SPOTLIGHT
HS2 - PIONEERING
BREEAM
INFRASTRUCTURE
HS2 has become the UK’s first
infrastructure project to be awarded a
BREEAM Infrastructure (pilot) Scheme
Certificate for its ambitious sustainability
strategy on Phase 1 of the project.
T
he assessment demonstrates that HS2 is committed
to going beyond enhancement and protection of the
environment, to address the key social and economic
impacts of the development. It includes features such
as working in harmony with communities, being a great
neighbour, putting safety and wellbeing at the heart of
the project, and building sustainable economic benefits
for the whole of the UK, such as better skills and career
opportunities for a new generation.
HS2 Environment Director Peter Miller said:
“We are very pleased to receive this BREEAM
Infrastructure certificate. Our goal with HS2 is to design
and build the most sustainable high-speed railway of its
kind in the world, working in partnership with our supply
chain and local communities to leave a positive legacy
for future infrastructure projects both in the UK and
beyond. This certificate is a testament to our sustainability
commitments and to the lasting benefits of the HS2
project.”
BREEAM Infrastructure* is part of the international
BREEAM family of sustainability standards for buildings
and infrastructure. Later this year the best of BREEAM
Infrastructure will be brought together with market leading
sustainable infrastructure scheme CEEQUAL* to provide a
new world class international scheme for the future called
CEEQUAL (2018). The CEEQUAL (2018) development process
includes significant valuable feedback and learning from
the application of the BREEAM Infrastructure pilot to HS2.
BRE Director of Infrastructure Chris Broadbent said:
“From 2014, HS2 was the first project to engage with BRE
in the development of BREEAM Infrastructure working with
us to pioneer a new approach to a sustainability strategy
which applies right across the entire HS2 project. This is
a first for the UK and it will set the standards for future
infrastructure projects around the world.”
18
HSE INTERNATIONAL
BSIF LAUNCHES
NEW REGISTERED
SAFETY SUPPLIER
SCHEME WEBSITE
The BSIF is delighted to announce the
launch of the new Registered Safety
Supplier Scheme website!
By Ian Crellin
T
he Registered Safety Supplier Scheme (RSSS)
historically focussed on the threat posed by fake
and counterfeit products and fake and counterfeit
certification. However, in addition to this problem, a
much more pernicious threat has become apparent
and that is the failure of PPE to match the performance
claims that the CE certification denotes and crucially the
performance that users anticipate.
If the outcome of an employer’s risk assessment
includes the necessity for Personal Protective Equipment
(PPE) it is the law that it must be provide adequate
protection against the hazard and it must be suitable for
the individual.
Since late 2016, the BSIF has taken significant steps to
strengthen the terms and conditions of the Registered
Safety Supplier Scheme as we experienced increasing
evidence that PPE products in the market fail to perform.
Many products in Category I such as leather gloves
contain Chromium VI and Azo dyes and therefore fail the
CE Basic Requirements of Safety and Health where the
PPE itself actually contains a threat to the user. Perhaps
the most startling examples come in Category II (Safety
Footwear, Safety Helmets and High Visibility Clothing)
where the performance claims from the original, one
time, type testing are just not being achieved. It has
therefore became absolutely necessary to strengthen
the terms of the Registered Safety Supplier Scheme to
address this.
As part of the strengthening BSIF Registered Safety
Supplier Scheme, members submit to the testing of
products from their range to ensure that they actually
match the performance claims that they make.
Of the tests conducted during 2017, some 15% of
products tested had failures against clauses in the
relevant EN standard. The tests were not restricted just
to the categories mentioned above but also included
category 3 products. Failures saw the brand owner then
conducting their own independent tests which resulted in