Jail sentences have become the standard punishment for anyone found in breach of gas safety regulations. Once again, a plumber has been hit with a suspended prison term for carrying out gas fitting work when he was not on the Gas Safe Register. We have now seen two of these
Sales of ‘Internet of Things’ (IoT) heating devices have risen by 3,000% in the last six years, with volumes set to keep rising by 40% this year, according to the latest report. MTW Research carried out the study into the UK smart heating market which suggests that smart heating controls
Lee Engineering – Enhancing the Future (The Following is a Promoted Article) Whilst high-tech audio and visual technologies are, undoubtedly, a measure with which to enhance a space and make it more attractive, they also have a key role to play within the special needs environment. Able to significantly improve
EURO-DIESEL® – Breeding a Health and Safety Culture (The Following is a Promoted Article) Health and safety remains a great challenge for those in the power protection, conditioning and generation sectors, particularly in light of recent pressure on responsible practice stemming both from worldwide central governments and clients. Recognising contemporary
ADEY Professional Heating Solutions has secured a management buy out as it continues to pursue its ongoing strategy for growth. The water treatment manufacturer has been bought out by a consortium led by John Vaughan, the Chief Executive Officer of ADEY, and has received full backing from the company board,
Gateway Housing Association – Champion of the Community (The Following is a Promoted Article) “As a landlord, the biggest challenge you face is delivering a high quality, responsive repair service – particularly in the social housing sector,” insists Makanjuola Akinyemi, Director of Property Services at Gateway Housing Association, one of
UK: Mitsubishi Electric is to begin marketing and selling Climaveneta branded chillers in the UK, following the acquisition of the Climaveneta brand last year. The Climaveneta NX range of air source and water cooled chillers will be available from Mitsubishi Electric from July 4. These will be in addition to Mitsubishi Electric’s
Smart phones are infiltrating every area of our lives. We perform a daily juggling act when managing our private and professional lives through our mobile devices. Recent statistics revealed that on average, people touch their phones every four minutes- equivalent to 253 times a day! According to a recent study
The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has supported calls for the introduction of an ‘MOT style’ gas safety record for landlords. The campaign for the MOT style system for yearly gas safety checks for landlords has been proposed by the Association of Gas Safety Managers (AGSM), and is now backed
The sustainability director at Balfour Beatty has left his post after the contractor merged its health and safety department with its sustainability, environment and energy division. Heather Bryant, health and safety director at the firm, will lead the newly merged team in the new role of health, safety, environment &
Jail sentences have become the standard punishment for anyone found in breach of gas safety regulations. Once again, a plumber has been hit with a suspended prison term for carrying out gas fitting work when he was not on the Gas Safe Register. We have now seen two of these cases in the last two weeks and it seems evident that the courts are showing no leniency to people who choose to ignore the regulations of gas safety. Christoher Dignam is the latest to face the consequences of breaching the law, as his advertisements in local publications were accompanied by a Gas Safe Register logo and a fraudulent registration number. He was trading in the Manchester area under the name ‘Blue Flame Plumbing & Heating Services.’ Some of the work he carried out was found to be faulty and he is not registered on the Gas Safe Register and never has been. Living in Middleton, Dignam pleaded guilty to two breaches of Regulations 3 (3), and also for being in breach of 3 (7) and 26 (1) of the Gas Safety (Instillation and Use) Regulations 1998. His sentence was 12 months in custody, suspended for two years, as well as being ordered to pay £460 and £400 in compensation to two home owners along with £3,000 in costs. This latest case comes just a week after Alan Nicholas Price, a plumber from Walsall, was sentenced to a nine month prison term, suspended for two years, also for carrying out work when not registered by Gas Safe. Earlier in the year, a man from Darlington was sentenced to an 18 month jail term for pretending to be a Gas Safe engineer, as well as signing official records in the name of a registered gas engineer. The Gas Safe Register replaced CORGI as Great Britain’s gas registration body in April 2009.
Sales of ‘Internet of Things’ (IoT) heating devices have risen by 3,000% in the last six years, with volumes set to keep rising by 40% this year, according to the latest report. MTW Research carried out the study into the UK smart heating market which suggests that smart heating controls are leading the rise. Growing consumer demand and development of new products have boosted IoT heating market sales and offers positive opportunities for manufacturers and distributors this year. The new report highlights the extensive growth in the sector over the last few years, with a rise in demand for smart controls, connected TRVs, smart boilers along with a number of heating related IoT applications and devices. Mark Waddy, a director at MTW, said that they have seen unprecedented growth in the smart heating sector across a range of products this year, with more manufacturers expanding their range each month and making the most of the smart heating market opportunities. The 120 page report declared that in terms of trends and size of a number of smart heating sectors, the market will become characterised by increasing connectivity and speculation as end users will require increased control and monitoring of their home heating appliances. MTW has identified features such as enhanced efficiencies, remote operation and geofencing as some of the primary benefits of smart heating that will drive growth in demand this year. Mr Waddy also commented that the findings indicate half of consumers say they will be looking to install smart heating systems in their homes over the next five year period, which highlights massive growth in the market that will drive growth demand this year. The report also reviewed the full UK IoT market and found that there are currently nearly 900 million IoT devices being used in the UK at present, with growth in connected devices rising by 13% this year.
Lee Engineering – Enhancing the Future (The Following is a Promoted Article) Whilst high-tech audio and visual technologies are, undoubtedly, a measure with which to enhance a space and make it more attractive, they also have a key role to play within the special needs environment. Able to significantly improve the lives of those most vulnerable in society, be that improving mobility or encouraging interactivity within the space, integrated audio and visual solutions are then a highly valuable asset industry-wide. Lee Engineering has, since its founding over 25 years ago, been ahead of its time and now boasts capabilities in all aspects of audio and visual integration solutions, with particular emphasis on serving those in need of specialist care. Able to provide solutions for architectural lighting, building wide sound and lighting systems, all with custom control interfaces, the firm carries out major projects in both the public and private sector, bringing commercial, industrial, retail and leisure, and educational properties into the 21st Century. Working across such a variety of sectors comes with unique challenges. Clients come with widely different requirements relating not just to product specification but schedule of work, cost, and health and safety. Taking pride in its ability to tailor solutions accordingly, Lee Engineering is also flexible to the health and safety requirements of its private and public sector clients, implementing bespoke procedures in line with both level of risk presented and particular conditions of compliance. It’s a competence which has developed as result of gaining CHAS accreditation some four years ago in line with the demands of one of Lee Engineering’s existing customers. Previously, as a small firm of just five employees, all health and safety procedure was managed in-house – and quite successfully, too; the company hadn’t had an accident or near miss for as long as Paul Paluch, Project Manager at Lee Engineering for over 18 years, can remember. Nevertheless, when the opportunity to gain CHAS accreditation presented itself, the firm was sure to capitalise on it, something which Paluch stresses has been the making of the company’s current stature. “Membership of CHAS has allowed us to both prove just how effective our health and safety procedures are and, in turn, evidence our compliance to potential new clients,” reveals Paluch. “As a body of extensive research and resources, the association also represents the ability to keep abreast of any changes to regulation within the sector. As a consequence, both main contractors and clients have absolutely no hesitation choosing us because there is simply no questioning the CHAS mark of standard.” As businesses will undoubtedly be aware, main contractors often operate by more stringent codes of practice with regards to health and safety than those working on subcontract basis. Unlike many who are simply unable to meet such working criteria, Lee Engineering can perform as either main contractor or subcontractor and, aided by CHAS’ wealth of technical and regulatory expertise, can integrate seamlessly with all contractors on-site thus mitigating risk of accident or injury. Such guaranteed codes of practice alongside the technical excellence of its services without doubt contributed to Lee Engineering’s selection for the development of the SPACE Centre’s multi-sensory rooms, one’s the company’s largest special needs projects to date. Acting as lead architect, designer and main contractor, the firm delivered electrical, lighting, audio and visual equipment to create three, fully-interactive spaces for use by families, carers, therapists and teachers of those with special needs. Whilst the rooms themselves are extraordinarily thoughtful and play witness to Lee Engineering’s creativity in design and installation, it’s in control that the firm really stands out. Having developed state-of-the-art control software to manage AV solutions fitted, clients benefit from increased ease of use and rapidly decreased downtime. Such a value-added service has proven increasingly popular according to Paluch, particularly in schools where time is limited. “Individual classes may only have access to a multi-sensory room for an hour at a time,” he explains. “And therefore it’s crucial that the process of getting in and out, and setting the room up doesn’t eat into that time. Our tablet app control systems have drastically cut down the set-up time and we’re going to continue developing our software to make it even more intuitive to use.” Indeed, a real proponent of innovation, Lee Engineering is looking not just at improving its software provision but also extending the hardware it’s able to deliver in the future. Acknowledging the pace at which technology develops and, furthermore, how client demands increase in accordance, the company is investigating the potential of incorporating utilities such as heating and ventilation within its portfolio of services so as to further enhance the sensory experience provided. With care and attention endowed, as well as a strong sense of the importance of audio and visual technology within the special needs setting, Lee Engineering continues to demonstrate an acute understanding of what it means to be both responsible and progressive at every level. And maintaining standards of health and safety which both meet, and exceed, the expectations of clients, the company is likely to only accelerate in prominence in years ahead.
EURO-DIESEL® – Breeding a Health and Safety Culture (The Following is a Promoted Article) Health and safety remains a great challenge for those in the power protection, conditioning and generation sectors, particularly in light of recent pressure on responsible practice stemming both from worldwide central governments and clients. Recognising contemporary market conditions and, furthermore, taking responsibility for the well-being of its customers, staff and the local environment, EURO-DIESEL® continues to justify just why it’s such a key player in today’s critical power industry. Established in 1989 in Belgium, EURO-DIESEL® has since developed an end-to-end service in design, manufacture, installation, commissioning and ongoing maintenance and long term support of bespoke critical power solutions. Having brought forth a new era of reliable continuous critical power supply, the company’s critical power systems have been employed across all manner of sectors, in countries around the world, totalling more than 1GWe of installed power capacity. Since attaining ISO 9001 certification in 2008, the EURO-DIESEL® UK subsidiary has undergone radical transformation. Not simply working in line with the requirements of certification, but going above and beyond that which is expected – either by the industry or clients themselves – EURO-DIESEL® has developed highly effective, integrated management systems across all strands of the business, encompassing health and safety, quality, and the environment. Whilst that’s inevitably seen the firm employ a number of new training programmes for use by directly-employed operatives and subcontractors, too, Rob Pitt, Managing Director of the UK subsidiary of EURO-DIESEL® is keen to stress that achieving excellent health and safety performance, in particular, is not about training alone. “Fundamentally, it’s a health and safety culture that forms the basis of the firms DNA,” Rob attests. “There’s a risk of viewing ISO certification as a box-ticking exercise and, similarly, that training is the ultimate solution. Treating it in that way, you’re unlikely to get the buy-in of customers and employees and so we’ve worked hard to educate all on the value and importance of health and safety along with the benefits of actioning what’s learned during training.” CHAS accreditation has, in many respects, been an important piece of the jigsaw in terms of cementing the firm’s strong stance on health and safety. According to Terry Wearn, QHSE Manager at the UK subsidiary of EURO-DIESEL® , association membership was pivotal during qualification and subsequent contract awards for the Greater Manchester Police. Rob adds, “CHAS has become much of a necessity during tendering and many organisations now have it as a pre-requisite. It also speeds up the process of re-accreditation with bodies like Safe Contractor, saving us lots of time and energy.” Having effectively situated health and safety at the core of the business, the UK subsidiary of EURO-DIESEL® holds regular health and safety training days for staff and their supply chain, publishes a monthly health and safety e-newsletter and organises toolbox talks. With such robust mechanisms in place, the company has held an exemplary health and safety record for a number of years now; achieving no Lost Time Incidents (LTI’s) in over 15 years. A key part of the company’s success rate in respect of health and safety lies in its attitude toward to accident reporting; the firm actively encourages operatives to report near misses and any other issues. Concentrating on near misses reduces the risks of more serious incidents occurring in the future. Rob provides further detail: “We don’t want to prevent engineers from reporting incidents for fear of reprimand. Whilst we take negligence incredibly seriously, staff should never be penalised for carrying out proper reporting procedure. We’ve successfully introduced an open communication forum wherein operatives can approach management, detail issues and, as a result, we can adapt our procedures to ensure it doesn’t happen again.” EURO-DIESEL® is committed to sustainable development and protecting the environment with environmental management forming a key aspect of the Integrated Management System. In 2014, the UK subsidiary of EURO-DIESEL® further improved achieving certification to the ISO 14001 Environmental Management Standard and BS OHSAS 18001 Occupational Health & Safety Management Standard. In summary it is the mission of the UK subsidiary of EURO-DIESEL® to provide innovative critical power solutions that exceed customer expectations whilst ensuring the Health and Safety of all persons affected by their business activities whilst minimising their effect upon the environment.
ADEY Professional Heating Solutions has secured a management buy out as it continues to pursue its ongoing strategy for growth. The water treatment manufacturer has been bought out by a consortium led by John Vaughan, the Chief Executive Officer of ADEY, and has received full backing from the company board, along with the support and investment of LDC, which is part of the Lloyds Banking Group. A decade ago, the company invented the MagnaClean filter and from then the firm has established an approach of ‘total system best practice’, with the creation of a family of products that are designed to test, protect, maintain, flush and clean heating systems. Mr Vaughan commented that the buy out marks the next step in the company’s journey of growth and will go some way to helping them achieve their ultimate aim of providing all of its customers, both in the UK and abroad, with the finest possible preventative solutions in the market of heating systems. He added that ADEY is a company built on innovation, and the company will continue to launch a range of new products that will help heating installers to serve the needs of its customers with the best tools. Mr Vaughan pointed out that there are over three million Magna Clean filters installed in Britain, and the Board’s growth ambitions are driven by the scope for more local authorities, businesses and households to benefit from ADEY’s low cost energy saving products. The company currently supplies its products in Britain and mainland Europe, but there are plans in place for the firm’s expansion into a range of new markets, including Eastern Europe, Asia and the US, along with further investments in the development of new products. Earlier in the year, ADEY was rewarded for its ‘best practice approach to central heating maintenance’ at the industry’s awards ceremony.
Gateway Housing Association – Champion of the Community (The Following is a Promoted Article) “As a landlord, the biggest challenge you face is delivering a high quality, responsive repair service – particularly in the social housing sector,” insists Makanjuola Akinyemi, Director of Property Services at Gateway Housing Association, one of London’s oldest independent housing associations. “Here, we’ve proved that – with the right volume of work, in a conducive geographical environment – it is not only viable but advantageous to bring repairs and maintenance in-house.” Turning 90 years old this year, Gateway Housing Association has long-remained a champion of the community, providing vital social housing and sheltered accommodation to those most in need. Operating in Tower Hamlets, Newham and Hackney, the organisation currently manages under 3,000 properties and stands as the largest provider of older people sheltered housing in Tower Hamlets. Despite continuing to serve the whole East London community with a range of properties and a range of tenures, in recent times, Gateway Housing Association has renewed its emphasis on elderly care. The organisation has launched a number of new residential development schemes dedicated solely to the older generation across the London borough. And whilst elderly-only residences are undeniably commonplace up and down the UK, Gateway Housing Association has taken a radically different approach to the types of property available, establishing a number of shared ownership schemes to accommodate older residents. Akinyemi provides an insight into the initiative: “Many older people live in very large properties and, as their needs change, they’re looking to downsize. They want something that can both cater for their current needs and support them into the future. This is where the concept of older people shared ownership comes into its own: residents enjoy the independence that comes with home ownership while we, as a landlord, can provide support as and when they need it and provide opportunity for owners to access safely repair and maintenance work that they might otherwise find challenging in a wholly-owned property.” William Cubitt Lodge is the first of its kind within Tower Hamlets to offer shared ownership homes for older people. The Isle of Dogs residence comprises 21 one-bedroom flats, including four flats adaptable for wheelchair users, as well as eight two-bedroom older persons shared ownership (over 55s) flats. Gateway Housing Association will open a second scheme, William Guy Gardens in Bromley-by-Bow, later this year and the organisation is committed to developing its specialism in residential care for the years to come. Whilst the most visible changes in focus for the organisation are undoubtedly these two, new developments, significant work continues to go on behind the scenes. Wielding a new initiative dubbed Vision 2020, Gateway Housing Association has recently undergone major internal transformation in a bid to improve the day-to-day lives of 5,000 locals. By far, the biggest change came last August with the founding of its own, in-house responsive repair business, Gateway Homeworks. “One of the core strategies of our Vision 2020 drive is to deliver a consistently great service where one call solves it all, and one click does the trick,” details Akinyemi. “Part of that involves keeping pace with technology and providing various, quick-and-easy ways to access the service. More than that though, the service, itself, has to be responsive and of high quality. By bringing responsive repair works in-house with Gateway Homeworks, we’re able to ensure work is to the standard we expect, and residents deserve.” Eight months down the line with the business now well-established, Gateway Housing Association has received zero complaints about the level of service provided which, for an organisation of its size, speaks volumes. Of course, whilst the strategy of investment was always geared toward residents and improving the service they receive, the creation of Gateway Homeworks has also allowed the organisation to significantly reduce its repair expenditure. The average cost of repairs is now around £85 whereas previously this was around £120 per job. What amounts to nearly 30% saving provides more capital that can spent on further improvements to the service including plans to build 500 new homes by 2020. As part of Vision 2020 and the organisation’s ethos more generally, Gateway Housing Association continues to work hard to support the local community – not just with the provision of contemporary and high-quality housing but also within the procurement process. Procuring services and materials through the Central Housing Investment Consortium (CHIC), the organisation benefits from the purchasing power of 300,000 units despite only owning 10% of that figure. And whilst membership primarily affords the organisation a strong buying position with national firms, it has also granted it greater knowledge of what’s available closer to home. Indeed, Gateway Housing Association regularly calls upon a number of small, local building merchants for specialist services and products. Despite being a somewhat sizeable business then, the organisation has nevertheless retained an incredibly local feel and has yet to lose sight of its aims: chiefly, to continue to serve the region of East London in an attentive and high-quality manner. Between concentrated internal investment and the development evident across its three operating boroughs, the organisation demonstrates a keen awareness of modern day residents’ needs and continues to meet those requirements – and more – with some flourish.
UK: Mitsubishi Electric is to begin marketing and selling Climaveneta branded chillers in the UK, following the acquisition of the Climaveneta brand last year. The Climaveneta NX range of air source and water cooled chillers will be available from Mitsubishi Electric from July 4. These will be in addition to Mitsubishi Electric’s own range of e-series chiller, launched in the UK, and other European countries last year. Each chiller model in Climaveneta’s NX range is offered in up to six different configurations. Two levels of efficiency available and a further three options on sound emission levels: standard, low noise, and super low noise. Capacities range from 39 to 371kW with a choice of plate or shell and tube heat exchanger. “Climaveneta is a well-respected and high quality European chiller brand and we are proud to be able to add these products to our portfolio,” commented Mitsubishi Electric UK’s commercial director Donald Daw. “This addition allows us to deliver a comprehensive and versatile range of solutions for our customers, whatever their need and regardless of whether they are involved in a new-build or retro-fit situation. “We have had a lot of interest following the initial purchase of Climaveneta and with the range available from the 4th of July we are expecting to be busy,” he added. Mitsubishi Electric says it will be working in partnership with Climaveneta Powermaster, the existing Climaveneta distributor in the UK, to ensure that customers are offered the best solution for their chiller projects.
Smart phones are infiltrating every area of our lives. We perform a daily juggling act when managing our private and professional lives through our mobile devices. Recent statistics revealed that on average, people touch their phones every four minutes- equivalent to 253 times a day! According to a recent study on the preferences and spending habits of Millennials, two in five London millennials are willing to spend up to £125 per month for superfast internet access. What’s apparent is that we are never really switched off. Regarding connectivity and building infrastructure, The Royal Institute of British Architects estimates that twenty hours of our day is spent inside either commercial or residential premises. Yet, what’s concerning here is that, with roughly two billion smartphone customers worldwide, and with around 80 per cent of mobile data sessions beginning or ending indoors, only two percent of commercial properties have specific systems in place for ensuring indoor mobile coverage. A few months ago, CommScope surveyed experts in charge of the architecture and management of buildings to understand their opinions on indoor wireless connectivity. Those surveyed included building executives, facilities overseers, real estate managers and the architects themselves. The results showed that we all need a robust and reliable network and, in order to deliver best performance and provide mobile coverage to users within larger and more complex buildings, businesses require investment in dedicated technology. Leaving financial implications and technical complexities aside, the obligation for businesses to install such a dedicated system is apparent. Nowadays, residents expect to have cellular connectivity inside buildings, in the same way they expect a reliable supply of electricity, water and gas. Interestingly, the study found that cellular mobile coverage indoors could increase a property’s value by 28 per cent – meaning a £2.5 million office building could be worth £700,000 more with a dedicated indoor cellular system. Moreover, 60 per cent of those who participated in the survey admitted that indoor wireless connectivity was “imperative” for workers. The growing demand for connectivity within commercial buildings can be attributed to the fact that offices have now taken on a world of their own, and are not simply a place for us to carry on our daily 9-to-5 grind. Indeed, office spaces now function as sites where colleagues share ideas, connect and innovate around the clock. What’s evident is that companies can no longer rest on their laurels; in order to hire the most talented staff and attract residents, management teams need to provide a state-of-the art working environment that will have lasting positive impacts upon the overall wellbeing and productivity of their employees. To highlight this correlation, those who were surveyed believed that indoor wireless coverage would enable employees to work more productively (77%), support the hiring of more skilled professionals (46%) and may even entice more visitors (39%). Real-time data stream The way we work is constantly evolving. The topic of the ‘workplace of the future’ has certainly been hitting the headlines in recent months. Indeed, buildings of the future must offer a range of options for connecting multiple devices and, due to growing demand, an infrastructure for indoor wireless systems may not be far off and will soon become the norm in the majority of buildings. Yet, while it’s necessary to provide employees with mobile connectivity, companies need to also consider the present state of an environment if they wish to continue making necessary improvements to it and, to do so, they need to be able to track important environmental, special, and energy metrics. With advanced sensor technology woven into a building’s fabric, this data can be taken instantaneously, processed and dealt with accordingly. This user-friendly system will, in turn, enable companies to automatically manage desk or conference areas in a more optimised way. The overall ambience of a room or building, including air conditioning systems, the brightness of overhead lights, or temperature, can be regulated to offer employees a pleasant space more conducive to efficient work and, by optimising energy consumption minute-by-minute, a building’s carbon footprint can be significantly reduced, meaning cost savings and improved CSR credentials. Moreover, this real-time data stream will be linked into Integrated Workplace Management Systems and other, similar, software platforms to enable a resourceful, smart and employee-friendly working environment. Attracting top talent and helping partners and customers successfully transition to the digital economy has never been more important. Indeed, as more and more technology is added to the exploding Internet of Things sphere, and more people connect to the network and each other, more and more data will be generated and accessed in commercial and residential buildings. In order to keep up with, manage and interpret this data appropriately, all businesses need to upgrade to a fully intelligent building to maintain a competitive advantage. By Lewis White, Managing Director for Northern Europe, CommScope
The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has supported calls for the introduction of an ‘MOT style’ gas safety record for landlords. The campaign for the MOT style system for yearly gas safety checks for landlords has been proposed by the Association of Gas Safety Managers (AGSM), and is now backed by the HSE. The group has already begun a consulting process on the proposed change and since it launched the campaign in November 2013, the AGSM has joined forces with Home Group, among others, to raise awareness of the benefits of the MOT system for the Landlord’s Gas Safety Record (LGSR). If the move to an MOT system was approved, it would mean that gas safety checks would be able to be carried out up to two months prior to the due date, while the due date would not change from year to year. AGSM Chief Executive Officer, Claire Heyes, said that the firm believes the best way to make major savings in gas access is through a switch to an MOT system throughout the industry. She believes that such a system would improve landlords’ productivity, permit a bigger focus on other areas of safe affordable warmth, make things clearer for vulnerable and elderly tenants, improve cooperation with tenants and plan servicing for the summer period. Meanwhile, Stuart Kitchingman, of the HSE, confirmed the group’s support of an MOT style system when speaking at this year’s AGSM Gas Safety Management Conference. The resultant meetings between HSE and the AGSM have agreed that they are to put in place a thorough consulting process and will assist with the additional approval with an impact assessment. Home Group Chief Executive, Mark Henderson, commented that the Gas Access Campaign has ensured that the issue of yearly safety checks remains high on the agenda. He added that the proposed MOT style system will provide a considerable change that with help to improve safety.
The sustainability director at Balfour Beatty has left his post after the contractor merged its health and safety department with its sustainability, environment and energy division. Heather Bryant, health and safety director at the firm, will lead the newly merged team in the new role of health, safety, environment & sustainability director. The changes have resulted in Paul Toyne leaving his role as sustainability director and has subsequently left the company. Paul Raby, HR director at the Balfour Beatty group, emailed staff last month to tell that this move has been done to recognise the clear links between ensuring the health and safety of workers, customers and the public, as well as the activities the company undertakes to protect and support the environments and communities in which they conduct their business. He said that the move will provide a good opportunity for the two teams to come together regularly and move forward the strong work that has been seen so far in both areas, adding that this decision backs up the firm’s ‘Build to Last’ aims of lean, expert, trusted and safe. In addition, Mr Raby thanked Mr Toyne for his significant contribution to the firm and wished him the best luck for his future work. Mr Toyne spent three years with the company, during which time he was part of several industry groups, chairing the Construction Excellence Sustainability Group and also sitting on the green Construction Board’s Carbon Infrastructure Working Group. Last month, Balfour Beatty secured a £130 million deal for a new lorry park job on the M20. The firm said it will use the latest in Building Information Modelling to come up with the most efficient approach to the construction and design programme. The contract will involve the firm developing proposals during the project’s early contractor involvement phase and will also take in the building of a lorry area subject to Government allowance.
