Keep up to date with the latest news and issues in the design and build industry, via this page on our website.

This page will be updated on a regular basis to help keep you well informed.

Please click on the links to find out more.

Gain up to the minute information on the following topics:

Association of Interior Specialists (AIS)

Sheffield Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Department For Work & Pensions (DWP)

Disability Discrimination Act (DDA)

Building Regulations - Office of the Deputy Prime Minister

Health & Safety Issues - Health & Safety Executive

Health & Safety

Health & safety must be at the top of every construction & interiors company’s agenda, but how many companies are actually confident of delivering the practical initiatives to support the rhetoric?  In this increasing culture of blame society, it is not surprising that no one wants to take on the huge burden of risk for managing health & safety.  However, the industry needs to see integrated project teams working collaboratively & communicating effectively in order to save lives, reduce injuries & deliver better value for clients.

Health & safety should not be considered in the construction phase of a project only.  Along with all other benefits that flow from looking at a project in its entirety, improved health & safety performance comes from investing time & effort during the design stages, as well as considering the ongoing operation & use of a facility after its completion.  It is not acceptable to place the primary responsibility for health & safety squarely onto the shoulders of the contractor.  In turn, contractors often do their best to offload responsibility down the supply chain to their subcontractors & suppliers and then accuse them of not meeting relevant standards. 

At the same time CDM Regulations are not working particularly well, hence the review, and Designers are also shirking their legal responsibility for health & safety.  Time must be invested at the beginning of a project with the full input of the whole construction team.  The benefits from this will help towards reducing absenteeism, savings in costs and most importantly, to further reduce the number of people who are killed or injured in the course of their daily work.

Fire doors

With the abolition of fire certificates & the introduction of the Regulatory Reform ( Fire Safety) Order, all companies must carry out a fire risk assessment (or appoint an outside consultant) focusing on keeping people safe in a fire with particular attention to those at special risk.

The main criteria for fire safety are the prevention of the spread of fire & providing a safe exit for the building's occupants and fire doors will fulfil these two fundamental requirements as part of an efffective passive fire protection system.

Fire doors, unlike other doors in a building, should be seen as an engineered safety device with a set of components that work together to impede the spread of fire for a set period of time and it is essential that fire doors receive special attention & regular maintenance.

95% of timber fire doors are installed with a FD30 fire rating giving thirty minutes of protection from the spread of fire.  FD60 doors are primarily specified for public buildings, schools & hospitals.  FD90 & FD120 doors are used in places where it may be difficult & time consuming to get people out of a building (intensive care unit in a hospital.)   The proper installation of a fire door is crucial to ensure that it achieves its rating. 

A regular maintenance programme should also be considered, dependant on how heavily the door is used.  It is recommended that fire doors should be checked every six months (every three months if the door is heavily used).   Doors in new buildings should be checked frequently in the first year of installation.