4 reasons why modular is more sustainable than traditional construction – Over the past decade, modular construction has grown substantially. A recent report by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills has estimated the total value of the offsite construction industry at £1.5 billion, with the potential to grow to
Develop Training Ltd (DTL) held its first Authorising Engineer Forum at The Hawkhills Emergency Planning Centre in Easingwold near York on Friday 9 December. In a day full of presentations from a cross-section of industry, electrical safety took centre stage with the importance of safe systems of work being stressed
Plans for new banning orders to crack down on rogue landlords and property agents and stop them operating have been set out by government today. The banning orders would be put in place when rogue landlords commit serious offences against tenants. This could include failing to carry out work required
Companies in the utilities sector have made a commitment to a major programme of staff training in an attempt to fight the skills shortage. Contractors and clients throughout the industry have signed the Skills Accord for Energy & Utilities, a voluntary, cross-industry partnership intended to address the skills gaps. With
According to the latest report from Moneypenny, the telephone answering service, British builders are missing out on work because of their failure to answer their phone calls. The study showed that 33% of builders in Britain are letting the calls go through to voicemail or ringing out, while 41% of
Santander Corporate & Commercial has financed around £2 million in growth capital funding and working capital facilities to Cardiff, Wales based Forward Waste Management (FWM). The Welsh waste and recycling firm, which offers services specifically for the manufacturing sector, will use the funding to help develop its regional waste collection
Herefordshire Council has given planning permission for the building of a 20MW energy storage system (ES) which will give real-time grid stabilisation to the local distribution network. Energy Reservoirs now has three years to start building the system, which will be made up of batteries housed in ten containers on
Four local authorities in Surrey have agreed a 10-year joint waste contract with Amey. The contract for Surrey Heath, Elmbridge, Mole Valley and Woking councils covers household waste collection, recycling, chargeable garden waste, recycling banks, clinical waste, replacement bins and provides an opportunity for a commercial waste service. It will
BAE Systems has opened a new £15.6 million aerospace skills and training academy, marking the single biggest investment in aerospace skills in the UK. The group opened its new training academy at Samlesbury, Lancashire, to create a pipeline of talent that will be able to meet the future technical demands
Minister for employability and training, Jamie Hepburn MSP, was invited by Unite the Union and UCATT to celebrate the achievements of workplace learners at Aberdeen City Council, while also presenting them with certificates. Over the last two years the unions organised learning and support to 297 Aberdeen City Council workers.
4 reasons why modular is more sustainable than traditional construction – Over the past decade, modular construction has grown substantially. A recent report by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills has estimated the total value of the offsite construction industry at £1.5 billion, with the potential to grow to £6 billion[1]. Attitudinal changes towards offsite building techniques, as well as their increased sustainability and capabilities as seen on many high-profile jobs, have all contributed to this growth. Matthew Goff, director of UK operations at Actavo | Building Solutions, gives four reasons why modular is overtaking traditional construction methods in the sustainability stakes: Modular buildings are manufactured in controlled environments It is widely recognised that modular has the potential to reduce overall construction programmes. In most cases, while onsite ground works are being completed, building modules are being manufactured in a controlled, factory environment. This means a large portion of works are completed simultaneously, reducing the building programme from the outset. Once modules are delivered to site – pre-fitted with electrics, plumbing, heating, doors, windows and internal finishes – they are carefully craned into position on prepared foundations. This is a key driver for education facilities where disruption to staff and pupils needs to be kept to a minimum. Offsite construction is up to 50% quicker than traditional[2] – buildings can be created onsite in timeframes as short as just four weeks. Modular buildings are often recyclable Offsite construction can reduce up to 90% of waste generated when compared with traditional construction methods[3]. Some modular buildings are now manufactured using recyclable material from other projects. Being adaptable and flexible to changing needs, modular buildings are easy to move without disturbing surrounding landscapes. Think of a school campus which needs to evolve as systems develop and additional space is required. Modular allows and, following the introduction of BIM (building information modelling), can plan for any future changes throughout a building’s life cycle – from concept to demolition. Offsite construction uses less energy Compared to an equivalent, traditionally-built project, up to 67% less energy is required to produce a modular building[4]. Not only is the actual construction of the building ‘greener’, but the building is also energy- efficient for life. Modular buildings are now being installed with sustainable energy-efficient systems such as energy-efficient glass, geothermal systems and solar panels. Offsite construction also impacts on the carbon footprint of a building, as it allows for a reduction of the total number of deliveries to sites by 90%[5]. Modular can be built to the exact same standards as traditional The key benefit of modular construction is the essential quality benefits which come with working in a controlled factory environment. Buildings are designed and built to the same, higher sustainability standards as traditional construction such as BREEAM, PassivHaus and AECB. Unlike traditional construction, there are many cost savings associated with modular buildings, stemming from a reduction in project timeframes and leading to reductions in overall costs. Although changing views of offsite construction methods are continuing to increase its popularity, traditional methods still account for the largest market share in the building industry. As the construction sector develops and adapts to meet changing Government strategies, modular will be increasingly employed across the industry. For more information about sustainable, modular buildings, please visit: www.actavo.com/buildings. [1]https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/305024/Technology_and_skills_in_the_construction_industry_evidence_report_74.pdf [2] https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Modular_vs_traditional_construction [3] http://www.wrap.org.uk/sites/files/wrap/Housing%20newsletter%20Hi_res%20080307.pdf [4] http://www.wrap.org.uk/sites/files/wrap/Modern%20Methods%20of%20Construction%20-%20Summmary.pdf [5] http://www.wrap.org.uk/sites/files/wrap/Modern%20Methods%20of%20Construction%20-%20Summmary.pdf
Develop Training Ltd (DTL) held its first Authorising Engineer Forum at The Hawkhills Emergency Planning Centre in Easingwold near York on Friday 9 December. In a day full of presentations from a cross-section of industry, electrical safety took centre stage with the importance of safe systems of work being stressed by the speakers. The day kicked off with Bill Bates of Foxgloves (Electrical Safety Management) discussing some of the investigations he’d been involved with during his career as HM Principal Electrical Inspector for the Health & Safety Executive (HSE). Bill’s hard-hitting presentation underlined how easily very dangerous situations can be created due to a lack of planning, a lack of care and attention, and by not following the correct guidance and procedures. He went on to present the IET Code of Practice for Electrical Safety Management, the production of which Bill was heavily involved with. Quality = safety Lee Bateson, M&E Manager for Costain, then presented Costain’s approach to designated authorities for engineering disciplines before moving on to the automated tunnel drilling rig used on the mechanical and electrical fit out for the Crossrail project, and finally to World Quality Week. Lee’s key message was that through striving for quality on a project, safety will inevitably improve as a result. Next up, DTL’s Al Katib (Senior Lecturer and Authorising Engineer) led the assembly through a talk about the US’ NFPA 70E standard for electrical safety in the workplace, looking in depth at arc flashes and the recommendations for suitable personal protective equipment (PPE). Following on, ROOTS Original’s Scott Tonkin showcased the company’s range of arc-rated PPE, which included flame retardant workwear of different calorific ratings, eye protection and safety gloves. How to mitigate the risk of the human factor In the afternoon session, after a brief update on low voltage skills compliance from DTL Delivery Manager, John Scott, Lucy Electric’s Phil Bourne outlined a vision for the future of the energy network and how their secondary distribution automation systems are helping to modernise operations for the likes of UK Power Networks. Danny Murphy, of the eight2O alliance then presented on the mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, control and automation (MEICA) management challenges presented by working in an eight-strong alliance on behalf of Thames Water. Al Katib concluded the day’s proceedings with a practical case study exercise analysing the human factor in relation to electrical safety. Responding to client feedback “We’ve created the Authorising Engineer Forum after listening closely to our clients and recognising their enthusiasm for a platform which facilitates the sharing of best practice and knowledge, updates in legislation and showcases the latest technology,” said Chris Wood, CEO of Develop Training, “The fundamental reason behind the Forum is about ensuring we all return home safely at the end of each day. It’s a source of pride to us all at DTL that we can play a significant role in this through the creation of the Forum and through the training we provide nationwide.”
Plans for new banning orders to crack down on rogue landlords and property agents and stop them operating have been set out by government today. The banning orders would be put in place when rogue landlords commit serious offences against tenants. This could include failing to carry out work required by the council to prevent a health and safety risk to tenants, threatening tenants with violence, or illegally evicting them. If a landlord or property agent is subject to a banning order they could be prevented from letting or managing a property indefinitely. Their name would also be included in a national database of rogue landlords and property agents. Government is seeking views on which offences committed by rogue landlords or property agents should constitute a ‘banning order’ offence in a consultation launched today. Housing Minister Gavin Barwell said: Banning orders will allow us to drive out the worst offenders and help make sure millions of hard-working private tenants across the country are protected from exploitation. While the vast majority of landlords are responsible we are determined to tackle the minority who abuse and exploit vulnerable people. As part of the government’s commitment to improving standards within the private rented sector, banning orders will protect tenants and target the small minority of poor landlords and property agents. They will also help local authorities to take robust and effective action against rogues who knowingly rent out unsafe and substandard accommodation. The banning orders will force the most serious and prolific offenders to either drastically improve the standard of the accommodation they rent out, or to leave the sector entirely, with a minimum ban lasting 12 months and no upper limit for a maximum ban. Those subject to banning orders will also not be able to earn income from renting out housing or engaging in letting agency or property management work. Landlords could also find that their property could be made the subject of a management order by the local authority, which allows the council to rent out the property instead. Banning orders are part of a range of measures introduced in the Housing and Planning Act 2016 to tackle rogue landlords, including: a database of rogue landlords and property agents who have been convicted of banning order offences or received 2 or more civil penalties extension of Rent Repayment Orders to cover illegal eviction, breach of a banning order or failure to comply with a statutory notice civil penalties up to £30,000 as an alternative to prosecution for offences under the Housing Act 2004. Further details Proposed banning order offences as outlined in the consultation include: illegally evicting a tenant renting out a property decided to be unsafe as a dwelling by local authorities failing to carry out works required by local authorities to prevent health and safety risk to tenants renting out a property to an illegal migrant using violence, or threatening violence against a tenant making fraudulent applications for housing benefit, or committing identity theft using the property to cultivate cannabis theft or criminal damage colluding with the tenant to commit a criminal offence, such as tax evasion or the supply of illegal drugs. Where someone has been convicted of a banning order offence, the local authority can apply to a first-tier tribunal for an order banning that landlord or property agent from being involved in the letting and/or management of property. The definition of a banning order offence will not be retrospective and will only relate to offences that are committed after the regulations have come into force.
Companies in the utilities sector have made a commitment to a major programme of staff training in an attempt to fight the skills shortage. Contractors and clients throughout the industry have signed the Skills Accord for Energy & Utilities, a voluntary, cross-industry partnership intended to address the skills gaps. With a fifth of the sector’s skilled workers approaching retirement age, 36% of vacancies are proving difficut to fill, while 14% of all employers reporting skills gaps within their existing workforces, the Skills Accord is the sector’s solution to drive industry training. The agreement, administered by Energy & Utility (EU) Skills, encourages its signatories to put a greater proportion of their employees through formal structured development, either in specific skills that the sector currently requires or for which there is a demonstrable future requirement. The scheme’s lead partners SSE, National Grid and Amey, along with Thames Water and UK Power Networks. The Skills Accord also has 22 other signatories: ABB, Amec Foster Wheeler, Balfour Beatty, Clancy Group, Complete Asset Life Mgt, Costain, GE Power, IWJS, Kier Utilities, Laing O’Rourke, Lanes Group, McNicholas, Morgan Sindall, Morrison Utility Services, Murphy, NWH Treatment, Peter Duffy, RJ McLeod, Sapphire Utility Solutions, Siemens, Skanska and T&K Gallagher. The signatories have agreed to five pledges: a formal programme of learning; encourage suppliers to sign up; embed the Accord’s principles into new tenders and contracts; a commitment to continuous improvement; and monitor and publish company success rate, as overseen by an external auditor. Chair of the Energy & Utility Skills Group, Jan Ward, commented: “This Skills Accord is one of the key priorities of the new sector partnership now underway, and I applaud these companies for testing the art of the possible and by collaborating with each other to recruit and train skilled workers, increase mobility and efficiency, widen the available talent pool and consequently bring about strategic workforce renewal.”
According to the latest report from Moneypenny, the telephone answering service, British builders are missing out on work because of their failure to answer their phone calls. The study showed that 33% of builders in Britain are letting the calls go through to voicemail or ringing out, while 41% of building contractors did not answer the phone, according to the Small Business Call Report 2016, which also showed that most callers (69%) refuse to leave a voicemail message. Moneypenny has warned that this can have a huge negative impact on their revenue, as the value of each missed call having a significant impact on its bottom line, in particular in the current economic climate. Co-founder and Director of Moneypenny, Ed Reeves, commented: “Quite simply, a customer getting through to a voicemail instead of a person is like tearing up money. It’s akin to walking into a shop with no one at the till. Buyers simply ring the next supplier on the list. “Pretty much every prospective customer hangs up at an answer message, yet so many businesses, especially those run from mobiles, have no solution in place. UK SMEs are losing a fortune in business opportunities, and our dependency on operating our business from our mobiles is making things worse.” The study shows that those who let their calls go through to voicemail are also letting themselves down with their message greeting. More than half (54%) of micro businesses are still relying on a standard network voicemail greeting without making reference to their business. 300 micro businesses (with 0-9 employees) took part in the survey, which includes building contractors and construction workers, and an examination of Moneypenny’s own call data from 10,000 businesses. Reeves added: “Customers use phone enquiries differently nowadays; a phone call is no longer a research tool – that’s handled by social media, websites or email – instead it’s the final reassurance prior to a purchase.”
Santander Corporate & Commercial has financed around £2 million in growth capital funding and working capital facilities to Cardiff, Wales based Forward Waste Management (FWM). The Welsh waste and recycling firm, which offers services specifically for the manufacturing sector, will use the funding to help develop its regional waste collection and processing facilities extending from South Wales to the West Midlands. Established in 2006, FWM provides an end-to-end service to UK manufacturers, including the management of hazardous waste materials. With a substantial increase in environmental regulation over the past decade, FWM said that it has expanded significantly as the demands on its clients have grownenabling it to capitalise by advising clients on their total waste management strategy via a single point of contact. The firm’s current clients include British Airways, Ricardo, Federal Mogul, Sony and Actavis. The Growth Capital funding from Santander is being used in particular to fund FWM’s operations in the West Midlands as the business develops a growing customer base in the region. Santander’s Growth Capital loans are targeted at businesses with annual turnovers of up to £50 million which have a demonstrated history of high year-on-year growth in turnover, profit or employment. The facility is part of the bank’s Breakthrough support programme, which is aimed at fast-growth, ambitious businesses and includes funded overseas trade missions, Masterclass events and also provides graduate interns to SMEs. FWM added said that it also incorporates its own waste handling equipment division, Enviroquip, manufacturing and refurbishing a wide range of machinery including waste compactors, balers and containers. Lyndon Ward, managing director of Forward Waste Management Ltd, said: “We are a dynamic business operating in growth driven by the increasingly significant waste and recycling regulatory and compliance requirements for our customer base.” Peter Abel, Director, Growth Capital, Santander Corporate & Commercial added: “This is a business we have known and tracked for a while…. They operate in a sector with exciting opportunities.”
Herefordshire Council has given planning permission for the building of a 20MW energy storage system (ES) which will give real-time grid stabilisation to the local distribution network. Energy Reservoirs now has three years to start building the system, which will be made up of batteries housed in ten containers on a greenfield site to the west of Clay Hill Pitch, Dormington. The original planning documents state that the system will be directly connected to the adjacent substation to provide energy storage capacity to the National Grid. It will mean that excess electricity generated from a number of conventional and renewable sources will be allowed to be stored in the batteries during times of low demand. The stored capacity will then be fed back into the grid during peak demand times, which can coincide with times of low generation. A spokesperson for Energy Reservoirs said that in terms of other potential streams of revenue, the process of prequalifying for the capacity market was “an expensive job” for a battery due to the high bid bond require, while arbitrage “doesn’t really work yet sadly”. The project is therefore expected to rely on providing frequency balancing services as the main revenue stream. However, the spokesperson added that the company intended to take part in National Grid’s next tender after failing to win in the recent EFR competition. Energy Reservoirs has yet to appoint a supplier and is currently attracting quotes from a number of potential partners, the majority of which are offering lithium-ion batteries.
Four local authorities in Surrey have agreed a 10-year joint waste contract with Amey. The contract for Surrey Heath, Elmbridge, Mole Valley and Woking councils covers household waste collection, recycling, chargeable garden waste, recycling banks, clinical waste, replacement bins and provides an opportunity for a commercial waste service. It will also include street cleaning and associated activities including street sweeping, bin emptying, graffiti removal, and fly-tipping and fly-posting clearance. The councils expect the contract to save taxpayers across the four authorities more than £2m a year. Existing fortnightly recycling and waste collections will be maintained, as will weekly food waste collections. The contract will introduce a weekly collection of clothes, home textiles and small electricals while other new schemes include: Surrey Waste Partnership part-funded the deal, which was supported by Surrey County Council as the waste disposal authority. Amey chief executive Andy Milner (pictured) said: “This announcement sees us build on our reputation as a trusted and innovative provider of high-quality local waste collection services. “We are committed to working closely with these councils to meet their sustainability and environmental objectives, while providing a first-rate service for local residents.” Waste officers from Surrey Heath and Woking councils put out identical statements saying the deal was a “great result.” “By working together, we’re able to deliver an improved waste and recycling collection service, while freeing up substantial sums of money to spend on the services which people value the most.” The contract will have a staggered start depending on when each council’s current contract ends. The earliest is Elmbridge in June 2017, followed by Woking in September 2017, Surrey Heath in February 2018 and Mole Valley in August 2018 for waste and recycling and April 2019 for street cleaning. Other district and borough councils in Surrey, there are 11 overall, will have the opportunity to join as the contract progresses.
BAE Systems has opened a new £15.6 million aerospace skills and training academy, marking the single biggest investment in aerospace skills in the UK. The group opened its new training academy at Samlesbury, Lancashire, to create a pipeline of talent that will be able to meet the future technical demands of its military aircraft business. The Academy for Skills and Knowledge (ASK) marks the single biggest investment ever in skills for the UK aerospace sector. The 7,400m2 building has been designed and constructed over the last three years and is located on the Samlesbury Aerospace Enterprise Zone along with BAE System’s military aircraft advanced manufacturing centre. The centre will train all the graduates and apprentices in the BAE’s military aircraft business, while also providing ‘life-long learning and skills development activities’ for 13,000 employees for at least the next 40 years. The ASK will also act as a collaborative skills-hub for the North West’s engineering and manufacturing sector and offer Stem resources for school children from five to 14 years old. BAE Systems said that the technology in the ASK “mirrors the latest advanced manufacturing technologies and factory layouts” used at its own sites around the UK. This includes 3D printers, a manufacturing Kuka robot cell, a composites clean room, as well as a virtual reality ‘cave’ to train apprentices using immersive simulations that include viewing wiring on a military jet. In early 2017, the academy’s hangar will accommodate a full size Hawk jet for apprentices to understand the ‘engineering complexity and build of an aircraft’ first hand. Chris Boardman, managing director of BAE Systems military air and information, said that the ASK offers “an unrivalled modern engineering and manufacturing environment in which BAE Systems can deliver the highest quality training”. Northern Powerhouse minister Andrew Percy added: “Northern businesses have stablished themselves in the top flight of the aerospace industry and the new flagship Academy for Skills and Knowledge will offer excellent opportunities to our young people from the area.”
Minister for employability and training, Jamie Hepburn MSP, was invited by Unite the Union and UCATT to celebrate the achievements of workplace learners at Aberdeen City Council, while also presenting them with certificates. Over the last two years the unions organised learning and support to 297 Aberdeen City Council workers. The education was delivered free to workers through financial support from the Learning Fund, which is supported by the Scottish Government and administered by Scottish Union Learning. UCATT organised onsite assessment for 23 Aberdeen City Council tradespeople, including joiners, painters, plasterers, slaters and masons. The scheme provided workers who had no formal qualifications with the chance to demonstrate their considerable skills and experience. The candidates were assessed at work and were also required to complete portfolios to obtain NVQ Level 2 qualifications. 10 places were funded by the council to ensure the workloads of candidates were suitable to show their wide range of skills, while the Learning Fund financed the remaining 13 places. Hepburn also enjoyed a tour of disused council properties to look at examples of the work carried out by the learners, which included brickwork, plastering and partitioned walls. Director of Scottish Union Learning, Wendy Burton, commented: “Scottish Union Learning congratulates workers in Aberdeen City Council on obtaining their qualifications. “This is an excellent example of trade union and employer partnerships, demonstrating how working together can overcome logistical workplace challenges and develop vital learning opportunities for workers.” Minister for employability and training, Jamie Hepburn, said: “Scottish Union Learning helps workers to improve their skills and qualifications as well as their prospects and prosperity. Today’s visit highlights what can be achieved when trade unions and employers work together to support Scotland’s workers. “Trade Unions play a vital role in up-skilling our workforce and delivering Scottish Union Learning so it is great to hear first-hand from those who have benefitted from the programme and to celebrate in their success.”