Campaign launched to remind trade of waste disposal legislation Published:  14 April, 2016 A Duty of Care awareness campaign has been launched as research suggests 56% of UK businesses are failing to comply with waste disposal legislation. The Duty of Care legislation for waste was introduced by the government in 1990 as part of the Environmental Protection Act. It states that anyone who produces, imports, keeps, transports, treats, stores or disposes of waste must take all reasonable steps to ensure that the waste is managed and disposed of properly. Breaching the legislation can lead to a £5,000 fine in the Magistrates Court, while an unlimited fine can be imposed by a Crown Court. After the number of recorded fly tipping incidents in England increased to 900,000 during 2014/15, an 11% increase on the previous year, the ‘Right Waste, Right Place’ campaign is aiming to inform smaller businesses about the law and their obligations, as research suggests that 94% of non-compliant organisations and small- and medium-sized businesses. Commercial waste is said to be the second largest component of fly tipping, itself rising by 18% during the past year. Fly tipping costs local authorities an estimated £50 million in cleanup costs. Sam Corp, head of regulation at the Environmental Services Association (ESA), which is managing the campaign, said: “The number of organisations actively involved with this project, representing a broad range of sectors, shows just how serious an issue Duty of Care compliance is. “Very few organisations want to actively flout the law, but most are simply not informed about what they have to do. Unfortunately being uninformed is no protection from the law, and we believe that more companies will find themselves exposed to prosecution unless they take the right steps to comply. The right Waste, right Place campaign is designed to help fill the very evident knowledge gap, especially with SMEs.” The ‘Right Waste, Right Place’ campaign will raise awareness of the Duty of Care legislation and provide practical information to help companies, partnerships, family businesses and sole traders from a broad range of sectors to comply and help keep waste out of the hands of waste criminals. An interactive website has been developed as a part of the campaign, www.rightwasterightplace.com and is designed to be easy to use, convenient and pragmatic. The site will also act as a simple portal to a wide range of other information and services for those with more sector-specific enquiries. As well as being managed by the ESA, the campaign is sponsored by the Environment Agency (EA), the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM) and the Environmental Services Association Education Trust (ESAET) and supported by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), Build UK, The National Farmers Union (NFU), Veolia, Travis Perkins, URoC, SUEZ and The Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee (LARAC).   Source link

Barratt Developments, Countryside, Lendlease, Linkcity (Bouygues), Stanhope and Taylor Wimpey UK will battle it out to become the development partner for the 1,400-home High Road West scheme. The project will deliver a new 11 ha public space linking the revamped White Hart Lane station to Tottenham Hotspur’s new £600m stadium. A final decision on the partner will be announced by mid-2017. The High Road West development is the latest project in the £1bn regeneration of Tottenham, which aims to bring 10,000 houses and 5,000 new jobs by 2025. Last month Haringey Council revealed the three shortlisted bidders to become the council’s development partner for its £2bn regeneration programme. The shortlisted firms were Lendlease; Morgan Sindall with Affinity Sutton and Circle Housing; and Pinnacle with Starwood Capital and Catalyst. The construction of the High Road West development will run alongside the construction of Tottenham Hotspur’s new stadium, which is to be built by Mace. Haringey Council cabinet member for housing, regeneration and planning Alan Strickland said: “This is a project which will transform Tottenham and bring more than 1,400 new homes and thousands of new jobs to the area. “Developments like High Road West send a clear signal that Tottenham is London’s most dynamic and important regeneration area. “The partner we select for this major project will share our vision for a development that brings huge benefits for our residents and businesses for generations to come.” Source link

After eight years of record or near record residential sales, the Miami real estate market is normalising with steady growth, according to various prominent local market experts. The fast sales growth of Miami middle market properties, the continued high percentage of all cash buyers, preconstruction condo inventory in the rapidly-growing Downtown Miami area and South Florida’s overall population and job increases are boosting the market, they told the recent Real State of the Miami Market event. According to Anthony Graziano, senior managing director of Integra Realty Resources, 2013 and 2014 were extremely strong for the Miami market for fundamental reasons, including pent-up demand. ‘When we look at our numbers today, we are getting back to normal. It’s okay that our market is not growing 15 to 20% every year. In fact, it’s a good thing. I want to grow 5% a year because at some point our wage growth can’t keep up,’ he told the meeting. The event hears that single family homes priced between $200,000 and $600,000 saw a 5.8% year in year increase in April, with the sector representing 63% of total Miami single family home sales. Existing condos priced between $150,000 and $300,000 saw a 2.7% rise in sales in April, representing 39.2% of total existing Miami condo home sales in April 2016. The audience also heard that Miami offers bargain prices compared to other world class cities and the lack of available land are also key factors in today’s market. For example, a 120 square meter condo in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Miami Beach cost $149,900 on average, according to the National Association of Realtors NAR. Prices for the same condo in London would be $960,840, in Hong Kong $776,280 and in New York $1.6 million. It was also pointed out that the lack of Miami-Dade County available land means the value of local single family homes will rise and more residents will purchase multifamily units. Most Miami preconstruction condo developers require a 50% cash deposit on new units, one of the highest in the United States and significantly higher than the 20% required during the last real estate cycle. However, the experts said that the large all-cash deposits are a strong sign home buyers are committed and invested in the Miami market. The majority of new construction is happening in Downtown Miami, and developers are being cautious not to overbuild. About 85% of condos under construction in Downtown Miami are sold, according to Integra Realty Resources and the Miami Downtown Development Authority. Downtown Miami has about 7,200 units under construction, a 61.2% smaller inventory than the 18,500 units under construction in 2006. ‘The reason downtown Miami is important is because it is what is leading Miami in the marketplace. It’s our urban core. Downtown is the poster child of what is happening in the market,’ said Graziano. While noting preconstruction sales have normalised compared to the previous record activity, Graziano believes developers are taking a break and doing site plans before announcing future plans. He pointed out that the overall percentage of all-cash buyers is 48.6% and is double the national average. However, in hot submarkets such as Brickell in Downtown Miami, the all-cash percentage is 82%. The conference also heard that South Florida’s growing population will continue to fuel more home sales. The Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach metro area recently became the eighth most populous region in the US, eclipsing six million residents for the first time, according to new Census Bureau data. South Florida has gained almost 500,000 new residents in the past five years. Another strong indicator for housing is job growth. The number of employed Miami-Dade County residents increased 2%, growing from 2.13 million residents in 2013 to 2.18 million in 2014. The percentage of Miami-Dade residents earning more than $75,000 a year increased 4.1% in the same time period. The remainder of the 2016 will see fewer sales than last year and pricing will be hard to predict, according to Graziano, who added that waterfront properties or other unique projects will outperform. The pricing for properties below $1 million will remain strong but inventory expansion should be watched. The overall average pricing remains strong in South Florida. Sellers should expect to see more competition as buyers become more selective. South Florida’s economic growth and population increases will play key roles in the direction of 2016 residential pricing. ‘Miami is one of the fastest growing cities in the world and I don’t see that slowing down,’ said Alicia Cervera Lamadrid, managing partner of Cervera Real Estate.  BOOKMARK THIS PAGE (What is this?)      Source link

Book Course HSL is to run a 2 day course on RM³ – Understanding and Using the Risk Management Maturity Model (RM³) – LONDON. 14 – 15 September 2016 Introduction The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) expect the rail industry to achieve excellence when controlling health and safety risks. They believe that this is only possible through effective and efficient management. ORR have described what excellent management capability looks like in the Risk Management Maturity Model (RM³). ORR inspectors use this model to assess duty holders’ risk management arrangements as required by the Railways and Other Guided Transport Systems (Safety) Regulations 2006 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. RM³ has been embraced by the UK railway industry and is increasingly influencing activity in Europe through its adoption by the European Railway Agency. This course, designed in collaboration with ORR, will provide you with a thorough understanding of what makes a good management system and why you need one how you can use RM³ within your organisation, and how an inspector uses RM³ to assess your risk management arrangements. HSL is delighted to be collaborating with ORR to deliver training on RM³. HSL’s comprehensive understanding of RM³ and best practice in the field of health & safety risk management across a range of industries, along with our knowledge of regulation puts us in the best position to help you to implement RM³ effectively and achieve excellence in H&S risk management. More information on RM³ here Overview of the RM³ Model The Risk Management Maturity Model (RM³): The essentials and how to sell it to your business The course will cover: Key elements of a good health and safety management system RM³: its development and organisational benefits How to use and apply RM³ within your organisation Key challenges that organisations face, including setting safety performance indicators (SPIs) and developing competent leaders Consideration of the human element of health and safety management systems The course uses a mixture of presentations and group exercises (including knowledge sharing activities to ensure good practice is shared) over two days to ensure delegates fully understand the topics covered. This course can also be run as an in-house course for organisations who would like groups of their staff trained in RM3. We are happy to discuss any modifications to the course content in these circumstances to ensure the training is tailored to your organisation’s needs. Who should attend? This course is intended as an introduction to RM³ and therefore would suit those who have little or no knowledge of RM³ and its application. Whilst this course is tailored to those who are responsible for health & safety risk management in the rail industry, delegates from other industries will find the course of relevance due to the cross-industry applicability of the principles of excellent risk management. Venue ETC Venues – Marble ArchGarfield House86 Edgware RoadLondonW2 2EA For in-house courses, HSL will deliver the training at your own premises. Please get in touch with our Training Unit to discuss further. Cost The cost of this course is £1195 per person (includes course notes, lunch and refreshments). Book Course     Please note the invoice option is not available within 4 weeks of the course date, or for overseas customers.  If you are selecting the invoice option for payment, it will be mandatory to input a purchase order/reference number as we are unable to process booking forms without this. For further dates and additional information email: training@hsl.gsi.gov.uk or contact the Training & Conferences Unitat HSL directly on +44 (0)1298 218806. Back to Health & Safety Training Courses Source link

Brick production in 2015 reached its highest level since 2007, according to the latest statistics from the Department of Innovation & Skills (BIS). The Brick Development Association, representing the producers, says that problems with shortages and long delivery times seen recently are now in the past. Almost two billion bricks were manufactured in the UK last year, which is 7% more than in 2014. At the same time, in the third quarter of the year imports of bricks continued to fall and were 50% lower than in the same quarter in 2014. Brick Development Association chairman Michael Ankers said: “This significant increase in brick production follows the re-opening of a number of plants and improved productivity at many others. Imports are falling significantly and stocks are at a more appropriate level for the current activity in the UK construction industry. “The challenges the brick industry faced in 2014 when there was a dramatic increase in housebuilding are now behind us and the industry is confident it can meet the growing demand for its products in housing and other construction projects.”       This article was published on 10 Feb 2016 (last updated on 10 Feb 2016). Source link

How vigilant is the organisation you work for about addressing levels of mental health/workplace stress among its employees? Join the Think Tank to have your opinion reflected here — editorial@fm-world.co.uk 12 August 2016 | FM World team newsdesk@fm-world.co.uk This month we asked you about mental health in the wake of four organisations – the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA), Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA), CIBSE Patrons and The Samaritans – are campaigning to address mental health and workplace stress in the building engineering services industry. It follows a joint BESA/ECA survey suggesting 31 per cent of building engineering services firms find on-site mental health issues “hard to manage”. Four in five of those surveyed also believe workplace mental health issues “will have a serious impact on their businesses over the next five to 10 years”. At the same time, CIPD research data indicates that the number of people saying they have experienced mental health issues while in employment has increased from a quarter to a third over the past five years. Time to ask: are workplace stress and other mental health concerns a “forgotten health and safety” issue? Vetting should be more rigorous Suitability of staff is a factor when it comes to mental health in the workplace. The Orlando nightclub shooter had worked as a security guard for G4S and come to the attention of the FBI in 2013, so arguably more rigorous vetting of staff may become necessary. But it is not just at work we need to be concerned about mental health. The longer someone is unemployed, the more likely, I believe, he or she will suffer anxiety and depression. Rob Farman is principal Abacus FMEC Let’s make sure we talk about it Mental health issues are not the forgotten health and safety issue — they are the forgotten issue, full stop. If we put as much effort, time, money and resources into mental health as we do physical health we would all be in such a better place. On the whole the workplace is ill-equipped to deal with mental health issues, hence good communication as critical. And it’s not just communication between staff and management. Colleagues and teams need to have this conversation. People are happy to talk about a visit to the doctor, but few mention their trip to the mental health practitioner. Nick Brook head of facilities for Mills & Reeve LLP Help staff to work better without stress Within our organisation, mental well-being is very important. We encourage people to do simple things like take their lunch-break and not think that they have to answer emails after work. My FM work consists of looking after our buildings, making sure they are nice and safe places to go into. People within my organisation do not realise what the extent of the work that I do is to help contribute to good mental well-being. The work FMs do on the front line may not be visible but it is important for making sure people feel good at work. For example, we have a big open office area and we have hot desks. When we first set it up a few years ago we thought ‘this is great we can get all of our frontline workers coming in and they can talk about their clients and not worry about confidentiality. It will be a good base and they can come up with new ideas.’ All of these things are what the offices were set up for. But recently people have been getting stressed in there because noise levels can be up and down and people are working on different projects and there are different sensitivities and different levels of confidentiality. So I have been researching into open office working, asking if it works. I have kind of come to the conclusion it doesn’t. We have come up with ways to make sure staff can work better and not be stressed. Some of what I have come up with – and this is early stages – is setting up a room which is a quiet area for staff to use for up to half an hour to either sit and think or sit and read or catch up on emails or make a call. I will also ‘cubiclise’ some of the areas – not with full-length walls – but to give staff some privacy so they feel they can sit and get on with things without interruption. Emma Dallimore is facilities manager at Hull and East Yorkshire Mind Getting a good work / life balance is crucial Enforcing a good work/life balance is crucial, not just to the mental health of employees, but also the productivity of staff. As agile working and wifi technology are more widespread, staff may feel more inclined to keep working at all times and in all places. FMs could work more closely with HR teams to introduce some sort of physical cut-off to the working environment, such as this design company in Amsterdam that winches their desks up to the ceiling at 6pm, to stop staff from working late, and allow the space to be used for games, exercise, or activities (tinyurl.com/FMW0816-workinglate). This has the extra incentive from an FM perspective of increased space use. At Plusnet, we offer an employee assistance helpline and provide games rooms with table tennis, pool tables, arcade games, comfy sofas and large screen TVs for people to enjoy and relax in. But unfortunately we haven’t yet cracked a way of discouraging people from working late… Dave Bainbridge is Plusnet’s facilities manager HR must follow through with help and support At 43, I decided to diet after years of being obese (25st 7lbs). I joined a slimming club and lost a lot of weight, but I kept dieting and developed an eating disorder (ED), I reached 7st 6lbs, which for a man of 5ft 9in is not healthy. One day at work I told colleagues and my boss I was ill and had anorexia. A senior manager called me

Category: Construction Industry Today | Subscribe to Construction Industry Today Feed Published Tue, Aug 9th 2016 Groundforce Shorco propping solution chosen for excavation support at Lords Cricket Ground Posted via Industry Today. Follow us on Twitter @IndustryToday Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has embarked on its Ground Development Masterplan with the building of a new Warner Stand at Lord’s Cricket Ground.  The new stand will have 2,656 seats, a new match-control and match officials’ facility, and a restaurant, three bars and catering facilities. It will have ground-source heat pumps to heat water, and photovoltaic roof panels generating electricity, as well as rainwater collection and recycling and “green” or living walls. Incorporated within the design is a large basement that will accommodate waste sorting and storage facilities, plant rooms, a cellar and a staff mess room.  This large fan-shaped basement measures up to 33m in length and 22m in width, and has been excavated within steel sheet piles, supported by proprietary props and waling beams supplied by Groundforce. The company’s Mega Brace waling beams were installed around the perimeter of the sheet piled wall, some up to 17m long. They were then propped using 600mm diameter MP125 tubular struts measuring up to 21m in length. One of the reasons Groundforce Shorco was chosen to supply the propping was because it offered a solution that minimised the number of props spanning the excavation. The complex geometry of the excavation includes many obtuse angles, which involved connecting the waling beams using just one pin connection, as opposed to the two pins that can be incorporated into a straight joint. Due to the shape, welding was required to eliminate shear and horizontal movement in the beam. Additional constraints include the fact that truck size on the site is limited to 16 tonne rigid lorries. Groundforce Shorco worked closely with main contractor Bam Construct and subcontractor Berryrange, providing assistance with installation and removal, as well as welding details. The stand Shell and core works were completed in July 2016. Ends For further information please contact:Lynn Campbell @TLC prT 07764 635550E lynn@tlcpr.co.uk   Source link

Clearbell Capital and asset manager XLB, represented by Savills and Bromwich Hardy, have pre-let refurbished office space at Earlsdon Park in Coventry to Sitel. The global telemarketing and outsourcing firm has agreed a new 10-year lease for 23,000 sq ft (2,137 sq m) of first floor accommodation at the Former Technical College, which is undergoing a comprehensive speculative refurbishment due to complete in June. The mixed-use Earlsdon Park scheme, which was acquired out of receivership by Clearbell in 2015, includes 100,000 sq ft (11,891 sq m) of office space across the Former Technical College and a separate self-contained building let to the Department for Education.  It also features 8,000 sq ft (743 sq m) of vacant retail space, a 100-bedroom Premier Inn, multi-storey car park and development land to the rear. Dominic Moore, asset management director at Clearbell, comments: “Coventry is experiencing fantastic momentum in terms of inward investment and occupational demand.  Having Sitel commit to 23,000 sq ft on a pre-let at Earlsdon Park is testament to both the city and the scheme.  We are delighted to have them on board.” Jonathan Ottewell, associate director at Savills, adds: “A further 3,500 sq ft and 10,000 sq ft of available office space at Earlsdon Park is also set to benefit from a full refurbishment including new heating and cooling systems, raised floors and improved lighting plus new WCs and windows.” Tom Bromwich of Bromwich Hardy adds: “Clearbell has shown that the right product delivered into a market will attract good quality occupiers. The refurbishment will be completed before the end of the year and we are hopeful the remaining accommodation will receive as much positive interest as the first floor.” Earlsdon Park is located within a five minute walk of Coventry’s mainline train station which provides direct and regular connections to Birmingham and London.  Parking is provided in the on-site multi-storey car park and occupiers can negotiate a flexible car parking ratio. Source link

Category: Construction Industry Today | Subscribe to Construction Industry Today Feed Published Thu, Apr 14th 2016 A £150 million regeneration initiative, which has contributed to economic and social revival across County Durham, celebrates its 20th anniversary this month. Posted via Industry Today. Follow us on Twitter @IndustryToday And to mark the occasion, the Durham Villages Regeneration Company (DVRC) has announced plans to develop its 37th site – at Middlestone Moor, just outside Spennymoor. Since being created in 1996, the award winning* partnership has created over 1,400 homes, provided jobs and training for hundreds of people and contributed many £millions in support of councils’ community services and initiatives. As well as providing homes for families in County Durham communities, the scheme has also added to the local economy and provided a valuable boost to local businesses. The partnership between Durham County Council and developer Keepmoat, was among the UK’s first public / private joint ventures – set up to unlock the value of council assets and provide affordable homes for local communities. The original partners were Durham City Council, Durham Aged Miners Housing Association, Three Rivers Housing Association and regeneration specialist – Keepmoat.  Following local government reorganisation in 2009, Durham County Council has been the public sector partner. To date, of the 1400 homes completed, around 25% have been for affordable rent.  Of those sold, almost half have been to first time buyers and nearly 80% were bought by people living within 10 miles of the development. Councillor Neil Foster, Durham County Council’s Cabinet member for economic regeneration and chair of DVRC, said:  “This initiative has brought major benefits to County Durham, not least building homes for local families. As well as investing in the local economy, creating jobs and providing apprenticeships and training opportunities, it’s also resulted in millions of pounds being spent on community facilities.” Although construction is at the heart of the initiative, Keepmoat understands that bricks and mortar are only part of the regeneration process.   By enhancing the environments in which it operates, supporting community initiatives and providing training and real jobs for local people, it is helping to change lives for the better. Says Managing Director of Keepmoat Homes North East, Richard Bass: “The DVRC partnership has allowed the council to unlock the potential of land and property assets and support ongoing economic and social revival.   The authorities have provided assets – mainly in the form of land and property, at full market value – and we develop them, creating mainly affordable homes for sale.  Profits, after tax, are shared equally. “Meanwhile, in partnership with established registered social housing providers, we build further homes for shared ownership or rent.  This really is a major success story in delivering housing led regeneration, providing much needed new homes and the added benefits that this provides.  Here’s looking forward to the next 20 years.” DVRC is currently building a range of homes for sale and rent at sites in Bowburn, Newton Aycliffe and Sherburn Hill and further sites around the county are under consideration.  Source link