A housing association has been shortlisted for one of the UK’s leading people management awards. Platform Housing Group – one of the largest social landlords in the county – has been shortlisted for the CIPD People Management Awards for 2021. The organisation has been shortlisted in the Best Digital/Technology Initiative in HR/L&D category. The
The design stage is crucial for a successful construction project, and Vital Energi are delighted to offer a complete design process across all RIBA stages to help organisations achieve their energy ambitions. By influencing key decisions made early on in the design process, the team at Vital ensure buildings are
The Supply Chain Sustainability School, a multi-award-winning initiative which represents a common approach to addressing sustainability within supply chains, has today released its Fairness, Inclusion & Respect (FIR) Annual Culture Survey Report. The School surveyed over 800 of its members across the country, to get their thoughts on the FIR
The first glimpse of the oculus staircase, the first of its kind in the UK, can be seen following its installation at Cardiff Innovation Campus’ sbarc | spark building. The finishing of the oculus staircase is a pivotal moment in the construction of the Innovation Campus. The sbarc | spark
If you’re hurt at work, it can be scary and you might not know what to do next. However, the steps you take immediately following an injury are important. The following are the steps to take if you are hurt at work and some other things to know in general
Doors and windows are vital to your home for lots of reasons. They need to keep the weather out, provide security and of course compliment the aesthetics of the property as a whole. Because of all this, they can also be a costly purchase, and most people would agree that
A housing association has been shortlisted for one of the UK’s leading people management awards. Platform Housing Group – one of the largest social landlords in the county – has been shortlisted for the CIPD People Management Awards for 2021. The organisation has been shortlisted in the Best Digital/Technology Initiative in HR/L&D category. The category encouraged submissions from organisations that have understood their end users and their needs to build solutions that have delivered business benefits, met user needs and achieved strategic objectives through the innovative use of technology or digital solutions. The Group’s entry – entitled Learning in the Flow of Work – described how the social landlord’s Learning and Development team designed learning that supported colleagues moving to a CRM, via MS Office 365 Dynamics. The learning was easily made available in ‘the flow of work’ to enable colleagues to quickly and simply access the learning and bespoke support they needed, when they needed it. This approach removed the need for traditional classroom training delivery which takes people out of their roles to learn and placed learner and customer needs at the heart of the learning design. Alison Bishop, Head of Learning and Organisational Development at Platform Housing Group said : “This change required upskilling on a new system, new processes and changes to behaviour around customer interaction. Following a review of what needed to be achieved from a learning perspective, the Learning and Development team put forward the concept of ‘learning in the flow of work.’ It has allowed us the opportunity to accelerate our own Learning and Development strategy, underpinned by our values and behaviours, where colleagues own their own learning. We are encouraging self service upskilling by giving learners easy access to the learning material while carrying out their roles, making this process more agile, productive and easier to manage. “We are therefore thrilled to be shortlisted for such a prestigious award.” The next stage in the process will require Platform Housing Group to present its entry to a panel of judges; the awards ceremony will take place at The Grosvenor House in London on Tuesday 28 September. Platform Housing Group – which owns 46,000 homes in total – completed 1448 homes in 2019/20 (1,598 in 2018/19) at an investment of £258m (£228m in 2018/19). The Group also built more social rented homes – at a figure of 981 – during the past 2 years in England than any other provider, 523 in 2019/20, almost 33% of the total homes built. Platform Housing Group’s operating area is from Herefordshire in the West to the Lincolnshire coast in the East, and from the Derbyshire Dales in the North to the Cotswolds in the South. For further information on the scheme please contact Alison Bishop, Head of Learning and Organisational Development at Platform Housing Group on Alison.Bishop@Platformhg.com.
The design stage is crucial for a successful construction project, and Vital Energi are delighted to offer a complete design process across all RIBA stages to help organisations achieve their energy ambitions. By influencing key decisions made early on in the design process, the team at Vital ensure buildings are designed in an optimum way by working alongside M&E consultants, sustainability consultants, structural engineers, and architects, to ensure clients benefit from design efficiency from the beginning. Vital have recently been working with one of the UK’s largest developers, Taylor Wimpey, on their Hepscott Road project in Hackney Wick, which comprises 145 apartments and 23,820 sq. ft of commercial space. Early involvement in the project from RIBA Stage 2 has allowed Vital to work with the architects at the pre-planning stage, influencing key decisions and providing optimal support to Taylor Wimpey. Spatial provisions, such as the location of HIUs and utility cupboards, rooftop plant areas, riser sizes, ceiling void depths, and energy centre plant areas have been determined. These key considerations provide the architect with valuable information to ensure the building works get the best out of the heat network. Amanda Daly, Senior Technical Manager for Taylor Wimpey London, said: “The introduction of Vital Energi at concept stage has been invaluable. Design input has been consistent, and the Vital team have fully integrated with the design team to make the process efficient and successful.” Elliott Sharpe, Vital Energi’s Design Director, said: “It’s great to be able to share the company’s experience from design, installation and operation of heat networks with the project design team and clients at such an early stage of a development. Not only does the professional team benefit, but so does the end customer through the creation of an efficient, low carbon heat supply.” With over 30 years’ heat network experience, Vital Energi’s design team specialise in creating robust and creative energy generation, distribution and conservation solutions of all sizes for small to large scale projects across all sectors, and are proud to have developed schemes for over 83,000 properties and installed upward of 30,000 HIUs. The Vital team can share their knowledge at any stage of the design process, however by RIBA Stage 4, many of the key decisions have already been made, some of which may be irreversible, such as defining the energy strategy, size and location of the energy centre, number and size of risers required, and the optimum district heating route. If the initial concept needs reworking, this can cause project delays, redesign work and additional cost. Having a heat network specialist on board from the early stages also integrates Vital’s experience of installation, ESCo services, metering & billing, and operation & maintenance into the design from day one. If you’re based in the South and would like to see your energy ambitions become reality, please contact Elliott Sharpe on Elliott.Sharpe@vitalenergi.co.uk.
The Supply Chain Sustainability School, a multi-award-winning initiative which represents a common approach to addressing sustainability within supply chains, has today released its Fairness, Inclusion & Respect (FIR) Annual Culture Survey Report. The School surveyed over 800 of its members across the country, to get their thoughts on the FIR Programme and how the FIR agenda is progressing within the built environment. Mark Lomas, Head of EDI at HS2 Ltd, said: “It’s great to see organisations responding to the FIR survey, giving great insight into EDI across the sector.” The report offered insights into how the School has continued to positively impact organisations and supply chains, reinforcing the School’s mission to be the world-class collaboration enabling a sustainable and fair built environment. With over fifty thousand registered users, the School provides free practical learning and support for the UK built environment, through sustainability training, networking, e-learning modules, tailored assessments, and online resources. The FIR resources are becoming increasingly popular as FIR sits higher on the agenda for many organisations in the industry. Members of the School anonymously stated that the FIR Programme offered “huge benefits for [their] business and life in general” and enabled companies to easily introduce initiatives such as “inclusion moments […] largely due to the influence of FIR ambassadors within the company pushing the initiative.” COVID-19 forced the Supply Chain Sustainability School to move all learning online, resulting in the FIR Programme seeing an increase of 66% of members completing e-learning modules over the past year, and many members accessing FIR online workshops and webinars. Organisations are becoming more conscious of FIR and its benefits to people, profit and enabling a sustainable business model. The School has been identified as a powerful tool to help organisations embed sustainability into their business practices. The FIR survey showed that 55% of businesses felt the FIR Programme helped them win new business, and 58% believe it enabled an improvement in productivity. Furthermore, 62% of respondents feel that the FIR Programme supported their business to retain talent, and 73% felt FIR helps to improve stakeholder engagement. Lucie Wright, Careers Strategy Manager at CITB, said:“More and more construction employers are seeing the benefits in productivity and winning new business that the Fairness, Inclusion and Respect training brings. A workplace that works for everyone will also help retain employees into the future, particularly important during a period of labour shortage, and I would encourage employers to visit the Supply Chain School website to see what free training is available.” The quality of training provided by the FIR Programme has been higher than ever this year. An average of 96% of respondents rated the workshops and materials as “excellent” or “good”, compared with last year’s figure of 91%. There was also a strong impact on individuals, as exhibited by the 89% of respondents who felt they were empowered to deal with FIR issues more effectively as a result of the FIR Programme. A massive 82% of members also felt they had the confidence to challenge poor behaviors in the workplace. Paul Aldridge, Director at WJ Group, said:“This year’s survey demonstrates how people want, need even, to work for organisations with good Fairness, Inclusion and Respect credentials. It shows areas we need to improve and that to be high performing organisations, we need to nurture all our people and allow them to thrive in a psychologically safe, inclusive space. By doing so, we can harvest the business benefits FIR will accrue; improved productivity, safety and collaboration, new business, better staff retention, stakeholder and community engagement.” The School is part-funded by CITB and industry Partners, with the direction of the School being led by over 125 Partners – working in collaboration, they share knowledge and free resources to inspire the UK built environment to drive positive change. The full report can be found on the Supply Chain Sustainability School’s website here.
The first glimpse of the oculus staircase, the first of its kind in the UK, can be seen following its installation at Cardiff Innovation Campus’ sbarc | spark building. The finishing of the oculus staircase is a pivotal moment in the construction of the Innovation Campus. The sbarc | spark showpiece starts at the ground floor as a social stair and forms breakout zones to each level which are curated differently, becoming destinations to users on other floors. Bouygues UK, the construction company building the £300 million state-of-the-art Campus, worked with Taunton Fabrications to design and install the staircase, which was designed by architects Hawkins\Brown. The staircase is a sculptural, open staircase travelling through a slanting void. Its name is taken from the oculus design, which depicts an eye that allows light to flood into a space. It aims to drive engagement and collaboration between the varying departments and uses of the sbarc | spark building. The Innovation Campus is being built on the site of a disused rail yard and comprises two buildings. sbarc | spark will be home to the world’s first Social Science Research Park (SPARK), alongside CardiffInnovations@sbarc – Cardiff University’s creative space for start-ups, spinouts and partnerships. The Translational Research Hub will be home to two world-leading scientific research establishments – the Institute for Compound Semiconductors and Cardiff Catalysis Institute. Mike Baynham, Operations Director for Bouygues UK in Wales, and project lead on Cardiff Innovation Campus, said: “It’s amazing to have witnessed this staircase taking shape over the past few months. The expertise of Taunton Fabrications and the amazing vision of Hawkins\Brown have all come together to create a spectacle in this truly one-of-a-kind building. “The way the staircase was constructed is also very unique as the stairs weren’t installed directly above each other, as traditionally happens, but are offset at each floor level. Several methods of installation have been reviewed over months to come up with the best way to install the stairs safely and practically.” Mike explained: “Our great team here at Bouygues UK came up with a solution to install each stair after each floor slab was built and then construct the next floor above the stair with a cleaver configuration. These temporary works was designed by Taunton Fabrications and the RC frame Contractor, 4D Structures. This was then repeated on every floor. It is a complex but exciting construction project and is amazing to see it come to fruition.” Julia Roberts, Partner and Education & Research Sector Lead of Hawkins\Brown said: “The oculus staircase was designed as a stimulating setting that fosters collaboration between researchers, practitioners and policy-makers. To develop this design, we worked with our computational design team and produced a script that allowed us to create a parametric model of the oculus void for best coordination with structures and M&E design teams. This also enabled us to create a game engine walkthrough which you were able to experience on a VR headset – it proved to be a powerful design development tool which actively involved the University and building users. “This was the first time we utilised game engine technology on a project, and it’s very rewarding to see it taking shape on site.” Professor Damian Walford Davies, Pro Vice-Chancellor for the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, said of the finishing of this milestone in the project: “The oculus is the light-flooded heart of our building: a visible symbol of the connections and configurations between people and projects that this space beautifully enables, as much as a practical thoroughfare.”
If you’re hurt at work, it can be scary and you might not know what to do next. However, the steps you take immediately following an injury are important. The following are the steps to take if you are hurt at work and some other things to know in general if you find yourself in this situation. The Most Common Workplace Accidents and Injuries You can get hurt in any work environment, although some are more dangerous than others. For example, construction is known for being a particularly risky field for injuries. Construction workers face what is called the Fatal Four by OSHA. The Fatal Four are falls, getting hit by something, electrocution, or being caught between objects. Even in an office environment that’s seemingly safe, however, you can still get hurt. Some of the most common workplace and work-related accidents include: Car and vehicle accidents: When you drive as part of your job, you’re exposed to roadway risks. You could also be hit by a moving vehicle on a job site, for example, if you work in construction. Sometimes, if you’re hurt in a car accident, you may be able to pursue compensation beyond workers’ compensation. Slip and falls: Slip and fall accidents are very common and stem from workplace hazards like wet floors. When you fall, you can experience soft tissue damage, broken bones, or even traumatic brain injuries. Fall from a higher elevation: Falling from a ladder, scaffolding, or platforms can lead to severe injuries. OSHA does require fall protection for workers who are at certain heights or who use particular types of machinery. Electrocution: If you’re working around wiring or cords, you’re at risk of electrocution. Hitting underground cables or working near power lines can also cause this type of injury. Being hit by objects: Whether it’s a flying, rolling, swinging, or falling object, this scenario can cause blunt-force trauma including internal injuries and eye injuries. Entanglement: Heavy machinery has the potential to trap employees and lead to crushing or tearing injuries. Repetitive motion: These types of injuries don’t stem from one particular situation. Instead, they’re caused by repetition and doing the same tasks over and over again. Carpal tunnel syndrome is an example. So, if you face the above situations or any other type of injury, what are the next steps? Report the Injury If you’re hurt in any way at work, the first thing to do is report the injury and then get an accident report. Your company may have a specific protocol for reporting injuries, but the big takeaway, regardless of specifics, is making sure that you do report it right away. Go to your supervisor and be clear as far as what happened and the details surrounding how you were hurt. You need to make sure that your employer does create an official accident report, which becomes your paper trail to show that you reported your injury. You should get a copy of the report too. Of course, if your injury needs immediate treatment, that’s your priority. In some states, you’re required to provide written notice of your injury. You should check to see what the requirements are where you live. Get Medical Attention If you’re ever hurt at work, you should see a doctor or health care provider as soon as you can. If you need to, go to the emergency room. There are a couple of reasons this is important. First, you want to make sure that you don’t have any underlying injuries you aren’t yet noticing. When you’re in any type of accident, it’s common to experience an adrenaline rush. That can mask pain or symptoms you might have. A doctor can make sure that you don’t need treatment. The other reason is that, again, this is part of building a paper trail. Even if you think you’re fine overall and don’t need medical attention, get it anyway. Tell Your Co-Workers What Happened If you file a claim for compensation, having told your coworkers what happened at the time of the accident can be helpful. You want to have witnesses, and you also want to help protect them from being in a similar situation. Take Videos and Photos If you’re able to do so, take videos and photos of the scene where your accident occurred. Keep these for your records. Try to take them from different angles, and a video can be even more helpful than photos sometimes, although ideally, you want both. Keep An Accident Journal From the time your accident occurs, create a notebook where you keep all of the relevant information related to your injuries and what happened. You want to document everything, including your medical visits, expenses, how long you’re out of work and symptoms you experience. You should include details about any out-of-pocket expenses you incur because of your injuries, including mileage. Filing a Workers’ Compensation Claim Depending on your situation, you might end up filing a workers’ compensation claim. The process is similar to filing other insurance claims, and it’s a request for benefits, not a lawsuit against your employer. The first step is to notify your employer, and they have to offer you a claim form. Without completing this claim form, your employer doesn’t have to provide benefits. You need to keep a copy of this form for your own records, and you can mail it or hand-deliver it to your employer. You may need an attorney, depending on how complex your case is. If you don’t understand anything that’s happening, it’s a good idea to go ahead and get in touch with a lawyer. If you already took the steps above, then it can help your workers’ compensation claim process. Finally, be careful if you’re talking to an insurance adjuster. They are trained to take statements that they can then use against you. This is another way an attorney can help you if you get hurt at work.
Doors and windows are vital to your home for lots of reasons. They need to keep the weather out, provide security and of course compliment the aesthetics of the property as a whole. Because of all this, they can also be a costly purchase, and most people would agree that it makes sense to invest in top quality options rather than cutting corners and feeling the consequences further down the line. But what about the hardware that secures doors and windows in place; is it still worth pushing the boat out in this instance? Here is a look at why you can definitely justify spending more rather than only being interested in economizing. Wear and tear is inevitable In terms of practicality, doors and windows are certainly a very functional part of the average house, which of course means that they have to put up with a lot of punishment day after day. Constant contact from humans, with doorknobs being yanked by excited kids and windows being flung open when the toast burns for the umpteenth time, means that wear and tear can take its toll on the hardware. When lower tier materials are used, this obviously increases the likelihood of faults and outright failures occurring. The old adage of ‘buy cheap, buy twice’ rings true here, so avoid wasteful spending if you can. Replacement is straightforward Another piece of good news about high end window and door parts, like those sold by Reflect Window, is that installing them is no harder than installing any other piece of hardware in this context. So long as you have the right tools to hand, you should be able to swap out worn components for fresh, sturdy replacements without needing to call out a specialist to take care of this. Even relative DIY novices can get to grips with well made hardware. Style is worth paying for While there are some budget-friendly hardware products which manage to look much more expensive than is actually the case, in reality you can easily tell the difference between parts that are at the higher end of the price spectrum because of the care, attention and material quality that has been ploughed into their design and production. This is not just about the way that the components look, but also about how they feel. Even if they look good on the outside, a quick touch of a cheaper handle or latch will instantly reveal its lower end nature. And as this is something you are going to be touching almost every day, spending more to improve the experience is certainly a consideration. Variety comes at a price Enter into any number of public buildings or mass-built homes and you will notice something of a cookie-cutter approach in terms of the hardware used on doors and windows. A handful of standard designs are reproduced over and over again, to the point that things can start to seem a little bland even if you cannot put your finger on exactly why this is. With high end hardware, variety is very much on the cards, and you can choose everything from ultra-modern examples to newly made options which have nevertheless been produced to fit in with design trends from bygone eras. Finishes are fabulous The final thing to think about when browsing high end hardware for doors and windows is the kind of finish you want. Variety will once again come into play, and whether you want a matte black look or one that veers towards polished brass or shiny plated metal, you should have your needs satisfied. Hopefully you now appreciate the advantages of investing in quality hardware. The only challenge you face now is choosing which to pick. Whether you rely on personal preference, professional reviews or customer feedback, do your research and you should be able to get hardware that ticks all the boxes.
