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Parker Hannifin the global leader in motion and control technologies, has announced an innovative oil condition monitoring technology that is set to help marine operators reduce downtime, reduce costs, and protect assets.

Developed in close collaboration with marine experts, the DIGI Plus has been designed to offer rapid on-site and on-board oil condition monitoring to improve productivity and increase uptime for the marine industry.

With unplanned downtime as a core concern of Finnish cement producer Finnsementti, part of the CRH Group, they chose to use the wireless condition monitoring solution from Schaeffler, OPTIME. This allowed them to monitor practically every rotating machine at the plant on a largely automated and permanent basis, thus reducing their risk.

David Stevens, Technical Authority and Skills Competence Manager for AVT Reliability®, explains the important role that ‘smart sensors’ play in improving reliability while delivering cost-efficiency.

A company looking to digitalise its condition monitoring (CM) programme should carefully consider the capabilities of the technological tools currently on the market, to ensure they get the best return on investment. 

The selection of sensors - the device fixed to a rotating machine to take measurements such as vibration and temperature - is a good place to start. 

Fixed sensors with low price tags are available, but they require physical monitoring, cannot be configured to the process, and produce no analytical data. 

Pharmacy laws and control of therapeutic products require controlled storage of medicines.

For example, insulin and some antibiotic syrups need to be stored in special refrigerators. The temperature in these refrigerators must either lie constantly at -20 °C or in a range of 2 °C to 8 °C. Storage must also be traceable. A temperature range of 15 °C to 25 °C applies to less sensitive medicines.

A light scattering airborne particle counter determines the concentration of particles and is capable of counting and sizing single airborne particles and reporting size data in terms of the equivalent optical diameter.

The main sizes monitored are 0.5 µm and 5 µm and are reported as particles/m3 or particles/ft3; the ISO 14664-2 standard specifies a flow rate of 1 cfm for counter particles that are equal or larger than 5 µm. Lighthouse, Particle Measuring Systems, Beckman Coulter and Climet are just a few manufacturers of precision measurement particle counters.

For many people, “condition monitoring” means little more than getting someone to take some vibration readings on your machines and compare the overall levels of velocity or acceleration with a standard threshold number – the sort of thing that can be seen in table A.1, which comes from ISO 20816-2. 

With construction sites given the green light to go back to work, it’s never been more important for those in charge of planning a site office to get things right, especially as social distancing and hygiene measures now play a vital role in any successful planning.

From health and safety through to storage, plans must be comprehensive and have contingencies factored in to ensure productivity is maintained and sites stay open during a global pandemic.

To put things in simpler terms, a site’s office must offer a combination of safety, security, amenity, and visibility. So, in today’s article, we’re going to cover the most important things to consider when planning a site office.

COVID-19 health and safety

Away from the more traditional health and safety measures you’d expect on a construction site, there’s a mandatory requirement for sites to follow strict social distancing and hygiene measures.  

These measures include the likes of the ‘one metre plus’ rule  — where workers must be either two metres apart, or at least one metre if two metres isn’t achievable — and making sure hand washing stations are present at site entrances and exits.

Along with one-way systems and limiting the number of workers using canteens, workspaces, and drying facilities at once, construction sites are encouraged to introduce staggered starts and finishes.

The requirements and advice don’t stop there, with the Construction Leadership Council outlining a comprehensive list of measures, which you can read in full via their latest version of the site operating procedures guidance.

Security

Regardless of lockdowns, site offices must be extremely secure. Theft can happen at any time, especially during times where our focus may be elsewhere. Attacks can often take place on weekends or during longer periods of downtime — which is something that could happen again at the blink of an eye in the current climate.

With offices holding essential documents and valuable items, security against both theft and vandalism is paramount. It’s no surprise that many site offices tend to be in the form of a durable steel storage container — built to function as an office with workspace and other amenities, but also to offer a high level of protection.

Now may be the perfect time to consider purchasing site accommodation or even renting from a reputable provider.

Weatherproofing

Even when areas of a site are unusable due to bad weather, the site office can operate as normal. Protection against the elements is key for any construction site, and with the security benefits a durable steel storage container site office can offer, the use of one for weatherproofing is a no-brainer. Not to mention the fact it can keep site equipment dry and occupants — providing they’re following social distancing measures.

Vital equipment and information

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) will expect certain items and information to be displayed in the site office. Not having these on display can lead to companies being issued hefty fines. 

A site office must be equipped with a first aid kit that is easy to access and fit for use. Housing it in a site office means it can be kept secure, dry, and in good condition.

Documents to be housed include an accident log, induction forms, health and safety policies, construction phase plan, risk assessments, method statements, work permits, training records, and a site register.

A fire extinguisher to use in case of emergencies should also be present, with more than one extinguisher placed in different areas on the site if achievable.

Information to display

The site office is the hub of activity on the site, so important signage that will help workers should be on display. A device for workers to sign-in and out on should be placed in the office where it can be kept safe and referenced whenever an emergency arises.

The site office is also a logical place to display a notice board to make sure team members are up to speed with rules and regulations of the site. Spare PPE should also be safe and dry so it can be used by visitors when they are permitted to come on-site.

Workspace

A site office’s foundations aren’t just in the brick or steelwork. The right amenities for workers should be close by. Portable drying rooms, shower units, and toilets are vital considerations when planning the site so that employees have everything they need in one centralised hub.

Visibility is also important. Double-glazed windows that allow occupants to see the rest of their site is an excellent way to achieve good visibility.

All the considerations mentioned, especially the most up to date COVID-19 guidance, will help to create a safe and secure site, while maintaining high levels of productivity. The hope now for sites that already takes these factors into account is that they can continue to operate without another lockdown.

Sources

https://www.pbctoday.co.uk/news/health-safety-news/construction-employers-covid19/76249/

https://www.mobilemini.co.uk/storage-containers/container-hire/ 

https://www.hse.gov.uk/

Now that we’re in the process of exiting what is hopefully the final COVID-19 lockdown in the UK, the government is beginning to turn its attention to areas that have been neglected when dealing with the pandemic. One such area is the building of more affordable housing.

There are a number of complex factors at play when it comes to the provision of affordable housing, from planning and development to budgeting. But one surprise way in which the UK could pave the way for more affordable housing is through an oil to gas conversion. Here, we explore how LPG is assisting in the provision of affordable housing for UK buyers and why it could be an open-goal for the sector and government in the desire to hit targets and meet housing demands.

Affordable housing: the state of play

Affordable housing has been a contentious issue in recent years, from the failed government initiative to build 200,000 affordable homes to the recent news that the cost of building new affordable homes in London has trebled since the first programme. A recently approved plan to build 1,000 new rentable homes in London has been criticised because they don’t meet the affordable housing criteria. Recent research has also shown that house prices have hit a record high this year.

The new Affordable Homes Programme is set to deliver “up to” 180,000 new affordable housing properties, “should economic conditions allow”. In a bid to further boost availability, the government stated that councils which don’t build enough new homes will lose the right to determine the location of subsequent new houses. This ruling is part of a planning policy framework which details regulations regarding the number of homes that each council must construct — which considers localised aspects of an area including local house costs and average wages. Essentially, if a location has a particularly high level of unaffordability, that council will need to build a greater number of new, affordable homes.

The knock-on effect of this is that councils may be pushed towards building new homes in rural locations instead of packed cities and towns. This focus on building affordable homes in rural areas has been accepted positively by CPRE, the countryside charity, who published guidance in summer 2020 about what is needed to make this a reality.

The provision of rural affordable housing is one solution to the problem of availability, but it poses another question around how those homes are powered.

How can LPG support the building of new affordable housing?

According to the Climate Change Committee, the number of homes in the UK not connected to the mains gas grid is around four million. The Non Gas Map, which was created in collaboration with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, says the reliance on the mains grid varies significantly across the UK. Certain locations — such as Northern Scotland and Mid Wales — appear to show less dependence on being connected to the main network, while others, including North-East England and the Home Counties, have a greater percentage of homes that rely on energy provided by mains gas.

A sufficient energy supply is one of the foremost concerns around building new homes in rural locations. However, we can see that there is an opportunity to construct homes in areas that aren’t connected to the mains network, granted that an equally-efficient alternative is implemented in its place. But how will this encourage affordable housing growth?

The ability to power homes with LPG may provide more opportunity for development and construction companies to build affordable housing in rural areas. Currently, a small number of major commercial developers create the majority of the UK’s housing. By using LPG as an easy alternative to main network connection, we can widen the number of locations that a housing project can take place. Consequently, more small- and mid-size companies should have a greater chance of securing a plot for development in the sector and we may see a growth in affordable housing as a result.

LPG can also make building affordable housing in rural areas more cost-effective due its easy portability and storage solutions. Keeping production costs as low as possible is essential and the ease of supplying and stockpiling LPG may help developers keep a track of energy costs and ensure that mains grid issues, such as power cuts, won’t affect productivity — another potentially costly side-effect.

With a number of government commitments to climate change in place, including the ambitious target of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050, there’s a UK-wide focus on reducing our carbon footprint. In an industry like construction and housing, it’s easy to adopt less environmentally friendly products and practices. LPG – via an oil to gas conversion - is a relatively clean form of energy, releasing just 81% of the carbon dioxide that oil does and 70% of the carbon dioxide that coals emits. With tax relief offered to energy-efficient businesses, it’s helpful to be as eco-friendly as possible. If developers of affordable housing choose to utilise LPG, this could also work towards greater numbers of affordable housing projects.

Sources:
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/housing-starter-homes-budget-philip-hammond-a8066571.html
https://www.planningresource.co.uk/article/1715136/go-ahead-1000-north-london-build-to-rent-homes-despite-affordable-housing-amenity-space-shortfalls
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-57055314
https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2021-02-01/147083
https://www.ft.com/content/7fe5b936-1f9c-11e8-a895-1ba1f72c2c11
https://www.cpre.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Aug-2020-CPRE-Affordable-Housing-guide.pdf
https://www.theccc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Annex-2-Heat-in-UK-Buildings-Today-Committee-on-Climate-Change-October-2016.pdf
https://www.nongasmap.org.uk/
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-becomes-first-major-economy-to-pass-net-zero-emissions-law
https://www.gov.uk/green-taxes-and-reliefs

Teams operate more safely and pinpoint air, gas and vacuum leaks with greater sensitivity.

The new Fluke™ ii910 Precision Acoustic Imager uniquely enables the detection of corona and partial discharge from a safe distance of up to 120 meters. Teams can operate safely, minimise the risk of fires and help reduce outages. The Fluke™ ii910 also offers greater sensitivity to detect compressed air, gas, and vacuum system leaks, reducing downtime which can cost up to EUR 1000,- per minute.

Unrestricted water jetting training will be permitted once more from Saturday 31^st July 2021, the Water Jetting Association has announced.

The decision is based on the government’s roadmap out of COVID-19 lockdown, which is due to see final pandemic restrictions lifted on Monday 21^st June 2021.

As such the lifting of training restrictions is dependent on any further changes to the government’s timetable.