Newsletter September 2006
CDM2 & The Olympics
The Olympic Development Authority have now announced their chosen Delivery Partner for 2012 Games. CLM consists of CH2M HILL, Laing O'Rourke and Mace. We are particularly pleased at this announcement because of our own association with MACE. As many readers will know, we are actively looking at how we can support the joined up working initiatives currently being promulgated through our customers including Transport for London, the ALG and APS - LAIG. The opportunities to succeed in this are immense; especially so because of the limited timescale to complete the extensive ODA's objectives before August 2010.
Having been involved in several meetings over the summer months, I am concerned about the amount of time it is taking some major organisations to realise their 'Joined Up Working' objectives and simply 'get on with it'. CDM2 gives us all a fantastic opportunity to use established management processes to communicate across the board, with each other, using the technology of the individual user's choice. Working with TfL, we are planning to make a major contribution to the APS - LAIG 'Joined Up Working' event next spring, demonstrating how our partners and customers can contribute to this process without re-inventing the wheel.
A Welcome Visit from the HSE
How many people can say that?
Richard Boland visited us at Leighton Buzzard recently to discuss the new CDM2 regulations. This was an excellent meeting and included a discussion of the proposed sign off timetable leading to what the HSE hopes will be law by 1 April 2007.
We discussed the influence of the EU based Temporary Workers Directive which led to the original CDM Regulations. The construction workplace is by its nature temporary, unfamiliar, and different for every site. There are different people involved on every project. Unlike an office based workplace, site working is 'unfamiliar' in every aspect. The regulations therefore demand an exchange of information at every level and coordination between people who don't know each other. Hence the need for; Coordinators!
As many of our readers know, Ai Solutions have been involved with the CDM Regulations since about 1993 when we were working on the preliminary drafts for the 1994 version. This early work put us in touch with several HSE personnel including George Ventris and later Steven Wright. We are delighted that the relationships we have are helpful and ongoing.
Health & Safety KPI's
It is clear from the proposed changes in the CDM2 Regulations that communication about health & safety matters needs to be improved in construction. This is particularly so at the 'client' end of the process where there is a need for better monitoring of progress and performance of a project from a health & safety perspective. We have had several very productive meetings with some of our bigger clients in the past month to discuss how we can include routines in our software to aid the process of capturing the information required. I have no doubt that the CDM2 version of ToolKit CS™ will address this issue for all those customers using the product.
Free Seminar on 3rd October 2006: CDM2 - The Changes
Led by Dave Carr Managing Director of Callsafe Services, this free seminar will discuss the proposed changes to the CDM Regulations expected to be announced imminently. We will also outline some of the proposed enhancements to our ToolKit™ Compliance Software. This Leighton Buzzard based seminar is already well booked so please contact us now if you would like to attend.
Fatal Injuries to British Workers at Record Levels
Emma Penny, editor of the Contract Journal writes; "The headline on the latest news release from the Health & Safety Commission looks like it's really bad news: 'Fatal Injuries to British Workers at Record Levels'. Another tragic statistic and bad news story. But look more closely at the detail, and it's clear this isn't the case. While 59 deaths in 2005/06 is still 59 too many, the figures are moving in the right direction - it's a record low, rather than a record high."
Seminar 23 November 2006: CDM2 - Measuring Compliance
Compliance will become a major issue in CDM2. This seminar explores the issues raised in the new regulations and how everyone involved in construction will have to measure compliance in their projects, whether they are notifiable or not. Leading the way to Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for CDM2, we will be exploring how our prototyping can support the significant shift in the management processes required. The seminar will be held in Leighton Buzzard and will include a buffet lunch for an inclusive fee of £35 plus VAT. Places are limited so please contact us now if you would like to attend.
Ai Solutions Annual Conference 18 Apr 2007
Our 2007 annual conference will be held in London on Wednesday 18th April 2007 at the Royal Air Force Club Piccadilly. The keynote speaker will be Richard Boland of the HSE in his new role as Head of Construction Operations, London and the South East. He is in the process of handing over his former role as Principal Inspector H&S Construction Policy where he and his colleagues have completed the mammoth task of revising the CDM Regulations which are now expected to progress to the Statute Books this year.
The seminar will centre on the CDM2 regulations and how our ToolKit™ Compliance Software can help manage compliance not only in internal departments but also across organisations using the technology of your choice. Dave Carr Managing Director of Callsafe Services and Tim Britton AA Projects will be joining us as guest speakers too. The morning seminar will include a buffet lunch and will cost £95 plus VAT with a discount for ToolKit™ software users.
Environmental Management with ToolKit CS™ ISO 14001
Admittedly, we are at the planning stage. We do have the opportunity to develop a new Option for ToolKit CS™ for Environmental Management and we are in active discussions with two of our major customers, TfL and EDF Energy. If you would like to take part in those discussions, please contact us; otherwise please watch his space.
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.