University of Reading and ems get a first in Health & Safety
ems of Horsham, West Sussex, the leading UK expert for independent health, safety and environmental consultancy helps University of Reading provide safer facilities, a better environment, and improved customer satisfaction.
17,500 students, 4,500 staff, a diverse range of over 500 buildings located over three main sites, plus two farms. "A small town" is how Steve Boon, Head of Maintenance & Business Services at the University of Reading, describes it. On taking up his present role in January 2006 Steve made it a priority to address the many unresolved and significant health and safety challenges faced in maintaining such a substantial campus. In addition, he was seeking to get best value for money and improve the service to his customers.
New Semester - ems was asked to produce a strategic health and safety management review of all maintenance operations. This was after previously inspiring confidence on a small project, and because "ems really listened to what we wanted and fully understood our brief" - says Steve. By putting a "stake in the sand" and establishing the exact level of compliance, the management review identified health and safety gaps created through under-resourcing. The clear, simple and concise report also provided a basis for a complete action plan with priorities and realistic timescales, and transparent costs. This independent review helped Steve to put forward a clear business case for substantial additional resources.
Assignments - Having secured additional resources, the University of Reading and ems again collaborated in climbing the maintenance mountain, with the ems health and safety management review guiding the strategic direction. Supplying independent, specialist expertise and experience, ems produced task based risk assessments across three campuses.
The health and safety profile was significantly raised as a result of working together in a three-way process with management and people at all levels in the operational teams. "This helped to win hearts and minds and has increased the level of local ownership for health and safety" stated Ian May, Direct Labour Team Manager for UoR. He added, "This confirmed that we are serious about health and safety. It is on the agenda and it is not going away"
The partnership between the University and ems was further enhanced when ems' unbiased, third party knowledge lent extra clout to the sessions that supplemented the substantial new training programme. This helped satisfy and reassure the the internal Health and Safety Services and the Maintenance Department that health and safety was being well managed.
For further information contact: Mark Carter - Marketing Manager, on 01403 269375 or info@ems-online.co.uk

OCS Holds Star-Studded 10th Anniversary Of Its Young Sports Person Awards
Eleven young people from across the UK were recognised for their sporting achievements by OCS, the £630 million international property support services company, at the group’s recent Young Sports Person Awards 2007 at the Brit Oval. At the event hosted by Clare Balding, TV presenter and sports journalist, winners from nine Regional Categories, a Young Star and Disabled winner received their awards and a cheque for £2,500 from a list of stars from various sports including cricket, football, athletics, boxing, swimming, rugby and golf.
L to R: Clare Balding, Ade Adepitan MBE, Scott Cardle, Cheryl Baker
Young boxer, Scott Cardle (18) from Lytham St Anne’s beat off stiff competition from the other youngsters to take the title of Overall Winner. Scott, who recently made the Great Britain Olympic Development Squad, was presented with his award by TV presenter Cheryl Baker and para-basketball Paralympic gold medallist Ade Adepitan MBE. Scott’s OCS Award includes a funding package worth £10,000 over three years, and another £2,500 will be going to his club.
Summing up the star-studded event, OCS chief executive Chris Cracknell explained that the Awards are recognition of outstanding potential and commitment. “OCS, although a large international company, is still a family firm, and we pride ourselves on a decade of searching out talented young athletes who could really benefit from a boost in the early stages of their career. We believe this year’s winners, deserve recognition for their commitment to their sport and their determination to succeed. We hope these Awards will help them on their way to a podium place at the highest level of competition.”

Screwfix Adds Even More Brands, More Deals And More New Products To Latest Catalogue - Happy New Year!
With even more brands, more deals and more new products, the latest Screwfix catalogue (issue 90) boasts over 1,100 pages of high quality, low cost building, maintenance and refurbishment items.
Ideal for every area of the trade as well as serious home improvers, this bumper New Year issue contains new brands such as Rawlplug, Siemens, Trend and Tacwise, and features exceptional offers within most product areas. Recognised as being “where the trade buys” and promising a fast, reliable service, Screwfix has also introduced over 2,100 new items to the catalogue, bringing the total to over 18,000 products. There is also a chance to win a Belle 4x4 MiniDumper and Ifor Williams Trailer with a combined worth of around £2,800 in a prize draw or, as a runner-up, one of 10 Forge Steel 22-piece tool kits worth £50 each.
New products can be found right across the catalogue and include hand and power tools, fixings, car and van stuff, cleaning, safety and workwear, plumbing, lighting, doors and windows and security items. Each of these high quality, low cost items can be accessed 7 days a week via a call to Freephone 0500 414141, a click onto screwfix.com, or a visit to one of the growing UK network of Trade Counters (80 as at end October, 2007 - full address details can be found at screwfix.com/tradecounters).
Over 280 new products have been added within the Hand and Power Tools sections including five new items from SITE the professional power tool. Designed and manufactured by Makita every tool features exceptional performance with the robustness, precision and reliability that trade professionals demand, but without a hefty price tag. Also exclusive to Screwfix, the new Worx Professional range adds a further eleven lines and introduces the “battery for life” feature. Once purchased, the owner registers the battery on line and, if it fails in normal use, Worx will replace it.
Predator branded saws have joined Trend carpenters jigs and Tacwise hand stapling in the hand tools pages. Shown alongside additions to Kewtech detection equipment and Vitrex tiling tools, these new trade essentials also feature more Forge Steel and Plano hand tools as well as Stanley tool storage systems. Making the most of power tools, over 200 new power tool accessories have also been added including Abranet “dust free” hand sanding.
For a free catalogue, call Freephone: 0500 414141 or Freefax: 0800 0562256, or visit the Screwfix Internet site: screwfix.com. Catalogues are also available at Screwfix Trade Counters. Visit screwfix.com/tradecounters for address information and opening times.

Energy saving reader
Paxton Access, the UK’s leading manufacturer of access control systems, has launched an innovative proximity reader that will reduce expenditure on energy. Appropriately named the ‘Energy saving reader’, it guarantees that lights and air conditioning switch off when a room is vacated.
The reader‘s cover is designed to retain an authorised user’s proximity card. When a card is inserted or removed it toggles a relay that switches connected equipment on and off respectively.
“Increasing energy costs mean all businesses are looking for ways to reduce their bills. It’s easy to forget to turn lights, air-conditioning and other appliances off. Energy saving is guaranteed because personnel require their cards to unlock doors around an access controlled site; when they remove them, everything switches off,” says Adam Stroud Sales and Marketing Director, Paxton Access.
The reader should prove very popular with the hospitality industry. Many sites already have access control systems in place, and could introduce the reader to all meeting, function and conferencing facilities where lights and air conditioning contribute to expensive energy bills.
Another role the Energy saving reader can perform is to improve health and safety standards at a site. The reader can restrict the use of hazardous machinery to users with authorised proximity cards only.

How’s your humidity
JS Humidifiers is offering facilities managers s free digital hygrometer so they can test the humidity in their buildings and see whether it is within recommended levels.
The optimum level of humidity depends on the use of the building but for normal occupation the recommended humidity is generally accepted as being between 40-60%rH (relative humidity). If an environment drops below 40%rH it can cause the occupants to suffer from headaches, sore throats, eye and skin irritation, contact lens discomfort and breathing problems.
Several professional bodies produce guidelines on appropriate humidity levels for offices. The Chartered Institute for Building Services Engineers, The Building Services Research & Information Association and The Building Research Establishment generally agree that the appropriate range of humidity in an office environment should be within a typical range 40-60%RH.
In the UK, the Health & Safety Executive’s Display Screen Equipment Regulations 1992, obliges employers to maintain a level of relative humidity that prevents discomfort and problems of sore eyes where people work at computer terminals for long periods.
As human beings are not very able to recognise low humidity levels in the same way as they can identify extreme temperatures it is important to use monitoring equipment. The free hygrometer from JS Humidifiers shows current humidity and temperature and can display minimum and maximum levels across any time period with its memory feature.
Any facilities manager wishing to be sent a free hygrometer should email sales@jshumidifiers.com with their name, address and telephone number or simply call JS on 01903 850200.

Construction industry honours Geberit as Green Supplier of the Year 2007
Geberit, the leading supplier of sanitary, supply and HDPE drainage systems, was presented ‘The Green Supplier of the Year’ award at the prestigious ‘Construction News Green Awards 2007’, at the Hurlington Club, London, for demonstrating its commitment to affecting positive change to the environment.
Since the 1990’s Geberit began its work towards environmental change, long before other manufactures, when it developed a pioneering and comprehensive environmental strategy, which established sustainability as a central theme within Geberit.
As part of its environmental strategy, Geberit has produced a code of conduct for handling resources which goes far beyond statutory requirements and has enabled the company to save water and energy and reduce wastes and hazardous substances. In addition, Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) are carried out on its products to ensure all developments are environmentally friendly.
Waste and internal recycling are crucial to Geberit and, as the inventor and leading manufacturer of HDPE drainage systems, the company avoids the disposal of plastic wastes by collecting, milling and reusing 100% of the waste parts in the production process. HDPE itself is recommended by Greenpeace as an environmentally friendly alternative to other pipe systems as it consumes less energy during manufacture and transport when compared to cast iron.
As a leader in plumbing technology, Geberit recognises the importance of water and its responsibility to developing efficient systems which ensure as little as possible of this precious resource is wasted.
Geberit also participates in the Climate Change Levy to improve energy efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions. During 2004 - 2006, emissions of greenhouse gases at Geberit fell by 8% and by 2009, the company aims to achieve a culmulative 15% reduction compared with 2006. Over the past two years, Geberit has reduced its absolute environmental impact by 18% each year.
Since 2002, Geberit has been listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, making it a European Leader in Sustainability, recently echoed in January 2007 when Geberit was awarded a combined Group Quality and Environment Certificate as per ISO 9001 and ISO 14001.
To ensure the ethos of Geberit is shared by all employees, Geberit holds Eco-design workshops to emphasise the importance of choosing environmentally friendly materials and ensuring a high efficiency of resources is achieved.
Mike Hürlimann, managing director of Geberit, said: “We are delighted to have received this prestigious award as it recognises our continued investment in reducing the impact on the environment. Sustainability is an ongoing theme for us and has been for many years now and we continuously set ourselves challenging goals to ensure our work in this area continues to produce positive results”.
For more information about Geberit or to view our 2004 and 2007 sustainability reports visit www.geberit.co.uk or call us free on 0800 0778365.

Liz Peace receives CBE in Queen's Honours
Liz Peace, chief executive of the British Property Federation, has been awarded the CBE for services to the property industry.
The Queen has recognised several high profile property figures in her New Year's Honours List, with Scottish Property Federation vice chairman Kenneth Ross (chief executive of Elphinstone Group), also receiving a OBE for his services to the construction industry.
Several other leading lights from the industry received honours, including a number of BPF members' leading representatives.
Andrew Wyatt, chief executive of Quintain Estates, received an OBE for his contribution to the commercial property industry, while Stewart Milne, chairman and chief executive of the Stewart Milne Group, was awarded with a CBE for his services to the house building industry in Scotland.
The BPF would like to congratulate all those named in the Queen's New Year' s Honours List.

on365 Provide Radical Solution For Harrods New Datacentre
When Harrods needed to improve the functionality of the data centre in their flagship London store it became apparent that the existing location had reached the limit of it’s capability. Increased server density brings with it the dual challenges of providing more power availability and removal of greater heat levels.
on365 were called in to solve these increasingly common problems and proposed a radical solution. As no additional space was available within the store, the only way was up. And the concept of a data centre on Harrods roof was born.
An extensive structural survey was carried out to locate secure mounting points for a steel platform on which to construct the new datacentre and a custom designed modular building was commissioned. This building provided Harrods with a pre-designed fully integrated IT/datacentre solution, factory built, to a guaranteed high level of quality. The design was a modular/scalable construction to protect their investment against future change and offered low operating costs with a maintenance free design. It also offers re-locatable architecture, which protects Harrods’s investment.
The building provides NOC/Bridge Space, Server Room and Plant Room and air conditioned Office Space designed to accommodate four desks. The dividing wall between the office space and server room contains glass-viewing panels and is fully de-mountable for future flexibility.
The Server Room has been designed to easily accommodate 3 x UPS racks, 3 x battery racks, 3 x PDU racks, 4 x 750mm racks and 18 x 600mm racks. It is fitted with four outdoor DTCU15 air conditioning units operating in an N+1 configuration and one ACU contains a 5kW-heating element. Facilities to upgrade the ACU installation to a maximum of nine DTCU15 units is already built-in. The server room is fitted with an Inergen fire suppression system with the ACU control ensuring only gas recirculation is maintained after activation. The ACU also allows the gas to be exhausted to the atmosphere.
“The design philosophy was formulated to address the following key considerations,” comments Chris Smith, Sales and Marketing Director of on365. “High Availability, safe operation and safe on-line maintenance, scalability, active IT and Facility Management, to minimise human error and Compliance to IEE Electrical Wiring Regulations BS7671:2001.”
The uninterruptible load is protected by 2 APC InfraStruXure 80kW N+1 On-line series UPS scalable to 80kW N+1 offering a runtime of 5-minutes autonomy @ 0.8 P.F full load (80kVA). The batteries are 3-5 year design life and housed within their own battery enclosure. The InfraStruXure Type B UPS is housed within a 42U high Netshelter VX rack. The overall system is supplied complete with an External Maintenance Bypass Arrangement (EMBA) enclosed within the Power Distribution Unit Rack. The configuration of the Power Distribution Unit (PDU) module is to have 18 off 16A Single phase Breakers, scalable to 42 single-phase breakers. The ISX solution is installed complete with the InfraStruXure Manager and an additional Web / SNMP Interface card for Software shutdown. The installation of two 80kW N+1 InfraStruXure UPS provides a 2N+1 (2 independent fully redundant UPS solutions) UPS solution. This arrangement delivers two separate rack level supplies via PDU1 and PDU2. This configuration guarantees 99.999% availability, approximately 5-mins per annum of planned or unplanned downtime, true Parallel Redundancy in the event of a single UPS failure or if service works are required to be carried out during the business year. Provision is made within the design to upgrade. Total Scalability of runtime is made available by the addition of single Battery Modules as and when required. Alarm notification and network management interfacing are included along with full rack manageability / scalability utilising the InfraStruXure Rack PDU.
For more information tel +44 (0)1509 261100, email supportingtechnology@on365.co.uk or visit our website, www.on365.co.uk

C&BE Diploma is formally recognised as ‘rigorous and challenging’
With less than a year before the first wave of students begin to take the Construction and Built Environment (C&BE) Diploma UCAS, the body responsible for deciding the points system used to report achievement for entry to higher education, announced the C&BE Diploma would be worth as much as 3.5 A-levels, providing a wake up call to the employers yet to engage with the new qualification.
Schools Minister Jim Knight accepted the recommendation that the new Diplomas should be judged equivalent to 5 GCSEs grade A*-G at the foundation level, 7 GCSEs grade A*-C at the higher level and 3.5 A Levels grade A*- E at the advanced level in the achievement and attainment tables.
Jim Knight went on to confirm an investment of a further £45 million in teacher training to support the roll out of Diplomas in 2008/09. He also announced details of £28 million cash funding for Diplomas in 08/09, meaning schools and colleges teaching Diplomas to 14-16 year olds will receive around an extra £1,000 per Diploma student. This funding is on top of the cash already invested in the system for 14-19 education over the next 3 years, which includes£110 million so that 14-16 year olds can get hands-on practical experience in schools, colleges and the workplace and£15 million to ensure joint working between schools and colleges.
Nearly 4,000 pupils are set to take the C&BE Diploma from September 2008. It offers employers in the sector a real opportunity to help inform the education of young people and shape the skills of the future workforce but greater numbers are needed to offer work experience, teaching support or site visits to give students an insight into industry. A large number of employers are already involved including Wates, Balfour Beatty, Lovell, G&J Seddon, CB&I, Kier Group and Bovis Lend Lease, but many more are yet to fully engage. Today’s announcement should change that.
Schools Minister Jim Knight said: “Diplomas are the first qualification to be developed with such a high level of input from employers and universities. QCA and UCAS are confirming these are rigorous and challenging qualifications. Pupils can now be confident they will study valuable, first class qualifications when they take a Diploma, and universities and colleges can be assured of their quality. We have reached another important milestone in delivering the Diplomas, with the opportunity to combine theoretical and practical options that brings. “
Nick Gooderson, Head of Standards and Qualifications, ConstructionSkills said: “Since September 2005 we have worked closely with industry, Government and education providers to develop the C&BE Diploma. We have made good progress with employers to make sure that they don’t miss out on this opportunity to get involved with shaping and delivering the new qualification, but the QCA and UCAS announcements provides tangible evidence that this is a heavyweight qualification offering real value to industry in terms of training the future workforce.”
Employers are being urged to find out more about getting involved by visiting www.cbediploma.co.uk or through requesting a copy of the new Welcome Pack. To register your interest in supporting the delivery of the C&BE Diploma contact Jenny English on jenny.english@cskills.org or lourdes.goodman@cskills.org

Local recycling on the increase
Northampton South MP, Brian Binley, has seen at first hand the success of the recently installed mini recycling centres in Northampton when he visited a facility in the town’s Market Square.
Northampton Borough Council has introduced the nodeº recycling street furniture, designed by Taylor, market leader in waste containment, in both the town centre and Spring Burrows as part of the Borough’s bid to boost public recycling participation.
This initiative comes at a time when sustainable waste management is central to the Government’s environmental vision, and local authorities are facing the challenge to reduce waste going to landfill and increase recycling rates in order to meet the 2010 Landfill Directive target of 11.2m tonnes.
Brian Binley MP commented: “Over recent years Northampton has been very successful with its recycling policies and this centre in the Market Square is the latest successful initiative. We must all take more responsibility with our waste and the recycling centre is ideally located for many people in the town to do just that. I hope it will also encourage more people to visit the market square”.
Dr David Gillett, Business Development Director for Taylor who supplied the nodes, said: “This reflects the determination of the council to increase recycling participation amongst residents and shoppers. It doesn’t have to be difficult – we are offering a recycling solution that will fit easily into the community environment, look appealing and help meet the challenge faced by councils up and down the country to meet landfill diversion targets.

Fleets should beware corporate manslaughter "scaremongering"
Fleets should treat warnings about the new corporate manslaughter law with caution, according to fleet software market leader cfc solutions.
The company says fleets that are following existing health and safety guidelines have nothing to fear, and that the risks of prosecution have been frequently overstated.
cfc business leader Andy Leech explained: "There has been a degree of corporate manslaughter scaremongering in the fleet industry ahead of its introduction in April, especially from some companies with risk management services to sell.
"Much of this is a hangover from earlier publicity that corporate manslaughter received in its seven year journey through Parliament, when it did look likely for a while as though individual managers could be jailed. But the final legislation is more considered.
"Basically, fleets that are already taking their health and safety responsibilities seriously need make no changes to their existing practices. As long as you have a credible risk management policy in place and actively implement it in an auditable manner, there is no need to worry or take any action. The new act essentially does little more than place in law the same measures that existed under health and safety previously."
However, Leech added, the publicity that the corporate manslaughter law was receiving may do some good by prompting fleets who are currently lagging behind when it comes to taking risk management measures to put their affairs in order.
He said: "The fleet industry has made massive strides in the last few years, even the last 12 months, in risk management. However, it is still possible to find fleets, especially at the smaller end of the scale, where health and safety knowledge is limited.
"These are the fleets that may, in the event of an accident, face the full force of the new corporate manslaughter law. Perhaps the large amount of publicity that the subject has received in recent months and will do so in 2008 as the legislation comes in effect, will lead them to take the action that their employees rightly deserve under the law."

Bold design for inspiration
the Vision behind University’s New City Centre Campus
“A hothouse of creativity, innovation and entrepreneurial activity that will be an essential element of the city’s regeneration” – that’s the aim of the vibrant new multi-million pound City Centre Campus being planned by the University of Wales, Newport, which moved a step closer in January with the appointment of a building contractor to prepare the site.
“We are moving towards the development of an entrepreneurial university and the idea of working closely with business and the creative industries is a fundamental concept of the new City Centre Campus,” said Chris O’Malley, Pro Vice-Chancellor.
“The University’s new City Centre Campus will feature an innovative Hothouse at its core where designers, media specialists, business researchers and entrepreneurs will work together and spark off each other to create new commercial ideas to help drive entrepreneurship and creativity in the regeneration of the city,” added Chris.
Commenting on the striking design of the proposed new campus building, designed by architects BDP, Professor Anne Carlisle, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), said, “The Hothouse will stand out in the building’s profile as a distinctive zone, suspended from the ceiling and connected by walkways. It will capitalise on the University’s greatest asset - its people and ideas.
“The building will be physically transparent and open to the city, rather than being enclosed behind high walls. Not only will it be possible to see right through the building, but visitors to Newport will be encouraged to come in and see a wealth of artistic and creative exhibitions that will be constantly on display. The new campus will help to make clear to visitors to our City that Newport is home to a unique university with an international reputation,” added Professor Carlisle.
The new campus will house Newport Business School and the design, film and digital media aspects of the Newport School of Art, Media and Design. Newport’s Business School recently came top in the UK for its level of student satisfaction and the Newport School of Art, Media and Design benefits from an international reputation for its innovative courses and research.
The Chief Executive of Newport Unlimited, John Burrows, commented, “The new city centre campus for the University of Wales, Newport will transform the look and feel of Newport’s city centre. It will bring excitement, activity and a striking new building to Newport’s riverfront. The University’s riverfront development is one of the key projects in transforming the centre of Newport and of regenerating the whole city. The City Centre Campus will contribute an enormous amount to making Newport a real city with the buzz and diversity of activity that the students and staff will bring to the city environment.”
The £35m campus, situated on the banks of the River Usk, will be the first phase of an intended £50m development.