Cardboard Tree Guards

The HS2 project aims to plant up to seven million trees along their Phase One Route. An issue presented by this aim is the amount of plastic tree guards that will be needed. Fusion have estimated that 39,000 tree guards will be used between October 2019 to March 2020.

Due to the amount of plastic that may end up in landfill, Fusion are piloting compostable cardboard tree guards, made from 100% recycled OCC (old corrugate and card) pulp and supported by eucalyptus poles. 3582 tonnes of carbon has been potentially saved by switching from plastic tree guards.

As well as being better for the environment, using cardboard tree guards also has other benefits. They reduce transport cost as they do not need to be removed for waste collection, this results in a saving of 50p per tree. They can also encourage community engagement as students can be invited from schools to plant the trees.

A Constructor’s Collaboration: Freight Delivery by Cargo Bike

The Mayor of London’s Transport Strategy, published in 2018, sets out a vision for a healthier, greener and more prosperous city. The strategy makes clear that a new type of thinking is required to increase active, efficient and sustainable travel to help achieve this vision for London.

The Mayor, through TfL, will work with the boroughs, businesses and the freight and servicing industry to reduce the adverse impacts of freight and service vehicles on the street network. The Mayor aims to reduce the number of lorries and vans entering central London in the morning peak by 10 per cent by 2026 (major project route constraints and compliance checks via a strategic holding area required for freight deliveries included).

Cycling is a fundamental element towards attaining a healthier lifestyle and has the added bonus of being almost emission free. Many companies within London are now utilising the benefits from cycling within their business and some are having their goods delivered by cargo bike. This opens up a big opportunity for the construction industry to get involved.

After undertaking a ‘Constructors Cycle Experience’, a discussion took place with McCoy Engineering to explore the benefits of cycling and to see if they would be willing to trial a cargo bike to deliver their plant instead of a van. This was followed by a conversation with their client, the Crossrail joint venture BBMV (Balfour Beatty, Morgan Sindall and Vinci) who quickly grabbed the chance to try out this sustainable method.

PedalMe cargo bikes were instructed to collect the load from Wood Green, North London and to deliver to the Crossrail site at Whitechapel.

Cargo bikes, some of which have electric assist, have the capability to pull a trailer which in this case, was the method used for the McCoy delivery. The trial was deemed a success and all involved were very pleased with the outcome. This has led to further discussions on how sustainable transport can be incorporated into the construction supply chain.

Below are cost benefit calculations based on item delivery and return trips:

Total distance for van (restricted route and holding) = 33.6 km
Total distance by cargo bike = 21 km
CO2 (diesel 25mpg) for van = 10 kg CO2/km
Approx. total time by van (incl. compliance check) = 76 mins
Approx. total time by cargo bike = 39 mins
Cargo bike rider benefits (calories) = 310 kcal

Additional benefits of using cargo bikes include the ability to utilise cycle lanes and avoid associated congested areas thus reducing the cumulative impacts on the environment. Cargo bikes do not have to succumb to set construction routes within urban areas.

Trad Safety Nets

What is it?

  • Safety nets are typically used as a safeguard against falling objects. Traditionally, scaffold fan boards have been used.
  • On our Mount Street site, Trad safety nets are used at Level 2 (Pedestrian Level) and Mini Catch Fans are being used for the first time in the UK.

How does it work?

  • Trad Catch Fan Systems cantilever 3.2m from the edge of building and come in 4m wide and 6m wide sections.
    – They consist of a 60mm x 60mm net which can take up to 100 kg through 7m and a 20mm x 20mm overlay net to contain smaller items.
    – These are being used at the pedestrian level (Level 2) on Mount Street.
  • The Trad Mini Catch Fan Systems only cantilever 2m. Again, they come in 4m wide and 6m wide sections. These are actually designed for scaffolding loads of up to 39 kg.

Safety benefits

  • The installation of the catch fan systems on Mount Street are a SSoW and meet Kier’s Minimum Standards.
  • Therefore, during the erection and alteration of the catch fans, the scaffolders are not in a high risk situation. They are also fast to erect as the mini fans simply open up.
  • Moreover, Trad Systems have trained both scaffolders for installation and Kier site managers for inspection.

Programme benefits

  • Both systems are very fast to erect which help in tight scheduled programmes.

Commercial benefits

  • Using these on site have had cost benefits. The expected cost on Mount Street are as below:
    – 16 no. 6m catchfans with scaffold attachment = £352 per week hire
    – 30 no. mini catchfans = £600 per week hire

To find out more, click the link below.

Showing consideration for a community devastated by flooding – Land and Water Services

Land and Water Services specialise in keeping Britain’s waterways navigable by dredging rivers, lakes, canals, pond and marinas and operating the largest fleet of excavators, dredging equipment and floating plant in the UK.

The River Parrett and Tone Dredging Works project was carried out in Burrowbridge – part of the area devastated by flooding last year – and was part of a strategic plan to reduce future flooding in the area for residents and businesses alike.

This included re-establishing an eight kilometre section of the Rivers Parrett and Tone to the 1960s profile (which was the last time that these rivers were substantially dredged), to facilitate flood alleviation once the area had been dredged.

Due to the devastation previously experienced by the local community, exceptional care and sensitivity was essential. The primary objective was to minimise the disturbance and disruption incurred by local residents, businesses, road users as well as the environment, whilst still completing the works.

Challenges faced included a devastated community, with some people who had lost everything and were living in temporary accommodation and farmers and businesses struggling to recover. As well as several local wildlife habitats based along the river which needed to be identified and managed during the works.

Land and Water Services Project Manager, Paul Dunleavey commented on the project:

‘Land and Water would like to thank CCS for their help with this project and would gladly recommend them to other companies, as a stepping stone to reaching the parts of the community that normally just pass by…Land and Water is committed to a policy of effectively managing environmental performance in order to minimise the impact of our business processes on the natural environment and the community at large. This commitment extends to all Group Business Partners, workplaces, employees and others affected by our operations.’

Here are some examples of best practice initiatives carried out by Land and Water Services, to comply with the Considerate Constructors Scheme:

  • To ensure constant communication with residents an update was released daily on Facebook and Twitter, as well as regular letter drops to highlight any changes/progress that could directly affect them.
  • To involve and encourage open communication with the local community school visits, open days, church coffee mornings and weekly ‘step in’ sessions were arranged on a number of occasions. Social media was also used to ensure that community views and worries were recognised and addressed, and to keep them up to date with progress and up-coming events.
  • Site Managers attended coffee mornings arranged by the local Village Agents, to gain first-hand knowledge of the problems faced by local people who may not feel it appropriate to attend the ‘drop in’ sessions.
  • Constant discussions with the local Parish Warden, Charles, and his wife, assisted the team to overcome numerous challenges that would have had an effect on the local community (i.e. remote school buses, refuse collection days, special parties by members of a nearby village). His help was essential in minimising disruption to the nearby villages.
  • The individual needs of the community were carefully considered, for example, one resident was finally returning to their house after six months and was having a party. The team altered their breaks and temporarily opened the road closure, so that residents could access the house easily.
  • A dedicated telephone line was provided, for questions aimed at Land and Water Services and manned by the site administrator to give regular updates about road closures or work progress and plans. The telephone number was clearly displayed on local sign boards.
  • Pupils from a local primary school visited the site; they were given a photo opportunity inside the excavator and a demonstration by the workforce of other machinery on site.
  • A community day was held on a weekend, inviting children and parents into the compound to have their photo taken inside a 35t long reach excavator. Tea, coffee, squash and homemade cakes were provided, as well as drawing competitions for the children to enter. An Environment Agency representative was present to respond to any community questions, as well as a ‘Water Vole’ show and tell.
  • The site was informed that a young boy from the local community who loved diggers was unable to attend the community day. They arranged for a private visit for him and his mum so he could sit in one of the ‘diggers,’ (all work on site stopped and steps were used so that he could safely climb onto the excavator.) Afterwards he was presented with an Argos voucher and a scaled down version of one of the ‘diggers.’
  • A relationship was forged with FLAG (Flooding on the Levels Action Group), who had a strong community voice. The site acknowledged the importance of listening and understanding their concerns, in order to build a good, honest relationship. This was successfully achieved and a personal ‘thank you’ was sent to Land and Water Services at the end of the project.
  • Individuals from the local community were employed when possible, including 39 local farmers who were struggling with general finances due to crop reduction and losses following the flood. Local office staff, local banksmen and general labourers were also employed. Banksmen were trained internally to gain them Banksmen Accreditation.
  • Environmental surveys were completed on an ongoing basis throughout the programme, with surveys undertaken section by section ahead of the current work site. What was encountered was nesting birds, water voles, snakes, otters, badgers and the not-so-famous hairy click beetle.
  • Full time environmental consultants were employed to help identify habitats and wildlife around site, to ensure the works did not damage the local environment. Several dredging methods and constant vigilance from the whole team aided the efforts made by the site.
  • Extreme pressures were attached to this project, with high profile VIP visits and constant scrutiny from local and national media. To overcome stress and long periods away from home, the working day on Fridays was reduced, to allow operatives to go home quicker. Also, three evening celebrations were organised to show the company’s appreciation for the efforts given.
  • State of the art welfare units, PPE, numerous training sessions and professional support were provided to the workforce, to help relieve the pressures of the job in hand.
  • A social evening was organised for the workforce after a particularly good site inspection had taken place. All Land and Water Directors were present and had organised a free hog roast, drinks, competitions, games as well as taxi rides home for those involved. This was to say thank you for supporting and taking a small company (relatively speaking) on a massive journey. People who helped from within the community (including all the local tractor drivers) and a number of local farmers were also invited.

Spotlight on… drugs and alcohol

The Best Practice Hub is provided by the Considerate Constructors Scheme