian house in a rural village near Southampton. But unusually, this is a project less about adding reams of extra space and more about how good design can transform a home –as the images below exemplify. This family home already had two rear extensions, but they were so poorly thought out they created more problems than they solved. As architect Verity Lovelock, of BBD Architects, puts it: “I think one of the biggest challenges for clients with a project like this is investing a lot of money when you’re not adding enormously to the square footage or adding another bedroom; it might seem like there is no value to what you’re doing. But when you have existing extensions that are so ill-conceived and ugly, it actually diminishes the value of the house, and it certainly impacts your experience of living there. “While on paper we took away a kitchen-diner and master bedroom and replaced them; in reality, this project has transformed this family home.” Work involved knocking down the existing extensions and adding a new contemporary ‘box’ extension clad in cedar, with a master bedroom suite, including a bathroom and separate dressing area upstairs, a play area and kitchen/family room below, and a sub-basement area leading out on to the garden. The original Edwardian part of the house was also renovated throughout with new bathrooms, new wooden sash windows, a bespoke-designed hanging staircase, and the remediation of jarring alternations made over the years, such as a flat-roofed bay to the front of the property. The build is also notable for how the architects and homeowners embraced the difference between old and new; the rear of the home now is striking and very contemporary, while the frontage remains classic Edwardian – a ribbon window between them delineates the two parts of the house.
Improving property value is key for one in five Brits who decide to take on DIY home renovations according to recent research gathered by Estate Agents Douglas & Gordon. In fact, since last March, Britons have spent an average of £4,035.70 each on DIY projects. The trend has continued into 2021 as Brits remain in lockdown, but the good news is that research suggests those who get their DIY home renovations right can enjoy as much as a £50,000 increase in their property value. With 60% of Brits grabbing their drills, screwdrivers, hammers and saws, what home renovation ideas have the UK’s DIYers been spending their time on? To find out, Douglas & Gordon have investigated which DIY home projects Brits are searching for the most has the biggest added property value: 1. DIY Home Office: +80% Increase in Searches (Up to £20,000) Naturally, those working from home want a comfortable, practical office space to work from — whether that’s a corner unit or an entire office extension. And the investment is worth it. A home office extension could boost your property price by an average of 8.4% (around £20,000 for the average UK home). This number may only increase with more people working from home permanently. 2. DIY Plumbing: +33% Increase in Searches (Up to £7,000) From clogged drains to installing a whole new toilet, there are plenty of plumbing repairs and installations that can be done yourself, potentially saving hundreds in repairman costs. Simple tweaks like new taps and showerheads can add as much as £7,000 to your property’s value. 3. DIY Gardening: +21% Increase in Searches (Up to £2,000) Gardening has been more popular than ever during lockdown. Brits are even planning to use their gardens in the chillier winter months, with searches for outdoor heating up 300%. And while gardens are notorious for ongoing work and maintenance, the payoff can be worth it. A well-kept garden can add as much as £2,000 to your property’s value, with sheds, patio/paving and secure fencing being essential features to buyers. 4. DIY Lighting: +19% Increase in Searches (Up to £7,200) LEDs, overhead lighting, up-lighters, table lamps and pendants are easy and simple ways to highlight features, soften the mood and create a warm, homely atmosphere. Plus, making rooms look light, bright and inviting is essential to appealing to buyers and getting the best value possible for your property. LED lighting can boost value by 1–3% (£7,200 for the average UK home). 5. DIY Extension: +13% Increase in Searches (Up to £20,000) Adding an extension to a property is a hefty task, but there’s no better time to do so. Single storey extensions add around 4–7% to a property’s value. Even better: double-storey extensions add as much as 11% — about £26,000 for the average UK home. 6. DIY Deck: +12% Increase in Searches (Up to £5,000) Decking has the potential to add as much as £5,000 to the value of your home. It’s essential to pay attention to these details, as buyers definitely will! 7. DIY Plastering: +7% Increase in Searches (Up to £2,500) When done well, good plastering makes a house more durable and reduces how much maintenance must be done, increasing the value of a home by around £1,000–£2,500. “2020 and 2021 has seen us spending more time at home than ever before. As a result, more people have tried their hand at DIY to improve their homes and make them more comfortable. We applaud anyone who takes the time to improve their living space; however it’s important to note that DIY isn’t as simple as it seems, and that if you’d like to add genuine value to your home, it’s worth consulting with an expert. If you are renovating to sell your home, we recommend finding out the value of your home before you undertake any serious renovations, so you can focus your time and energy on the areas that can add the most value,” commented on the research, Warren McCann, Area Director at Douglas & Gordon.
To the average outside observer, the humble hard hat is a fairly simple piece of kit that, while being an essential part of construction work, doesn’t need much looking after. Hopefully, most of us on the inside know that isn’t the case, but it appears that many workers in the industry either aren’t fully clued in on the matter of proper hard hat care or simply don’t pay it much thought. A recent study from brain injury association Headway and safety manufacturer Centurion suggested as much, with a number of worrying statistics including a significant number of workers not reporting head incident injuries to management or practicing proper care of their PPE. With that in mind, it’s worth a refresher on the fundamentals of hard hat care and checking. Based off of Headway and Centurion’s Hard Hat Awareness study, here are five of the staples every worker should know. Marking your hat With hard hats being made from materials designed to provide a number of key protections – penetration-resistance, shock-absorbance and water- and fire-resistance – it’s essential they’re protected from ‘chemical attacks’ that can result from the application of labels, pens, or decals. 42% of workers have never applied any of the above to their PPE. However, of those who have, over a third (36%) have applied a label, a quarter have applied a sticker and 15% have marked a hat with a felt tip pen. Cleaning A hard hat should be cleaned at least once a month to remove chemicals, oil, grease, sweat and other dirt it may have picked up. Cleaning should be carried out with warm, soapy water and a soft cloth. 58% of workers have never cleaned their hard hat, while 41% have using the correct method. The remaining 1% have cleaned using solvents or abrasives, which can compromise the equipment’s integrity through an aforementioned chemical attack. Storage Hard hats can also be compromised by extended exposure to direct sunlight, extreme temperatures and any other conditions that could alter or distort the protective shell. Thus, correct storage of your hard hat is important, however 15% of respondents have stored their helmet in an unsuitable way in the past. Do hard hats have an expiry date? Even the highest quality hard hats do have an expiry date, beyond which the integrity of the materials and structure in place can be brought into question, and workers can no longer rely on their PPE to deliver the expected and adequate protections. 24% of workers were unaware that their hard hat can lose effectiveness past its expiry date, while 28% are either unsure how to find their hat’s expiry date or weren’t aware it had one. Getting the right fit Correct fit of a helmet is essential to ensure it offers proper protection in the case of taking an impact, however many users are known to wear unlicensed headwear under their hat which can potentially jeopardise their helmet’s effectiveness. From the Headway/Centurion survey, 29% of users admitted to using unlicensed headwear underneath their helmet on site. In an industry and age where safety is absolutely paramount, some of the statistics surrounding hard hat care and checking should be concerning to employers. The solution to improving these outliers likely lies in improved training and awareness on the matter, but also in encouraging personal responsibility for hard hat users who have remained somewhat naïve to the potential risks attached to improper practices in the past.
