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Executive Report: Wind of change boosts hire In his second article for EHN, Nigel Strickland suggests that different construction techniques and new technology will create demand for tool and equipment hirers. Government policy has on-going influence over the hire industry, by way of legislation targeted at construction and through public expenditure. In terms of Health & Safety, there are currently no consultation processes underway equivalent to those that preceded legislation on working at height, HAV, noise and respirable crystalline silica dust exposure limits. This perhaps gives our industry time to absorb and react positively to the implications of recent legislation, by working closely with our suppliers, customers and the Health & Safety Executive (HSE). HSE is expected to become more pro-active regarding enforcement. Its HAV control campaign statement for 2006-2007 states that inspectors will address three priority industry sectors, including construction, expecting to see “evidence of the elimination of vibration risks or of their reduction to the lowest level that is reasonably practicable. Where vibration risks remain, inspectors will be looking for evidence that the risks are being managed adequately and that suitable health surveillance is in place”. Similarly, HSE is addressing dust in construction through CoSHH Essential publications and industry campaigns, and promoting manual handling issues through the Better Backs Campaign. Revision of regulations However, a major revision of an existing piece of legislation is expected to come into effect in April. The New Construction (Design and Management) Regulations - Revisions to the Construction (Design and Management) (CDM) Regulations (1994) will bring together the existing CDM 1994 and the Construction (Health Safety and Welfare) (CHSW) Regulations 1996, into a single regulatory package. Put simply, the revised law will mean everyone from the client, planning supervisors, designers and principal contractors, to contractors, employees and the self-employed, will have a legal responsibility for health, safety and welfare standards on sites. Hirers that can provide support through Health & Safety information, training and equipment will have a distinct commercial advantage. Government is demanding higher standards of energy efficiency in new buildings, and promoting the need to build faster, at lower cost and with reduced waste. The UK is adopting methods common in the USA and on the Continent, involving pre-fabrication or in-situ fabrication, commonly known as Modern Methods of Construction (MMC). Procedures such as off-site manufacture, timber and light gauge steel frame, pre-fabrication and tunnel form concrete casting can offer important solutions. The National Audit Office says that using MMC should make it possible to build up to four times as many homes with the same amount of site labour. It also believes that on-site construction time can be reduced by up to half, and that building performance can be at least as good as traditional methods. Assuming MMC becomes increasingly popular, what impact will this have on hire? Timber frame technology appears to be the most widely accepted method, with forecasts claiming that, by 2008, one in four new homes in England will be built this way. In Scotland, more than 73% are built using timber frame, up from 65% in 2004. Innovation in concrete construction Innovation in concrete construction has seen the emergence of systems such as insulated concrete formwork (ICF). This uses formwork made from lightweight polystyrene block components that lock together and then concrete is pumped into them. The set concrete becomes a high-strength structure and the formwork remains in place providing thermal insulation. ICF manufacturers claim that few tools and equipment are needed during construction; however, closer inspection of technical guides reveals a need for concrete placement pumps, vibrating pokers, plastic cutting chop-saws, polystyrene-cutting routers for the installation of ducting, and specialist bracing and trestles. Hirers take note! Similarly, tunnel form concrete construction, used for 40% of residential building in Belgium and Holland, is gaining acceptance here, having been used to build flats, hotels, student accommodation and prisons. During construction, a structural tunnel is made by pouring concrete into steel formwork, creating the floor and walls. Every 24 hours, the formwork is moved so that another tunnel can be formed. When a floor level has been completed, the process is repeated on the next storey. Key requirements are specialist formwork and moulds, vibrating pokers and temporary heating to assist the curing process and maintain 24-hour production. All three MMC systems are associated with internal dry lining, cladding and partition systems. This increases demand for sheet handling and lifting systems, some of which manage the entire sheet material handling process from delivery and on-site storage, to transportation and placement. MMC also requires tools associated with fixing and fastening of timber, plasterboard cladding and partitioning, with manufacturers now offering a range of gas, air-powered, electric and cordless fixing and screwing systems. The evolution in fixing has developed from drilling to single shot fastening, and on to magazine fixing systems in a relatively short time. Collated fastening methods for fixing to metal gauge track and timber continue to gain in popularity, while greater magazine capacities have increased productivity and speed of track and insulation fixing. Fixing tools and systems use in the UK remains low compared to the USA and Europe, but greater acceptance of MMC could increase demand exponentially. Demand for tool and equipment hire remains strong in the refurbishment and repair market. Interestingly, in a recent report appraising the government's £37 billion building programme in 2006, the Construction Products Association highlights a backlog of repairs required by schools and the NHS, totalling £11.7 billion - almost triple the £4 billion (and rising) cost of constructing the London Olympic village. Renewable energy targets Turning attention elsewhere, the energy production target from renewable sources is set for 10% of the UK's electricity supply by 2010, with the aim of doubling it by 2020. Wind energy, both on and offshore, has been identified as most likely to be the largest contributor, with the UK at the forefront of investment in offshore wind energy production and likely to overtake Denmark, becoming world leader by 2008. Estimates suggest that onshore energy production capacity of as much as 800mW was built during 2006. In terms of construction value, 1mW of onshore wind production costs approximately £850,000 to build, giving a total construction value last year in the region of £700m. Currently, energy production from operational onshore wind farms has reached 1659.06mW, with an additional 638.65mW under construction. Planning consent has been granted for a further 1477.65mW, with a massive 7775.11mW awaiting permission. To put this into perspective, it took 14 years of development to deliver the first gigawatt of onshore wind generated power in the UK; the next could be delivered by 2008. This creates exciting opportunities for the construction and engineering industries, with subsequent benefits for hirers. However, the construction of some remote onshore wind farms poses particular challenges. Complete infrastructure systems require development, including temporary access roads over ecologically sensitive landscapes and difficult terrain. The issue of communicating when no cellular network or landline system exists can be an obvious problem. And how do you provide water and site sanitation in such demanding locations with stringent environmental restrictions attached? It would be a mistake, however, to assume that the rapid advance of wind farms is restricted to mountains and moors. Existing and planned facilities show a much wider geographical spread, including sites close to towns and cities such as Birmingham, Leicester and Middlesbrough. Living in the windiest country in Europe, there is a strong likelihood that if there isn’t already one close by, a turbine is coming to a town near you - and with it, opportunities. • • Nigel Strickland was previously Marketing Manager with Brandon Tool Hire and now works as an independent consultant. Executive Hire News › Archives › Jan/Feb 2007 › Executive Report › Wind of change boosts hire
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