Comments by Julian Wilkinson

Julian Wilkinson
Member - 43 posts

Hi Nigel,

got a bit of time on my hands so I thought I would see what's in the regs for you.

Part B: Means of Venting

Smoke venting may be by natural or mechanical means.
Natural smoke venting may be achieved by providing smoke outlets which conform to the following recommendations.

Total clear cross-sectional area of all the smoke outlets should be at least 2.5% of the floor area of the storey they serve.
Places of special fire risk should be provided with separate outlets.
Outlets should be positioned so that they do not compromise escape routes from the building.
Outlets which terminate the readily accessible positions maybe covered by pavement lights, stallboards or panes which can be broken out or opened. They should be suitably marked to indicate their position.
Outlets which terminate is less accessible positions should be kept unobstructed and should only be covered by a louver or grille which is non-combustible.
Smoke outlets should be sited at high level (i.e. in the ceiling or wall of the space they serve) and should be distributed evenly around the perimeter of the building so as to discharge into open air outside the building.

Basically in answer to your question all that is stated in the regs is that they should be constructed out of a non-combustible material.

Having said that there may be something in EU or British standard regarding their manufacturing process. Is there a manufacturers name on the vents or in your O&M's that you could refer to?

Julian Wilkinson
Member - 43 posts

We are interested in finding out about the ISO 14001 certificate for our business. My understanding is that you need to have an environmental management system in place and be seen to be be doing the right things for the environment, measure your carbon footprint, sustainability, recycle, efficient energy use etc etc.

Being a financial institution would this route be:

- the right one for us to take?

- is there a more suitable green accreditation/award ect that perhaps we could achieve?

- how do the costs work for the ISO 14001?

I would appreciate any information on this matter

Thanks

Julian Wilkinson
Member - 43 posts

mindless racism or sexist discrimination from individuals is something that should not be tolerated, however 'positive discrimination' by government bodies such as this only leads to getting people's backs up and creates further tension within communities

Julian Wilkinson
Member - 43 posts

Neil,

Building entrance doors are not normally fire rated doors. Fire doors are normally set further back inside such as the entrance to floor, lift lobby, staircase or the final exit door on the fire escape route.

If your doors open inwards then they wont be a final exit fire escape as these should open outwards.

If this is the case then you should be able to remove the door closure.

My advice would be to check with your fire system maintenance company or with your local District Surveyor for final confirmation as to what's what.

Julian Wilkinson
Member - 43 posts

Hi David, you are right there doesn't seem to be anything for non catering workplaces. I should have added to my post:

I suppose if the workplace became infested or staff felt that that they could not work there because of the problem; the local EHO may use the HSWA Sec 2; Duties of Employers have to ensure the health, safety and welfare of his employees. This is of course the 'catch all' part of the act.

Julian Wilkinson
Member - 43 posts

My understanding is that pest control is generally down to risk assessment (unless you are in the catering industry that is.

If you have evidence of biting insects, we would have no hesitation in ensuring the areas are treated. Generally this is a simple treatment whereby an insectacide is sprayed on the carpets and bases of chairs and left for a couple of days before the cleaners can vac them. The work is usually carried
out 'out of normal hours' and it is quite safe for staff to come back the next day to work as normal. It is not an expensive task and say a 3,000sq feet office floor would be around £300.
Frequency would depend on why you have the problem. A lot of the time is through the recall of archive boxes that have been in storage for many years. Office bins with coffee dregs left can breed a small black fly.

Perhaps you need to get the advice from a good pest control company who will usually come in for free to see what the problem is.

Julian Wilkinson
Member - 43 posts

Its not just about the amount of desks you can fit. Layout, office space per person, lighting, fire escapes, access and egress routes, space planning, welfare facilities, disability considerations etc etc

Read the ACOP Workplace (health, safety and welfare) Regulations to begin with.

Julian Wilkinson
Member - 43 posts

The role of FM is not for the faint hearted these days especially with all the rules and regulations that come with it.

Many FM's are thrown into the deepend without experience or training.

"We need someone to manage facilities now that we are moving into a larger building, rather than employ someone from outside, we thought you might like to do it. After all you have been ordering stationery and looking after the mailroom and the cleaners for a couple of years now, haven't you Bill?"

All too often we see companies take the easy option to delegate responsibility within before training them. Often an admin secretary or a mailroom supervisor can find themselves suddenly dealing with facilities issues and taking on full responsibility to ensure the company meets its obligations, or at least they think they are.

After a year or two the new FM realises there is more to this job than meets the eye and decides to get some formal training/qualifications.

But that's not enough, there is more to it than training. In my opinion experience is the major factor. My father always told me "Son, you may not be the best shot in the regiment, but you need to know the man who is" Something I have lived by all my life, especially in this job!

Its too easy to think you know what you are doing, you might be saving money by appointing contractors who are cheap or perhaps letting them pull the wool over your eyes and the boss will be extremly happy if you come under budget!

By the way, I started off in the mailroom!

Julian Wilkinson
Member - 43 posts

Health and Safety policies are split into three parts 1. The Statement 2. Responsibilities 3. Arrangements.
By the time its complete it is quite a heafty document.

The Statement is a short 1 page document which outlines that the company recognises the appropriate legislation and it's duty of care towards employees, contractors, visitors/members of the public.

The Statement should include the company name and a signature of the most senior person responsible for safety matters.

The statement should be placed in a prominent position where it can be easily seen by anyone on the premises. It's a bit like displaying your Public Liability Certificate.

There should be a referal to where the rest of the document can be located.

These days it is acceptable for company policies to be stored electronically.

Hope this helps

Julian Wilkinson
Member - 43 posts

I run an office building and we do carry out an annual electrical test, although it is not obligatory as the 5yr test is it is still advisable and good practice as preventative maintenance.

In brief, our annual test comprises of:

Total shutdown of electical services
Load testing Landlords generator.
Load Test and service of UPS backup.
Maintenance to HV/LV Switchgear and distribution boards, checking connections and visual inspection of cable sizes and condtion.
Check function operation of switches.

Hope this helps

Julian

Julian Wilkinson
Member - 43 posts

Hi Katy, ok i will go first.

As far as the workplace is concerned the smoking ban for probably most companies is nothing new. For the past 10 years every office i have worked in has been a non smoking building (without smelly smoking rooms) that have designated areas outside for the smokers.

I mean, how long has it been since we were banned from smoking on buses, planes or trains?

So whom is really going to be affected, the pub and resturant goer that's who.

As a smoker myself who has spent plenty of time working in Ireland and Scotland since they introduced their smoking bans found the situation quite managable. I enjoy going out to bars etc and have no issues about nipping out for a drag as everyone else does in Eire or Scotland.

Getting back to your question in my view (even as a smoker) it would seem pretty unfavourable on the non-smoker if we were to offer non smoking courses and the time off with pay as they suffer enough with collegues nipping off for a fag break! which incidently wont change.

Julian Wilkinson
Member - 43 posts

In a previous company a senior director complained to me about the odours coming from a cleaner at 8.30 in the morning and wanted the individual replaced.

I felt this was a little extreme and explained that anyone who had just spent 3 hours cleaning 32 toilets would stink! he understood and backed down and complimented him on the standard of cleaning.

Just for the record this subject has been going on for a quite a while, surely it should have been cleaned up by now!

Julian Wilkinson
Member - 43 posts

Our mailroom team has to deal with an average of 1000 letters each morning that need to be opened, time stamped and all contents stapled together. Most of the letters are DL and contain cheques, vouchers and letters (but they are never folded the same).

Usually we have 3 members of staff that deal with this job and because of FSA rules etc there are time restrictions as we cannot start until 0730hrs and we aim to complete the process by 0900hrs.

Even though we have a letter opening machine that cuts the top of the envelope, contents are then manually extracted, time stamped and stapled. Even though the stapler and time stamps are electronic I still believe there are still some significant risks to contend with, but mainly RSI as there is so much repetative work.

I have contacted a firm to take a look at a 3 sided opening machine (that has an extraction capability) called Mailpost 4490, butI am keen to know if anyone has encountered this problem before or use the 4490 and if there is anything else that perhaps would be a better way of automating this task I would be most grateful.

thanks

Julian Wilkinson
Member - 43 posts

Thank you all for your comments.

It would appear that there are a select group of people who should be trained, in general the site maintenance staff. This I can agree with, however we do not have the luxury of on site maintenance staff and those previously trained in winding lifts are facilities admin and post room staff. Therefore I am going to stick to my decision as I feel this could have been the problem in the Runcourn case I mentioned.

In my view training in such mechanical safety procedures should be given to those who have mechanical/engineering trades which appears to be the case from the responses received.

Thanks for your help

Julian Wilkinson
Member - 43 posts

Recently a court case at Runcorn magistrates heard how two female employees attempted to lower a failed lift which resulted in both women suffering serious injury. The council (Environmental Health Department) added; "The company failed to adequately monitor and instruct employees that the procedure for dealing with a lift breakdown was to inform the lift engineers and not to take remedial action themselves".

The court agreed and fined this company £20,000 plus £10,000 costs.

I assume these staff members had training? they must have had some sort to know what to do.

We have a few staff members who have received training by the lift company, and there have been a few occassions when they have had to put their training into practise however, I have never felt comfortable about letting them deal with trapped person having to lower the lift by hand. I have therefore taken the decision not to allow this practice to continue and adopt the procedure of waiting for the lift engineers.

Does anyone allow their staff to do this?

Julian Wilkinson
Member - 43 posts

The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regs (WEEE) are more to do with the disposal of such equipement taking into account the impact on the environment. Even though these regs are not fully inforce just yet but If you have computor equipment to dispose of then you should ensure you are using an approved contractor who adheres to these regulations.There is a good explanation of these regs in the new Workplace Law Handbook 2007

Julian Wilkinson
Member - 43 posts

The only way I can see a smoking ban in cars being enforced is by banning it all together.
If you do something in a vehicle that could affect your concentration or control, for instance mobile phones, eating and drinking etc then you are probably commiting an offence. Perhaps you remember the lady who whilst at a red traffic light took a sip of water from a bottle and the policeman who spotted it charged her for not being in full control of a car? Bearing this in mind what is the difference when lighting up a fag and smoking whilst driving? I am not biased, unlike Robert (who makes his point well, i must add) as I am a smoker and I cant seem to be able to pull out of my drive without lighting up first!

Therefore I would welcome a ban on smoking in cars rather than the police having to waste time checking if a vehicle is company or privately owned and perhaps it would help me cut down a bit too!!

Julian Wilkinson
Member - 43 posts

Geof, what prompted me to comment initially is because I was expecting at least one of my friends to have been named, as he too is in full time fire support as well as being a retained fire officer, I am sure you will know him too as he is from East Sussex.

Robert has managed to put across what I was trying to say much better than I did and out of respect for you and your wishes I will not comment any further other than: these men put others before them whithout question, and this is such a tragic loss for their families, the Brigade and the community.

Julian Wilkinson
Member - 43 posts

Phil, I didn't mean to be demeaning of retained fire fighters in anyway, and i am sorry if that is how it came across. My heart goes out to the families of these men and I have some good freinds who are retained fire officers.


My point is that we are having to rely on volunteers to support our emergency services because of cut backs.

Only yesterday a community police officer was sent alone to assist a bailif with an eviction and got stabbed in the neck!