Clearview Midlands August 2014 - Issue 153 | Page 8

INDUSTRYNEWS

SMEs urged to use Midlands’ only
environmental test chamber
A consultant in the construction
industry has urged other SME
enterprises in the West Midlands
to use the only environmental
test chamber in the region
to test products in extreme
conditions.
Sustainable Building Futures,
based at Coventry University,
gives SMEs, primarily in the
broad construction industry, the
opportunity to road-test their
products ahead of going into mass
production.
The service is free since the
programme is funded by the
European Regional Development
Fund and Coventry University.
Peter Townend, director of
Telford-based XQLE Ltd, is
testing a product called QuadLock which is used to build walls,
floors and roofs. He said: “We are

testing both the junction between
a tiled roof and the wall eaves and
between a wall and window frame
to make sure they are watertight. Should water get in, it will
dissolve dyes fitted in the tests
pieces which will leave coloured
traces where they flow. Even a
small amount of water can turn
the dye powder into ink.
“We will evaluate the products
in temperatures between
minus 10 degrees to plus 35

degrees centigrade. We will also
be evaluating the test pieces
for thermal movement and
cracking.
“The importance of this free
service cannot be overstressed.
This research can help to
ensure through evaluation that
product designs are functioning
as expected and if not, it gives
companies the opportunity to fix
it at prototype stage rather than
when it has been manufactured.”

Dr Vinh Doan (pictured),
Environmental Technologies
Business Manager at Sustainable
Building Futures, works with each
client to determine their testing
and technology requirements and
how to replicate the environment
and climate conditions needed to
fully put their products through
their paces.
She said: “The environmental
test chamber is ideal for any
SMEs in the West Midlands
involved in the construction
industry because it is a free,
unique service and companies
don’t have to travel far.
“The chamber has two rooms,
one representing outdoor
conditions and the other
replicating indoor conditions.
www.coventry.ac.uk/sbf

New figures show
all-time low in fatal
injuries to workers
But mesothelioma deaths rise.
The number of workers killed in
Britain last year has fallen to the
lowest annual rate on record.

‘overall rate of fatal
injury has dropped
to 0.44 per 100,000’
Provisional data released by
the Health and Safety Executive
(HSE) in July reveals that 133
workers were fatally injured
between April 2013 and March
2014, compared with 150 in the
previous year. The overall rate of
fatal injury has dropped to 0.44
per 100,000 workers, compared
to 0.51 in 2012/13.

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AUG 2014

Judith Hackitt, HSE Chair,
said:
“The release of the annual
statistics always leads to mixed
emotions. Sadness for the loss of
133 lives, and sympathy for their
families, friends and workmates,
but also a sense of encouragement
that we continue to make progress
in reducing the toll of suffering.
“Whilst these are only
provisional figures, they confirm
Britain’s performance in health
and safety as world class. For
the last eight years we have
consistently recorded one of
the lowest rates of fatal injuries
to workers among the leading
industrial nations in Europe.”

HSE also y released the
latest number of deaths from
mesothelioma, a cancer caused by
exposure to asbestos. These show
that 2,535 people died in 2012,
which is an increased from 2,291
in 2011.

‘a stark reminder’
Judith Hackitt said:
“The high numbers of deaths
relating to mesothelioma are a
reminder of historically poor
standards of workplace health
and safety, which decades later
are causing thousands of painful,
untimely deaths each year. While

we now recognise and are better
positioned to manage such health
risks, these statistics are a stark
reminder of the importance of
keeping health standards in the
workplace on a par with those we
apply to safety.”
HSE is due to launch an
asbestos campaign in Autumn
2014 that will aim to help
at-risk tradespeople work more
safely with asbestos to protect
themselves from harm.
Further data will be rel