Don’t fall foul of the water laws Published:  06 September, 2016 UK water companies and the WRAS water regulations body are urging plumbers and homeowners alike to make sure they know the ‘water laws’ before undertaking any plumbing work. In many cases, work on new and existing plumbing systems, as well as some types of water installation, must be notified to, and approved by, the local water supplier before it can begin. This is to make sure the work meets the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations, which are designed to keep drinking water supplies safe and healthy. The regulations apply to many types of domestic and commercial plumbing – from building new houses or extending business premises, to everyday work such as installing certain types of bidets or large baths. Julie Spinks, managing director of the Water Regulations Advisory Scheme (WRAS), explained: “The UK enjoys high-quality, safe drinking water and we want to make sure it stays that way. “Unfortunately, very few people are aware of their legal responsibilities to ensure certain types of plumbing work comply with these important regulations. “Getting permission is quick and free, but failure to notify your local water supplier could result in extra costs to put poor plumbing right or, worse, contamination of water supplies and a court prosecution. “Our message to homeowners is simple – if you are planning some plumbing installation work, take a few minutes to seek professional advice from your local water supplier, WRAS, or from a WaterSafe approved plumber who is familiar with the regulations.” The notification and consent process takes up to 10 days and is free of charge. In many cases, the water supplier will simply need a description of the planned work and the contact details of those undertaking it. Types of plumbing work that must be notified to water suppliers include: Building a house or other property/structure Extending or altering the water system on a non-household building Changing the use of a building or installing water systems, such as rainwater harvesting Installing a swimming pool or pond over 10,000 litres A garden watering system (unless operated by hand) A bath which holds more than 230 litres of water A bidet with an upward spray or flexible hose A pump or booster that delivers water at a rate of more than 12 litres/min A reverse osmosis unit (for cleaning water) A water treatment unit that produces waste water A reduced pressure zone valve assembly or similar Any water system outside a building that is either less than 750mm (0.75 metres) or more than 1,350mm (1.35 metres) below ground. This list is not exhaustive and extra requirements are in place in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Approved plumbers – those already trained to meet the strict regulations for installing pipes and fittings which supply drinking water – are able to carry out some types of work without prior notification. WaterSafe is the central body for approved professional plumbers in the UK – approved plumbing businesses can be found using the postcode search at www.watersafe.org.uk. To find out more about the Water Fittings Regulations, visit www.wras.co.uk/notification.   Source link

10 June 2016 | Martin Read More needs to be done to improve food recycling and food waste capture, according to the Renewable Energy Association (REA) and Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee (LARAC). In a joint statement, the two organisations have expressed concerns following the release last month of an REA report entitled ‘The Real Economic Benefit of Separate Food Waste Collections’. In the report, the REA concluded that food waste collected separately can, in a majority of cases, save money for local authorities and businesses in the UK. This is because: Separate food and other biowaste collections require fewer general waste collections (once the putrescible material has been removed on a weekly basis);  Separately collected food and other biowaste significantly reduces the weight of general waste collections, in turn reducing the cost of disposing of general wastes in landfill;  Gate fees for separately collected food waste are significantly lower at anaerobic digestion or composting facilities compared to landfill sites.   Jeremy Jacobs, technical Director at the REA, said: “Increasing the volume of food waste that is collected separately is critical to meet our legally binding recycling target of 50 per cent by 2020. There is an urgent need for new policy; collaboration and consensus are the strongest tools we have available to achieve it.” Jacobs believes the renewables industry is sensitive to the tight budgetary constraints that most local authorities face: “We are open to working with them to deliver workable solutions and innovative funding models”. Concerns about UK-wide separate food waste collections have focused on the need for more collaboration between industry and local authorities. LARAC chair Andrew Bird said: “Local authorities are under extraordinary pressure at the moment and for the foreseeable future, and each faces their own difficult budgetary choices. We know that the REA understands this, and we see the point of their report – that there are potential savings to be made with separate food waste treatment compared to residual waste disposal, and this can help offset additional collection costs.” Source link

18 October 2016 | Herpreet Kaur Grewal Changing business priorities are driving corporations to consider different workplace models.   The latest report by CoreNet Global, in partnership with architecture firm’s HOK’s WorkPlace practice, studies the impact of co-working from a corporate real estate (CRE) perspective and examines the drivers of co-working from the demand and supply side, the industry risks and implications for corporate real estate, as well as information about the owners, coworkers and centres.   It says that businesses’ need to attract talented people, reduce real estate costs, improve speed to innovation and increase productivity are driving corporations to consider different workplace models, including on- and off-site co-working.   Kay Sargent, director of Workplace at HOK, said: “Although co-working space makes up less than 1 per cent of the world’s office space, it represents an important workforce trend and highlights the strong desire of today’s employees to have workplace choices, community and flexibility.”   She said: “Driven by demand factors, including new-generation work styles and the desire for real estate portfolio agility, C-suite executives from human resources, operations, real estate and finance are increasingly interested in how co-working affects their work practices and policies—and how they need to design, manage and operate their workplaces.”   Key findings from the co-working report also include: • The co-working concept is evolving to comprise accelerators, incubators and maker spaces. It reaches beyond office settings to include college campuses, retail locations, hotels and libraries.  • The impact of co-working spaces on CRE includes providing new uses for older properties and for underused spaces in existing facilities.  • The lowest engagement levels are found in employees who never work remotely. The highest employee engagement levels occur among those who work remotely less than 20 per cent of the time. • Many co-working centres emerged in a time of high unemployment and low rents. But 54 per cent of the coworkers will leave a specific location in less than a year.  • The high turnover and tenant instability challenge co-working centres to maintain profitability. They are vulnerable to market conditions and new competitors. Source link

Ahead of the Summit, CN asked Ms Wilkins for her views on how to attract people to the construction industry. What should companies be doing to support people entering or returning to work in the industry? For me this is about forming great networks and connecting with the next generations. Looking at mums returning to work, it can be daunting to come back into such a fast-paced environment. If we can help by bringing them into established networks with people who have had similar experiences, we can give real-life examples of where people have returned successfully. I’ve found that girls still believe there are no jobs for them in construction, so visiting schools and showing them what roles I’ve done and talking about other great women in the industry really helps. Construction has roles for everybody, be that out on site as a signalling engineer or in the office as part of the finance team. How do you see the digitalisation of construction changing roles and the skills required? Digitalisation in construction will certainly provide a step-change in the roles available and the skills needed to have a successful career. It will help to change the perception of so-called ‘dirty’ sites, which isn’t always attractive to new people in industry. It will help bring in new perspectives and attitudes, supporting better work-life mix and the balance of roles in and out of the office. What should government, companies and individuals be doing to attract the next generation to the industry? Collaborate, communicate and celebrate! We need to move away from competing as individuals and look to work together. Communication is crucial; young people are still in the dark on the opportunity construction brings. And we should celebrate more; without all the amazing people who choose to work in this sector, the country would grind to a halt. Which is your favourite project you have been involved with? It’s not really a specific project, but in my current role I look to support the business in terms of innovation. Last year I went on a tour that gave me the chance to get on site every day. It was one of the best weeks I have had, meeting our diverse workforce at every level. What will you be speaking about at this year’s Summit? I’ll be presenting on supporting the next generation of ladies into construction as well as how Carillion is focused on supporting women. When I started at 17, I was one of the few ladies on any of the depots or sites I worked on. This is improving, but not quickly enough. CN Summit – career champions Hear from Joanne Wilkins, a career champion, on Day 2 at 14.10 on the Future-gazing stage. She will speak alongside Interserve senior consultant Arran Linton-Smith and Anisa Hussein, associate director – project management, JLL. To book your place at the CN Summit, click here or call Ilja Ryndin on 020 3033 2609 or by email at Ilja.Ryndin@emap.com.          Source link