IN SUPPORT OF FIRE DOOR SAFETY WEEK, IRONMONGERY DIRECT STRENGTHENS ITS FIRE SAFETY RESOURCES

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 20th – 26th 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 20th of September the fire safety guides, and video will be available to view on the IronmongeryDirect blog at: www.IronmongeryDirect.co.uk/blog

/0 Comments/by

Fire Crest drives industry professionalism through Kentec Taktis Panel installation

Fire Crest Fire Protection, a Kentec Installation Partner (KIP), has installed a sophisticated Taktis fire panel at its headquarters in Cornwall to train and support its engineers using the technology on future projects.

Installing the panel enables engineers to test configurations in the office, prior to configuring a panel on the client premises, reducing the time needed on site and increasing the likelihood of a right-first-time installation.

The move is part of Fire Crest’s commitment to upskilling its own people and further improving professionalism within the industry by working with Kentec Electronics, a leading manufacturer of life-critical control systems, as one of its select partners. It also reflects the need for its engineers to keep pace with the greater networking and configuration potential that panels such as Taktis can now deliver.

As a registered KIP, Fire Crest has access to a full suite of Taktis training modules and resources. Only KIPs are able to install Taktis panels.

Anthony Kent, Fire and Security Manager at Fire Crest, says training, experience and forward planning are essential to ensure fire panels are used to their full potential: “The sites we install are typically large and complex, such as schools, hospitals and manufacturing depots and so it vital that systems are configured expertly.

“Configuring the Taktis panels prior to installation enables us to test out cause and effect scenarios and mitigate the potential risk of false alarms on site. The installation adds to our training capabilities and is a considerable benefit to our installer and customers.”

Kevin McCarthy, Business Development Manager of Kentec Electronics, says Fire Crest’s approach is commendable: “It is vital that our industry is committed to furthering professionalism and raising standards. We recognise that it is our responsibility to provide detailed and thorough training through our KIP programme – and it is excellent that Fire Crest has gone another step further with this in-office installation.”

Taktis is available in up to 16 loops, providing up to 144 zone indications, and supporting more than 2,000 detection devices. It can network up to 127 panels, making it ideal for the largest sites such as schools, hospitals, multi-site retail/supermarkets, critical infrastructure and major commercial and industrial facilities.

Multiple protocols can be supported on each panel to give installers and end-users maximum choice in their systems’ design, and the scalable nature of the product provides the highest level of futureproofing and networking possibilities.

www.kentec.co.uk

 

/0 Comments/by

Steel Will Burn Through Emissions Budget in 15 Years

European steel will burn through emissions budget 15 years ahead of time, unless new technologies are deployed within the next decade

 

  • Only a quarter of these companies’ carbon budget remains, and current trajectories would see the industry exceed its budget in 2035.
  • Companies have between now and 2033 to stop using current production methods and invest in new steelmaking technologies.
  • The cost of transitioning is estimated at between US$4 and 34 billion for these companies, so they will need to rely on public funding and partnerships.
  • SSAB and ArcelorMittal rank highest on their readiness for the transition, while Severstal, Metinvest and Erdemir are identified as being least prepared.

 

Tuesday, 14th September 2021, London: A new report from Industry Tracker, the climate research house for investors, has found that the European steel industry has less than 26%  (12-35%) of its carbon budget remaining and companies must rapidly shift their business models to reach net zero. This means the industry’s existing assets could release 2.3 billion tonnes of CO2 in their lifetime, compared to a 2050 budget of just over 3 billion (based on the IEA’s Net Zero Emissions scenario).

 

The report, Steeling for Net Zero, provides an in-depth assessment of 10 of the largest and most impactful steel companies, that account for 68% of primary steel production in Europe, including ArcelorMittal, Tata Steel, Thyssenkrupp and SSAB. The research analyses how these companies are positioned to action transition plans and achieve net zero, based on their targets and existing asset portfolios.

 

Having been on an upward trajectory since the mid-20th century, emissions from steel now account for 7-9% of all global emissions, and demand for the metal is on the rise.

 

The biggest contributor to emissions from the steelmaking process comes from the blast furnace. This is the dominant method of making primary steel and has been in use since the 14th century. With this carbon intensive method, there is no way of achieving the required reduction in emissions to meet the EU’s 2050 net zero target. Reductions from efficiency improvements have all but plateaued – over the last two decades, the companies analysed have only reduced their emissions intensity by an average of 1% per year.

 

Blast furnaces have a long life cycle of about 15-20 years before they need upgrading. This is an expensive process, costing on average US$175 million, meaning these furnaces cannot be shut down prematurely without incurring write-offs. This risks companies getting locked in to carbon intensive methods unless they start investing in new technologies and timing their transition correctly.

 

Industry Tracker’s analysis finds that these companies will need to stop renewing blast furnaces before 2030 and have between now and 2033 to begin investing in new technologies, including green hydrogen steelmaking. The estimated cost of making the shift to green hydrogen DRI ranges between US$4 and 34 billion for companies, depending on the size of their current asset base. Using asset-level data, it is revealed that these companies have collectively used up three quarters of their 2050 carbon budget, and in a worse case projection, 3 companies have already exceeded their budget from locked-in emissions.

 

8 of the 10 companies analysed have emissions reduction targets, with ArcelorMittal, Voestalpine, Tata Steel and Salzgitter all making commitments to become net-zero, climate or carbon neutral by 2050, whilst SSAB aims to achieve this by 2045.  However, most of the emissions cuts outlined in these targets come after 2030, when they are at high risk of missing the window for investing in vital new technologies.

 

The analysis does show that some of the leading European steel companies – such as SSAB, ArcelorMittal and Tata Steel – are starting to develop the low-carbon innovations required to significantly reduce their footprint. This includes hydrogen-based steel production which can reduce emissions to near zero, as well as Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) which could cut emissions from traditional steelmaking routes in the mid-term.

 

70% of the companies in the report are involved in projects developing “blue” or “green” hydrogen production, including ArcelorMittal, Thyssenkrupp and SSAB. This is encouraging as it indicates they are not just investing in hydrogen-based steel production technologies, but are also getting involved in developing supply chains to ensure they have access to the large volumes of hydrogen needed to scale up this type of sustainable steelmaking.

 

For the most part, however, these technologies are still early stage, and they must be rapidly scaled and commercialised to meet global climate targets.

 

The current balance sheets and cash flows of these steel companies are not sufficient to support the cost of the transition. This means companies must leverage partnership opportunities, whilst subsidies, direct public funding and investment capital must be made available.

 

Carole Ferguson, Managing Director of Industry Tracker, commented: “Steel is used across many products and sectors that are integral to the way we live. However, with a large carbon footprint and a growing emissions profile, steel remains a problem child in the path to net zero. With momentum starting to build for new technologies, particularly green hydrogen, steel companies have the opportunity to break out of their current capital intensive business models. I am optimistic that with public support, cross sector partnerships and investment capital seeking to solve the climate crisis, steel companies have the potential to lead the way in the transition and drive the green hydrogen economy.”

/0 Comments/by

£650bn construction pipeline Revealed

By Catherine Kennedy

The government has set out how £650bn of private and public investment will be implemented in infrastructure projects across the country over the next decade in its new National Infrastructure and Construction Pipeline.

The investment will be shared across 528 projects, programmes and other investments, with up to £31bn of procurement planned over the next year.

Currently there is around £400bn of planned investment in the pipeline, including over £200bn to be invested by 2024/25.

This will support 425,000 jobs annually on average between 2021/22 and 2024/25.

Following the publication of the National Infrastructure Strategy in November 2020, this National Infrastructure and Construction Pipeline has been described as the most ambitious to date. It sets out future planned procurements and levels of investment alongside the workforce requirement to deliver these plans.

The procurements in the pipeline include a broad range of works across infrastructure and construction such as construction work including building, design & build and civil engineering contracts; repair and maintenance services; architectural, construction, engineering and inspections services; and consultancy services.

In the planned procurements for the next year, transport has been allocated the most funding and is set to benefit from a £23.6bn investment.

Pipeline procurements in 2021/22 by sector

 

Infrastructure and Projects Authority chief executive Nick Smallwood emphasised the importance of the pipeline.

“Well planned and delivered projects have never been more important to the UK in driving our economy’s recovery from the unprecedented challenges of the pandemic,” he said.

“In setting out planned procurements, investments, and projections of the workforce required to deliver planned investment, this pipeline will support industry in making strategic and informed decisions to their long-term business and project planning.”

The IPA’s flagship change programme, Transforming Infrastructure Performance: Roadmap to 2030, was published alongside the pipeline.

Smallwood said that it “brings together our diverse infrastructure expertise to lead real system change across government and industry, delivering on our mandate for the people of the UK”.

He added: “It sets out a bold vision for the future of our infrastructure by recognising how significantly and rapidly the world is changing and uses our position at the centre of government to take a longer term and portfolio view.

“Collectively, we are working across government to create a step change in project delivery, setting high standards for success and supporting capability development across the construction sector.”

 

 

Source: New Civil Engineer

/0 Comments/by

Responding to Dame Hackitt’s Review

Code for Construction Product Information published to raise standards

  • Eleven clause Code for Construction Product Information published
  • Code guidance and ‘Preparing for the Code’ information pack issued to support manufacturer preparation for registration
  • Management of Code transferred from CPA to independently governed CPI Ltd

 

The Code for Construction Product Information (CCPI), Code Guidance and a ‘Preparing for the Code’  information pack have been launched today to drive higher standards in the presentation of construction product information in the manufacturing industry.

The Code has been developed as a direct response to Dame Judith Hackitt’s independent review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety in the wake of the Grenfell Tower disaster. The Code promotes urgent positive culture and behaviour change in the approach and management of product information by the construction product manufacturing industry.

The Code offers manufacturers the opportunity to demonstrate a progressive approach through their willingness to provide assurance for their product information, and recognition for their efforts to prioritise product safety.

It aims to ensure that disingenuous marketing practices and the provision of misleading product information becomes a thing of the past, so that those using products in the construction and maintenance of buildings – including specifiers, architects, consultants and contractors, as well as the ultimate end users of the building – can trust the information provided by manufacturers when making design decisions, installing and using and maintaining verified products.

A robust eleven point code published

The Code – developed by the Construction Products Association’s Marketing Integrity Group following industry-wide consultation – has been built on the principle that product information must be Clear, Accurate, Up-to-date, Accessible and Unambiguous. The Code has eleven clauses covering critical aspects from responsibility for product information to transparency of information regarding performance, proof of stated claims and general information and competency.

An independent and robust validation process is being put in place to underpin the Code that will rebuild trust in the provision and management of product information by all stakeholders, setting the market for UK construction products ahead of others.

Support for manufacturers preparing for the verification process

Alongside Code guidance, a ‘Preparing for the Code’ information pack has been published today to help manufacturers gain an understanding of the Code and prepare for the verification journey.

Registration for verification will open towards the end of 2021, supported by detailed guidance. Organisations can register their interest now to receive updates ahead of the launch of verification.

Independently managed Code and verification

Management of the published Code and its verification has been formally handed over from the Construction Products Association to Construction Product Information Ltd (CPI Ltd) – a newly established not-for-profit organisation with independent governance and management being set-up to administer the CCPI.

Adam Turk, Chairman, Construction Products Association’s (CPA) Marketing Integrity Group

“I am delighted that the Code has been completed, with responsibility now handed over to the team at CPI Ltd who will administer and run it. The entirety of the construction industry has contributed to this work over the last three years, through numerous engagements, a Call For Evidence and an Industry Consultation. My sincere thanks go to the many members of the Marketing Integrity Group and the Technical Sub-Committee; your input, engagement, earnest debate and stoic determination to get this right is to be commended and applauded. The industry is indebted to you.

“There has been overwhelming support for the principle of the Code itself as we endeavour to re-instil confidence in construction products generally. It is now time for our Industry to demonstrate its integrity by getting behind the Code, and putting building safety first. The faster that all Manufacturers register their interest and begin the journey, the sooner that users of our information will be able to rely on it to be Clear, Accurate, Up-to-date, Accessible and Unambiguous.”

Dame Judith Hackitt DBE, Author, Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety said:

“Clear and unambiguous product information is an essential element in rebuilding confidence and trust which was lost after the tragedy of Grenfell Tower. I am pleased to see industry taking action and publishing the Code for Construction Product Information. Responsible manufacturers can and should now lead the way in doing the right thing and be recognised for doing so.”

Amanda Long, Chief Executive of Construction Product Information Ltd, said:

“The Code should be a priority for all involved with construction product manufacturing. By focusing on culture, leadership and ethics the Code for Construction Product Information will build trust and is a progressive step towards ensuring that building safety is a priority for those responsible for the provision of construction product information.”

Enabling responsible manufacturers to assure their product information and be recognised for their efforts, the Code will support urgent and positive culture and behaviour change in the industry ahead of regulation.”

 

www.cpicode.org.uk

/0 Comments/by

Warning of ‘Horrible’ Demolition

Grenfell Tower | Warning of ‘horrible’ demolition challenge

 By Greg Pitcher

Demolishing Grenfell Tower will be “challenging” and require very careful operations, an expert has warned.

Ministers are expected to reveal their decision on the future of the fire-ravaged building this month, with reports over the weekend suggesting they had resolved to order its demolition.

But National Federation of Demolition Contractors chief executive Howard Button told NCE it would not be straightforward to remove the tower from the landscape.

“It could be a very weakened structure,” he said of the remaining portion of the West London residential tower where 72 lives were lost in a blaze in June 2017. “The rebar could be in a very bad state. The structural stability of the building must have degraded.”

Button added: “It must be a horrible building to go into. I wouldn’t want to be going in and clearing it. It is going to be very challenging.”

Following the devastating fire four years ago, the precise scientific calculations required for effective explosion or implosion would be extremely difficult, Button warned. He added that certain pieces of the building fabric may need to be preserved for further investigation.

“It will most likely be a very controlled, top-down demolition,” he said. “The existing scaffold could be used, supported with propping, and a crane to lift debris out. Then remotely operated mini machines could be used by people a few metres away from the workface. Munchers and breakers would be attached to dismantle the building floor by floor.”

The high profile nature of the job will add further complications. “No-one wants people looking over their shoulder while they work,” said Button. “Some firms will be put off by that.”

However, the UK demolition industry has more than enough talent and experience to handle the job, he added. “The top-down process is ingrained now, it is the norm in central London. Whoever does it will know what they are doing and there won’t be any problems they haven’t foreseen.”

A report put together by Atkins told the government earlier this year that the condition of Grenfell Tower was worsening.

“The fire had the effect of spalling concrete from the underside of the floor slabs, most widespread from the tenth floor upwards, and also from many columns and areas of wall,” said the study. “As a result, the reinforcement is left exposed in many areas.

“As a result of exposure to the elements, spalling of concrete will continue, through the expansion of corroding reinforcement and absorbed water freezing in the winter months. Without this concrete in-place, the reinforcement becomes increasingly ineffective. Condensation forming on the structure surfaces exacerbates this deterioration.

“Better ventilation is being considered to mitigate this but with the building being effectively open to the elements it is not possible to entirely prevent condensation and moisture from entering the tower.”

The report added that seasonal thermal movement of the building and other environmental factors contributed to “on-going structural deterioration”.

“The rate of deterioration and expected life of the building is very difficult to quantify with any degree of certainty, however, what can be categorically stated is that the condition of the building is worsening,” it concluded.

A government spokesperson said this week that no decision had yet been taken on the future of the tower.

The spokesperson added: “Following important independent safety advice from structural engineers, we are engaging closely with the community as we consider the evidence including the safety concerns raised, and what the future of the Grenfell Tower should be.

“We have now published this advice to ensure those most affected have access to the information that will inform a decision on the Tower, before one is reached.”

Source: New Civil Engineer

/0 Comments/by

Community Living, from 1200 BC to AD 2021

BRONZE AND IRON AGE SKELETONS UNCOVERED AT CAMBRIDGESHIRE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT

 

A team of archaeologists have unearthed human remains during the excavation of a Bronze to early Iron Age settlement on This Land’s™ Burwell site, in advance of the development of 350 new homes.

Following the removal of topsoil at the 6.5-hectare site on Newmarket Road , archaeologists have discovered two full human skeletons as well as a vast number of post holes, pits and pieces of pottery which date from 1200-350BC. The number of post holes indicate that there was a large community which used to live at the site, whilst the layout implies the timber structures would have been both round and rectangular in shape.

The team also uncovered animal bones and broken pottery which may well have been used to throw away unwanted food remains and other goods.

The excavation of the settlement is the first of two phases being carried by Oxford Archaeology East who are supported by Cambridgeshire County Council (CCC) and appointed by specialist archaeological and heritage consultants Orion. An area identified as a cremation burial ground will be excavated and examined ahead of construction of Phase Two of the scheme. 

On completion of the fieldwork, there will be a programme of post-excavation assessment and analysis of the artefacts and environmental samples which will be recorded and followed by a full publication of the results. The information will be built into a story of the site and archived, and the artefacts will be donated to CCC and made available for public viewing.

Commenting on the ongoing archaeological fieldwork Brenda Kibblewhite, Head of Sales and Marketing of This Land™ said: “These are exciting new discoveries and we are delighted with the team’s ongoing work at this historically significant site in Burwell. It’s been fascinating to learn about the history of the site, which will provide an archival legacy of artefacts for future generations to enjoy.”

On the conclusion of the archaeological dig, This Land™ will commence the main infrastructure for the development of a community of 350 new homes, including affordable housing. The scheme will include a mix of housing.

The archaeological dig, which began in May, is expected to be finished in September depending on any further findings.

/0 Comments/by

THE UK GOVERNMENT IS SHARING MISLEADING FIGURES ON FIRES IN SCHOOLS

A recent blog written by the Department for Education (DfE) highlighted some key points about fire safety in schools. While the article stressed the importance of ensuring all students and staff are safe at school, the author made some interesting claims which were misleading and need clarification. As we head towards the long-awaited revised Building Bulletin 100: Design for Safety in Schools, it begs the question as to why the government is looking to make a backwards step towards fire safety and not require sprinklers in all schools?

The Department of Education blog post made two interesting claims, firstly that “Fires in schools are very rare and fewer than 1 in 1,000 school buildings are damaged by fire each year”. In the second statement, it said that ‘Home Office Data showing there are fewer than 500 school fires per year, with 90% of fires limited to one room or causing no damage.” 

 So just how accurate are these figures? In the first statement, let’s look at how many fires in school premises cause damage. Using the fire incident data presented in the publicly available dataset there were 5,120 fires over the 10-year period 2010/11 to 2019/20 in schools reported to be Usually Occupied or Under Construction. Looking at the fires where the reported “Total Damage Extent” is anything other than zero square metres, there are 3,743 incidents. This would lead to an average of 374 fire incidents each year where fire damage is reported.

 

How many school buildings?

Based on the first statement, this would mean there are over 350,000 school buildings in the English Schools Estate. There does not appear to be any publicly figures published on the number of school buildings.

An article from the Construction index talks to 70,000 school buildings. This aligns to the government report on the condition of schools[1]. Although this report refers to “teaching blocks” to highlight that it collected data on 22,031 schools, comprising 63,942 teaching blocks. Based on these figures it is hard to determine that there are over 100,000 buildings let alone 350,000 buildings in the English school estate.

Therefore, without a clearer explanation of how they calculated this I cannot find figures to support the first statement.

How many fires in schools are reported as not spreading beyond the room of origin?

As noted above, there are 5,120 fire incidents recorded in the period of 2010/2011 to 2019/20. Fire impact is recorded based on the observation of the spread of fire in square metres of damage and based on a description of how much of the building is impacted.

Looking at those latter descriptors for fire incidents, they indicate 4,600 incidents as not spreading beyond the room of origin. This would be 89.8% of incidents. Based on these figures the second statement is based on the fire incident data.

However, having said this the room of origin could be rather bigger than one imagined. It is surprising to note that at least 5% of these incidents reported as being limited to the room of origin cause damage to an area greater than an average classroom area of 50 square metres.

Impact of school fires

The article states that fires in schools are rare but I cannot find evidence that convinces me of that. It doesn’t talk about the impact of a fire on a child’s education and the ripple effect. Fifteen days of a school term is 5% of a child’s learning lost for that academic year. The government acknowledges that missing lessons has an impact on attainment at key stages. They track attendance and have commissioned reports, which confirm the harmful impact. Indeed, fines of between £60 to £120 can be levied for a child missing a single day of education. The disruption caused by school fires will adversely affect the results of students, and the government’s own statistics confirm this.

The BSA has always highlighted that BB100 sets the right expectations around the protection of schools and the continuity of education. It sets an expectation that the school should be fully functional within 24 hours of a fire, apart from the room where the fire occurred. The BSA wants the government to explicitly maintain these objectives and enhance the “sprinkler expectation” in the revised BB100 so that fewer schools are damaged and destroyed by fire. Fewer than one-in-six new schools have been built with a sprinkler system installed. It is time we changed that.

More information at www.business-sprinkler-alliance.org

1Condition of School Buildings Survey – Key findings – May 2021, Department of Education

/0 Comments/by

Revolutionary new sprayer instantly turns saltwater into powerful disinfectant

Vapourtec’s easy-HC10 delivers significant cost savings

A unique handheld sprayer has been launched which turns mildly salty tap water into a powerful disinfectant which kills 99.9% of germs, bacteria and viruses, including Covid-19.

The easy-HC10 uses an electrochemical reaction to instantly convert tap water containing just 0.25% salt into hypochlorous acid, a powerful disinfectant which the human body itself produces to fight infection.

It’s thought the British designed and manufactured device could be adopted by cleaning companies and operators eager to reduce the need to buy and store traditional disinfectant.

The easy-HC10 has been designed by Vapourtec, a leading manufacturer of flow chemistry equipment used throughout research and the chemicals industry.

“Hypochlorous acid is a powerful disinfectant which our bodies already use to kill germs. The easy-HC10 instantly produces it from nothing more than tap water and salt, eradicating the need for costly disinfectant” says Duncan Guthrie, Vapourtec’s founder and Managing Director.

Hypochlorous acid is a disinfectant which occurs naturally in the blood stream of all mammals. Highly effective at killing bacteria, fungi and viruses, and neutralising odours, it is also one of the only disinfectant agents which is non-toxic to humans.

It is used commercially as a powerful disinfectant but has a relatively short shelf life when stored.

The new easy-HC10 is a handheld sprayer powered by a rechargeable lithium battery and features a 2-litre reservoir which is filled with tap water and just 5 grams of salt.

Pulling the trigger produces an instant spray of hypochlorous acid solution, the concentration of which can be controlled depending on the intensity of disinfection needed, making it suitable for a wide range of applications.

The spray rapidly kills germs and viruses, yet is safe to use on solid and fabric surfaces and around people and pets.

The battery has a 90-minute run time and each 2 litres of water produces around 25 minutes of continuous spraying, making the device ideal for disinfecting larger areas like offices, schools, health settings and public transport.

However, it’s the cost saving and convenience which the creators believe will appeal most to potential users.

“The easy-HC10 means there is no need to buy, store and carry around traditional disinfectant or bleach. It can cost up to 96% less to use than NHS-grade disinfectants” adds Duncan.

With commercial disinfectant costing between £0.75 and £4 per litre, the easy-HC10 requires just a few pence worth of tap water and 5 grams of salt each time it is refilled.

The device weighs just 3kg when empty and features a shoulder strap for carrying and operation. It dispenses the fine disinfectant spray at a rate of around 5 litres per hour for commercial and professional use.

“The device has some sound environmental benefits too as the disinfectant leaves no harmful residue and it eradicates the need for single-use plastic disinfectant bottles” adds Duncan.

The unique micro-Ion flow reactor within the device is protected by a patent and the easy-HC10 is now available to buy through Vapourtec and online.

 

Visit www.easy-hclo.com for more details

 

/0 Comments/by

FIRE SAFETY: The Nature of Risk

New planning requirements on fire safety for high-rise residential buildings came into force on August 1st and require developers to consider fire safety at the earliest stages of planning.  While we understand this is a starting point on the road to a safer built environment, what does this mean for other buildings such as those in the industrial and commercial sector which have similar challenges when it comes to fire safety?

 Planning Gateway One is the first of a series of ‘gateway points’ and a key measure to ensure high-rise developments consider fire safety at the earliest stages of planning. It comes in response to Dame Judith Hackitt’s Review of Building Regulations, which was commissioned by the government following the Grenfell tragedy. As part of this, developers of higher risk buildings will need to submit a fire statement which sets out fire safety considerations specific to the development before planning permission can be granted. A higher risk building is classed as any building which is 18 metres or more in height and contains two or more dwellings or educational accommodation.

The concept of a fire statement within the new planning gateways is a positive step, as it ensures that the thinking on fire safety is included at an early stage. Whilst we understand government wanting to be proportionate, the BSA’s view has always been that this should happen for a range of buildings.  It ties to the thinking on being clear on outcomes in the event of a fire. It is also an opportunity for clarity and to avoid a gap between the parties involved. However, as we view this change, as we have stated before, our long-term concern is that this fosters a two-tier system. The implication being that those outside the scheme perhaps need less attention and this will pose challenges as it will offer opportunities to play the system.

Clearly fire safe design should not be an afterthought and is essential for all building types.  While the intention is for hotels and care homes to be added down the line, the risk of loss of life and property inherent in many other building types is also too high.

It is also important to point out that the system is predicated on the existing (i.e. old) classification of buildings and we are building differently now, both in techniques and materials, and using buildings differently too.  Bluntly, the nature of risk will continue to evolve as will the hazards these buildings will pose, especially as they age, so we should ensure that all buildings are safe throughout their lifespan.

Whilst we understand these changes are a starting point, all buildings will need such a strategy.  This will be important to all people seeking to understand the direction the design is taking. Similarly, it will inform those seeking to manage the building when it is in use. I understand government wants to focus in a certain area, but do we really think we do not have similar challenges in other buildings?

WEBSITE

/0 Comments/by