Health, Safety & Wellbeing

The Building Safety Bill this year will establish a new building safety regime in England. As a first step, there are a number of new requirements for the planning system (referred to as planning gateway one).

David Ford, Compliance Lead at contractor accreditation scheme CHAS, highlights seven areas to focus on to prevent work-related hearing loss

WaterSafe is advising building owners and landlords as well managers of public buildings and hotels that have been empty or underoccupied during lockdown to risk assess their drinking water system before they reopen.

A number of construction defects were found in a hospital following the inspection of the external wall system

Salman Chaudhary, CEO at EmpiricAI, considers the role of computer vision AI in returning sites to full productivity and improving health and safety

CABE Benevolent Fund exists to support CABE members and over the years it has helped hundreds of applicants in financial distress

Sleep pods, fresh fruit and discount gym deals can attract reluctant working-from-home workers back to offices to boost struggling high streets after lockdown and adapt to the new era of remote working, says Rob Diamond, one of the first people in the UK to achieve the new international WELL Accredited Professional qualification.

NatureScot notes that visits to urban greenspace soared during the Covid-19 pandemic, demonstrating the importance of green infrastructure for health and wellbeing

A survey of UK employers and employees by not-for-profit healthcare provider Benenden Health revealed that 32% of construction, engineering and building firms had experience of an employee leaving their company because they felt their mental wellbeing wasn’t being cared for.

Could the creation of Covid-safe environments be creating a less inclusive environment, excluding some of the people it is supposed to protect?

David Millward, Group Product Manager at Elta Group, discusses how building engineers can help to restore trust in the ventilation systems of public buildings.

Corksol UK has a sustainable solution for tackling damp in commercial and residential buildings.

The global pandemic has exacerbated mental health issues. These won’t just go away on their own so CHAS and Benenden Health have some practical strategies to help

Building owners have a responsibility to manage the risk from asbestos in their premises. Developing the asbestos plan for Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, provides an overview of typical considerations

Architect Julia Park, Head of Housing Research at Levitt Bernstein and Associate Director for Homes at the Centre for Ageing Better, makes the case for accessible housing to be more than an afterthought

Ryan Stanley, Moisture Control Sales & Product Manager, Northern Europe, at Aggreko, explains why humidity is unwanted on-site and how to avoid common errors in its removal

Richard Harral, CABE’s Technical Director, says that building more accessible housing is vital, but that is only part of the story

US-based forensic engineer James P Waltz FCABE discusses what forensics mean in the built environment.

“A home is somewhere you should feel safe,” begins the cabinet statement on building safety funding in Wales by Julie James, Minister for Housing and Local Government. It continues to state that many living in high-rise properties are concerned about potential building defects, which pose fire and broader health and safety risks.

Andy Lowe FCABE, Building Control Director at Bureau Veritas, examines the amends to Building Regulations that will make it compulsory to provide toilets for severely disabled people in many non-domestic buildings.