FM Report 187 - Thursday 14th December 2006

14 December 2006

Latest FM news direct to your desktop

WEEE regulations announced by Minister
From July producers of electrical goods will be required to meet the environmental costs of dealing with waste products under the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations published this week by Science Minister, Malcom Wickes. Companies who import, manufacture and rebrand electrical and electronic equipment will have to join 'producer compliance schemes' by 15 March. Non-statutory Guidance will be published early in the New Year.
www.dti.gov.uk

Interserve and Haden divide up Met Police FM contract
The Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) has selected Interserve and Haden Building Management for its £300m 7-year FM contract covering 1,700 properties. Interserve will handle south of the Thames plus Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea (including New Scotland Yard) while Haden Building Management will cover north London including the Peel centre in Hendon. The estate includes police stations and offices, call centres, flats, garages, stables, workshops, training and sports facilities, warehouses, motorway posts and police boxes. In December 2005, MPA appointed Aktins to develop a Facilities Management Information System to support its new FM strategy.
www.interserve.com and www.balfourbeatty.com

Government vehicles in 'green' deal
A new £1bn deal to cut costs and carbon emissions from government vehicles has been struck between 15 vehicle manufacturers and 38 government departments. The deal expects to save over £100m on 78,000 cars and vans over the next four years.
www.ogc.gov.uk

Stub it out in England from 1st July
From 6am on 1st July virtually all public places and workplaces in England will become smoke free environments following bans in Scotland (26 March) and Wales (2 April). Premises affected include offices, factories, shops, pubs, bars, restaurants, membership clubs, public transport and work vehicles that are used by more than one person. Indoor smoking rooms in workplaces will no longer be allowed.
www.smokefreeengland.co.uk

21 hot legal topics in two days
Workplacelaw is offering a 10% discount for PFM and FM Report readers on fees for next month's 8th Annual FM Legal Update conference and dinner in Cambridge. An intensive revision of changes in legislation enacted and planned for FMs, this conference is held at Robinson College, Cambridge on 30-31 January. Call 0870 777 8881 and quote 2774 to book at the discounted rate.
www.workplacelaw.net/eshop/...

Illegal software sales on ebay stopped
Legal action undertaken by electrical safety testing specialist, Seaward Electronics Ltd, has successfully stopped illegal online sales of its software. The company obtained a judgment against Michael Mellors from Nottinghamshire who sold 20 copies of Seaward's PatGuard programmes for about £10,000 on ebay infringing Seaward's intellectual property rights. Mellors was ordered to pay Seaward a sum representing an account of the profits he made together with Seaward's costs, disbursements and interest.
www.seaward.co.uk

FMA open to smaller businesses
The Facilities Management Association (FMA) has introduced a new category of membership designed to attract small businesses employing less than 16 people. The membership fee for the new Associate Member category is just £950 per year compared to full membership of £2,500 per year for large and medium sized organisations.
www.fmassociation.org.uk

Fourth ITOCC incorporates PISCES/OSCRE
The fourth IPD Occupiers International Total Occupancy Cost Code (ITOCC) published this week has incorporated The PISCES/OSCRE occupancy cost workgroup for the first time and has revised some definitions to reflect changes in the property sector in the two years since the last revision.
www.ipdglobal.com/occupiers

Dutch Deloitte outsources FM
Deloitte has awarded Johnson Controls a five-year FM contract for its 34 premises in the Netherlands. The services to be managed and delivered are security, safety, landscaping, catering and hospitality, cleaning, conference facilities, mailroom and reproduction services, and technical and building construction services.
www.johnsoncontrols.com

HSE and HSC to merge
The HSE and HSC plan to merge into a single authority to improve governance and provide a stronger voice for H&S. The HSC would become the governing body of the new authority. A consultation paper has been published.
www.hse.gov.uk/consult/live

RoSPA Awards seek entries from cleaning and FM organisations
Entries are open for RoSPA's 2007 Occupational H&S Awards to be presented at its H&S Congress in May. Cleaning and FM companies are particularly urged to enter into the various categories. Closing date for entries is February 19th.
www.rospa.com/awards

Work Inc acquires Certainty Group
Commercial interiors and property services company. Work Inc is to acquire FM and interiors company, Certainty Group to form Work Inc Group. Comprising some 400 people, the new organisation will have four workstreams - Work Architecture, Work Interiors, Work Office Services and Work Facilities - to offer individual, bundled or integrated services.
www.work-inc.co.uk

HVCA launches Agenda for Action on Sustainability
The HVCA Agenda focuses on the sustainability challenge for the design, installation and maintenance of low and zero carbon technologies. HVCA chairman, David Frise, said, "Contractors cannot afford to wait until legislation forces them to comply with new, higher standards and new, higher client expectations."
www.hvca.org.uk

Vote for 'carbon rationing'
If you think 'green taxes' will be ineffective in achieving the necessary drastic reductions in carbon needed in the UK and break our addiction to fossil fuels, consider petitioning the Prime Minister to adopt 'carbon rationing' and 'contraction and convergence' strategies. 'Carbon rationing' with binding targets will force the country to only use its share, rewarding those who have spare ration, and allowing an element of personal choice in how a person spends their ration. For more information
Click Here or vote at http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Carbon-Rationing