SHEQWs Newsletter November
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SHEW<br />
Safety, Health, Environment, Wellbeing<br />
<strong>Newsletter</strong> <strong>November</strong> 2016<br />
It’s a win for environment &<br />
sustainability at NJUG awards<br />
- read the full story on page13
Contents<br />
What we could do better<br />
3. What we could do better<br />
what to do when an inspector calls<br />
4. Wellbeing<br />
Being mindful and aware of suicide<br />
5. In the Courts<br />
Looking at the latest environmental<br />
prosecution<br />
6. Topic of the Month<br />
Looking at a recent incident on eight2o<br />
8. In the spotlight<br />
We look at the tunnel inspection works<br />
going on<br />
10. What’s been happening<br />
We look at archaeological finds on<br />
eight2o, recycled aggregate work & a win<br />
at the NJUG awards<br />
13. Community Engagement<br />
Project<br />
Focus on a project undertaken by some<br />
of our own site teams<br />
14. Reporting<br />
Latest SHE statistics<br />
15. Safety alerts<br />
Latest safety alerts for dissemination<br />
What to do when an inspector calls<br />
What do you need to know about regulators such as the Environment Agency and<br />
HSE?<br />
Regulators such as the EA, HSE and Local Authority are key stakeholders for many eight2O activities and we are<br />
regularly required to engage with them on various issues Including obtaining advice, licences and permits.<br />
Visits with any regulator may be pre-arranged but these regulators are also warranted officers and so if they arrive<br />
on site we are obliged to grant them access. If they deem necessary they can stop work, carry out interviews under<br />
caution, take samples and even issue on the spot fines.<br />
If a visit and evidence leads to them suspecting wrong doing this may lead to further investigation and potential for<br />
further legal action.<br />
What should you do if an inspector attends<br />
your site?<br />
• Ensure that you see a copy of the regulator’s ID and note<br />
down the individuals name.<br />
• Prior to escorting the individual on site, ensure that they<br />
have the necessary PPE, have signed in on the visitor’s<br />
book and have had the necessary visitor’s induction.<br />
• Whilst walking around site ensure that you take photos<br />
of the same areas as the inspector.<br />
• Take notes of who spoke to the inspector and an outline<br />
of the discussion.<br />
• If they take samples, for example of discharged water,<br />
ensure that the site take a duplicate sample at the<br />
same time. This will ensure that we are able to send the<br />
sample off for independent testing.<br />
• If documents are requested and taken please ensure<br />
copies are available or taken prior to them leaving site.<br />
• If documents or samples are collected, the site should<br />
be given a chain of custody to sign. This chain of custody<br />
states that the sample was witnessed being taken by the<br />
inspector at a specified location.<br />
• Ensure that one member of the team, usually the Site<br />
or Project Manager, exchanges contact details with the<br />
inspector and becomes the single point of contact for<br />
any future communication. This will enable the team to<br />
build a relationship with the inspector and keep them<br />
informed of any required remedial actions that are<br />
being undertaken.<br />
• DO NOT ask how much money we will be charged for<br />
their time<br />
• DO NOT question the inspector’s suspicions and<br />
conclusions without good evidence.<br />
Page 2 | <strong>November</strong> 2016 SHEW <strong>Newsletter</strong><br />
SHEW <strong>Newsletter</strong><br />
<strong>November</strong> 2016 | Page 3
Wellbeing Be Mindful Campaign -<br />
Focus on Suicide<br />
This week we focus on suicide as part of the Wellbeing Be Mindful Campaign.<br />
Suicide can be a taboo topic in society but we are encouraging staff to openly<br />
discuss their own experiences of suicide.<br />
In 2014, 6,122 suicides were registered in the UK. Most people have thought of<br />
suicide from time to time and not all people who die by suicide have mental<br />
health problems at the time of death. However, many people who kill themselves<br />
do suffer with their mental health, typically to a serious degree.<br />
Understanding suicide<br />
Suicide is described as an act of intentionally ending your life, many people who<br />
have had suicidal thoughts say they were so overwhelmed by negative feelings<br />
they felt they had no other option. However, with support and treatment people<br />
are able to allow the negative feelings to pass.<br />
There’s no single reason why someone may try to take their own life, sometimes<br />
suicide can occur without warning and the sad reality is that, no matter<br />
what, some people will succumb to suicide but thankfully many suicides are<br />
preventable.<br />
In the courts<br />
Water Company Subsidiary fined £26,000 for odour<br />
A business innovation subsidiary of a UK water company have been heavily fined following odour<br />
complaints about a composting plant in Lanarkshire.<br />
The site had permission to turn waste into compost, but the bad smells were in breach of that<br />
permission. The compost plant was outdoors and the turning, screening and maturation of the compost<br />
contributed to the bad smell.<br />
The equipment designed to treat odours was also not performing properly. Despite the good intentions<br />
for innovation and recycling, those living near the plant were “regularly and severely impacted” by the<br />
odours. All such plants are expected to use the best available techniques for preventing or, where that is<br />
not practicable, for reducing odour.<br />
Get Support!<br />
If you are concerned about suicidal thoughts or are worried about someone’s<br />
wellbeing, you can contact the Samaritans at any time. They will help sort<br />
through feelings, talk through options and help find a way forward. You can also<br />
find local support in your area to help make sure you can access care and support<br />
where you need it, when you need it.<br />
Page 4 | August 2016 SHEW Newslet-<br />
SHEW <strong>Newsletter</strong><br />
<strong>November</strong> 2016 | Page 5
Incident - Chalk/Calcium Carbonate<br />
Discharge to a Non-Main River<br />
What happened?<br />
• A recent incident on an eight2O<br />
site saw chalky water discharged<br />
into a non-main river (usually<br />
a dry ditch) situated parallel to<br />
the site. The site had set up the<br />
dewatering system three weeks<br />
previously, had a permit to pump<br />
formalising their monitoring<br />
regime and had undertaken the<br />
activity without any problems<br />
until the morning of the incident.<br />
• Following a complaint received<br />
downstream of the site, the<br />
discharge point was checked and<br />
cloudy water was observed being<br />
released into the environment.<br />
At this point all pumping and<br />
dewatering activities were<br />
immediately stopped.<br />
Why did it happen?<br />
There are 2 potential reasons for<br />
the incident which may have acted<br />
individually or in combination:<br />
• The blinding activity undertaken<br />
on the day of the incident may<br />
have impacted on the alkalinity<br />
of the water in the vicinity of the<br />
shaft. A change in alkalinity can<br />
turn water containing calcium<br />
carbonate cloudy. This water was<br />
then drawn up by the dewatering<br />
sump and into the silt trap.<br />
• A change to a more chalk like<br />
ground strata meant that the<br />
equipment being used was<br />
no longer appropriate for the<br />
dewatering activity.<br />
What were the potential<br />
consequences of this<br />
incident?<br />
Water contaminated with suspended<br />
solids such as chalk can be extremely<br />
damaging if allowed to enter<br />
watercourses. Damage can include:-<br />
• Blocking fish gills leading to<br />
death<br />
• Deoxygenating water killing any<br />
reliant organism<br />
• Smothering aquatic plants<br />
• Transport of toxins into an<br />
ecosystem<br />
• Alteration of a rivers chemistry<br />
e.g. pH which can have an impact<br />
on certain species<br />
• Water pollution events such<br />
as this account for many<br />
prosecutions under the Water<br />
Resources Act each year and can<br />
result in unlimited fines and even<br />
prison sentences. Prosecutions<br />
can also have a significant impact<br />
on the reputation of our business<br />
and can also impact on future<br />
work winning.<br />
What can we do to prevent it from happening again?<br />
• Where dewatering to surface water, a watercourse precondition checklist must be completed and the site<br />
must ensure that the wider environment is assessed within this (i.e. flowrates of the watercourse prior to<br />
discharge, water quality samples from both up and downstream and photographs of all monitoring locations)<br />
• All dewatering operations must be fully risk assessed using the necessary templates<br />
• Ensure that the site has established what water and potential sediment will need to be monitored in terms of<br />
quantity, quality etc.<br />
• Changes in the environment , including a variation of ground strata, should lead to a reassessment of the risk<br />
• Dewatering operations require the use of the eight2O Permit to Pump process to be followed.<br />
• Dewatering and pumping operations must be appropriately monitored with records kept including<br />
photographic evidence of all samples taken.<br />
• IEMP control plans must be site specific to the activity being undertaken and identify water management<br />
equipment specification, monitoring and maintenance requirements etc.. Relevant activity specific<br />
information such as monitoring should also be included within the RAMS.<br />
• When dewatering to surface water, monitoring must be undertaken at locations downstream as well as at the<br />
initial discharge point.<br />
Page 6 | <strong>November</strong> 2016 SHEW <strong>Newsletter</strong><br />
SHEW <strong>Newsletter</strong><br />
<strong>November</strong> 2016 | Page 7
In the spotlight<br />
Tunnel Inspections - Walthamstow<br />
Overview<br />
In early <strong>November</strong> the team mobilised in Walthamstow<br />
fishery’s to undertake various tunnel inspections.<br />
The first was tunnel was only a few hundred meters long<br />
and was in good order with next to no mussel or silt inside.<br />
Following on from this a compound was set up in the<br />
Lockwood compound opposite the main fisheries, to allow<br />
for works to the second tunnel , which spanned 6km to<br />
begin. Shortly after the spine tunnel was started which<br />
runs from the break pressure tank just south of the William<br />
Girling Reservoir to Coppermills Water Treatment Works.<br />
Preparing for the tunnel cleaning<br />
Once the permits were acquired by eight20 from Thames<br />
Water, the survey was undertaken. With all the lift plans,<br />
isolation procedure and RAMS in places.<br />
Firstly a floating pontoon was set up with a frame, block<br />
and tackle attached allowing them to pick up the isolation<br />
plates and float them into position, once they had been<br />
lifted into the water using a 25t city crane.<br />
The isolation plates consisted of three C section plates<br />
and a cover lid. Each C section is approx. 1mtr high and<br />
2.0mtrs long. These are all bolted together with gaskets<br />
between every section, along the head wall and then<br />
studded to the base. Once the isolation plates were in<br />
the water, specialist divers were bought in to survey the<br />
shafts. Each section was installed until completed and the<br />
process repeated at two locations shaft A & C.<br />
Once all the isolation plates were installed, the tunnel was<br />
isolated and the instruction was given to drain down the<br />
tunnel. To do this a permits to pump was raised and the<br />
pumping was monitored until the tunnel was empty.<br />
Tunnel Cleaning & Inspection<br />
Once the tunnel was drained, the survey phase of the<br />
works could begin. It was at this stage that the amount of<br />
mussels/ silt within the tunnel was apparent.<br />
The survey started at shaft A where the tunnel was almost<br />
completely full with only 300mm gap to crown. It was<br />
because of this that the survey was abandoned at shaft<br />
A and attempted at shaft C where debris depths of 8 to<br />
900mm were found and so the survey was deemed unsafe<br />
to continue until the waste had been removed.<br />
DISAB suction units were then employed to extract the<br />
mussels and silt waste. This involved connecting 6”hoses<br />
down the shaft and working from the main riding basket<br />
at the pit bottom to clear the way into the tunnel.<br />
Ventilation fans were also installed to purge the tunnel<br />
along with specialist ammonia gas detectors.<br />
Barhale continued to extract waste and clear the tunnel<br />
for a number of weeks by extending the hose into the<br />
tunnel. However due to the amount of build-up, trollies<br />
and bins were also used as a much faster way to move the<br />
material.<br />
Once the tunnel was completely cleaned it was then<br />
inspected by Thames Water and eight20.<br />
Page 8 | <strong>November</strong> 2016 SHEW <strong>Newsletter</strong><br />
SHEW <strong>Newsletter</strong><br />
<strong>November</strong> 2016 | Page 9
What’s been happening across eight 2<br />
O<br />
1. Digging up our past at<br />
Axford<br />
Archaeologists working on the<br />
Axford pipeline project have been<br />
discovering new information<br />
about our past around current-day<br />
Swindon.<br />
Evidence of our Roman ancestors<br />
re-using their chalk quarries as pits<br />
to burn their rubbish in have been<br />
discovered at a number of locations<br />
along the new pipeline route. The<br />
quarry pit below was discovered<br />
south of the M4 and was adjacent<br />
to a Roman roadside settlement.<br />
(The darker areas show evidence of<br />
burning.)<br />
More evidence of Roman life has<br />
been found in the area of the buried<br />
Roman town of Durocornovium.<br />
Fine pottery vessels and five Roman<br />
Denarii (silver coins) dating from 2nd<br />
century AD highlight the wealth of<br />
people living in the area during these<br />
times.<br />
2. Sharing knowledge<br />
between Utilities<br />
A fantastic demonstration of best<br />
practice sharing and collaboration<br />
between contracts, eight2O, tRIIO<br />
(joint venture for National Grid) and<br />
SQS (a tRIIO recycled aggregates<br />
supplier), occured this month.<br />
Members of the construction, design<br />
and procurement teams from both<br />
SMBJV and CABVJV attended a<br />
recent event to showcase recycled<br />
aggregates; increasing awareness of<br />
the production techniques, technical<br />
applications and ways to ensure a<br />
final quality product.<br />
Chris Stones, from SQS, talked<br />
through the process from when the<br />
waste aggregate is received at the<br />
site through to sorting, screening<br />
and finally production of the recycled<br />
aggregates, including Type 1, pea<br />
shingle and eco surround.<br />
The SQS team also demonstrated<br />
how recycled aggregates are used<br />
for reinstatement across all of<br />
their tRIIO contracts. Backfilling a<br />
specially prepared excavation they<br />
demonstrated how the material is<br />
tampered down and compacted<br />
and how this compaction is tested<br />
aggregates on their contract.<br />
Mark Guinn, Strata Highways,<br />
detailed the testing that is carried<br />
out on the recycled aggregates<br />
produced at SQS and on the<br />
stability and compaction of<br />
the material once it has been<br />
placed in the ground. Mark<br />
also explained the possible cost<br />
savings available if recycled<br />
aggregates are used.<br />
The day provided great learnings<br />
and experience that can be used<br />
on eight2O to increase the usage<br />
of recycled aggregates across our<br />
contracts.<br />
The earliest (and most worn –<br />
on the far left) is a rare silver<br />
Denarius struck in Gaul or Spain<br />
for the Emperor Vitellius in AD<br />
69. The remaining four coins are<br />
all minted for the Emperor Trajan<br />
(AD98 – 117)<br />
Prehistoric grain storage pits of,<br />
likely Bronze Age or /Iron Age<br />
(c.2000BC – 43BC) have also<br />
been found close to an Iron<br />
Age enclosure below Badbury<br />
Hillfort. This enclosure may have<br />
Page 10 | August 2016 SHEW <strong>Newsletter</strong><br />
SHEW <strong>Newsletter</strong><br />
August 2016 | Page 11
3. CDM Training<br />
Last month 28 HSE inspectors visited<br />
Mogden STW as part of an in-house<br />
training course on CDM. The inspectors,<br />
either new to HSE or Construction<br />
Division, attended a day long workshop<br />
that looked at the practical application<br />
of the regulations from the viewpoint<br />
of the Client, Principle Designer and<br />
Principle Contractor. The day also<br />
included presentations on CBS and<br />
various forms of contract.<br />
4. Success at the NJUG Utility Awards at the Houses of<br />
Parliament- Sustainable Methods & Materials Award!<br />
Last month saw eight2O (Utilities and Civils Thames Water Contract) walk away with a top<br />
prize from the Houses of Parliament – the NJUG Award for Sustainable Methods and Materials.<br />
Going up against Morrison Utility Services and the Kelly Group, the eight2O team scooped the<br />
accolade for achieving sustainable construction.<br />
The award was won due to eight2O’s street works team’s dedication to using several sustainable<br />
methods during design and construction – including hydraulic modelling and BIM, nonintrusive<br />
surveying techniques, trench sharing with other utility works, vacuum excavation and<br />
paperless works management systems. This covered works including Pressure Management,<br />
Mains Replacement, AMP4 Rollover, Motcomb Street and Blythe Road.<br />
Two other eight2o projects were also runners up; Swiss Cottage Trunk Main Replacement for<br />
their work at minimising disruption and Hatton Garden for their work at keeping the public fully<br />
informed.<br />
Congratulations to<br />
all those involved in<br />
winning this prestigious<br />
NJUG Award!<br />
Community Engagement Project<br />
Ashton Keynes Primary School<br />
Overview<br />
Whilst installing a new plant<br />
in the Cotswolds, an eight2o<br />
site team wanted to give<br />
something back to the local<br />
area. Ashton Keynes Primary<br />
School was local and so Barry<br />
Airey (General Foreman) and<br />
Jonathan New (Graduate<br />
Civil Engineer) visited and<br />
discovered they needed<br />
support.<br />
1.Enhancing a Memory<br />
Garden<br />
The school had a dedicated<br />
area to a pupil who had<br />
passed away. It had become<br />
a bit of a reflective area for<br />
the children, but was in a<br />
sorry state.<br />
The unwanted pampas grass<br />
was swiftly removed, but to<br />
truly redevelop the area a bit<br />
more love and attention was<br />
required. A solar powered<br />
water feature was selected,<br />
along with plants and<br />
pebbles to smarten up the<br />
area. The school now hope<br />
to use this area to highlight<br />
sustainable energy and so we<br />
purchased a blackboard and<br />
recycled plastic benches for<br />
them.<br />
The site team are also<br />
engaging with the pupils<br />
via educational assembly’s<br />
to talk about sustainable<br />
energy and to help the pupils<br />
find out about recycling and<br />
material reuse.<br />
2.Bug Hotel & Bird Houses<br />
The school take part in<br />
‘forest schools sessions’ and<br />
are working to complete<br />
an Eco-award. This involves<br />
running weekly outdoor<br />
activities as part of their<br />
curriculum, as a method<br />
of learning about the<br />
environment. As part the of<br />
this they asked if eight2O<br />
would be able to a deliver<br />
an environmental related<br />
activity.<br />
From this, Ali Thomas<br />
(Environmental Advisor) led<br />
an activity to build a bug hotel<br />
with a group of pupils. With<br />
the help of the site teams and<br />
her van driver Dave Wass, a<br />
range of site materials were<br />
collected, including pallets,<br />
bricks, pipes, old wellies,<br />
redundant lifting straps and<br />
cardboard. Even breathalysing<br />
tubes from eight2O inductions<br />
were sterilised and reused.<br />
Additionally pupils bought in<br />
recycled materials from home<br />
including twigs, fir cones, milk<br />
bottles and plant pots. Even old<br />
wellies were transformed into<br />
luxury recycled bird houses that<br />
were hung on trees located near<br />
to the bug hotel.<br />
Adding to this, a short talk on<br />
garden wildlife owing to the<br />
presence of pipistrelle bats<br />
and great crested newts on the<br />
school grounds was given and<br />
the pupils asked on who they<br />
thought would live in a house<br />
like this…<br />
Want to do something similar? … contact your Environmental Advisor<br />
SHEW <strong>Newsletter</strong>
October’s Reporting Figures<br />
SAFETY ALERTS<br />
As the new system takes hold, more functionality will be added, including simpler communication between back office<br />
94% 71%<br />
SA FOOT<br />
INJURY<br />
DW01F04<br />
100%<br />
Diversion of Excavated Material<br />
from landfill vs Target<br />
90%<br />
Recycled aggregate use<br />
It is the responsibility of the construction team<br />
to ensure that our subcontractors are using<br />
facilities which maximise recycling.<br />
GEO-TECHNICAL<br />
INJURY<br />
MANUAL<br />
HANDLING<br />
3<br />
1<br />
Noise<br />
Asbestos<br />
Trip or slip hazard<br />
1<br />
2<br />
Every month reporting data is extracted from<br />
Safeguard and the BB Hotline.<br />
Whether a service strike, incident, near miss or<br />
hazard, it is all incredibly important to us.<br />
Near miss - utility<br />
WHACKER<br />
NEAR<br />
MISS<br />
51<br />
170<br />
Completed H&S Inspections<br />
Please ensure that you are completing your<br />
inspections on safeguard. These are crucial in<br />
identifying hazards and reducing the risk of an<br />
incident on site.<br />
We are getting better ... but we are not<br />
reaching our target yet!<br />
SHEW <strong>Newsletter</strong><br />
<strong>November</strong> 2016 | Page 14<br />
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