Another one of these rare frames!!

Original post by Hokey and many thanks to them and their entry and picture of their BMX Bike

Introduction

Mention the word demolition to almost anyone and the picture that instantly comes to mind is a vision of a building being blown up and collapsing to the ground. Many people have stated that they would love to push the button, to detonate the explosive devices which bring a disused building to the ground. In many cases what comes down, must go up and we are seeing many old buildings being demolished to make way for future development, often as part of a regeneration project.

For companies who over many years have built their business around the demolition of buildings, the demolition sector is now far more reaching than just demolishing old buildings. Once the building is demolished the huge task of site clearance begins and in a world where consideration of the environmental impacts are high on most peoples agenda, the material residues from demolition need to be sorted for recycling purposes. This will include such materials as steel, wood, plastic, brickwork and concrete.

Most of the materials can be bulked up and transported to the appropriate recycling plants for reprocessing. Materials such as bricks and concrete can be crushed and turned into a recycled concrete aggregate product ready for reuse in the construction of new roads or buildings. Increasingly though, through advances in technological development, residues such as concrete to be recycled have to meet a very high specification for reuse in construction projects.

Crushed into different sizes of recycled aggregate will determine the future usage potential of the product. Large sizes could be used as decorative rockery products in gardening whilst much finer, almost shingle like product can be used as a bedding for pipe laying or as a layer in road construction. With an increasing number of opportunities identified for the reuse of recycled aggregate, the entire demolition and construction industry is making a significant contribution to sustainable development. Following demolition of a site, many demolition contractors have expanded their service offering to include site clearance services.

Reasons Behind the Increased Focus on Recycling from Construction and Demolition Projects

In 1996, UK Government imposed a tax on all wastes going to landfill. The tax is paid on top of normal gate fees for waste being disposed in landfill and since its introduction the cost has increased on an annual basis. When first introduced, the standard rate of tax for general wastes going to landfill was £7 per tonne and £2 per tonne for inert materials. The tax is designed to encourage commercial and industrial businesses and local authorities collecting from households, to divert waste away from landfill for recycling. In April 2009, the standard rate of landfill tax increased to £40 per tonne and is scheduled to increase each year by £8 per tonne until 2013. The lower rate of tax charged upon any inert materials going to landfill such as concrete and soils, has remained relatively steady in recent years and is currently at £2.50 per tonne.

However, the weight factor alone of a bulk load of these inert materials going directly to landfill will ensure that the entire cost of disposal becomes very expensive and so even in the demolition and construction sector, diverting waste from landfill is a priority.

Advances in crushing machinery technology now enables the production of 20-5mm recycled crushed stone which is perfect for a variety of uses due to its good drainage qualities.

Next time you see a demolition project in progress or pass any construction site during a build programme, it is clear to see the volume of waste being generated. If waste is not in skips, piles of rubble will be stacked high. The placing of rubble waste in skips has been a major problem for waste contractors for many years. Having worked in the waste industry, I have seen skip lorries tipped backwards with the cab of the vehicle up in the air, due to the sheer overloading of waste skips with construction site waste.

Each year, the UK generates around 330 million tonnes of waste and it is estimated that around 90 million tonnes of this is from construction and demolition wastes. This figure has remained fairly constant since 2001. Around two thirds of this waste is usually recycled or reused in land reclamation or agricultural improvement projects. Since the late 1990s there has been a steady rise in the volumes of construction waste being recycled and this has been helped with advances in technology which have led to improved crushing technology to create more widespread use of different specifications of recycled aggregates.

In recent years, the construction industry as a whole has worked hard to encourage construction project managers to place a greater emphasis upon recycling on site. This has led to an increase in the recycling of all inert materials from site.

Prior to the introduction of the landfill tax all construction site waste including bricks and concrete would be bulked up and transferred to a landfill site for disposal. No consideration was given to recycling. There are now stringent regulations across the sector, coupled with an increase in environmental awareness, as well as the commercial benefits in ensuring that this type of waste is now recycled. There is also greater recognition of the vast array of opportunities to use recycled aggregates within the construction process on future construction projects or in areas such as landscaping or home and garden DIY. Following the demolition process, together the waste concrete, bricks, masonry etc will be transformed into a recycled concrete aggregate.

To recycle concrete aggregate to a high standard and resalable product, it must be entirely free of other contaminants such as wood, paper, card, steel and other general waste materials. The final product must also conform to the requirements of British Standard BS 8500. The process of recycling the concrete can usually be achieved in one of two ways. Some demolition contractors will locate a crushing machine on the demolition site, whereas some contractors will prefer to transport the waste to be recycled, back to their own premises for segregation for recycling or re-use. On projects where demolition and new construction is to take place at the same location, the contractor is very likely to locate a crushing machine on site to avoid incurring additional transportation costs in taking the material back to a sorting and crushing facility. There is now very sophisticated crushing equipment available to reduce concrete to a very fine specification.

There are many legal and environmental issues which demolition contractors must now adhere to when undertaking their projects.

The Increasing Demand for High Quality Recycled Aggregate

Before commencing the crushing process, it must be determined what the end product is to be used for to ensure that the recycled aggregate is to meet the required standards. There is huge demand for recycled aggregate to be used back in the construction process. As a product, recycled concrete aggregate can be used for almost any type of concrete structural work, road surfacing or pipe laying project. Having passed through the crusher the chunks of aggregate will be separated by size. Bigger pieces may be retained as a decorative product for use in garden rockery projects, or they may be passed back through the crusher to be pummeled to a smaller size. The smaller pieces of recycled aggregate may be suitable for use as a gravel on new construction projects, road laying or driveways at home. The crushing machines are now capable of achieving good quality small aggregate grades such as the production of a 20-5mm gravel which can be bagged and used in the garden at home or purchased in bulk as part of projects involving new concrete production. The advances in technology mean that the recycling of aggregates for other uses such as a simple gravel product or for use in concrete products has greatly reduced the need to dig quarries to mine for gravel. Recycled aggregates have become a versatile reusable product and has eliminated the need for large volumes of a good material to be disposed of in landfill and therefore offer significant environmental benefits.

The demand for high quality crushed aggregate is increasing. There are key standards in place which are focused upon improving the recycled concrete aggregate industry. Through research and development, more widespread uses are being identified for the use of recycled aggregate. No longer is concrete, just concrete. What we are talking about now are many different grades of recycled aggregate, ranging from the large chunks of aggregate to very specific 6f2 recycled concrete which can be used as a sub-base material for construction jobs, or 20-5mm recycled aggregate, which is a gravel and can be used in road construction or at home on driveways. As well as being used as a mix for road construction, recycled aggregate is being used as bedding for pipe laying or foundation material prior to construction projects commencing. In achieving such good quality grades the 20-5mm recycled aggregate can be used as an aggregate base in road construction and the quality meets the standards required to allow its reuse in concrete production. The 20-5mm recycled aggregate is a very versatile product.

One of the important criteria when using recycled aggregate is selecting the right specification for the task. For example, when using 20-5mm coarse graded aggregate as a road base, the thickness of the layer required must be determined to withstand traffic flows. Traffic flow on a motorway will be significantly different to that of a country road. One reason aggregate produced to a 20-5mm specification is used as a road base is that it aids good drainage. Once the recycled aggregate is laid, appropriate layers of asphalt or concrete can be laid over it to create the road surface.

In recent years, in the UK we seem to have more rain than sunshine and therefore the selected aggregate must be able to withstand variances in temperature and conditions e.g. dampness for long periods, torrential downpours, long dry spells. With its good drainage qualities, the recycled 20-5mm product is the perfect choice for many sand and gravel applications including, pipe bedding, driveways and footpaths, landscaping, plus for use in ready mixed and precast concrete products.

There is stringent legislation in place to provide guidance on the safe asbestos removal from buildings.

Recycled Aggregates and the 2012 Olympics

In its bid for the 2012 Olympic Games, London placed sustainability as the focal point of its bid. The bid team identified a major opportunity to increase awareness of climate change and the issues which surround it, and bring it to the World’s attention. With the eyes of the World watching, the Olympic Games present a unique opportunity to communicate key messages about sustainability. Throughout the entire development of the Olympic project, there is a commitment to make 2012 the most sustainable Olympic Games ever held. This focus began when planning the development and build programmes for the facilities and venues, the transport links and network, the hosting of the Games themselves and will end by leaving a long lasting legacy of a sustainable environment.

Since London was awarded the Games, all partners involved in the development requirements, from the construction of the Olympic Stadium, the Olympic Village and transport links to the venues have been encouraged upon ensuring the use wherever possible of sustainable materials. Across the entire Olympic build programme construction managers have worked hard to identify suitable sustainable materials for use in the build programme. At the end of the overall project there will be some clearly visible examples of the use of sustainable products.

qually there will be many more much less visible and furthermore, many which will be not visible at all. One of those products which visitors to the games and its many venues will not even think about will be how recycled aggregates have been used as part of the overall construction project. But developers and specifiers of materials for use in the build programme will be comfortable in the knowledge that they have selected sustainable products including, the most appropriate recycled aggregates as part of the project. With its identified qualities, let’s hope that somewhere in the world wide TV coverage the 20-5mm recycled aggregate gets a mention somewhere, somehow.

Conclusion

How times have changed in recent years for the demolition and construction industry. Companies have had to adapt to meet challenging environmental requirements. As with almost any industry, new regulations and legislation dictate the standards to which your business must aspire, if it is to be successful.

Businesses involved in the production of recycled aggregate are no different. These are classed as processed materials and must conform to a particular product specification which can be used in the construction process. The standard BS8500-2 offers a full specification for the uses of recycled concrete aggregates in concrete, although with such a vast range of recycled aggregates an all encompassing specification for the use of these aggregates is yet to be determined. The most important thing is that the industry does not stand still and wait for the specifications to be finalised. The versatility of recycled aggregates means that demolition contractors operating crushing plants are seeking to identify markets through which to sell their recycled products. The advances in crusher technology and machinery has seen a big increase in the options now available in supplying large chunks of recycled aggregate for landscape gardening use in rockeries, down to a gravel type 20-5mm recycled aggregate with its good drainage qualities for use in road construction and driveways. The demolition and construction industry now places sustainability at the forefront of its future development projects.

Clients can look for a lot of household assurance providers on the German market. When searching feasibilities to safeguard yourself from the financial peril, it is quite difficult to detect a recommendable supplier and buy for your specific requirements. How can you detect the right household contents insurance at a good expense? There are web pages giving a gratis comparison of German household contents insurances. There the client might start an individual household inventory assurance comparison.

Who should contract householders insurance? Each proprietary of an edifice and every lodger can safeguard themselves against the monetary risk of damage of household contents. Here are some mentionable aspects that should be taken into consideration when looking for the fitting German household inventory assurance offerer via Internet:

Basically, the household inventory assurance gives protection from damage caused by tap water, hail, storm, fire, vandalism and theft. Also flood damage and harm to electronic equipment by irregularities in the power supply can be included in the assurance coverage. Losses caused by natural events such as floods, earthquakes and avalanches are dependent on the geographical country, and often result in a immense number of single claims. If the customer wants to cover these natural hazards you could ask the household inventory assurance provider for an individual plan.

The rate of your household items assurance depends on the total value of your household inventory, on the areal risk situation and inclusion of special risks. It is important to adjust the insurance sum to the total value of your household fitment. Otherwise the assurance could pay only part of the eventual loss. The householders insurance is helpful for each proprietor of valuable household inventory. It does not matter if you keep the fitment in the own house or if you are living in a flat as a tenant.

It is not mandatory to visit all the German household contents assurance companies by oneself when being in need of your personal solution. You can obtain an online comparison and even effect your household inventory assurance on this website: www.hausrat-versicherung.info. The client will get a good household insurance quotation out of a great number of insurance offerers.

The customer can save money by agreeing to a yearly payment for your household items insurance. If you want to pay quarterly or monthly, some of the assurance suppliers will charge higher expenses. By arranging a deductible you can reach mentionable savings concerning the contribution payment. Virtually all movable items, which are in the household of the insured customer, may be included in the assurance contract. These are for example furniture, clothing, electrical devices and also food supplies. Even bikes can be put in the household contents assurance and thus be insured against theft.

An Introduction to Working from Home

Ask anyone to describe their ideal job and working from home would come high on their wish list. Whether home working is an option provided by your employer or a decision you have taken yourself in starting your own business, the thought of just getting out of bed, walk over to a workstation and just start work is very appealing. No commuting to and from the office and working hours to suit yourself.

But is home or flexible working right for you as an individual, or good for your business as an employer? Well there are many advantages and disadvantages. Home or flexible working brings new responsibilities for both the employer and employee. Equally with advances in mobile technology it has never been easier to set up your own business to work from home.

An Increasing Trend

From a business point of view, allowing staff to work at home on either a full or part-time basis can bring a range of business benefits, from increased productivity, greater staff motivation to effective use of your premises. Advancements in mobile technology contributes enormously to the increase in opportunities for home working.

The spread of home working using the internet or telephone opens up a new range of possibilities with regards to the way a business works and structures itself. Computers, mobile phones, broadband and mobile broadband all play a role. For the individual, becoming self employed and working from home has also never been easier. If you have a laptop and mobile phone the opportunity is there, it’s just deciding what you want to do. So home working is becoming a way of life for many individuals and businesses, but what is home working?

Some employers will offer selected employees the opportunity to become a teleworker, whereby an employee can undertake their role from home utilising various types of technology, which is provided at the employees home by the employer. The employee will remain in touch with the business and other teleworkers. Some businesses, for example the utility companies who require gas, electric and meter readers, will class employees undertaking this type of work as teleworkers or outworkers.

Some individuals opt for the self-employed work life. The self-employed will operate their business from home, offering a product or service such as web development or business consultancy from home. In these types of roles, the individual can often plan their day to suit their own needs. I know one web developer who often works well into the early hours of the morning as this is when he feels most productive.

Others such as a painter and decorator, plumber or gardener, whilst providing their services away from the home, use home as the office for paperwork such as pricing future jobs and preparing invoices. I know of several painters and decorators who work Monday to Thursday, but use Friday’s to go out and price up future potential work. That is one thing to bear in mind when setting up as self employed, you need to allow time to find or prospect for future work.

Some types of work are more suitable for home working than others, the following list is not exhaustive, but will give some guidance:

• Telesales and Marketing
• Customer Services
• Professional services & consultancy i.e. HR Administration & Accountancy
• Certain types of administration work
• Data input
• Creative/Graphics
• Writing, editing, translation and research.
• I.T. Support & Programming

Many of the above have a common theme and that is that as long as you have access to a computer and a phone, you can undertake almost all of these tasks from home.

The shift towards home working does not mean employees only work from home. Splitting time between the workplace and home is the most productive solution, as you want employees to attend meetings, therefore keeping them informed and involved. Continued face to face interaction within the business remains a key requirement.

With the introduction of home working regulations, employers now have to seriously consider employee requests to work flexibly from home, especially if they have parental responsibility for children under 16 years old, disabled children or they are carers for other adults with disabilities.

Employers and individuals also need to consider what equipment will be required to ensure that an efficient business operation and working environment is set up.

Extensive other office furniture components are also available offering more than just desks, chairs and filing cabinets.

The Pros and Cons

So what are the advantages and disadvantages of an employer allowing employees to work from home or use their home as a base for at least part of the working week? It’s clear there are a number of benefits to the employer:

• Staff Retention is increased
• Wider pool of applicants to recruit from e.g. disabled people who prefer to work from home.
• Productivity gains through having fewer interruptions and less commuting time.
• Reduced stress and sickness increasing staff motivation.
• Savings on office space and facilities.
• Sales staff closer to clients, rather than being based at the office which could be miles away.
• As with life if there are advantages then there are also disadvantages to home/flexible working:
• Management of staff and monitoring performance
• Possible deterioration of key skills and quality of work.
• Capital costs – training and providing suitable equipment, this could include adaptations to meet Health & Safety standards or meet the needs of disabled workers.
• Difficulties maintaining staff development and upgrading of skills.
• Information security risks
• Increased telecommunication and I.T. costs
• Sense of isolation and communication problems amongst home workers.
• Staff morale and difficulties in maintaining team spirit.
• Home working may not be suitable for certain types of jobs.

One thing I particularly miss is the Monday morning office banter about what you did at the weekend of how your football team has fared compared to others. Often the camaraderie that is unique to an office where you get to know people well over many years is also lost where home working becomes an option.

Are You Suited o Working at Home?

Having identified the types of work that is suitable for flexible working, the employer must satisfy themselves that employees are suited to this type of work. It’s likely they will need a number of skills in key areas to allow them to work away from base.

• Time management and self discipline
• Motivation
• Communication
• Technology

We must make it clear that flexible working is not suitable for everyone and care should be taken, because allowing one person to work from home will set a precedent that others will want to follow. Others will see an attraction to working at home particularly on a lovely summer’s day, rather than being stuck in an office. I must confess that as I write this article, I am sitting in our summer house at the bottom of the garden with the laptop on a glorious summer’s day in June.

An employer you must have a clear idea of how home/flexible working could fit in with the needs of the business. A set of house rules need to be established and maintained, i.e. priority is given to requests from parents of young or disabled children. My wife for example, plans her day around the hours of taking the children to school and collecting them later. She maintains that she is extremely focused on what she needs to achieve within those six hours in between. No distractions or idle chit-chat that will occur in an office environment.

In some cases the employer is legally obliged to seriously consider requests for home/flexible workers. Employee with parental responsibility for children aged 16 or under, or disabled children who are under 18 and receive disability living allowances can request a range of flexible working patterns from their employers, this includes the right to work from home. There are similar rights for employees who are carers of adults.

The introduction of home working can also lead to an changes to employment contract terms and conditions. In a majority of cases an employee’s place of work is listed in the written schedules of their employment contract. It’s important that when an employee starts to work from home it may be necessary to review and amend their employment contract.

The following is a list of contractual aspects an employer should consider when implementing a home/flexible work policy:

• Stated hours of work
• Identify core times when employees undertake to work and/or are contactable.
• Extra duties or responsibilities that may need to be assigned in addition to those already agreed
• Identify the terms regarding the supply and insurance of any equipment that may be required, these should clearly state ownership and use, especially that its not to be used for personal use.
• Clearly identify what the employer will reimburse to cover additional expenses the employee may incur, its especially important to identify the calculation method when costs are shared i.e. utility bills and telecommunications
• Procedures to be put in place if either the employee or employer wishes to terminate the home/flexible working arrangement.

Allowing flexible working the employer should remember that they still have health and safety responsibilities for people who work at or from home; and you are likely to have to provide and maintain equipment for employees to use, these include:

• Workstation complete with suitable task chair
• Filing cabinet, shelves or storage
• PC/Laptop with office software, email and broadband internet connection
• Dedicated business telephone line
• Printer & fax machine
• Stationery and Office Supplies

For added luxury, executive leather desk chairs are available for the home or office working environment.

IT equipment and software can be expensive so it’s important to ensure it meets your genuine business need and is compatible with your existing systems. Technology changes almost daily and with today’s advances the establishment of virtual teams where employees work together despite working at home can be set up easily and at reasonable expense. These teams could be two employees talking over the phone or you could use more hi-tech solutions like high speed internet, instant messaging, webinar and video conferencing. Many laptops now have web cam and this also offers the chance to see the person you are speaking with.

Providing all this kit and equipment it is important to ensure your business insurance cover is extended to cover home workers, as their home insurance is unlikely to cover this, however they should check with their insurer and extend their policy to include working from home.It is also a good idea to find out who would be responsible for a claim should you have an accident at home, during working hours.

Workers who undertake home working should check with their local council and mortgage company the position regarding using their home as a work base, and whether they may have to pay business rates for the portion of their home they use as an office. Some self employed businesses will involve use of a vehicle which will need to be parked up at certain times of the day. For example painters and decorators and builders are likely to utilise a transit van or pick up truck in the work. You should therefore ensure that neighbours will not be offended by having the vehicle parked in the street or to block light out of their homes. If you are to park a vehicle at home, let the neighbours know, it may save a lot of hassle later.

The employer needs to ensure that employees take care of business equipment and information in their possession, it’s important to establish procedures to be followed if any item is damaged or lost, especially data and intellectual rights.

We all agree that flexible working offers a wide range of benefits to both the business and employees, but it needs to be carefully managed to be successful. Procedures should be put in place for managers to monitor and assess home workers, this is the most significant managerial challenge an employer will face. It can be helpful to measure their effectiveness in terms of output rather than the hours of work. Agree set goals and deadlines for particular projects, and ensure these are being met, give feedback promptly and sensitively if things go wrong.

Ensuring home workers have access to training can prepare and help employees develop the necessary skills they need.For staff who work alone a sense of isolation is one of the main factors most likely to make home working fail, therefore it’s important to ensure procedures are put into place to make people feel part of the team, these should include:

• Frequent 2-way feedback sessions about work and work related issues
• Regular visits to the workplace
• Inclusion in social activities for home based workers.
• Clear procedures that can be followed and contact lists for when things go wrong.

When the employees job is home-based from the start, make sure their induction is undertaken at your premises, this helps the home worker focus and be productive if they have a chance to establish a clear idea of the people they will be working for. The most successful home workers are those who have worked from the business premises previsouly.

I really did my homework to find where to buy office chair desk systems and a range of matching office accessories.

A Brief Health & Safety Obligations Check List for Home Workers

If you use your home as your main business workplace, you must carry out a health and safety risk assessment to identify any possible hazards to yourself, workers, visitors and other members of your household.

Possible hazards include:

• Using work equipment at home, including electrical appliances
• Your workstation set-up
• Handling loads
• Hazardous substances and materials
• Psychological hazards, such as stress or loneliness
• Fire
• Slips, trips and falls
• Excessive noise or vibration

Slips, trips and falls are one of the most common causes of injury in the work place. Even something we take for granted on a daily basis, such as walking up and down the stairs, should be regarded as a hazard. Evaluate whether a hazard is significant and if it is, whether you have taken enough precautions to make the risk as low as you reasonably can.

You need to consider:

• Your home and those who live there – including vulnerable persons, e.g. children, the elderly, and new and expectant mothers
• The work done in your home
• The equipment in your home
• Emergency procedures
• First aid provision

Five steps to a health and safety risk assessment

1. Identify any hazards.
2. Decide who might be harmed and how.
3. Assess the risks and remove them or, otherwise, reduce them as far as is reasonably possible.
4. Record your findings.
5. Check the risks regularly and take further steps if needed.

Conclusion

With advancements in mobile technology, working at home has become far easier to do. It can offer a very balanced way of life and the rewards can be great. In the current economic climate, many who have been unfortunate to suffer redundancy or reduced hours are considering setting up their own business to work from home. Having worked in the corporate world for over twenty years and just suffered redundancy, it is certainly an option to consider.

But home working needs to be considered carefully. Is it right for you? Is it right for your employer? What impact will it have on my homelife? Many advantages, but also many disadvantages and bear in mind the health and safety requirements and risks. Your health is important so choosing the correct office furniture to meet your needs is a must for any home worker to ensure you have the proper facilities for home working.

Another thing to consider, which is often overlooked, is that once you have got your work into your home, how do you get away from it?

If you are lucky enough to really love your work the temptation can be to do it all day long. Eventually this can lead to burn out and can also take away some of the pleasure of working, even if it is something you really love. Therefore it is important to have balance in your life, even more so when you work from home. Some suggestions to help to achieve this are to make sure that when you have lunch, for example, remove yourself from the work space and don’t eat at your desk, get some separation from the work when you are not doing it.

Remember that just because you work from home it doesn’t mean that work has to take over your life.

Original post by mikel206 and many thanks to them and their entry and picture of their BMX Bike

Original post by FRESSTYLE FREEK and many thanks to them and their entry and picture of their BMX Bike