SPONSORED BY HEALTH SECTOR NEWS Etex to ‘almost double’ size of Bristol factory
Lightweight construction material manufacturer, Etex, has been given the green light by North Somerset Council to expand its Bristol manufacturing facility by almost double.
Part of the global Etex Group, Etex produces ‘innovative construction materials’ such as drywall, passive fire protection, and steel framing systems. The £140 m investment into the former brownfield site is expected to increase production capacity for Etex’s Siniat brand by over 50%, and will contribute to the local economy by creating more than 50 new jobs at the site, set to open in 2023. The business will also use the expansion to
encourage more young people to enter the manufacturing sector through its Operator Apprenticeship scheme.
The new manufacturing facility will have a core focus on sustainability, utilising a rainwater harvesting system, solar PV,
electric car charging points, and eventually a fully electric forklift fleet. The extra space will also support Etex in meeting one of its core circular economy objectives – of achieving 30% post-consumer gypsum in its plasterboard by 2025. While Etex says it is already leading post-consumer gypsum recycling in Europe – reprocessing over 120,000 tonnes of recovered gypsum per year – the expansion will significantly increase its capabilities. As demand for its plasterboard products grows, the plant’s proximity to the Royal Portbury Dock will allow it to ‘seamlessly import’ raw materials for its products via the Bristol Channel.
Hospitals, schools, and workplaces, need ‘annual building MoT’
Hospitals, schools, and workplaces, should be subject to an annual ‘building MoT’ to ensure they are properly ventilated and maintained to protect users from airborne viruses like COVID-19, says Chartered Engineer, Gary Jones (pictured), a twice past-Chair of the Southern Region of the CIBSE, Fellow of IHEEM, and Low Carbon Specialist, who says simply opening a window, in many cases, ‘will be woefully inadequate at keeping the virus at bay’.
“A building health check would provide the structure and guidance needed to ensure that all equipment, including the ventilation plant, is sized correctly, appropriately operated, and maintained on a regular basis,” he explained. “We regularly test electrics, fire alarms,
sprinklers, lifts, water systems, and more, so why not the ventilation?” His call follows the recent publication in The Lancet of ‘10 scientific reasons in support of airborne transmission of COVID’ (
https://tinyurl.com/x7y6btde), which concluded that the public health community ‘should act accordingly and without delay’.
Gary Jones points out that natural ventilation, such as opening a window, may not penetrate deep into an open plan office or meeting rooms, and may only provide fresh air to those seated nearest the window, ‘especially where windows are only located on one side of the room’. He said:
“New mechanical ventilation systems should be providing 100 per cent fresh air, but many older systems re-circulate air, and could potentially recirculate the virus, rather than introducing fresh air.” While Government guidance on mechanical ventilation of spaces exists, he argues that the classification of rooms needs reviewing, and that consequently, compliance is ‘inconsistent’.
“Unfortunately,” he added, “viruses like COVID-19 are likely to become a more regular problem, and as people become more educated on airborne transmission, they may start to avoid buildings with inadequate ventilation.”
July 2021 Health Estate Journal 13
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