R&R Final PDF's November '17 cc

New MD for URETEK UK
URETEK, one of the world’s leading contractors specialised in geopolymer technology for ground engineering, has appointed Richard Holmes as
Managing Director of its UK operations.
Richard, a degree educated and chartered engineer, joins URETEK from Keller Geotechnique, where he was Managing Director and brings with
him over 30 years of geotechnical experience amassed having worked around the globe in various construction, tunnelling and mining roles.
“URETEK is an exciting and innovative company with ambitious growth plans for the UK,” said Richard. “My primary role will be to provide
direction and strategy for this growth, whilst also building strong relationships with existing and new customers. The potential of the UK market
is enormous and one of my goals is to ensure it is in the best position possible, with the right people, products and services to capitalise on
these opportunities.”
Richard’s sector experience, having worked with industry leading companies such as Keller, Van Elle and Halcrow, as well as a period of selfemployed
consultancy, equips him ideally with the experience, understanding and industry connections to support URETEK as it continues to
develop the UK geotechnical market.
BDA remind of the importance of hearing
protection
The British Drilling Association (BDA) is issuing a reminder of the
need to wear hearing protection and also the importance of a
thorough understanding of the impact of work-related noise as a
contributor to hearing loss.
In addition to loud noises, such as those typical of standard
penetration test (SPT) or chapping casing, which can have an
immediate impact on hearing, the BDA is also keen to highlight
the damage to gradual hearing loss, which can occur as a result of
prolonged exposure to other work noise at levels above 80dB.
“Put simply, if you need to raise your voice to be heard at 2m
(roughly two arm lengths) the noise will be in excess of 85dB and
hearing protection must be used,” explained Anne Baxter, Chair of
the BDA.
BAM raises £19,000 for charity
Employees at BAM Construct UK stepped, cycled, kicked, bounced
and ran their way through Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in
September and raised an incredible £19,000 for children and young
people’s cancer support charity CLIC Sargent. Hundreds of workers
across the country got involved to show their support and raise vital
funds for children and young people living with cancer.
Highlights during the month included BAM bikers across the regions
cycling 3,910 miles and raising £10,844 in sponsorship, employees
taking 7,079,004 steps as part of a sponsored ’60-Mile Step Challenge,’
raising £2,200, and 96 colleagues from across the UK took part in a
football tournament in Leeds, raising £5,000. A team from its head
office took on the 12k Bear Grylls challenge, which involved eating
meal worms, to raise £500, whilst another BAM team took part in the
world’s longest inflatable challenge raising over £1,000.
Reforming procurement must enable Welsh SMEs
The Wales Audit Office (WAO) has published a report on the current state of public procurement across the nation. Entitled Public Procurement
in Wales, the report found that Welsh public sector bodies spent approximately £6bn on the procurement of goods, services and works. The
auditors have however pointed out ‘notable procurement failures’ across local public institutions in Wales.
“Our findings are clear,” said Huw Vaughan Thomas, auditor general at the WAO. “While public bodies face a range of challenges in a changing
procurement landscape, they can do more to strengthen their procurement arrangements and recent examples highlight the financial and
reputational risks of getting procurement wrong.”
The National Federation of Builders (NFB) believes that based on the scale of the projects undertaken by larger organisations, SMEs are often
overlooked in spite of the expertise and efficiency they bring to the supply chain.
Construction SMEs, in particular, train and retain two-thirds of all construction workers. In addition, for every £1 invested with an SME, 90p
remains locally to train local apprentices, employ local workers, and grow the local economy.
A study by Bangor Law School into the barriers preventing SMEs from securing public sector contracts has helped bring about greater
transparency in public procurement and resulted in more successful bids for SMEs.
The research uncovered a number of flaws, including evidence that public bodies in Wales were not providing sufficient tender evaluation
information. In many cases, they were not even advertising ‘sub-OJEU-level’ contracts (below £130,000), which are of the ideal size for SMEs.
ForViva to fit sprinklers in tower blocks
ForViva has announced plans to fit sprinkler systems at all of its 17 high-rise blocks across the North West. The group, which includes City
West Housing Trust and Villages Housing Association, will carry out a £5m sprinkler programme on 12 blocks in Salford and five in
Knowsley.
The programme of work, which will see sprinklers fitted within apartments and in communal areas, has been approved by ForViva’s Board
following consultation with fire safety experts and regional fire and rescue services.
Work to install the sprinklers will be underway before the end of the year. ForViva will be contacting residents living in the high-rise
buildings to confirm when work will start.
“The safety of customers is an absolute priority for the group,” explained Tim Doyle, Group Chief Executive for ForViva. “That is why we have
taken the decision to carry out this programme of work, which will provide peace of mind for customers living in high-rise blocks.
“We will continue to work with customers throughout the process and make sure they are aware when work will be starting in their
homes.”
November 2017 R6 Refurb retrofit
magazine
7