SOCOTEC UK played a key role in a refurbishment project at a secure school catering to students sentenced to custody and remand by the courts. The school premises include two education blocks, one services block, and three residential blocks. SOCOTEC UK’s specific focus was on the residential blocks, namely Blocks
West End Gate, located in Edgware Road, Marylebone, London, is a prestigious residential development comprising of eight buildings ranging from eight to 29 storeys. The development boasts modern architecture, efficient transport links, and state-of-the-art facilities. SOCOTEC Fire Engineering and Fire Risk Assessment have been appointed since 2018 to provide comprehensive
SOCOTEC UK’s Monitoring team were approached to provide a temporary/rental system to monitor the railway assets adjacent to the temporary works on a railway bridge, located on River Way, Harlow, Essex. The client, Essex Highways, and Network Rail required assurance that any structural movements were in-line with predicted ground movements
SOCOTEC is one of the UK’s leading providers of testing, inspection and certification services, provides comprehensive solutions in the Infrastructure, Environment & Safety, Environmental Science and Building & Real Estate sectors. Founded in 1953, the company offers a wide range of services to assist and advise clients through every step
SOCOTEC’s Asbestos team recently supportedinfrastructure service support provider, Amey, with the asbestos decontamination of vehicles and assets at MOD Ashchurch, a primary vehicle storage and distribution site for armoured vehicles and the main Stored Equipment Fleet (SEF) storage and maintenance depot for the army in the UK. MOD Ashchurch was
Contributing £127 billion Gross Added Value, the logistics sector is vital to keeping the country’s economy moving. SOCOTEC’s Environment & Safety division is proud to serve a number of key clients within this industry, helping to keep the country stocked up on the services and resources it needs to function.
BDC 319 : Aug 2024
SOCOTEC UK played a key role in a refurbishment project at a secure school catering to students sentenced to custody and remand by the courts. The school premises include two education blocks, one services block, and three residential blocks. SOCOTEC UK’s specific focus was on the residential blocks, namely Blocks A, B, and C, two-story existing buildings providing secure residential accommodation and day facilities. The Fire Engineering team at SOCOTEC UK produced the RIBA Stage 4 Fire Strategy Report and mark-ups, offering ad-hoc support throughout the project. Refurbishment adjustments included modifications to existing compartment lines to accommodate communal or shared spaces. For instance, communal kitchen/living spaces were created by incorporating multiple bedrooms, fostering a shared living environment. Each bedroom was equipped with automatic suppression systems, and common corridors were covered by a smoke control system. Innovative solutions were imperative to integrate life safety systems within the constraints of existing buildings and meet specific security requirements outlined by the client. Operating as a hybrid between a boarding school and a secure/custodial facility, the secure school’s unique nature required a thorough understanding of the client’s security requirements. SOCOTEC UK’s expertise enabled them to develop creative solutions to address challenges uncommon in traditional schools or secure facilities. For more information, please contact SOCOTEC on 0845 603 2112 or salesuk@socotec.com. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
West End Gate, located in Edgware Road, Marylebone, London, is a prestigious residential development comprising of eight buildings ranging from eight to 29 storeys. The development boasts modern architecture, efficient transport links, and state-of-the-art facilities. SOCOTEC Fire Engineering and Fire Risk Assessment have been appointed since 2018 to provide comprehensive fire safety support throughout the construction process. SOCOTEC’s involvement in West End Gate began in 2018 with the commencement of Phase 1 and continues into Phase 2, which is expected to conclude in 2026. One of the primary objectives was to produce a detailed report outlining the necessary measures to meet life safety requirements and contractual obligations set by the site’s insurer. To provide fire safety during construction, SOCOTEC relied on two essential guidance documents: HSG168 and the Joint Code of Practice on the Protection from Fire of Construction Sites and Buildings Undergoing Renovation (JCOP). These documents guided the information provided to the contractors, covering various critical topics, including: A. Protection of temporary structures: Ensuring the safety of welfare containers and other temporary structures on-site. B. Means of escape: Establishing safe escape routes from the construction site. C. Protection of sleeping occupants: Implementing fire safety measures for occupied areas of the complex after handover. D. Managing ignition risks: Properly managing activities such as hot works to prevent fire incidents. E. Preventing fire growth and spread: Effectively managing the storage of combustible and highly flammable materials, temporary compartmentation, and other fire prevention measures. F. Preventing external fire spread: providing guidance on preventing external fire spread between building on the site and existing buildings outside the site boundary, This include the strategic installation of (temporary) fire stopping and the management of combustible materials. G. Providing firefighting facilities: Establishing temporary firefighting facilities on-site. The construction fire safety strategy developed by SOCOTEC was regularly checked on-site by qualified and experienced fire risk assessors. These professionals identified deficiencies and potential fire risks, ensuring the information provided in the strategy remained updated and aligned with the current conditions on-site. The collaborative approach between SOCOTEC’s fire safety engineers and the fire risk assessors ensured a comprehensive and effective fire safety management system throughout the construction process. The West End Gate project presented several challenges that required innovative fire safety solutions. Some of the notable challenges included: A. Provision of basement storage and basement welfare, including phased handover of the basement: Ensuring safe storage practices in the basement area to mitigate fire risks, including providing smoke clearance systems and ventilated lobby protection to the protected stair cases following handover. B. Compliance with social distancing restrictions: Adapting welfare areas to adhere to social distancing guidelines while maintaining adequate fire safety measures, during the COVID-19 pandemic. C. External fire spread between the buildings under construction: Some of the blocks are within close proximity to each other. Static temporary fire stopping was placed, as well as the management of combustible materials employed to prevent any fire spread between the blocks under construction. The primary aim of SOCOTEC’s involvement in the West End Gate project was to meet the expectations of the site’s insurer and the construction company’s requirements for safe management of a large, complex, and high-rise construction site. While prioritising life safety requirements, many of the fire safety recommendations also contributed to property protection, reducing the potential for property damage in case of fire incidents. SOCOTEC’s comprehensive fire safety management approach for the West End Gate development demonstrates their expertise in ensuring compliance with life safety requirements and contractual obligations. By incorporating guidance documents, conducting regular site checks, and addressing project-specific challenges, SOCOTEC played a vital role in creating a safe environment during the construction process. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
SOCOTEC UK’s Monitoring team were approached to provide a temporary/rental system to monitor the railway assets adjacent to the temporary works on a railway bridge, located on River Way, Harlow, Essex. The client, Essex Highways, and Network Rail required assurance that any structural movements were in-line with predicted ground movements and that any significant movement trends could be identified at an early stage. SOCOTEC UK’s Monitoring team proposed a monitoring system that included 75m of track tilts installed at 3m c/c spacing on each line, critical rail thermometers, both tilt and vibration monitoring on the bridge piers, and tilt monitoring on the surrounding OHLE supports. SOCOTEC’s scope also included baseline and close-out track geometry surveys, with additional surveys as required if any significant movement had been detected by the automated system. This provided further assurance to the client and Network Rail that all movements were being accurately reported. The installation works and initial track geometry survey were completed over a single possession lasting 5.5 hours. The data was hosted online, giving the client and Network Rail live access to the data and direct email alerts if any trigger values were exceeded throughout the duration of works. SOCOTEC UK’s temporary monitoring system provided assurance to the client and Network Rail that any structural movements were in-line with predicted ground movements and that any significant movement trends could be identified at an early stage. This allowed for quick response times and corrective action if needed, minimising potential downtime or disruptions to train services. SOCOTEC UK’s monitoring system provided effective and reliable monitoring of railway assets adjacent to a temporary worksite. The automated system allowed for a quick and accurate reporting of any significant movement trends, providing assurance to the client and Network Rail that their assets were being monitored and protected. If you have a monitoring project to discuss, please get in touch. Contact us. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
SOCOTEC is one of the UK’s leading providers of testing, inspection and certification services, provides comprehensive solutions in the Infrastructure, Environment & Safety, Environmental Science and Building & Real Estate sectors. Founded in 1953, the company offers a wide range of services to assist and advise clients through every step of a project’s life cycle, from acquisition and planning all the way through to completion and analysis. ITM Monitoring was acquired by SOCOTEC in 2018, and has subsequently rebranded to become SOCOTEC Monitoring UK. With over 30 years’ civil engineering experience, SOCOTEC Monitoring UK is the trusted contractor in construction, rail, highways, utilities, mines and ports across the UK, specialising in the design, installation and data provision for geotechnical and structural monitoring systems. High Speed 2 (HS2) is a high-speed railway line currently under construction in the United Kingdom. As the country’s second purpose-built high-speed line (the first being HS1), HS2 Phase One will connect London and Birmingham with a dedicated high-speed track, increasing capacity on the network. There was a risk that the construction of HS2 could have had an impact to the M25 motorway, when the tunnelling machines passed underneath in summer 2021. National Highways (formerly Highways England), the government-owned company charged with operating, maintaining and improving motorways and major A roads in England, wanted to ensure that the structural integrity of the motorway was not compromised during the tunnelling construction phase of HS2. About the project The M25 is one of the busiest roads in Europe, carrying over 250,000 vehicles per day. In 2019, Align JV awarded a contract to SOCOTEC to conduct monitoring of the M25 motorway and surrounding assets during construction. A main part of HS2, the Central 1 (C1) Section that Align JV is delivering, includes the boring of two separate tunnels underneath the motorway itself. A vital stage of the construction process was the monitoring of the motorway and surrounding assets to track any shifts in the settlement of both clockwise and anti-clockwise carriageways, sheet pile walls, bridges and abutments, the central reservation and two gantries. SOCOTEC conducted a 12-month baseline monitoring programme before the TBM’s started the crossing on the M25. The monitoring started hourly, with MS60 MultiStations measuring prisms, patch scanning and industry-leading reflectorless measurements due to the wave form digitiser technology. The MS60 successfully managed to conduct patch scanning and reflectorless measurements through the traffic at peak hours on the M25. The results provided by SOCOTEC while using the MS60 instilled confidence in the project that the potential settlement caused by the tunnelling was within the set parameters of the predicted movement set out by the clients’ designers. Challenges As one of the busiest roads in Europe, access to the motorway was often restricted, with monitoring teams unable to access the road unless it was closed, along with bridges and other monitoring points being obstructed by heavy traffic. Automated patch scanning was therefore suggested to reduce the amount of time required for teams to spend on site, increasing efficiency and improving safety. Due to restricted access on the motorway, the ability to install physical monitoring points also proved to be an obstacle to SOCOTEC. Communication between the different monitoring points was initially difficult due to the inability to run network cables to certain areas. Implementation of SCCS solutions To accomplish these tasks, a geodetic monitoring solution was required, with the ability to conduct monitoring without requiring prisms in all locations. These solutions needed to be installed in such a way so as to not obstruct traffic. With this in mind, SOCOTEC reached out to SCCS Survey. Leica GeoMoS Monitors were suggested, which enabled SOCOTEC to automate the monitoring project and use the power of imagery to minimise visits to site. Leica Nova MS60 MultiStations, GeoMoS, allowed the automatic triggering of alerts if the predefined movement levels were reached. The solution also included AD12 – Self Levelling Tribrach, which could be programmed by GeoMoS Monitor to auto-level the instrument prior to any measurement cycle. This was especially useful, as the instruments were at elevated positions to provide optimal angles of instance to the monitoring locations. SCCS provided three MS60s fitted with LOC8 and a singular Leica Nova TM50 in total. The four total stations were communicated through an SCCS Comms Box using Leica Comgate 20’s. To complete the physical set-up, security cages were designed specifically in-house by SOCOTEC for all four total stations. The MS60s and TM50 were mounted in secure cages on top of plinths (high enough so as to not obstruct motorway traffic), along with the automatic tribrach AD-12 for automatic levelling of the instruments. Voltmeters were installed at each instrument to ensure that power was being provided to each unit for charging. The monitoring project required not just sensors, software and power components, but also communication devices in the field. With all of these different components, installation would prove complex and challenging when trying to figure out how to set everything up and automate it to make it run 24/7. To overcome this challenge, SOCOTEC installed four SCCS Comms Boxes with Leica ComGate20s in the field and connected the four instruments to them. The configuration of all the devices was then performed remotely in one centralised view within the Leica GeoMoS monitoring project. This significantly sped up the configuration process and gave SOCOTEC an overview of all of their measurement cycles. An array of prisms was set up on top of the embankments, some of which served as control prisms outside the zone of interest (ZOI). Test patches were set up to scan over 20 metres, 40 metres and 60 metres, each with different obtuse angles of instance. Hourly scans were implemented from the start of the project, and once the TBM’s had passed, these were switched to three-hourly intervals to adhere to the post-construction monitoring phase. Each monitoring project has specific measurement and accuracy requirements. For this particular project, SOCOTEC used the powerful Leica GeoMoS software solution, which provided a highly flexible automated deformation monitoring system
SOCOTEC’s Asbestos team recently supportedinfrastructure service support provider, Amey, with the asbestos decontamination of vehicles and assets at MOD Ashchurch, a primary vehicle storage and distribution site for armoured vehicles and the main Stored Equipment Fleet (SEF) storage and maintenance depot for the army in the UK. MOD Ashchurch was shut down by the HSE due to asbestos-related concerns, with a programme (known as Operation Windfirm) specifically developed to allow re-entry to the site through the decontamination of buildings, vehicles and assets and the safe return of occupants. As part of the programme, asbestos control measures under CAR 2012 needed to be agreed with the HSE and implemented throughout the site. Alongside another third party, SOCOTEC supported Amey with the decontamination work and conducted the subsequent inspection and issuing of certification in line with government guidelines. Deterioration of asbestos Ashchurch comprises a 178-acre site with numerous large asbestos cement clad and roofed sheds. Over the years, these asbestos storage sheds have decayed, leading to the contamination of vehicles and the assets stored within them. The asbestos cement rooves have also deteriorated due to a combination of weather conditions and a lack of repair. This has resulted in pieces of asbestos cement being visibly strewn across floor areas. As is common with asbestos cement rooves, an abundant coverage of moss and lichens exist. When these grow on cement sheeting, their roots will penetrate beneath the upper layers of the cement and remove moisture. This plant growth will eventually cause damage, erosion and weakness to the roof surface which, in conjunction with the weather conditions, will eventually result in moss/lichens being displaced onto adjacent surfaces such as roads, walkways and grassed areas. The plant growth activity causes the cement matrix (essential for binding and holding the asbestos fibres in place) to break down and no longer be present, with the fibres loosely adhered to the roots of the moss/lichens. When these roots fall off the rooves, they leave behind an unsealed surface with loose asbestos fibres that can easily be displaced and moved across the site. Moreover, severe weather conditions meant that contamination was being walked across the site or tracked on vehicles due to the large gull colony of birds using the material for nesting. Identifying locations SOCOTEC’s Asbestos team carried out a targeted survey over a three-month period to determine the extent of the contamination at MOD Ashchurch. Over 6,000 samples were taken, 75% of which returned positive results for asbestos. Key areas where asbestos was found included: Loose debris to rooves/guttering/downpipes A contaminated drainage system Debris to grassed areas (in some cases, legacy contamination from when rooves had been replaced historically) Extensive debris and contamination to vehicles, bridging and associated equipment Contamination within the ground. Control measures Working collaboratively alongside third parties, SOCOTEC contributed to a programme involving site asbestos maintenance and designated decontamination hubs. Controls to ensure the safe, continued operation of the site included: HEPA adapted road sweepers to carry out scheduled housekeeping, protecting assets and personnel in the occupied buildings. Sweeper waste sampling results were reported back to the army, Amey and other site stakeholders on a weekly basis to act as early warnings for spikes, general high readings and seasonal/annual variations. All personnel were given asbestos awareness training, which was maintained annually Fencing to the entire perimeter of the site was covered with fine netting, preventing the spread of any asbestos from site A controlled wheel wash was installed at the exit to the site during the early phase of the work until contamination issues were brought under control Routine housekeeping within occupied buildings was carried out using type H vacuum cleaners to capture any cross contamination from external areas Control of site maintenance activities, such as grass cutting and disposal of waste Alongside site maintenance, high and low volume air monitoring took place on the site perimeter, in occupied buildings, around the site, on personnel and when project activities were undertaken To determine if airborne asbestos was present, conventional analytical methods were complemented by the use of Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) with fibre identification by Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDXS) Enhanced safe systems of work and associated training for all staff and visitors to site. Two hubs were specifically set up in order to decontaminate vehicles, bridging and equipment. All vehicles and assets underwent a proof of concept to determine the safest decontamination method, ascertain the appropriately sized team for the asset and the average time taken. This process formed part of the risk assessment and method statements, which were signed by all stakeholders and used for personnel to sign onto, demonstrating a full understanding of the agreed processes. Air monitoring and inspection Of the 50,000 air tests carried out, 45,000 were static samples and 5,000 were personal air tests. All but a handful were less than the clearance limit, demonstrating tight controls and compliance with working practices throughout the duration of the project. SOCOTEC’s Asbestos team supported the Operation Windfirm programme, with all decontaminated items inspected and a certification of cleanliness produced. This included issue, TacCIS, EBS and ES Mat items, vehicles, bridging assets, as well as workshop equipment and tools. After decontamination, the vehicles and assets either went for external storage, return to unit, disposal, destruction, or remained on site. Innovation and collaboration Due to the critical nature and size of the project at Ashchurch, bespoke innovations were required to control the spread of asbestos and keep all personnel and the community safe. The two road sweepers were customised with HEPA filters to prevent the spread of airborne asbestos fibres, as a traditional filter would not have controlled the fibres. Specialist modified air monitoring pumps were commissioned, and long-life batteries were fitted to allow over eight hours of continuous monitoring at 16 litres/minute. This allowed levels of down to 0.0002 fibres/ml to be detected, well below regular monitoring levels and aligned with HSE research. Close collaboration and effective communication between stakeholders was of paramount importance, with weekly meetings and open discussions
Contributing £127 billion Gross Added Value, the logistics sector is vital to keeping the country’s economy moving. SOCOTEC’s Environment & Safety division is proud to serve a number of key clients within this industry, helping to keep the country stocked up on the services and resources it needs to function. Each of these clients have heavily relied upon SOCOTEC to ensure that they can continue to deliver their services in a safe and compliant manner. Below, we take a look at some of the ways that SOCOTEC has supported the logistics sector and supply chain management, playing its part in keeping the country moving. Managing unoccupied depots SOCOTEC has been supporting a leading UK logistics company with its expansion plans, helping to ascertain and define compliance levels for some of its new hubs and depots. The client’s success has gone from strength to strength over the past two years, with the volume of parcels they deliver having doubled. Many of the buildings that the client has acquired as new hubs are small local depots that serve the final few miles of a parcel’s journey. This means that they are often left unoccupied for extended periods of time and may contain old, outdated water systems/run the risk of housing Legionella bacteria. In addition, many of these buildings will have been constructed before the nationwide asbestos ban in 1999, meaning that they are at risk of housing asbestos-containing materials (ACMs). To reduce the level of risk posed by Legionella and asbestos within these depots, SOCOTEC has been undertaking asbestos surveys and Legionella risk assessments on behalf of the client, ensuring that the premises they use to store their parcels remain safe and compliant for employees to use. Monitoring health and safety risks Thanks to the high quality, professional level of service provided by SOCOTEC’s Environment & Safety division, many of the organisation’s business units have maintained a longstanding relationship with a global logistics service provider since 2015. Given the fast-paced, rapidly changing working environment that the client operates within, it is critical that their employees are able to handle and manage the high volume of deliveries being processed every day and that health and safety risks are kept to a minimum. SOCOTEC has successfully delivered a range of services for this particular client, ensuring that the health and safety risks of their working environments are constantly monitored, with any areas for improvement recommended and implemented where necessary. As a result of this continued success, SOCOTEC has gone on to provide additional services on behalf of the client, having recently signed a three-year contract that comprises: Occupational hygiene Environmental monitoring Legionella management Fire risk assessments Health and safety/training Asbestos surveys. Since the beginning of 2021, SOCOTEC has also gone on to provide the following services: Legionella risk assessments and monitoring Legionella training to City & Guilds accredited standard Monitoring, sampling and inspections Noise monitoring to the Control of Noise at Work Regulation 2005 Fire risk assessments to Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Offering cost-saving benefits Finally, SOCOTEC works with a multinational e-commerce organisation to provide risk assessments for fire safety and water hygiene across their warehouses, helping to determine the safety risks posed by fire and Legionella bacteria. Our team of health and safety consultants can carry out both of these risk assessments at the same time, which is beneficial from a cost-saving and environmental perspective for both SOCOTEC and the client. While out on site delivering these services, SOCOTEC has also been able to advise as to how fire safety has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, such as when fire doors have been held open to help reduce viral transmission. Furthermore, SOCOTEC has provided additional advice on the implementation and use of electric vehicles for this client – a service which is particularly useful given that there is currently little guidance on the commercial usage of EV delivery vehicles. Ensuring health and safety compliance in the transport and logistics sector Health and safety is an important factor to consider within the logistics sector, as there are many risks that can impact the industry as a whole. Indeed, common injuries in the logistics, haulage and distribution industries are caused by lorries in the workplace, falls from vehicles and poor load security. To remain compliant with health and safety legislation and guidance, employers must ensure that their staff have received adequate training. They should also be made aware of the correct manual handling procedures, as this will ensure that workers are well equipped with the knowledge required to carry out their work safely. Furthermore, in order to ensure the safety of logistics operations and the handling of materials, there should always be an efficient monitoring of all sites, routes, vehicles and staffs through technologies such as security escorts and CCTV cameras. Tracking applications for products and vehicles should also be implemented, such as bar coding, GPS and telematics. Could your organisation benefit from SOCOTEC’s Environment & Safety services?Contact us.
