Archive for category: General News

The Supply Chain Sustainability School (SCSS) is leading the way for the UK’s built environment to drastically reduce onsite emissions to air that are harmful to human health and the planet, such that they will reach net zero by 2040 and contribute to UN Sustainable Development Goals 3, 11 and 13.

The Plant Commitment Charter was developed by the Supply Chain Sustainability School’s Plant Group to encapsulate and communicate this approach. Each organisation signatory pledges to work toward five commitments, including: minimum standards in procurement, engagement, awareness raising & education, measurement & reporting, and innovation. The result: they contribute to a cleaner working environment.

Kier and Cheetham Hill Construction are the latest signatories to the Plant Commitment Charter. They join nineteen other organisations publicly dedicated to actively reducing their emissions from the plant and equipment they buy, hire and use.

Jade Hunt, Group Environment Manager, Kier, said “Kier have been active for a long time in reducing the impacts of its business, across all sustainability issues. Signing the School’s Plant Commitment Charter is an outward confirmation of our determined intent, and we want our suppliers and subcontractors to match our ambition.”

Howard Chamberlain, Managing Director and Owner, Cheetham Hill Construction, said: “CHC has signed the School’s Plant Commitment Charter as a clear statement that we take the impacts of our business seriously, taking action to reduce them where possible, as far as possible.”

Signatories to the Charter come from across the value chain and commit to improving air quality and reducing greenhouse emissions and any negative impact caused from their construction plant and equipment (CPE). Direct action on reducing tailpipe emissions can only lead to better local air quality for workers and neighbours, resulting in less impact on the global climate.

 Chris Matthew, Strategic Manager, Flannery Plant Hire, said: “Flannery signed the Charter in June 2020, the first to do so, because we saw value in making a public declaration of our strategy to reduce emissions across our fleet and the service we provide to our clients. We are glad to see others joining the same declaration.”

Lara Young, Group Climate Change Director, Costain, said: “Costain were one of the first signatories of the Plant Commitment Charter in August 2020. As an early adopter of low emission plant and having introduced several Groupwide low emission plant standards since 2017, joining the Charter was an evident next step in our journey to net zero. Tackling one of our greatest whole life cycle emissions sources and providing a clear signal to our clients, supply chain partners and Plant OEMs to know of the importance we place on taking tangible action, reducing emissions from plant and machinery. I am delighted that more organisations are following suit.”

Signing the Plant Commitment Charter is free and voluntary. Visit the Supply Chain Sustainability School to find out more.

1.7 million renters in fear of putting tenancy at risk by raising fire safety concerns

• Fire Door Safety Week research reveals more than one in ten renters fear that raising fire safety concerns will affect their tenancy
• There is cause to complain: a third of all renters have experienced fire doors being damaged or propped open and a quarter noticed a broken fire alarm in the last 12 months alone
• With renters also concerned about whether reporting issues will even lead to them being fixed, the Fire Door Safety Week campaign is calling for fire safety to be urgently prioritised and for landlords and individuals to Make Time to Save Lives

Millions of people privately renting or in social housing fear a revenge eviction if they raise fire safety concerns with landlords, despite issues such as inadequate fire doors and broken fire alarms being prevalent, new research to mark Fire Door Safety Week (20 – 26 September 2021) has found.

Shockingly, 13% of those privately renting in the UK– equating to 1.7 million people¹ – fear that raising fire safety issues with their landlords will put their tenancy at risk. Furthermore, 12% of social housing tenants – equating to 468,000 people² – have the same concerns.

The research also found that more than 1 in 10 (12%) renters wouldn’t report a fire-related issue because they thought their landlord was unlikely to fix the issue, based on previous experience. This correlated with the fact that the same proportion of renters, 12%, had not had their most recent fire safety-related issue resolved within three months of reporting it.

Helen Hewitt, CEO of the British Woodworking Federation which organises Fire Door Safety Week, said: “Renters need to feel as though their voices are being heard and that any problems they raise will be fixed, otherwise it discourages the reporting of issues and the whole system breaks down, putting lives at serious risk. The fact that people feel anxious about reporting issues is a major cause for concern.

“The theme of this year’s Fire Door Safety Week campaign is Make Time to Save Lives, and we see this as a vital message. It’s crucial that both landlords and tenants take time to identify, report and resolve fire safety issues to ensure that lives are not needlessly lost to fires.”

What are the fire safety issues facing renters?

The seriousness of underreporting is underlined by the fact that fire safety issues are prevalent in all forms of rented accommodation.

A third (33%) of all renters have experienced fire doors being damaged or propped open in the last 12 months, a quarter (25%) have been living with a broken or missing fire extinguisher, and just under a quarter (23%) were aware of a smoke alarm that wasn’t working. More than one in 10 renters (14%) have had concerns over their building’s cladding in the past year and the same proportion have noticed a fire exit in their property being blocked.

Exploring these issues in more detail, research found that people living in privately rented housing are more likely to be living with fire safety-related issues in their homes than social housing tenants. Twice as many private renters had experienced a smoke alarm not working in the last 12 months and three times as many had experienced fire doors being damaged or propped open in the same period, compared to those living in social housing.

Commenting on these findings, Helen Hewitt said: “Fire safety measures such as fire doors play a vital role in containing the spread of smoke and fire, allowing building occupants to safely exit a building in the event of a fire while emergency services respond. It’s shocking that despite the government’s focus on improving fire safety across the UK, those in rental properties continue to be put at risk through inadequate fire safety measures including damaged fire doors.

“In England alone there were 176 fire-related fatalities in dwelling fires and more than 6,500 non-fatal casualties in 2020. Private and social housing landlords have a duty of care to ensure that their tenants live in safe properties, and we urge then to act without delay so that those people are protected.”

Gavin Tomlinson, Chair of the National Fire Chiefs Council’s Protection Committee said: “Fire doors that are damaged, poorly fitted or wedged open are not fire doors, they are just doors – they will not save lives or protect property.

“We encourage tenants to report any fire safety concerns to their landlord and if these are not resolved contact your local authority or seek advice from your fire and rescue service. It’s important that the minority of landlords who do not comply with the law should not be allowed to ignore fire safety and put the lives of tenants at risk.”

Making time for fire safety

The research also highlighted that among both renters and homeowners, fire safety is a lower priority when it comes to fixing or reporting broader household problems. Overall only 5% of people would report a fire door being damaged, compared to 32% who would report or fix their front door not locking properly, 17% who would report appliances not working and 11% who would report a porch light not working.

Helen Hewitt concluded: “It only takes one fire for the importance of fire doors to become very apparent, very quickly. Together we can all play a part in ensuring they remain fit for purpose and ready to help save lives, and we urge people not to wait to check their fire doors.”

For more information on Fire Door Safety Week, CLICK HERE:

¹ 13.1% of 13 million in privately rented homes is 1.7 million.

² 12% of 3.9 million in socially rented homes is 468,000.

³ England – 153,278 fires, 221 fire casualties / Scotland – 24,471 fires, 27 fire casualties / Wales – 10,585 fires, 10 fire casualties

With ever-growing numbers of people affected by dementia, there is expanding evidence showing the impact of the physical environment on their wellbeing. Whilst legislation sets out design principles; in reality, seeing as others see and designing with empathy are key to effective design.

By Mark Johnstone, Head of Commercial – UK, Middle East and Ireland, Altro

There are more than 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK and this is set to rise to over 1 million by 2025[1]. So dementia affects a huge number of lives – all those who live with it and also their families, friends and carers.

The term ‘dementia’ describes a host of conditions associated with the gradual deterioration of the brain’s functions. It affects memory, thinking, orientation, comprehension, calculation, learning capacity, language and judgement. Its causes are various brain diseases, the most well-known being Alzheimer’s, which affects nearly two thirds of cases.

With the introduction of legislation and expert guidance for designing for dementia over the past few years, care homes and healthcare environments are becoming more aware and applying best practice principles more often – after all, 70% of people in care homes have dementia or severe memory problems[2] so this is extremely relevant for them. However, when you consider that two thirds of people with dementia live in the community[3], and not in care homes, it’s clear that better understanding of these issues throughout the whole design sector is needed to change the way people with dementia are engaged with in the environments they live.

For many years, Altro has worked to develop products to offer those designing for dementia a choice of suitable, practical and effective solutions. Altro works with several partners, all directly involved in improving the lives of those living with dementia. One of these is the Dementia Services Development Centre (DSDC) at the University of Stirling, who Altro worked with when developing new shades of Altro Aquarius to ensure carers and those with dementia can be safer in wet environments, and when developing the colour palette for Altro Suprema – solid, non-sparkle colours to avoid confusion.

The DSDC is the world leader on the design of services and environments for people with dementia, and believes that “Design is about more than shaping the physical environment to counter the impairments which come with dementia.” And that “Understanding such impairments is the first step towards creating living environments which support the needs of older people and those with dementia, keeping them safe from dangers such as falls, which can have a devastating effect on an older person; allowing the freedom and confidence to use their abilities to the fullest extent, in all things from the mundane to the creative; aiding memory in day-to-day living; and reinforcing personal identity.”

Altro’s latest CPD on designing for dementia shares learnings and recommendations developed through this work, and focuses on empathetic design: understanding how dementia affects those living with it, what that looks like to them and why and how you can make improvements through design choices, and meet the legislation and guidance for dementia design.

The Department of Health’s Health Building Note 08-02 – Dementia-friendly Health and Social Care Environments, was published in 2015 and is still current. It outlines design principles to aid design of new build and redevelopments and incorporates expert research and guidance from the DSDC and The Kings Fund amongst others. Within this there are 12 design principles, such as ‘Provide a safe environment’, ‘Support wayfinding and navigation’, and ‘Provide optimum lighting and contrast’. This is where ‘seeing as others see’ becomes highly effective, and for that we must understand more about visual impairment.

Visual impairment is experienced by many people as they get older – it is not an issue exclusive to those with dementia. However, dementia can add to the challenge of living with these sight changes, or someone’s eyes may be healthy, but their brain has trouble interpreting what is seen[4]. According to the RNIB, sight loss is often under-diagnosed in people with dementia because one condition can mask or be mistaken for another.

Visual impairment often means lower contrast sensitivity, poorer colour vision, less spatial awareness and poorer perception of depth. It can lead to misperceptions – when a person sees one thing as something else, for example mistaking a coat hanging up for a person – and disorientation – for example misinterpreting reflections on shiny walls as an intruder. Visual impairment also affects the way we see texture.

Altro’s Designing for Dementia CPD uses practical examples to demonstrate the impact of design decisions. Let’s look at image 1. What works well in this room is having a consistent flooring or floor tone, as this encourages a person to go through into the next room. Consistent flooring doesn’t attract attention. Use consistent flooring materials and finishes across areas where those with dementia should be encouraged to move freely – a day room to an activity room for example. However, the choice of skirting in this example is problematic, as when viewed from another room it could give the perception of a barrier, as it does across the door in this example. Additionally, the floor in this image is shiny, making it appear wet – it should be matt.

When looking to achieve a homely, non-clinical feel, it may be tempting to opt for patterned flooring, but as image 2 shows, someone with visuo-perceptual difficulties may mistake the pattern for objects to be picked up or to be avoided, and in doing so could result in a fall. Similarly with wall coverings, heavy patterned wallpaper could be picked at and damaged.

Although a lot of the guidance around design for dementia considers visuo-perceptual difficulties, acoustics and sound also play a part. In fact, dementia affects, and is affected by, all of the senses. For example, some studies have shown that people with mild to moderate hearing loss are more likely to experience memory and thinking problems. The effort it takes to hear and understand things diverts brain resources away from the ability to process, respond and remember the information being heard.

Disorientation and bewilderment are a common experience for people with dementia – this is exacerbated by noisy communal and activity spaces, repetitive sound, noise transfer to bedrooms. People with dementia need environments that are easy to interpret first of all. They need rooms that are easy to read because dementia can lead to confusion, and they may lose the ability to accurately interpret what they hear because of hearing loss[5]. Altro’s CPD on sound reduction explores these issues and best practice solutions in more detail.

Designing with empathy can make a huge difference to the everyday life of people living with dementia. Seeing the world through their eyes allows you to drastically improve understanding and make better assessments and recommendations.

There are many more practical examples like these in the new edition of Altro’s designing for dementia CPD, along with guidance and best practice examples and solutions, based on years of experience and real-world applications. The CPD has been designed to be interactive, promoting discussion with those taking part around the growing challenge of creating spaces that work well for those with dementia. There is also a new CPD on sound reduction which also encompasses elements of design for dementia from an acoustic perspective. Altro’s designing for dementia CPD fits within RIBA’s core curriculum and covers its seven ‘specification essentials’. To book a session, call 01462 707604 or email cpd@altro.com.

[1] https://www.dementiauk.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/DUKFS13_What_is_dementia_2021_online.pdf

[2] https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/about-us/news-and-media/facts-media

[3] https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dementia

[4] https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/d4716cd3-2ba7-4f17-9d64-e3577c45cd81/downloads/Talking-sense.pdf?ver=1595543200019

[5] Acoustic Bulletin (Ecophon)

www.altro.co.uk

Bold decisions from Government this autumn can unlock a ‘wall of investment’ from private sector investors with the power to turbocharge the UK’s recovery, bring levelling-up ambitions to life and underpin the transformation to a net zero economy.

This call from the CBI comes just days after a speech from Director-General Tony Danker, highlighting some of the risks of failing to unlock the spending the economy will need. The UK’s leading business organisation is urging Government to go for growth in its Comprehensive Spending Review and Autumn Budget set for October 27.

The CBI cites ONS data showing £900bn of pent-up corporate cash reserves stand ready to be invested as the economy reawakens after the shock of COVID – but warns the UK faces stiff international competition to claim this prize.

That is why the CBI is urging Government to bet big on UK industry by reigniting its role as a market maker, making smart investments in skills and infrastructure, and reforming taxes to reward companies which invest in research, innovation and green technologies.

By creating a framework which encourages and rewards widespread business investment, Government can utilise the private sector’s financial muscle to drive the economy towards future growth.

Key asks of Government include:

• Stimulate longer-term business investment by committing to maintain more generous capital allowances beyond 2023, building on the success of the super deduction.
• Fundamental reform of the business rates burden, including removing disincentives preventing green improvements.
• Require all regulators to prioritise investment, net zero and innovation as part of their core remits.
• Focus on delivering a flexible apprenticeship system, turning the apprenticeship levy into a lifelong learning levy.
• Improve people’s life chances by giving them the skills they need to succeed through individual training accounts for unemployed individuals and those with the biggest retraining needs.
• Designate energy efficiency and heat as an infrastructure priority by providing a comprehensive long-term package of funding.
• Develop and invest in the decarbonisation pathways required to reach net zero across transport.
• Deliver on the Plan For Growth and Innovation Strategy, including front-loading the commitment to invest £22bn direct domestic R&D funding by 2024-25.
• Enable business to help level-up across the whole of the UK by commissioning the CBI in the Levelling-up White Paper to write the playbook for successful economic clusters.

CBI Chief Economist Rain Newton-Smith said: 

“Decisions made this Autumn at the Budget and Comprehensive Spending Review will define the UK’s trajectory for the decade ahead. They bring an opportunity to generate higher investment and growth with lower carbon emissions, and provide UK leadership in new markets.

“Right now, there is a wall of invesment waiting to be invested, with corporate cash reserves now over £900bn. Yet we know from our members that we can’t simply expect it to be deployed in the UK. We’re in a global race for investment in green technologies, innovation, and skills. We must create the right environment to unleash it..

“When we look back on this decade, it’s crucial we see a Government that took decisive action and unlocked investment. A Government that went for growth and made big bets for the UK getting ahead of the international competition. A Government that resisted the easy, play-it-safe option, and showed the ambition needed to target the big wins.

“If we miss this chance, we’ll fall back into old patterns of chronic underinvestment and regional inequality, and risk missing our net zero target. The prize on offer leaves no room for complacency.”

Further CBI recommendations – grouped in four key headline areas – include:

Smart taxation that rewards investment: 

• ‘Greening’ the tax system and pledging no further increases to the business tax burden to safeguard UK status as a leader in attracting global investment.
•  Introduce full expensing for capital expenditure beyond 2023 and targeted ‘green’ investment-focused capital allowance mechanisms.
• Reform outdated business rates to reflect green ambitions and reward decarbonisation efforts.
• Boost the structures and buildings allowance to incentivise sustainable construction – putting homes, workplaces, schools and hospitals at the heart of the green economic recovery.
• Modernise R&D tax credits, widening the scope to include capital spending and building in flexibility to match rapid change across industries.

New skills for new markets:

• Turn the Apprenticeship Levy into a Lifelong Learning Levy to unlock business investment in training.
• Turn Job Centres into regionally autonomous Jobs and Skills Hubs to encourage more people to take up lifelong learning and enable closer alignment with changing local jobs markets.
• Introduce individual training accounts for unemployed individuals and those with the biggest retraining needs to spend on accredited courses.
• Address skills shortages by removing barriers to recruitment; urgently updating the Shortage Occupation List and adding flexibility to points-based immigration.

Catalytic public investment:

• Prioritise the UK establishing itself in new and emerging markets by speeding up the development of major infrastructure projects, new industries, and cutting-edge tech.
• Designate energy efficiency and heat as a national infrastructure priority by providing a comprehensive long-term package of funding to make buildings more energy efficient and move away from fossil fuel heating solutions.
• Provide long-term funding to decarbonise UK transport systems and develop a UK electric vehicle market. While also using public investment to stimulate private sector investment and R&D into technologies to decarbonise heavier modes of transport (such as freight, aviation and maritime).
• Commit to a new Gigafactory plan to deliver increased capacity by 2040, delivering strong automotive sector and putting the UK at the forefront of low emission transport technologies.

Government as market maker:

• Deliver on commitments to invest £22bn in direct domestic R&D funding by 2024-25, frontloading funding to maximise private investment.
• Grow investment in business-led innovation, while requiring regulators to prioritise innovation, net zero and investment as part of core remits.
• Endorse the importance of economic clusters to regional growth in the Levelling Up White Paper – and commission CBI to write the cluster playbook and work with industry to develop a toolkit responsive to business demand to support and nurture clusters.
• Scale up the UK’s hydrogen economy by progressing policy on Hydrogen Business Models and allocating funding from the Net Zero Hydrogen Fund, with a view to increasing funding

The CBI says action in these areas is imperative if the UK is to remain internationally competitive against peer nations where business investment levels – and public  spending in areas like R&D and green initiatives – far outstrips our own. These four government drivers matter more to inward investors in this new investment cycle, than anything else.

CBI Chief Economist Rain Newton-Smith continued: 

“These CBI recommendations can put the UK economy on a strong footing, remedying challenges of under-investment and skills shortages, while creating new opportunities to build an economy of the future through catalytic public investments and by Government playing its unique role as market maker to unleash new markets.

“Failing to enact the four enablers across Budget and CSR interventions will impact the UK’s recovery and ability to level-up. Inaction risks seeing the UK fall behind competitors, lose international investment, and miss our global commitments on net zero.

“The reality is that while the UK is one of the best places in the world to do business, we do not have the same investment levels as international peers.

“This Autumn is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to change the UK’s productivity and growth trajectory, and Government must do what it takes to rapidly unlock private sector investment.

“The opportunity – and need – to forge a more dynamic, competitive, and future-focused economy has never been greater.”

Pledging its support for this years Fire Door Safety Week, specialist ironmongery supplier IronmongeryDirect has added to its library of fire safety resources. Aiming to stamp out the legacy of fire door neglect, the company has produced a series of videos and guides on fire door compliance that are free to view and download from its website.

 IronmongeryDirect is raising awareness of the importance of fire door hardware during Fire Door Safety Week and will be sharing advisory content on its blog and social media channels. During the weeklong campaign, a series of videos that provide a visual checklist of the five essential fire door components will be released to support tradesmen responsible for fitting these products.

The series of videos will cover products that must be accurately specified, installed and maintained to help safeguard the performance of a fire door. The videos join an extensive suite of fire safety resources offered by the ironmongery supplier, including its Fire Protection and Fire Door Closer guides.

Commenting on the company’s support of Fire Door Safety Week, Marco Verdonkschot, Managing Director at IronmongeryDirect says, “Improperly fitted or neglected fire doors are all too often the cause of casualties during fires and in many cases, individuals are simply unaware of the serious and devastating consequences this can have on the safety of building occupants.

“As an annual supporter of Fire Door Safety Week, we view it as our responsibility to spread the word and help educate our customers on the legal compliance and specification of fire door hardware through our guides and videos, to help ensure protection and in turn, save lives.”

Running from 20^th – 26^th September, Fire Door Safety Week is an awareness campaign designed to increase public understanding of the vital role that fire doors play in saving lives and protecting property.

From the 20^th of September the fire safety guides, and video will be available to view on the IronmongeryDirect blog at: www.IronmongeryDirect.co.uk/blog