FROM LITTLE ACORNS
Lesley McLeod
Chief Executive & Director - Communications Professional - Issues Manager
Letter from Lesley – 20 November 2020
I have a friend who is waging a losing battle with a squirrel he calls, Moriarty [after the arch-criminal in the Sherlock Holmes stories]. Moriaty has been taunting Richard from the garden fence as the squirrel makes number of swash-buckling raids on the bird feeders. The little rodent has recently been planning for the future by burying conkers in the lawn.
I am not advocating you try this at home! Particularly not as many of Moriarty’s antics involve swinging upside down by his tail. It would seem to involve a bit more risk than any workplace assessment would allow.
But, as usual, the world around us has a homily to help with tales [tails!] of risk, planning and plenty in abundance.
Your APS magazine, Project Safety Matters, should be with you soon but, if you don’t seem to have received the link - or it’s buried in your inbox - you can read all about standards in the new edition at https://www.aps.org.uk/sites/default/files/aps2404_-_autumn_2020_magazine_lo-res_0.pdf .
And next week also brings a bumper harvest with not one but two webinars. On Monday we have Steve Ash, and the members of the Membership Committee, focusing on skills and competencies and setting out proposals to create a capacity framework for APS members and colleagues across the construction sector. And, on Thursday, our wonderful Northern Region invites you all to what promises to be a fascinating talk about the secret world beneath our feet. Holger Kessler, from the Geospatial Commission, will be talking about the National Underground Assets Register [NUAR] – a project to reduce risks and cut costs by mapping all the cables, pipes, sewers and ducts that lie beneath the surface.
In the meantime, everyone at APS will be – to mix my wildlife – beavering away, working to deliver services to you all. APS may be small but from tiny acorns grow mighty oaks. As long as Moriarty doesn’t get there first!
Our bumper webinar week includes two free events:
Monday 23 November at14:00 hrs: Steve Ash & the Membership committee: capability framework consultation
Shaping and sharing good practice in design and construction health and safety risk management is at the core of what APS is all about. Since the Grenfell Tower disaster there has been an increasing focus across the construction sector on how the industry can properly identify risks and the appropriate levels of skills and competency needed to manage projects effectively. The APS Membership Committee, under the chairmanship of Steve Ash, has been working to develop a competency framework. Steve and the other members of the team – Bryn Wilde and Philip Baker - will be on hand on Monday 23 November 2020 to explain more and to ask for your feedback. The webinar is a key part of a major pan-industry consultation and engagement programme. Attendees are invited to have a look at https://www.aps.org.uk/sites/default/files/consultation_document.pdf before attending.
Register at: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_YCm8uPZfRxO8siVZDzRQvg
Thursday 26 November at12:00 noon: The National Underground Assets Register [NUAR]
With 1.5 million kilometres of underground services working to keep the UK supplied with water, gas and electricity it is no surprise workers can strike gas pipes and electric cables by mistake putting themselves and others in danger. With so many people and companies involved work can also be complex and inefficient with estimated economic costs associated with accidental strikes of around ￡1.2 billion a year. Join Holger Kessler - Geoscience Technical Advisor for the Geospatial Commission – to find out more about the National Underground Assets Register Pilots and what lies beneath our feet. Holger will introduce the National Underground Assets Register [NUAR]. The project was launched in 2019 and pulls together government and private data about the UK’s cables, pipes, sewers and ducts to build a shared, digital map of the nation’s underground assets.
Register at: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ppWFaZRbSWOg79pAnLk_4g
Coming up, we have:
30 November: Tony Vozniak: Why health matters
7 December: Dr Alan Curley: Improving mind fitness for a changing world
Please note: joining details are sent out the week before each event. You have to register to attend but there will continue to be no charge for members and attending each session attended attracts two CPD points.