Leading North West property services company, The Momentum Group, has announced the publication of its first Annual Report for Momentum Contribute and its second Annual Health, Safety and Wellbeing Report. Momentum Contribute underpins The Momentum Group’s business activities, encapsulating the company’s commitment to people, places, the planet, and professionalism.  Its maiden annual report provides an assessment of the company’s progress since launching the responsible business strand 12 months ago.  Highlights include: Establishing processes to capture The Momentum Group’s baseline emissions leading to the first carbon footprint calculation for the whole business; Achieving ISO 14001 and 45001 standards to prove the Group’s successful environmental and health and safety management systems; Taking a leading role in the Liverpool City Region to open the debate around how the property sector can become more sustainable, most notably delivering Liverpool’s first Sustainable Property Conference in support of the UN’s Global Sustainable Development Goals Week.  The conference brought together over 80 attendees and speakers from across the property sector; And establishing the Momentum Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the group, as a force for good in the Liverpool City Region by holding its first open grants panel, providing funding to five local charities. Chris Bliss, Co-founder and Director of The Momentum Group, commented: “The Momentum Group is committed to maximising our positive contribution and minimising our negative impact.  The creation of Momentum Contribute was a key step in achieving this, but the publication of our first annual report assessing its activities takes us even further on our journey to be a responsible, sustainable business.  We recognise we have more to do and are committed to fulfilling our objectives in the years ahead, whilst encouraging other businesses to behave in a more socially and environmentally responsible way.” Marking The Momentum Group’s ongoing commitment to the highest standards of health, safety and wellbeing, the company’s second Annual Health, Safety and Wellbeing Report offers a transparent look into Momentum’s practices for clients, supply chain partners, and its own team. Sitting at the core of the business, ‘Safe First’ underpins everything that Momentum does.  The report reveals: In over 195,000 hours of activity, the team had only one significant reportable incident, and zero dangerous occurrences, with The Momentum Group continuing to set very high standards and ensuring its team and supply chain partners adhere to processes and procedures; Momentum facilitates several regular meetings across the business to keep an open line of conversation to discuss health and safety issues and concerns. These include the Steering Group, chaired by the company’s external safety advisors alongside the Co-Founder Directors and each of the division heads. The Co-Founder Directors also undertake Monthly Safety Tours on various sites across the business; Mental wellbeing is another key aspect of Momentum’s health, safety and wellbeing considerations, with the management team implementing a range of initiatives to aid the mental health of the team, including all line managers being trained as Mental Health First Aiders; During the 12-month period, The Momentum Group employees took part in over 8,600 hours of training, including courses on Fire Safety, First Aid, and various construction related courses. Chris Renshaw, Co-founder and Director of The Momentum Group, added: “Our health and safety performance continues to be strong, and we will ensure we maintain our high standards, reviewing, adapting, and challenging ourselves to be even better in the year ahead. “More broadly, both reports are a testament to the commitment, hard work and support from our team, clients and partners, and extend our gratitude to them all for the key roles they have played in all that we have achieved so far.” Read the full Annual Report for Momentum Contribute here and the Annual Health, Safety and Wellbeing Report here. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

Written by Charlie Brain, Senior Consultant, Water Hygiene Centre Commercial Offices in the UK have experienced an interesting life since the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The usage of these types of buildings has perhaps changed from the typical 9-5 way of life, therefore the way they are managed may also need to change.  This blog explores the risks that water poses in these types of buildings and in particular the risk of Legionella bacteria. What is Legionella?  Legionella bacteria are common in natural water sources such as rivers and lakes, they may also be found in purpose-built water systems, such as hot and cold water systems in a commercial office building. It is these types of “man-made” water systems that pose the greater risk to humans, as the conditions for Legionella proliferation and exposure are increased. Commercial offices are those buildings used by differing types of businesses as a place of work. Standard office spaces are commonly divided into workspaces, kitchens, restrooms, and service rooms such as cleaners’ cupboards and plant rooms. What are the requirements to reduce Legionella Risk? All commercial building operators in the UK have duties under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HSWA) which extends to risks from Legionella bacteria, that may arise from work activities. As the duty holder in control of a commercial office, you must; Who is Responsible? Whether you are the landlord/owner or tenant, the actions above must be undertaken, but like many commercial offices, these tasks may be undertaken by different parties. Unless a “fully maintained” lease is in place it is ultimately the responsibility of the landlord or owners to manage the building, this includes the water systems and other Health and Safety risks (including Legionella). If you are a tenant of a building (without a fully maintained lease) and are responsible for your employee’s health and safety, it would be advisable to seek evidence of compliance from your landlord. In some cases, fully maintained leases exist between landlords and tenants, that transfer responsibility from the landlord to the tenant for some or all the required tasks. In some cases, the tenant may feel they require more control over health and safety matters and undertake the tasks listed above themselves. Whatever arrangement is in place, records of work carried out to manage Legionella need to be kept up to date and readily available for inspection. Types of Water Systems Commercial office buildings range in size and complexity. It is fair to say, that the larger and more complicated a building and the water system is, the greater risk of Legionella is presented, which in turn, requires more elaborate control methods. The types of water systems found at commercial office buildings include; Each water or risk system requires a Legionella risk assessment and a resulting control scheme established. A control scheme will include monitoring, inspection, cleaning, and disinfection frequencies, so the more complex a water system is, the more controls it usually requires. Water System Usage One of the more topical issues regarding Legionella in commercial office buildings is water system usage. These types of buildings have experienced different levels of use since COVID-19, ranging from complete shutdown to reduced staffing levels and hybrid working styles. This impacts the water system as less water is being used daily, thus creating reduced flow, stagnation, and possible biofilm problems. The Legionella Control Association has reported that lockdowns have increased the rate of positive Legionella sample results. So, if your building has seen a different level of use, has the Legionella risk assessment been reviewed? Has the amount of stored water been assessed? Have different control measures been implemented? Other Considerations Scalding – Has a scalding risk assessment been carried out? Unnecessary installations of thermostatic mixing valves (TMV’s), especially in staff areas, can increase the risk of Legionella colonisation due to their complexity and maintenance requirements. The scalding protection should be applicable to the risk. Hot water boilers – Having replaced the traditional kettle, these installations can affect how much the sink taps are used. If drinking water dispensers are also used, is the sink cold tap being used at all? If a dishwasher is present, what are you using the hot tap for? The use of all outlets requires regular review. Drinking water dispensers – as mentioned above, these have replaced the humble cold-water tap, decreasing their use. If desired, mains-fed units are preferred to bottle-fed types, due to the quality of water supply, maintenance, and cleaning practicalities. If installed, mains-fed units should be sited as close as possible to a regularly used outlet to assist turnover. As with any commercial premises and health and safety matters, the starting point is always risk assessments. This will inform the landlord or building owner of any gaps in Legionella and water hygiene management and help form a plan to actively manage any Legionella risks identified. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals