| HEALTHY BUILDINGS INTERNATIONAL ADVISES BROADGATE ON ACCESSBroadgate 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 QUALITYAUDITAIRE : 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 SURVEYINGThe 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 OFFICEHealthy 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
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