Spec Finish

BCO calls for UK offices to address poor ventilation “urgently” A new BCO research paper, Thoughts on ventilation design and operation post COVID-19 , has called for UK offices to ensure they have adequate ventilation ahead of the return to work. The paper highlights that while most offices that follow good practice guidelines do benefit from good ventilation, there are also many examples of poorly ventilated offices that fall short of the best practice guidelines set out in the BCO’s 2019 Guide to Specification . Poorly ventilated indoor spaces have been linked to COVID-19 super spreader events and the paper states that ventilation in these offices must be “addressed urgently.” Richard Kauntze, Chief Executive of the BCO, said: “Naturally, we’re pleased that offices can reopen soon – however, wewant make sure that the transition is as safe as possible. Offices should have a high standard of ventilation, not only to combat COVID-19, but also to aid the long- termwellbeing of workers.” The paper is free and can be downloaded at https://tinyurl.com/3jts53xs Construction workers face pension ‘black hole’ The majority of construction workers are not saving anything towards retirement, construction union, Unite, has claimed. Unite said that a Freedomof Information request itmade to theDepartment for Work andPensions showed that 797,000 constructionworkers are paying into some form of pension, out of a total workforce of 2.2m. Unite calculated that just 36%of the workforce is known to have been paying into a pension, with the number of self-employed workers (of which there are 712,000) paying into a pension likely to be ‘very low’. Unite National Officer for Construction, Jerry Swain, said: “These figures are deeply troubling. “Even if workers are saving towards a pension, there is no guarantee that they are saving enough to prevent poverty in retirement. “The government needs to take urgent action to begin plugging this black hole in construction pension saving, the consequences of not doing so do not bear thinking about.” Portview tackles mindfulness head-on In a bid to support the health and wellbeing of its team, interior fit-out specialist, Portview is providing employees with a year-long subscription to the science-based, mindfulness app, Headspace. The app gives employees free, unlimited access to daily mindfulness tips, podcasts, playlists and home-exercises to strengthen their mental resilience, improve concentration, and aide sleep throughout and beyond the pandemic. Research has shown that the pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns have profoundly impacted everyday life. Portview’s decision to roll-out the Headspace app to employees is the company’s latest addition to its award-winning ‘Live Better, Feel Better’ programme – a holistic health and wellbeing initiative that provides employees with a range of health perks including access to free cognitive behavioural therapy, deliveries of fresh fruit to the office, free financial advice, health insurance, wellness workshops and vouchers for complementary therapies. www.portview.co.uk Style launches new moveable wall Engineer ID card To offer reassurance to customers that their moveable walls are being serviced and repaired by an engineer of the highest calibre, Style has introduced a new Engineer ID card. Used as an identification lanyard, the Engineer ID cards will hold all of their details and qualifications – not only covering the essential credentials of a professional moveable wall engineer but other areas, such as DBS checks, health and safety and asbestos. “We are very proud of our UK-wide network of engineers,” said Hannah Thorneycroft, Service Manager for the north, “and felt it was important to reassure customers on site that the person servicing or repairing their moveable partition or folding wall has been properly trained and holds all of the necessary qualifications. www.style-partitions.co.uk www.thefis.org 7 Welcome News 4_SFMar21.indd 1 04/02/2021 09:14 7_SFJul21.indd 1 03/06/2021 14:18