Behind the headlines


Sticking our heads above the parapet Behind the headlines


News Analysis with BESA, the Building Engineering Services Association


BUILDING SERVICES engineers should feel confident enough to lead change across the construc- tion sector – both technically and politically, says Tim Rook*. The ‘traditional’ hierarchy that


pigeon holes architects as project leaders while building services specialists are restricted to tech- nical detail is changing. Last month’s CIBSE Technical Symposium captured a mood of growing confidence among engi- neers that if we have the ideas then we should also have the opportunity to lead their implementation. There is a natural tendency among engineers to take a back seat and stick to what they know best – technical details – but if we are to achieve more we must emulate some of that natural flamboyance that architects seem to have in abundance. As well as making the profession more at- tractive to potential recruits, this will also increase our visibility and status; making it easier for the general public to appreciate and value our social contribution. In fact, we should go further and take much more of a leader- ship role in the politics of cli- mate change. Did the politicians who agreed to ambitious global warming goals at the COP21


Conference in Paris last Decem- ber really understand what they were signing? And how many re- ally know what restricting global temperature growth to below 2degC actually involves?


Insecurities


At the Symposium, which was hosted by Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, those present were urged to put any insecurities aside and “stick their heads above the parapet”. Wim Zeiler from the Eindhoven


University of Technology opened the meeting by pointing out that building service engineers often feel “inferior to architects”. “Yet we all start from the same point...and we can’t afford to leave building performance to ar- chitects,” he added. His university research team


have carried out detailed analysis of how project teams work and how the creative process can often be undermined by the structure of a team and its failure to communicate properly. The principle of a single de- sign team leader is an outdated one, according to Professor Zeiler. The key is having a struc- ture that allows the right person to lead at the right time – not allowing the engineer to be


but not understanding each other. Inevitably, the role of Building


Tim Rook


constantly in a “passive role behind the architect”. Communication and sharing


knowledge was a key theme during the Symposium, and Professor Zeiler rather summed up the problems by reproducing a popular saying among architects in Holland that “communication with the dead is only marginally more difficult than communica- tion with an engineer”. Insulting as that expression is, it hides a greater truth that we often seem to be talking the same language within a project team,


Information Modelling (BIM) was discussed at length in Edinburgh and, again, the issue was pinpointed as the failure of communication and lack of a common language. It is striking how many people refer to BIM as the great collaborative tool before going on to explain how they are approaching it differ- ently from everyone else. Michael Wigington of J Dunton Associates suggested a common platform where information presented in different formats could still be shared by multiple team members. Part of the prem- ise being that BIM is a problem for many SMEs to adopt because it requires special software that many don’t have. And this is all part of why we end up with buildings that do not perform as designed. The growing problem of overheating in new homes is one troubling example, which was examined by William Wright of the BRE and traced back to decisions made right at the start of the design process.


Learning


In the same session, Sophia Flucker, director of Operational


Rising to the occupational health challenge


Almost three quarters (72 per cent) of building services firms say they actively manage occupa- tional health, according to a new survey from the Electrical Con- tractors’ Association (ECA), the BESA and Constructing Better Health.


Of those that said they man- aged occupational health (OH), some 82 per cent cited a ‘moral duty’ as a key reason for doing so, while over half (51 per cent) said it also helped to show the sector was ‘a great place to work.’ Many respondents also said that manag-


ing OH led to a more productive workforce, with better staff reten- tion (77 per cent), and less absen- teeism (84 per cent).


The main on-site occupational health hazards identified by re- spondents were manual handling (96 per cent), noise (94 per cent), and asbestos (93 per cent). Tim Rook, BESA director of technical, comments: “We are encouraged by the results of this survey because it shows that em- ployers take occupational health issues seriously. However, while it is correct to say we have made


impressive strides forward on safety, we still have some way to go on health. “We have a growing skills shortage. Improving our image and really caring about our work- force, whether in the office or on site, is essential if we are to at- tract the diverse workforce we need to deliver projects to a high standard and meet ambitious fu- ture construction targets." ECA director of business Paul Reeve said: “The findings of this survey will help us understand more clearly what the real occu-


pational health issues are in our sector. This data should help fur- ther increase cost-effective occu- pational health provision. “The survey has yielded some useful data but we are also mind- ful that those who responded may already be ‘switched on’ and there is much more to do”.


There were almost 400 re- sponses to the ECA/BESA/CBH survey, which ran in March and April this year. Responses were mainly from directors and man- agers, operating across the entire building services spectrum.


For more information on the BESA and its members, contact Richard Ward on 020 7313 4925 or e-mail richard.ward@thebesa.com 14 | May 2016 | HVR Daily news update at www.heatingandventilating.net


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