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Latest News(15 February 2008)
The BBA’s Approval team has been reorganised under Operations Director Martyn Reed, to better handle the projects under way at the moment and likely to come to the BBA in the future.
Martyn has three Approvals Managers reporting to him, covering the key areas of the BBA’s approval activities; Engineering — Brian Chamberlain, Materials — Simon Wroe and Building Physics — Chris Hunt (including fenestration and insulation).
The Approvals Managers in turn have key and experienced staff under them specialising in particular areas of approval activity.
Inspection also comes under Martyn’s watchful eye and here former FENSA Inspection Manager Peter Maddern is managing the whole inspection team, covering the BBA’s Surveillance and Review Inspections, Approved and other installer schemes and FENSA.
Taking over from Peter Maddern is newly appointed Inspection Manager — FENSA Dave Mechem.
Dave has been a BBA FENSA Inspector since the scheme started in 2002. Like most of the inspectors he started out on the tools, working with the family window firm in Luton.
Based in Barnstaple, Dave has been a familiar figure at installations covered by the FENSA scheme throughout the South West and brings to his new job extensive experience of the industry and the scheme as well as knowledge of the inspection team.
Complementing Approval is the Technical team headed up by Brian Haynes with specialist technical staff providing back-up to the Approvals function.
The BBA Testing operation is unchanged.
QUESTIONS REGARDING LEAD – ANSWERED! (15 February 2008)
Although lead has been around as a building material for literally thousands of years, there is still controversy attached to it in some quarters. Here Agrément Certificate holder Midland Lead Manufacturers Ltd addresses some of the questions with the help of BBA Area Business Manager Philip Curry.
Is building lead harmful to the environment?
It is often claimed that the use of lead sheet as a building material has a negative impact on the environment. But this criticism isn’t fair, as many construction experts will tell you. ‘For a building material to be considered ecologically sound, it needs to satisfy certain criteria: it should be durable, recyclable and manufactured through a relatively energy-efficient process’, says Steve Kitchener, general manager of Midland Lead. ‘Lead sheet performs excellently against all three measures. It has a life expectancy of well above 100 years, and a building product which lasts such a long time is intrinsically ‘green’. Lead sheet is 100% recyclable and reclamation actually takes place because it is simply too valuable to waste. Thirdly, lead sheet has a low melting point and requires neither high temperatures nor refractory containment, therefore making the manufacturing process energy-efficient’.
In addition to these arguments, and perhaps most significantly, lead sheet simply has to be produced in an environmentally sound manner. Lead refineries are regulated directly by the Environment Agency. As Steve explains: ‘We simply have to get it right, or otherwise we are out of business’.
Is lead dangerous to work with?
Not necessarily. In normal use the danger is negligible. There is a chance of inhaling lead fumes while melting or welding it, but the danger is very slim if normal precautions are taken. As Steve points out: ‘Lead can only be absorbed through ingestions, so if workers observe the basic health and safety rules, working with lead sheet presents no risks’.
Moreover, the government risk to health classification for people handling, melting or welding lead is ‘not significant’.
Is milled lead better than cast lead?
‘This really is a myth’, says Steve, ‘True, there are two different production processes. Milled lead is manufactured by using a solid block of lead which is passed through two rollers. Cast lead on the other hand, is produced by dipping a rotation drum into a bath of molten lead. Yet for milled lead to be better than cast lead, it has to demonstrate some form of superiority, which it doesn’t! Both milled and cast lead is made according to the same analysis, same codes, tolerances, strength, creep resistance and permitted sizes. It even has the same appearance’.
Do specifiers need the security of British Standard lead?
‘The BBA and BSI are not competing systems, they are complementary’, explains Philip Curry, Area Business Manager of the BBA. ‘A BBA Certificate can be applied for by manufacturers across the product spectrum and including where the product to be certificated contains some innovative element of manufacture or use and has a level of performance in use at least as good as or better than that of a BS specification’, and that’s the case with cast lead sheet.
BBA CERTIFICATE HOLDER HAMBLESIDE DANELAW GRABS GOLD IN LEADING ENVIRONMENT AWARDS (15 February 2008) The roofing products group Hambleside Danelaw has won this year’s gold Green Apple award for its sustainable approach to manufacturing at its plant in Inverness. In an awards ceremony at the Houses of Parliament, the famous botanist David Bellamy on behalf of the Green Organisation praised the group for adopting the rigorous ‘Planet Positive’ standards in producing building materials that help achieve a sustainable, economical and responsible method of reducing carbon emissions. After receiving the award, Hambleside’s vice chairman, Robin Jeffery, said: ‘We are delighted that our continued growth in Inverness on a sustainable basis is being recognised. Hambleside Danelaw is hoping that more contractors and building occupiers will support the construction of buildings designed and built to minimise the impact on the environment’. Hambleside Danelaw currently holds three Agrément Certificate No’s 87/1915 Hambleside Danelaw GRP Flashings, 95/3114 Dryseal GRP Roofing systems and 03/3996 Insulator In-Plane GRP Rooflights. RECENT CERTIFICATE CHANGES.
New Certificates added between 15 January 2008 and 11 February 2008
06/4349 SYNSEAL PVC-U DOOR SYSTEM - Grady Joinery
Amendments to Existing Certificates between 15 January 2008 and 11 February 2008
03/4044 DULUX TRADE WEATHERSHIELD EXTERIOR GLOSS SYSTEM - ICI Paints
Detail Sheets added between 15 January 2008 and 11 February 2008
None.
Certificate Reinstatements between 15 January 2008 and 11 February 2008
None.
Certificates withdrawn between 15 January 2008 and 11 February 2008
06/4378 SYNSEAL PVC-U WINDOW SYSTEM - My Planet Ltd
Detail Sheet withdrawals between 15 January 2008 and 11 February 2008
None.
Lapsed Certificates between 15 January 2008 and 11 February 2008
99/3566 FRAMESHIELD PLUS 150 ROOF TILE UNDERLAY - Don and Low Limited Nonwovens
Suspended Certificates between 15 January 2008 and 11 February 2008
None
Detail Sheet Suspensions between 15 January 2008 and 11 February 2008
None.
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