12/11/2024
In this blog, BWF Technical Director, Kevin Underwood, discusses the recent government amendments to the fire safety guidance in Approved Document B, set to take effect between March 2025 and ...
In this edition of News Update, members are urged to offer their thoughts on potential changes to Part L, especially those relating to glazing, doorset and window installation, and U-value calculations.
There's also further news on the state of the industry, and the government now wants your help in reducing the burden of red tape. We bring information on the ProSkills Awards, plus, the results of the inquiry into the Rosepark Care Home tragedy offers a stark reminder of the importance of using the appropriate fire doors, smoke seals and risk assessments. BWF Members' Day 2011 is now less than 2 weeks away, and we are delighted to confirm straight-talking construction economics expert Brian Green as our keynote speaker. Book here now or risk missing out on a fantastic opportunity.
Regards, Richard Lambert Chief Executive
Yesterday saw the first meeting of the Domestic Group for Part L 2013. The discussion has given us a better idea of where the new changes will be directed, and is the spur for BWF members like yourself to propose the changes you want to see.
The group was chaired by John Tebbit of the Construction Products Association and hosted by the Zero Carbon Hub. It was attended by representatives from house builders, architects, component and material suppliers, service providers, developers of compliance tools and representatives from the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) and the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC).
The Domestic Group is one of four Working Groups considering the amendments to Part L of the Building Regulations for 2013.
• Domestic Fabric and Services Standards and National Calculation Methodology (NCM) issues
• Non-Domestic Fabric and Services Standards and NCM issues
• Compliance and Performance (domestic and non-domestic)
• Retrofit and Green Deal
This time around the consultation will not include a revision of Part F, which relates to the ventilation of buildings, as the amendments made in 2010 were considered to have been “future proofed” having been based on dwellings with low levels of outside air infiltration.
As this was the first meeting of the Working Group its main purpose was to describe the environment in which the decisions regarding changes to the various building elements would be made. The key consideration is that the proposals made by the various sectors should place the performance requirements for Part L 2013 somewhere between the requirements under Part L 2010 and the targets for Zero Carbon Homes and the amendments to Part L that would be required to realise them in 2016.
The new definition of Zero Carbon for 2016 will mean that house builders will be accountable only for those carbon dioxide emissions that are covered by Building Regulations which will be emissions from energy use through heating, fixed lighting, hot water and building services. Emissions related to energy use from cooking or from plug-in electrical appliances such as computers will be excluded. Earlier proposals that Carbon emissions under the 2013 amendment to Part L should provide a 44% reduction compared to the 2006 levels have been dropped. Other factors that will influence the decision making process are the Green Deal, the Local Standards Framework, Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (2010/31/EU) and Local planning requirements such as are laid out in the London Plan.
An issue, however, when we consider the 2010 amendment to Part L and their affects on new build is that very few dwellings would have been built under the new guidance. Most new build work will still be done under the 2006 or even earlier amendments. There is one useful guide, however, and that is that dwellings constructed to level 3 of the Code for Sustainable Homes, of which there are many, will be a close approximation so there will be some useful input from house builders who have experience of construction to Code level 3.
Another point raised was that for the previous amendment the changes proposed for existing dwellings (AD L1B) were somewhat of an afterthought and that there should be a clear focus this time around. It could be the case that an elemental approach to existing dwellings i.e. U-value of 1.6 W/m2K or an Energy Rating of band C would be replaced by a calculation approach based on measurable improvements in the energy performance of the dwelling.
How do we move forward? With the options for change ranging from – do nothing now and do everything for zero carbon homes in 2016, through to – full Zero Carbon compliance now, the possibilities for change are quite large. We have an opportunity to propose the changes we would like to see. But to make proposals on your behalf I need to know your thoughts.
Contact: Kevin Underwood T:0844 209 2614 E: kevin.underwood@bwf.org.uk
The Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) into the death of 14 people at Rosepark Care Home, near Glasgow in 2004, says that some or all of the deaths might have been avoided if a proper risk assessment had been carried out, and the findings acted on.
The comprehensive report by the local Sheriff Principal of South Strathclyde, Dumfries and Galloway, lists a number of precautions which include several references to the use of fire doors. The fire was caused by an earth fault in an electrical distribution box in a storage cupboard.
"Had the doors to the cupboard been fire resistant as well as being securely closed, this might have avoided some or all of the deaths" the report states.
Other issues relating to fire doors highlight the importance of self-closing devices and the installation of smoke seals.
"It would have been a reasonable precaution for all bedroom doors to have been closed in the event that a fire alarm sounded. In particular it would have been a reasonable precaution for the management of Rosepark to have fitted devices to ensure that bedroom doors were closed automatically in the event that the fire alarm sounded."
"It would have been a reasonable precaution to have fitted smoke seals to bedroom doors. Had this precaution been taken the deaths of 2 people might have been avoided"
A copy of the report may be viewed here
Contact: John Fletcher T: 01246 292 178 E: firedoors@bwf.org.uk
The Office of National Statistics (ONS) has released the latest national output figures, indicating a 0.5% rise in GDP, but a fall in construction output for the first quarter of 2011. Despite an overall growth in the economy, the Construction Products Association expressed concerns over the suggested size of the fall in construction output as the industry has shown some signs of improvement, since the start of the year.
Commenting on the figures, Construction Products Association Chief Executive, Michael Ankers said: ‘Today’s GDP estimate includes a fall in construction output of 4.7% in the first three months of the year. The scale of this fall in the official figures is extremely surprising and is not consistent with information from construction industry surveys or the experience of the companies and sectors that the Association represents. The indications are that the construction industry performed better in the first three months than the ONS figures suggest. The industry was helped partly by an element of ‘bounce back’ from the last few weeks of 2010 when the extreme weather severely curtailed construction activity in many parts of the country, and also by the exceptionally mild and dry weather throughout the whole of the first quarter of the year.
‘Looking forward, however, the outlook remains very uncertain. The real challenge for the industry is the effect of the public spending cuts in the Comprehensive Spending Review which only really started to have an impact from the beginning of the new financial year in April, and in the short term we do not believe that construction spending in the private sector will be sufficiently strong to compensate for these cuts. As a result, the Association’s latest construction forecasts, published in mid April and put together by representatives from across the construction industry, anticipate a fall in output of 1% this year compared with 2010 and a further 2% fall in 2012. We are not anticipating a return to growth until 2013, and inevitably this will be a constraint on recovery in the wider economy as construction accounts for nearly 10% of GDP.’
Contact: Richard Lambert T: 0844 206 2612 E: richard.lambert@bwf.org.uk
A new website has been launched as part of the government’s ‘Plan for Growth’ that enables businesses, trade associations and members of the public to offer ideas and suggestions on how to address the complex, sometimes overwhelming, amount of regulation which they encounter.
The government wants to know about rules that really waste your time and money or better still, ways of tackling the issues that will make life better for you and your customers. Over 6,000 comments have been received in the first week of the new website, including those calling for changes to, and the end of, many of the rules and regulations affecting business.
The site is asks for feedback on what you think should happen to the regulations that affect your industry and why, being as specific as possible:
• Should they be scrapped altogether?
• Can they be merged with existing regulations?
• Can they be simplified – or have the bureaucracy associated with them reduced?
• Have you got any ideas to make these regulations better?
• Do you think they should be left as they are?
After backlash from a number of NGOs and members of the public, who were concerned that a number of flagship environmental and equality policies would be put at risk, the government is now keen to stress that the presence of a particular regulation or law on the website should not be read as implying any intention on the part of the Government to remove that regulation or law from the statute book.
Although the site is open for views on general regulations affecting businesses, from 16th June to 23rd of June, the site will also be focusing on comments specifically relating to the manufacturing sector.
The BWF represents its members' views to government, the construction industry, the wider public, and increasingly, to the international community. If you wish to discuss any of the regulations affecting you, then feel free to get in touch and we would be delighted to offer you our assistance.
We also provide members with an influential voice on the technical issues affecting the industry and are heavily involved in the development of woodworking and joinery product standards in Britain and Europe.
Contact: Matthew Mahony T: 0844 209 2619 E: matthew.mahony@bwf.org.uk
Applications for the Proskills Awards 2011 are now open, and we are calling on BWF and WITForum members to get involved. ProSkills is the Sector Skills Council for Process and Manufacturing, which includes the wood industry and hence all BWF and WITForum Members.
The Awards celebrates and rewards the achievements of individuals, as well as employers and training providers, who have achieved exceptional results
through Apprenticeships and work based learning.
There are seven Award categories which are open to all within our sector:
1. Apprentice of the Year
This award acknowledges and celebrates apprentices’ exceptional contributions to their workplaces, where entrants have made a real difference to the business they work in by exceeding expectations and delivering measurable benefits. Candidates will be working towards or have completed the S/NVQ Level 2 apprenticeship.
2. Advanced / Modern Apprentice of the Year
Candidates will be working towards or have completed the S/NVQ Level 3 associated with the Advanced / Modern Apprenticeship.
3. Achiever of the Year
This award rewards individuals who are exceeding their employers’ and/or learning providers’ expectations by achieving success while dealing with difficulties on a personal or work level.
4. Outstanding Learner of the Year
This award acknowledges and rewards learners that have undergone vocational training and from which has made a difference to them personally and to their workplace.
5. Outstanding Employer of the Year
This award rewards and acknowledges the commitment employers have made to training and up skilling their workforce.
6. Outstanding Training Provider of the Year
This Award acknowledges and rewards the work of training providers and their efforts in working with employers and learners in training and up skilling the workforce.
7. Outstanding Union Learning Representative of the Year
This Award acknowledges and rewards the work of union learning reps and their efforts in working with employers and learners in up skilling the workforce.
Dave Campbell, WITForum Training Manager said, “We are actively encouraging our members to enter into the ProSkills awards this year, particularly in the apprenticeships and employer categories, to showcase the great work they are doing in the training arena.”
Applications are open until 21st June, however we are encouraging members to get their applications in as soon as possible. To submit an entry in any of the above categories, visit the ProSkills Awards Website.
Contact: Dave Campbell T: 0844 815 9981 E: dave.campbell@bwf.org.uk
