HEALTHY BUILDINGS INTERNATIONAL ADVISES BROADGATE ON ACCESS
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Broadgate Estates, the property management arm of British Land, is currently co-ordinating the 25 million facelift of the Broadgate Arena and surrounding areas. Under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, service providers are expected to make a general provision for people with a range of disabilities, and Healthy Buildings International was therefore asked to conduct a thorough disabled access audit
Broadgate is a unique development covering 29 acres and providing over 4 million square feet of prime office accommodation. The properties are supported by a number of public squares, shops, restaurants, gardens and sculptures.
Healthy Buildings International's audit, which took 4 days to complete, highlighted a large number of access issues. These included way-finding around the estate and the need for improved signage, the difficulty of changes in floor surface levels and the need for contrasting step nosings plus correctly positioned handrails, and the provision of suitable WCs for the disabled.
Healthy Buildings International has since conducted further audits on some of the multi-tenanted properties within the estate and on other properties under the control of Broadgate Estates.
'I want to be in the best position to inform and advise our various landlords and clients of their obligations under the Act. By having the audits undertaken now by Healthy Buildings International, I am able to analyse the results and get a good feel for the issues being raised. As Healthy Buildings International has indicated the costs of implementing their recommendations, I can now budget accordingly over the next few financial years, and I am also able to prioritise the works', says Neill Maclaine, Broadgate's Estates Director.
HEALTHY BUILDINGS INTERNATIONAL : PSEUDOMOMAS THREAT TO WATER SYSTEMS
Healthy Buildings International have noted that over the last couple of years, over 20 sites, mainly in and around London, have been badly affected by a high presence of Pseudomonas organisms in their water systems. The problems have nearly always occurred in closed chilled water systems, and resulted in very costly eradication programmes.
The worst thing about these organisms is that they are prolific slime formers,and multiply rapidly. Once heavy slime combines with any dirt present, smaller pipe-work soon begins to block, along with danger areas such as valves and coils. The result is a marked under Such contamination mostly affects newly installed systems, so the correct management of the system throughout construction is absolutely vital, and must include a thorough pre-commission clean.
Help is at hand in the form of the newly-issued BSRIA Application Guide AG1/2001 Pre-Commission Cleaning of Pipework Systems, likely to become the new industry standard, and from Healthy Buildings International who have the expertise to advise upon and monitor all water systems right through the construction process and beyond.
HEALTHY BUILDINGS INTERNATIONAL : UNIQUE DAY TO DAY WAY TO AUDIT AIR QUALITY
AUDITAIRE : How can you be sure your indoor air quality is satisfactory on a day-to-day basis, and that it always complies with health and safety legislation? Healthy Buildings International has a unique solution.
The revolutionary Auditaire 3000*, developed by Healthy Buildings International, now enables managers to reassure themselves, their staff and their clients that air quality standards are all that they should be. A dedicated air auditing station, the Auditaire checks Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) at frequent intervals every day,giving you constant peace of mind.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) can be set, which allow targets to be established and monitored for occupant comfort, including temperature, relative humidity and carbon dioxide concentration. You can also track total pollution such as volatile organic compounds from indoor operations and external traffic fumes.
The results Healthy Buildings International cleints obtain can provide a benchmark for evaluating any changes in air quality, and provide a key part of your indoor environmental programme.
The Auditaire can be positioned in selected locations, with the data recorded being downloaded during regular visits and incorporated into a comprehensive report giving documented evidence of good IAQ. These can take place during routine plant inspections, where additional monitoring for respirable dust and airborne microbes can be conducted.
*Auditaire a registered trademark of Healthy Buildings International.
HEALTHY BUILDINGS INTERNATIONAL : NEW GUIDANCE ON ASBESTOS SURVEYING
The HSE has published new guidance (MDS 100) on how to survey workplace premises for asbestos-containing materials, and how to record the results. This complements existing guidance under the Determination of Hazardous Substances, and is an important standard for people carrying out or commissioning asbestos surveys.
Key elements are:
- Locating the extent and nature of any asbestos
- Assessing the condition of the material to determine whether it presents a risk
- Recording the information in a clear and usable form
HEALTHY BUILDINGS INTERNATIONAL OPENS IRELAND OFFICE
Healthy Buildings International is pleased to announce a major expansion to the network, with the opening of new offices in Belfast and shortly in Dublin. This exciting development will enable us to offer a more direct and local service to our existing clients in Ireland, and will of course place us in a good position to take advantage of the exciting economies of both the North and South, adding to our ever-growing list of client companies.
For the answers to any other questions you may have, please contact Healthy Buildings International at any of our offices as shown below.
| Healthy Buildings International Ltd (UK Head Office) 229 Hyde End Road Spencers Wood Berkshire RG7 1BU United Kingdom Tel: (0118) 988 9999 Fax: (0118) 988 5599 email: info@hbi.co.uk directions: download map: multimap |
Healthy Buildings International (UK North) Monckton Road Wakefield Yorkshire WF2 7AS United Kingdom Tel: (01924) 888 166 Fax: (01924) 332 334 email: info@hbi.co.uk directions: download map: multimap |
| Healthy Buildings International Ireland (Belfast) Unit 16 Laganside Studios Ravenhill Road Belfast BT6 8AW Tel: (028)90 738777 Fax: (028)90 732777 email: info@hbi.ie www: http://www.hbi.ie |
Healthy Buildings International (Scotland) Suite 220 Claymore House 145 Kilmarnock Road Glasgow G41 3JA United Kingdom Tel: (0141) 571 2967 Fax: (0141) 6327726 email: info@hbi.co.uk |
| Healthy Buildings International USA Headquarters 9401 Mathy Drive Fairfax, Virginia 22031-5311 Tel: (703) 323 4400 Fax: (703) 323 4440 email: hbi@hbiamerica.com www: http://www.hbiamerica.com |
Healthy Buildings International USA Western Region 25 Mauchly, Suite 314 Irvine, CA 92618 Tel: (949) 450 1111 Fax: (949) 450 1120 email: hbiwest@hbiamerica.com www: http://www.hbiamerica.com |
| Healthy Buildings International USA Mid Atlantic Region 1055 Parsippany Boulevard, Suite 102 Parsippany, NJ 07054 Tel: (973) 394 1330 Fax: (973) 394 1331 email: hbiatlantic@hbiamerica.com www: http://www.hbiamerica.com |
Healthy Buildings International USA New England Region 3 Baldwin Green Common Suite 201 Woburn, Massachusetts 01801 Tel: (781) 932 6800 Fax: (781) 932 5995 email: dtyler@hbiamerica.com www: http://www.hbiamerica.com |
| Healthy Buildings International Australia 7/33 Ryde Road Pymble NSW 2073 Australia Tel: (02) 9880 2744 Fax: (02) 9880 2766 email: hbi@hbi.com.au www: http://www.hbi.com.au |
Healthy Buildings International Dublin Unit 10/11 Santry Hall Industrial Estate Dublin 9 Ireland Tel: 00353 1 8623794 Fax: 00353 1 8621680 email: info@hbi.ie www: http://www.hbi.ie |
