Recent Developments in Infrastructure Maintenance, Workplace Design, and Safety Initiatives
Drainage works complete
McCann has successfully completed essential drainage maintenance work on the A64 at the Brambling Fields junction, North Yorkshire. An unstable drainage ditch was affecting the fields on one side and the main A64 trunk route on the other. The scheme was undertaken to prevent further erosion and subsequent disruption to the adjacent land. The Works included the re-profiling and a re-lining of a 400m length of ditch with mattress and gabions. The mattress and gabions are used widely within the industry, delivered as a flat pack cages, engineered from double twisted hexagonal woven steel wire mesh, the cages are assembled and filled with stone to form shaped blocks. For this project, 1125 tonnes of rock had to be imported from a local supplier, selected to minimise carbon emissions and promote the local economy.
Prioritising human needs
According to research from Imperial College London in partnership with Atkins, more thoughtfully designed workplaces, centred around people’s needs, could improve performance and help tackle the UK’s productivity gap. Applying design thinking to boost workplace productivity by five to eight per cent could contribute up to £20 billion to GDP.
The research identified six key areas where different approaches could be taken: Lighting, Ventilation/air quality, Thermal comfort, Noise and acoustics, Interaction and Visual elements.
Prestigious award
GAP Hire Solutions has achieved the Silver Award in the prestigious annual scheme run by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA). Allister Maxwell, Head of S.H.E Risk & Compliance at GAP, said: “We are extremely proud to receive the RoSPA Silver Award, especially given this is the first time GAP has entered the awards scheme. This is a fantastic achievement and will give confidence to our staff, customers and the wider community that GAP puts safety at the heart of everything it does.”
Air quality benefits
Converting all buildings to electric heating would bring more immediate benefits to air quality in UK cities than the plan for electric vehicles, according to consultancy WSP. This would amount to around a 40% reduction in emissions, a similar level to what would be achieved if all vehicles were to become electric by 2040, following the announcement by the Government to no longer sell petrol or diesel cars from 2040.
Steel not plastic
Flexalen 600 pipe Pb technology, specified for a district heating scheme project by Flexenergy, is now helping to meet the heating and hot water needs of more than 160 households in the London borough of Wandsworth. The new pre-insulated plastic network enables the scheme to benefit from enhanced thermal efficiency, recyclability and an extended life cycle of plastic over steel.