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Coastal Hotel & Spa stops false alarms with Nittan

Nittan’s Evolution EV-DP Dual Wavelength Photoelectric smoke detectors have been installed into The Cliff Hotel & Spa in Cardigan, West Wales by Fire and Security Alarms Ltd. (FAS) Carmarthen.

The Cliff Hotel & Spa is a large family-owned hotel featuring 70 en-suite bedrooms, spa and gym facilities, function suite and a golf course. As part of a hotel wide refurbishment project, the existing fire alarm system has been removed and replaced with a sophisticated Nittan Evolution system featuring 260 Nittan devices, including over 200 EV-DP smoke detectors. The system runs on four loops controlled by an Advanced Electronics control panel.

Nittan Dual Wavelength Photoelectric smoke detectors were selected by installer Fire and Security Alarms Ltd. (FAS) to prevent further issues of false alarms that the hotel had been experiencing previously. The primary cause of these had been steam escaping from the en-suite bathrooms and activating the smoke alarms.

As an NSI Gold, BAFE and NICEIC approved contractor, Fire and Security Alarms Ltd. (FAS) provides both design, installation and maintenance of fire and security systems primarily in West Wales. It has a diverse customer base including nursing and residential homes, factories, shops, schools, social and domestic housing. It has built its business on the of quality of its services, providing effective fire and security solutions to customer’s requirements, including The Cliff Hotel where it identified Evolution EV-DP smoke detectors as an ideal solution to the false alarm issue.

Nittan Evolution EV-DP smoke detectors have been designed to reduce false alarms caused by non-combustion products such as steam, dust and aerosols. Unlike other industry standard (single optical sensor) smoke detectors on the market that claim to distinguish between smoke and non-combustion products, the EV-DP effectively measures the actual particle size in the chamber via its combined IR and blue LED technology. As steam and dust are much larger particles than smoke, the detector won’t false alarm.

Nittan EV-DP alarms are not just highly resistant to false alarms, but come with a number of key features and benefits, including their use of a sophisticated and highly flexible Sine Wave FSK protocol for data transfer to and from the panel. This protocol also allows for substantial amounts of information to be transmitted back to the panel at very high speeds. Furthermore, they come with a 360 degree OMNIVIEW LED indicator, permitting clear and visible indication of the sensor’s operation from any angle. Increased EMC immunity is also achieved by the inclusion of a “Bandpass Discriminator Circuit” which is built into every sensor head and loop device.

The Nittan Group has been at the forefront of the international fire protection industry since 1954 and has sales, R&D and manufacturing bases in four countries, including the UK. The company continuously innovates and strives for exceptional quality products that meet the highest of standards.

For sales information, please contact Nittan on 01483 769 555 or by email at sales@nittan.co.uk or visit the website www.nittan.co.uk.

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Winter Wrapped Up!

To help you prepare for the colder months we’ve got winter wrapped up with our comprehensive range of winter safety products. Turbocast 800™ towable grit spreader can be used as a broadcast or drop spreader. Turbocast 800 will hold approximately 10 x 25kg bags of rock salt and gives controlled, accurate coverage up to 8 metres width at speeds from 5-20mph. Turbocast 300™ manual grit spreader spreads to a width of between 3 and 7 metres with minimum effort and can be easily pushed along, even when fully laden. Nestor 400 grit bin has a double skinned lid for supreme strength and durability. The weight of the lid is sufficient to minimise the risk of it opening in strong winds and therefore protects the contents from adverse weather conditions.

Glasdon UK Limited
Telephone: 01253 600410
E-mail: sales@glasdon-uk.co.uk
Website: www.gritbins.co.uk

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Sentence imposed following death of six year old crushed by unsafe gate

A powered gate company has been fined £50,000 for corporate manslaughter following the horrific death of a child who was crushed to death outside her Moss Side, Manchester home in 2010, by an unsafe automatic gate. The sentence was passed at Manchester Crown Court on Monday 7th December.

Cheshire Gates and Automation Ltd had admitted corporate manslaughter over the death of six-year-old Semelia Campbell at an earlier court hearing and heard she had become caught between the heavy sliding gate and a wall outside her home. The moving gate had failed to detect her presence and she became trapped. She was crushed to death despite frantic attempts by her family to free her, the court heard.

In a statement released immediately following the court hearing, the Door & Hardware Federation, which represents the powered gate industry, explained that, tragically, this is not an isolated case.

Neil Sampson, chairman of the DHF Powered Gate Group said: “In the past ten years, there have been seven deaths in the UK and Ireland, at least nine serious injuries and countless near misses caused by dangerous powered gates. Shockingly, it is estimated that 70% of the 500,000 automated gates in service in the UK are unsafe to use.

“In this heart-breaking case, the court was told that when the gate had been originally installed it had been left in a completely unsafe and lethal state. Semelia’s death is a bleak reminder of the dangerous consequences if a powered gate is incorrectly specified, installed or inadequately maintained. The company did not even know how to set the gate up to a safe standard!

“As an industry we are determined to ensure that tragedies like this can NEVER happen again and in the five years since this appalling incident, we have made giant strides forward in raising awareness amongst all those responsible for powered gates regarding safety legislation and providing comprehensive advice and guidance. In the last two years alone, the DHF has trained more than 600 individuals on its two-day comprehensive Safety Assured training course. Owners and managers of any automated entrance systems need to be aware that the safety of their site is their responsibility.”

To gain comprehensive advice on powered gate safety, or to obtain a full list of DHF Safety Assured member companies visit www.dhfonline.org.uk.

In addition, the DHF is presently running a petition to raise awareness of the responsibilities of owners of powered gates visit https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/109917.

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New guidance to stop workers dying each week from occupational disease

The construction industry has launched new guidance to encourage better management of occupational health risks. HSE is urging the industry to put an end to the hundreds of construction workers that die of occupational diseases every month.

Inspectors issued more than 200 health related enforcement notices during the recent Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) construction inspection initiative.

This highlighted the widespread misunderstanding of what ‘occupational health’ means in the construction sector and the employers’ misguided perception that health is more difficult to manage than safety.

The new guide ‘Occupational health risk management in construction’ PDF has been written by the Construction Industry Advisory Committee (ConIAC) Health Risks Working Group and formatted with the assistance of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH).

It gives practical advice on what ‘health risk’ means for the construction industry, and the role of occupational health service provision in preventing or controlling those risks.

Ian Strudley, Chair of the ConIAC Health Risks Working Group and HSE Principal Specialist Inspector said “The misunderstanding of occupational health within the construction sector means that whilst the industry focus on managing the more familiar safety issues, serious health risks get ignored. We cannot let this continue.”

“When figures show that construction workers are at least 100 times more likely to die from a disease caused or made worse by their work as they are from a fatal accident, the industry must take action.”

Shelley Frost, Executive Director – Policy at IOSH said “There have been huge advances in improving safety in the construction sector over the last 15 years but the industry has yet to generate such advances in improving the picture in occupational health.”

“Every week, 100 people die from construction-related ill health in the UK. Less than half of construction workers also stay employed in the industry until they are 60.”

“This new guide raises awareness of the occupational health issues in construction, demystifies how to best manage them and provides information as to where firms can get help and assistance.”

“Ultimately, if the advice is followed, it could help to lower incidence rates of occupational ill-health and transform the perception of working in construction to that of an attractive and respectful industry with great career choices.”

The guidance is freely available on HSE’s and IOSH’s website:

http://www.hse.gov.uk/aboutus/meetings/iacs/coniac/coniac-oh-guidance.pdf
http://www.iosh.co.uk/techguide

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Think bike – don’t turn left!

Lorries delivering to various construction sites and developments in London could be made to take special routes that minimise the number of left turns while making site deliveries, in a new incentive to reduce cyclist injuries.

Cyclists are considered at the highest risk of obtaining an injury or being killed when lorries make a left turn the rider is in the blind spot cannot see them. Between 2008 and 2012 more than half of cycling fatalities in London involved Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs). Most cyclist and HGV collisions happen when vehicles turn left at traffic lights or other junctions.

Other measures planned to reduce cyclist fatality is to fit larger side windows to reduce blind spots and add sideguards to prevent cyclists being dragged under the wheels in the event of a collision turning left at a junction.

The Mayor of London’s office announced the plans, saying “Many of the most dangerous vehicles are construction-related.”

“For future major construction projects, GLA planning powers will be used to strictly prescribe the routes which HGVs serving them can follow – requiring, for instance, that they avoid a road heavily used by cyclists or take a route that minimises the number of left turns, the most dangerous manoeuvre.”

“Discussions with the London boroughs and the construction industry have already started to ensure that this happens as fast as possible.”

Heavy Goods Vehicles without appropriate safety equipment to protect cyclists and pedestrians fitted are now prohibited from entering Greater London under the “Safer Lorry Scheme.”

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson commented “We are ahead of any other part of the UK in closing the legal loopholes that allowed many HGVs to operate without basic safety equipment, and I am delighted that over the 18 months since we announced the Safer Lorry Scheme the vast majority of operators have got the message and fitted safety equipment to their vehicles in anticipation of the ban.”

“We have, from this morning, begun vigorous enforcement action against the laggards.”

“I announce today that I propose to require further safety modifications to all HGVs in London, including the retrofitting of bigger side windows to further reduce the driver blind spots that contribute to so many tragic accidents.”

The new left turn rules are expected to come into force in April next year, starting with all vehicles delivering to Crossrail and TfL.

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Safety Conscious Stormking

Safety conscious contractors will welcome StormFix – a new product from prefabricated building products specialists Stormking.

StormFix from Stormking

StormFix fixing kits have been sourced in partnership with RAWLBOLT and the packs are exclusive to Stormking and offer fixing bolts to ensure safe and secure fixing of structural frames to all common types of external wall applications.

Choosing the correct anchoring with such a diversity of wall types can pose problems for contractors – and getting it wrong can have severe consequences.

The new StormFix fixing packs remove all the uncertainty of choosing the correct bolts to ensure risk-free anchoring for the full Stormking range of grp entrance canopies and bay window roofs. When finished with tiling, these can impose considerable demands on the building structure and it is essential that the fixing bolts are able to bear this load.

The StormFix packs are supplied with the Stormking canopies and roofs and are available for both lightweight and structural units and come pre-packed with matching bolt cap covers. They come in two sizes – 80mm and 120mm – and in packs of four or eight, to cover the complete range of Stormking roof and door canopies and are the ideal reassurance for housebuilders’ Health & Safety managers and contractors who carry the responsibility for ensuring safety in their building works.

The Stormking ranges of bay window roofs and entrance canopies offer housebuilders an almost limitless choice of styles and sizes to create a distinctive street scene. Made to the highest quality standards, Stormking prefabricated building products are a highly cost effective alternative to using traditional building materials such as stone, slate, concrete and timber. They also have many advantages, especially saving time and cost by eliminating site fabrication and the inconsistencies which can often result. They are also virtually maintenance free and have proven longevity.

Manufactured to comply with European approvals, StormFix from Stormking offers the one-stop, simple but totally safe and reliable, easy to install structural frame fixing, providing the confidence developers need as they become evermore responsible for safety in the houses they build.

For more information please visit www.stormking.co.uk.

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