Newsletter July 2006
Hand Held Devices for Asbestos Surveying
Asbestos surveyors use a variety of hand held devices for capturing information on surveys. The cheapest and most frequently used device remains the clipboard and pen. However, this is unlikely to be the most effective method where a large quantity of information from an exisiting database needs to be reviewed on site. Naturally, there is an awkward balance to be struck between the cost of electronic devices including PDAs, PC Tablets and the like, the functionality of the devices and the amount of data to be collected. The adaptability of the devices in providing, for instance, sketch maps and note taking input in difficult working conditions is an issue as is the durability, weight and ruggedness of them too.
At Ai Solutions, we are keen to hear from Asbestos Surveyors who are using or who propose to use hand held devices for either data collection, or to update existing asbestos databases, including our own. In particular, we are trying to collate data capture processes so that we can deliver a solution which becomes 'best practice' for use within our own management information systems for our users. The use of bar-coding is an associated issue which some surveyors use and we would welcome information about how that process works in the field as well. If you are able to help us in this way, please contact the company in the short term so that we can accommodate your needs in any development we may undertake in this direction.
HSE Issues Warning on Scaffolds
Two months on and there are signs of change at the Jurys Hotel Milton Keynes site. The site signage still proclaims the site to be open for business 'Summer 2006'; not a likely outcome I think. As our picture shows, the tower crane & scaffolding has now been removed. In the meantime, the HSE has issued a warning to the construction industry after the collapse of the scaffold in April. As you may be aware, one worker died of a heart attack in hospital following the accident and two others were seriously injured.
The HSE has now warned of the importance of having proper procedures in place to maintain stable scaffolds. They are recommending that construction employers review their arrangements regularly, taking into account scaffold design and its implementation, and the risk of direct impact by vehicles and plant together with the arrangements for securing it to the structure. Other considerations must be taken into account such as intended loadings and actual loadings on scaffolds, together with the frequency of scaffold inspections.
The full warning can be viewed at: www.hse.gov.uk/construction/scaffolding.htm
CDM2
Our Partners, Callsafe have provided what is likely to become the definitive article on the proposed CDM2 Revisions. In the second in the series of articles about the changes proposed for the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations, generally known as CDM2, the article addresses the client's proposed duties and responsibilities.
Please see the latest Callsafe Newsletter for full details.
Free Training Sessions
We are pleased to announce that we will be offering a limited number of free training sessions in both CDM and Asbestos ToolKit CS™ products during August 2006. Taking place at our headquarters in Leighton Buzzard, the sessions will cover the basic operation of the ToolKit CS™ product for new or returning users. The places will be limited to 2 per organisation. If you are interested, please contact us so that we can coordinate dates with our resourcing.
MARM
The Major Accounts Review Meeting took place on 11 July 2006 and was hosted by Transport for London Streets Division. This well attended meeting was our quarterly Major Account Seminar to review items of interest about the use and implementation of some of our larger software systems for CDM and Asbestos Management. The seminars provide an excellent opportunity for user organisations to network with each other on points of common interest.
Joined-Up Thinking
The agenda for this session included a presentation about the latest developments in our discussions about 'Joined Up Thinking' within the London Boroughs, TfL and their Service Providers. This is an area of significant interest and we look forward to the discussions that will follow. We are looking for opportunities to make our Joined-Up Presentation to other London Boroughs, Utilities Service Providers and Stewards not only in the London Area. Please contact us if you interested in this far reaching subject area.
Auditing
Keith Harwood, TfL Streets Health & Safety Manager, gave his views on how the existing ToolKit™ CS Product could be enhanced to accommodate all his needs for auditing compliance in projects. This was a valuable contribution to our discussions and we invite other users to participate in the discussion where they are interested.
ISO 14001 Environmental Issues
We have become aware of interest in developing an Environmental Module for the ToolKit CS™ for the management of environmental issues associated with statutory obligations within the ISO 14001 regulations. We are looking for statements of requirements documents from interested parties so that we can organise a forum in early Sep 06 to discuss them. If the discussions are positive, we will announce a plan to provide such a module in due course to meet the agreed requirements.
Asbestos Management
Kevin George from Arlington Plc made a presentation on how he has now completed around 45% of the data input required for the ToolKit CS™ Asbestos module, servicing the varying requirements of some 800 properties in total. Bearing in mind that this has taken only 3 man months, this is an outstanding achievement by the users concerned and a great example of how the ToolKit CS™ product can be deployed in very large organisations.
Programmer Required
With the CDM2 regulations and other development work we are now contemplating for the next months, we are now in need of an additional programmer to add to our growing resources. If you are aware of any likely contenders, expert in software development Microsoft products, we would like to hear from them.
More Information
We regularly receive updates from our customers and contacts about changes to legislation, the latest rumours and so on. We try to be selective with what we pass on and acknowledge our sources as appropriate. If you have information of general interest in the Health & Safety, and particularly, CDM and Asbestos Management arena, then please let us know by e-mail if possible.