IOSH EDINBURGH BRANCH
Minutes of 198 Edinburgh Branch Meeting
Merchiston Campus, Napier University, Edinburgh – Thursday 8 January 2009 – 1:30pm
Sederunt:
H Gardner A Harwood M Bancroft T Peoples N McLeod R Butler T Ambler
R McLean J Holden C McGregor J Robertson G McGeorge M Grimmer B Ross
R Innes E Scott R Goldie M Sturgeon G Forsyth P Graham R Allan
A Chalmers D Sinclair A Milne C Sparline L Roberts H Pearson J Reid
D Duckett R Weir J Battles V Stewart A Bell L Spalding P Brown
I Murray B Lumsden C Pender J Hepburn P Graham S Boucher E Park
S Waddell S Wilson R Lovering K Lloyd L Young A McLeod
Apologies: M Dunne, K McDonnell, G McGregor, N Docherty, N
McCormack, A James, G Lyall, P
Selwood,
R Brown, K O'Donnell, I Smith.
Andrew Sharman took the Chair and outlined the safety arrangements (Fire) and reminded the audience to switch off their mobiles. Andrew informed the group that this was our 198th meeting, only 2 away from our 200th meeting in March 2009. Special things are planned for that meeting.
Anyone not in receipt please email Secretary; pearson@mabbett.com
Andrew noted that there had not been a formal record of his recognition to McGregors – the sponsors of the Parliament Event. Andrew has written to them to thank them. No changes are needed to the minutes.
Proposed by – Les Roberts Seconded by – Shirley Waddell
None.
Branch Education Development Adviser: Liz mentioned that people are coming to the end of CPD cycles and need to make sure they have their records in order in case they are audited. Individuals can contact Liz for examples and assistance if they are struggling with their on-line CPD.
Forth & Tay District:
Nothing to Report
Fire Risk Management Group are holding an event/seminar on 22 April 2009 at/near Glasgow dealing with Part 3 of the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 (as amended) and Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006, further details to follow.
Education Specialist Group - Sustainability, asbestos, CDM and fire safety will be discussed at a joint event with the Environmental and Waste Management Group called ‘Building Schools for the Future’ on Wednesday 28 January at the Bolton Science and Technology Centre. Those wishing to attend can download an application form from the IOSH Website (www.iosh.co.uk) - the cost of the day event being £60 for IOSH Members.
· Wednesday April 29th 2009, Central London, 09:30 - 14:00 (half day) Health at Work: Working for a Healthier Tomorrow, Today http://insidegovernment.msgfocus.com/c/12F44swhMuwH8ZCO
· RoSPA “can the Home Ever be safe?”, a policy document recommending improvements sought by RoSPA to be incorporated at the design and specification of both new and refurbished homes in Scotland. See Edinburgh IOSH website for PDF under “Latest News and Events” http://www.oocities.org/ediniosh/home.html
· Drummond
Miller LLP are trying to find a suitable health & safety expert to examine
the case papers and provide a report and, if required, give evidence in court
(scheduled to take place between 17-20 Feb 2009).
They need an expert health and safety report concerning, amongst other things,
the safe-storage/use of pressurised gas canisters, the correct labelling /
colour-coding thereof, and the systems employers should have in place to ensure
that the correct gas canister is used.
If you can help please contact Miranda Becher at MBecher@Drummond-Miller.co.uk
as a matter of urgency.
· Event
at Westminster:
Title: Past the Performance Plateau: A New Strategy for Health and Safety.
Date: Tuesday, 17th March 2009
Time: 10.40am – 2.00pm
For further details please contact Secretary pearson@mabbett.com
· AGM is coming up in May and members are invited to stand for posts. Andrew Sharman reminded members that his tenure is coming to the end of its 2-year period. Max Bancroft pointed out that he could be Chair for 4 -years. Forms will be appearing shortly.
· Flying High, Landing Safely Seminar - A Major Seminar on Health and Safety, Glasgow City Chambers, Wednesday 18 February 2009. For further details please email secretary pearson@mabbett.com
· It was raised from the floor that some people are finding it hard to complete the on-line CPD and people were not sure how much to put into a record and what type of activities were supposed to be put into the on-line system. It was agreed by vote at the meeting that Liz Young would put together a workshop for individuals to attend. An option of an extended Branch Meeting or a separate event was proposed. The separate event was favoured by members at the meeting. Andrew Sharman suggested that people who feel they have good examples of online CPD records should inform Liz and she may wish to use their records as examples in the workshop.
· IPD event being held next week in Glasgow (Tuesday or Wednesday) for GradIOSH members only.
IOSH Paper Presented 8th January 2009, by Derek Duckett of Mabbett & Associates Ltd
Site Waste Management Plans
Helen Person the Branch Secretary introduced the Derek Duckett speaker as a colleague of hers who had been working at Mabbetts for some 8 years whose specialisation was in the management of waste within the environmental services of the organisation. Derek then indicated that he was an Environmental Scientist who had started employment within the asbestos arena prior to moving on to the wider aspect of all forms of waste – be it hazardous or not and he now concentrated his efforts on waste control from the construction industry.
The speaker indicated he would cover the following during his presentation –
· The relevance of the topic to IOSH Members
· Background to construction issues and a Site Waste Management Plan (SWMP)
· Key drivers
· Construction performance within Scotland
· Basic SWMP Requirements
· The benefits of operating a SWMP
· An overview of SWMP work & practical examples
· Points of contact
He hoped that he would show during the presentation that there was a DIRECT relevance to IOSH Members who were working as EH&S Personnel within the construction industry as all too often when the management were looking who should be associated with its operation, inspection and auditing it appeared to fall squarely under the H&S banner
There is also felt to be and INDIRECT relevance based on the increasing conditions being added into contracts by clients that their suppliers must have SWMPs
On a basic educational front, the speaker pointed out that NEBOSH Environmental Diploma Exam question No 2 from the 4th December 2008 paper was specifically on SWM Plans
Firstly one must consider Key Sustainability Issues
In terms of material supplies – There is the depletion of natural resources (quarries), impacts on natural habitats (logging), aesthetic impacts (quarries & logging), high embodied energy (manufacture & transport)
In terms of waste – Defining waste so it can be handled appropriately, landfill takes up land & restricts its use creating a loss of a valued amenity & generating a pollution hazard, incineration generates both atmospheric pollution and a health hazard
Climate change – GHG Methane production
Secondly there are Building Milestones where every stage create an opportunity to consider and control the levels of waste
· Demolition – The re-use of basic raw materials can reduce the levels of waste and this needs to be considered during the demolition stage to reclaim materials for re-use
· Design – Minimization of the use of materials which embody high levels of energy within their production by specifications
· Construction – Control the levels of waste being generated. Stop the excess of materials being thrown into landfill skips
· Operation – Make sure from the outset that a better form of procurement creates a more sustainable building.
Thirdly there is the consideration of what is a Site Waste Management Plan?
A Site Waste Management Plan (SWMP) is an important tool for construction companies to ensure site waste minimization and management is integral part of the day to day running of the business
An SWMP will outline roles, responsibilities and measurement and monitoring programme for managing waste on site in a sustainable way
· Climate change from the generation of greenhouse gases on disposal & transporting it
· Hazardous waste controls and legislation
· Duty of care and the Land-fill Directive
· Increasing costs of waste disposal
· Landfill Tax - £200million p.a
· Aggregates Levy
· Code for Sustainable Homes – particularly from Public Sector
· Sustainable procurement (Scottish Government)
· Site Waste Management Plans Regulations 2008 (England) – there is likely to be Scottish legislation to follow
· CSR = Consideration Constructors Scheme – another scheme being required by large contractors
SWMP Legislation as from the Site Waste Management Plans Regulations 2008 became a legal requirement in England for all construction projects worth over £300,000 (excl VAT) begun after 6th April. It does not apply to projects planned before 6th April as long as construction began before 1st July 2008. There is also a requirement to keep records for 2 years.
SWMP are not a requirement in other areas of the UK as yet – but watch this space.
The legislation defines responsibilities for –
· The Client
· Contractors
· The Principal Contractor
And quotes threshold levels and requirements – It is down to the Clients initiative up to £300k, £300k to £500k there is a duty to record and over £500k the requirements are more in depth
There are nominally 12,000 construction businesses – within them
· 20% of construction materials are disposed of unused
· 37% of land-filled construction & demolition waste could be re-cycled
· 40% of fly-tipping is of construction waste
· Construction & Demolition waste is considered a Priority Waste Stream
· Make some responsible for the SWMP
· Identify waste streams
· Review waste management options
· decide how to dispose of your waste – best options and liabilities
· Plan for on-site material efficiency and waste handling
· Develop communication, training and buy-in
· Measure types and volumes of waste
· Monitor the effectiveness of the SWMP
· Review and act
Assign overall responsibility for the SWMP. E.g. EH&S Manager, Site manger, Site supervisor, = Someone with the relevant authority
Assess each stage and estimate waste volumes to help plan waste facilities required (need surveyors help on this generally). It is perhaps the hardest stage of all but do remember it is a PLAN. Consider what % waste factors in tonnage will be present for glass, plasterboard, etc. etc
Remember the Waste Hierarchy – Eliminate – Reduce – Re-use – Re-cycle – Dispose
It is much better to start at the “Eliminate” end of the hierarchy
At the Design stage = Consider what materials are on site which could be incorporated into the design or be re-used or sourced in the vicinity of the site
At the Deconstruct stage = Design details should allow easy dismantling of building parts for future re-use. E.g. simplify fixing systems, use mechanical rather than chemical fixings, use lime-mortar to allow re-use of bricks, etc.
Demolition is by definition unsustainable as it requires energy & wastes energy embodied in the building construction, but there is a lot of profit to be made in demolition by the shrewd operators in the re-use of supplies
Re-use – consider high value re-use of building parts, wall panes, bricks, timber / steel beams / columns, windows etc.
Recycling where high value re-use is not feasible, consider recycling building parts. Prefer on-sire recycling (e.g. crushed concrete as hardcore) to off-site recycling (greater transport costs)
Maximize use of existing materials available on site, e.g. aggregates, timber, sold etc.
Select suppliers who take packaging back for re-use / recycling
Order small quantities at a time, to minimize potential for wasting materials, e.g. through weathering.
Determine by whom and how your waste will be treated / disposed of.
See the waste aware business website directory for a list of contractors http://www.wasteawarebusiness.org.uk/index.asp http://www.wasteawarescotland.net/
Optimise material supply & procurement of materials and set SWMP waste targets. This could be to avoid material storage losses, adequate signage (see waste business construction website to tailor signage for your site).
Items stored correctly and segregated – as against seeing sand and gravel everywhere on the site.
Ensure all SWMP roles and responsibilities are understood by staff and contractors and this will include M&E controlling their packaging etc. Think of ALL the contractors to plan for the correct containers on site.
Facilities for waste segregation / separation/ compaction should be incorporated right from the design stage
Occupants must be educated to ensure facilities are used adequately
Owner-occupied supply adequate segregation facilities (e.g. multiple bins) educate users, ensure contractor do re-use / recycle materials collected, etc.
Speculative incorporate waste generation incentives / disincentives in letting agreement, support tenants all aspects of waste recycling and disposal
Use waste quantities, types, tonnage to track trends and progress towards SWMP targets (information on site uplifts, inspections & waste contractor details are essential)
Sure ACTUAL waste levels going to landfill on a monthly basis
Audit & inspect to ensure targets are met & lesson learned for future projects. These inspections are often added onto the H&S Inspections being undertaken.
Compare targets being met and summarize details for top management
Generate report to assess performance of SWMP to improve for future projects and then act accordingly.
The level of detail will be heavily dependant on the size of the project, together with a consideration of the availability of staff.
Keep it simple to start with. There are a lot of “tools” available, but “no one size fits all”. You will need to tailor the system to suit your own organization as no two companies are the same, use / develop existing systems where available (don’t re-invent the wheel)
There is a basic requirement to collect waste data and the plan will naturally evolve as the project evolves.
The size & content will vary by ;-
The project type (NB the project type does not correlate with the cost)
Space – time availability – cost – skills
Complexity of the sub-contractor mix
Workload of the responsible person
· It provides a structured approach to on-site waste management.
· It reduces cost of waste management and hence increases profit margins
· There is better control of regulatory risks for site materials / waste.
· Increased contractual compliance for public & private sector needs
· Enhanced response to queries from environmental regulators and legal compliance – in England – Site Waste Management Plans Regulations 2008
· NB: SEPA suggest ALL sites have SWMP, whereas in England it is a legal duty
The estimated savings through implementing a SWMP =
· 15% less waste on site
· 43% less waste to landfill
· 50% savings in waste handling charges
· 40% saving on disposal costs – compared to landfill
The Envirowise Programme Work www.envirowise.gov.uk
Potentially Free Support to Develop, Tailor & Implement
SWMP for Construction companies based in Scotland
The speaker had been involved with the following projects:-
Clark Contracts
SWMP Clark Contracts – Scottish Environment Protections Agency (SEPA) Perth
Small works division pilot construction site (£250k)
Two storey building renovation works programme
9 week works programme
· Develop & help to implement an SWMP for the site specific project
· Develop a SWMP blank template which could be used on future projects
· Provide support with contractors, training & waste management improvements
· Provide support with site monitoring sheets & site inspections
The project was completed early in April with a cost saving realized from raw material & waste saving of £2,641 (nominally 1.2%) by re-use of a lot of timber etc
Currently working on Phase II at Johnstone High School site which is an £8 million refurbishment works lasting up to 67 weeks and will include
· Asbestos strip
· Demolition
· Full M&E strip
· Soft strip
· Renovation
· Snagging & handover
The SWMP challenges include =
· Estimation of the wastes
· Time involvement
· Point of use bins segregation
· Culture change
· Control of sub-contractors
· Protection of completed works (e.g. flooring)
Waste streams involved =
· Active wastes
· Plasterboard
· Carpet tiles
· Plastics
· Chipboard
· Metals
· Inert wastes
· Bricks
· Tile
· Concrete
· Glass
· Ceramics
· Other wastes
· Timber
· Canteen waste
· Soil
· Hazardous wastes
· Asbestos
· Fluorescent tubes
· Paints / solvents
Mactaggart & Mickel Ltd - Savings Replicator Projects
Aims & objectives
· Improve design to facilitate resource efficiency
· Improve the procurement process to improve sustainability
· Reduce & optimize the use of virgin material
· Encourage the application of the waste hierarchy
· Produce evidence, detailing the benfits & savings
· Results
· Savings of £675,000 identified & £168,000 saved already
Laing O’Rourke
Edinburgh School project – 2 Primary & 6 Secondary Schools
· Review SWMP
· Increase awareness
· Site visits / Continual improvement
· SWMP Training / Raising awareness
R J McLeod
Edinburgh Grassmarket - £1.5 million programme of improvement work having been appointed by the City or Edinburgh Council & Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh & Lothians.
Plans amended to use reclaimed cobbles instead of new sets.
Envirowise http://www.envirowise.gov.uk/ - offers UK Businesses free independent confidential advice & support on practical ways to increase profits, minimize waste & reduce environmental impact
CIRIA (www.ciria.org.uk ) – Bringing together the many stakeholders in the modern built environment to identify & promote industry best practice
NISP (www.nisp.org.uk ) – The National Industrial Symbiosis Programme is a free business opportunity programme helping companies to improve their resource efficiency by identifying value in under-utilised resources.
WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme – www.wrap.org.uk ) – Helping the construction industry cut costs & increase efficiency through the better use of materials
NetRegs (www.netregs.gov.uk )
Waste Aware (www.wasteawarebusiness.org.uk )
( www.wasteawareconstruction.org.uk ) – both being good for finding local & UK wide waste operators. The latter being very good on signage information.
Remember the nine steps =
· Make some responsible for the SWMP
· Identify waste streams
· Review waste management options
· decide how to dispose of your waste – best options and liabilities
· Plan for on-site material efficiency and waste handling
· Develop communication, training and buy-in
· Measure types and volumes of waste
· Monitor the effectiveness of the SWMP
· Review and act
Please stay and have a coffee and meet your colleagues.
Dates of next meetings:
Edinburgh Branch:
There may a change to the proposed speaker in order to enable Nattasha Freeman to attend the 200th Meeting in March. It is currently hoped that the speaker for the next meeting will be;
12 February - Legal update, Edward McHugh, Senior Associate,
Dundas & Wilson LLP
(please note programme change)
Forth & Tay District:
05 February – IOSH ‘Get the Best’ campaign and AGM, Keith Underhill, IOSH Trustee
Helen Pearson MIIRSM, CMIOSH, Branch Secretary
Richard Lovering CMIOSH, Branch Executive