Pre 2008 - News Archive


Headlines

CDM 2007 - Updated Questionnaire and Summary Online

November 2007 Update

September 2007 Update

July 2007 Update

Designer Competency Questionnaire Removed for Update

Oct 2006 Update - Current Summary of Revised CDM Regulations 2007 - REMOVED PLEASE SEE CDM 2007 ABOVE

The commercial case for applying CDM

100 Case Studies Achieved

DBP Article in Structural Engineer

IOSH Publish an article on DBP

DBP wins Safety Award

DBP shortlisted for Safety Award

DBP Flyer Published

DBP Published in CIBSE Journal

CDM Review back on course

Link from OSHA created

Competency Questionnaire

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CDM 2007 - Updated Questionnaire and Summary Online

Website

CDM2007 QUESTIONNAIRE AND SUMMARY NOW AVAILABLE
We are pleased to announce that the updated CDM2007 questionnaire is now available for download.
Follow the CDM2007 link on the main menu and download from there.
There is also a download available which summarises the CDM2007 changes.
We are planning on making the answers available to all those who complete questionnaires,although it is still being discussed as how best to facilitate this. Please sign up to the Forum for more details.
Remember the answers are all in the updated 2007 CDM Regulations so get reading and test yourselves.

Webmaster @ dbp.org.uk

22nd November 2007

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November 2007 Update

Website

NEW WEBSITE LAUNCHED

We are pleased to be able to anounce that the new website is now live.

The added features include Lean, Sustainability, Best Practice in Practice and Worst Practice.
These sections will be updated soon, the working groups are currently putting together their preliminary findings.
Worst practice already has some examples in place.
Best practice in practice is a section where you can tell us if the case studies have helped you in practice. Have you used the idea's? Have you expanded or improved the idea's? Please let us know.
The DBP Forum is now open to all, please drop in and sign up and lets get some discussion going.
There will also be an updated CDM questionnaire uploaded soon, it is currently having its final check.

Finally, please let us know your comments on the new site, we are always looking to improve.

Webmaster @ dbp.org.uk

November 2007

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September 2007 Update

Website
The new website is well under construction and is now in testing. It is hoped that we can launch the new site in the next month or so.

Case Studies
We now have 114 case studies uploaded on the site. Thanks for all your contributions. New case studies are always required, lets keep the archive growing. If you have a case study or an idea for a case study please get in touch.

September 2007

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July 2007 Update

Website
Following the last DBP group meeting, the website is being upgraded to include some extra features. Two of the main new components will be Sustainability and Lean. The website graphics and layout will also be upgraded - check back soon for more details.

Case Studies
Case studies 109 - 112 have also been added following the last group meeting. Thanks once again to all parties contributing Case Studies.

July 2007

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Designer Competency Questionnaire Removed for Update

The designer competency questionnaire on the site, is currently unavailable. The form has been taken offline so that it can be amended to take into account the changes associated with the 2007 CDM regulations.

The updated form will be back on line shortly, please check back for updates.

May 2007

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Oct 2006 Update - Current Summary of Revised CDM Regulations 2007

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN REMOVED TO AVOID CONFUSION
Please see CDM 2007 above for latest summary.

Jan 2008

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The commercial case for applying CDM

The HSE publishes a paper on The commercial case for applying CDM naming DBP.org.uk as a source of information. Full Document here.

From page 5;
"Design Best Practice is an industry initiative to collect case studies and examples of ideas for designers that may contribute to health and safety. Reference www.dbp.org.uk".

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100 Case Studies Achieved

We have reached a momentous landmark in the history of dbp.org.uk. A Date for your diary, on Friday 28th July 2006 the 100th Case Study was uploaded to the website.

Thanks go to Matthew Ward of Cape Industrial Services Ltd who has the accolade of submitting the 100th Case Study entitled "Mini Personnel Access Lift".

Tom Stanway of DBP said "100 excellent quality submissions is a major milestone for our group, the site is an amazing resource for the construction industry".

Thanks to everyone who has contributed so far, and do please keep up the hard work, lets make it 200 before not too long.

To submit your Case Study idea please visit this page.

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DBP Article in Structural Engineer

Health & Safety Award for designers sharing safe solutions.

The top prize in the Health & Safety Awards 2006 has been won by Design Best Practice (DBP), a not-forprofit network of leading consultancies which share information about design solutions that make construction safer.
DBP won the Working Well Together health and safety organisation of the year as well as taking the award for Best safety innovation from a designer or engineer.
The team is now keen to widen awareness of DBP so that more people can share the benefits and contribute to the expanding portfolio of best practice case studies.

DBP was formed 2 years ago when the Heath & Safety Executive challenged designers to do more to make construction safer. Ten firms with accountability for design and construction, working across a range of disciplines for client AstraZeneca, put aside any commercial rivalry to create the network dedicated to boosting designer competency and reducing hazards on site. The success of the initiative has resulted in more than 100 case studies being supplied by the member firms: Amec, Boulting, Cross, Green Contract Services, Jacobs, Lovelock Mitchell, Multi-Design Consultants, Peers Structural Solutions, The Austin Company and Thermal Transfer. The case studies, which are freely available from www.dbp.org.uk, give examples of where designers have added value by designing-out or mitigating hazards to construction or user teams.

The network�s founders are now seeking participation from other likeminded firms committed to improving safety and promoting best practice.
"Winning this award has confirmed the wide interest in exchanging solutions and we would welcome involvement from other firms", said Chris Oakes of Multi Design Consultants. "We don�t want to keep these ideas to ourselves. There are still too many deaths and injuries in construction and we believe that designers can do more to improve the situation. Coming together under the DBP framework gives a real opportunity to ensure that the best ideas take hold."

In introducing the Health & Safety Awards 2006, Health & Safety Executive chief inspector of construction Stephen Williams pointed out that about a third of all workplace fatalities occur in construction, despite year-on-year improvements in injury rates. "I urge all in the industry to follow the lead of the many companies and individuals we are celebrating this year".

DBP enjoys strong support from key bodies such as the HSE, European Agency for Safety & Design at Work and Safety in Design. "HSE welcomes the numerous examples of good and best practice compiled by Design Best Practice. These will assist designers in achieving safety through design." said David Thomas, principal specialist inspection within HSE�s Construction Division Technology Unit. " The examples provide practical guidance on the designer�s duty to identify and eliminate hazards, adapt their design to reduce the risk from residual hazards and provide clear and concise information"

The Health & Safety Awards recognise excellence, innovation and professionalism in all areas of construction safety, occupational health, site facilities and staff Wellbeing.

Prizes are awarded in 15 categories, with the category winners competing for the top accolade of Working Well Together health and safety organisation of the year which is awarded in collaboration with the HSE�s Working Well Together scheme.

Further information: Chris Oakes, Associate Director, Multi Design Consultants (tel: 0161 477 0766) or Steve Bowker, Project Engineer, AstraZeneca (tel: 01625 515 265).

Extracted from The Structural Engineer Magazine
- a publication of The Institution of Structural Engineers
Full article here (PDF Reader required)

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IOSH Publish an article on DBP

The Safety and Health Practitioner Magazine the publication of IOSH,
has published an article about DBP.

To read the article click here.

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DBP wins Safety Award

Best Safety Innovation From A Designer Or Engineer

I am in the fortunate position to let you know that The Design Best Practice Network were awarded the Best Safety Innovation from a Designer or Engineer, at the 2006 Health and Safety awards organised by Building magazine in association with the UK Health and Safety Executive.

The aim of The Design Best Practice Network is to share design best practice among its members and raise awareness of the duties on designers to comply with the CDM regulations. You can see more about the network by visiting www.dbp.org.uk. We are now actively working with the HSE to communicate the website to the UK construction community with the intention of making it a site for design best practice reference material accessed for free, and encouraging others to contribute.
In this way we demonstrate the power of the UK construction community working together for mutual benefit.

You can see more about these awards by visiting, www.building.co.uk

We hope those of you involved in design and project management will have heard of DBP and are using the information provided within your project teams. Could I take this opportunity to emphasise how you may further contribute to the success of the network.
  • Ensure that you and your project teams take a look at the website during front end project definition and detail design stages to see if there is design best practice which you could incorporate into your design. All the design examples have contact names and numbers who will be more than pleased to clarify the best practice.

  • Actively encourage your teams to recognise your own design best practice and submit it for inclusion into the network - that way we can all improve. These examples do not have to be 'big impact'. We have found it is the small design details which often have a great impact on construction and operational safety - take a look at the website for examples. Have you got examples you can give to us now?

  • Set targets within your project teams on the number of design examples you would like to submit. Those of you who are contract owners for our suppliers may want to discuss what each company is doing to include examples. Examples can be submitted by design organisations but also construction organisations who don't want to have the same 'bad design' given to them again.
Thank you to all those who have contributed good design examples to the website, we hope this will encourage you all to support this initiative further and demonstrate the value that Design Best Practice delivers.

Adrian Barrass
DBP Leader

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DBP shortlisted for Safety Award

DBP has been short listed for the Health & Safety Awards 2006, which will be presented in London later this month.

The Health & Safety Awards are organised by Building Magazine in association with the HSE. The awards reward excellence, innovation and professionalism in all areas of construction safety, occupational health, site facilities and staff Wellbeing.

With clients increasingly minded to only work with organisations that have a good track record in health and safety, the awards represent an excellent opportunity for organisations to showcase their strengths in this area.

Around 1,000 people are expected to attend the ceremony at the Hilton Hotel, Park Lane, London on 22 June.

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DBP Flyer Published

We have great pleasure in releasing a flyer to publicise the Design Best Practice website.
Download your copy here and please distribute to your colleagues. We also have stickers available, and may look to increase the merchandise available if enough interest is generated.

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DBP Published in CIBSE Journal

The CIBSE Journal has published an article about our website.
See the article here.

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CDM Review back on course

Further to the delay in revising the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations caused by questions raised by the EU,slightly changed proposals are currently out to consultation, and are expected to come into force on 6th April 2007. The major change in the 2007 Regs for Designers will be the requirement to consider risks to users of the facility. Before that, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Regulations are expected to come into force on 1st October 2006, provided the ODPM can publish the Guidance documents at least 12 weeks previous. The RR(FS) Regs require designers to assess the risks from fire, an activity which could usefully be incorporated into project CDM procedures.

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Link from OSHA created

European Agency for Safety and Health at Work publish link to this site on their site.
See the link here

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Competency Questionnaire

Competency Questionnaire added try it now and send it in to us. We'll review it and send you the results.
Read the Guidance notes here.
Download the Questionnaire here.
Right click the link and select Save as to download.

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