Sustainable Repair & Maintenance -Facilities Management

1

WHITE PAPER

Sustainable Repair & Maintenance Facilities Management July 2011

Plastic Surgeon FINE FINISHERS

2

PLASTIC SURGEON WHITE PAPER

Sustainable Repair & Maintenance Facilities Management Author: Bruce Meechan, B.Sc Civ. Eng. 1.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

As a respected profession having upward of 80,000 members, and with many more people performing at least some similar functions, facilities managers are integral to the continuing performance of properties during their service life, and are also sometimes involved in the later phases of construction or commissioning.

In fact it does not matter how well a building is designed and constructed, or how effectively it may have been refurbished, the way it is occupied and operated – including the standard of maintenance - will have the greatest influence on the whole life cost.

Within the scope of this document - commissioned by Plastic Surgeon, the UK’s largest provider of cosmetic repair services across the built environment - the author explores the breadth of the responsibilities borne by facilities managers, and those with related job descriptions, as well as the constraints within which legislation requires that they must work.

The following sections therefore consider the many different elements to both contemporary and period properties which inevitably suffer from minor damage as a result of everyday occupation, accident and natural processes. Also in relation to the very individual service and bespoke repair techniques offered by Plastic Surgeon and its highly trained finishers, the paper explains how it is possible to make good almost any surface, or substrate.

Crucially such work is almost always carried out in-situ, while the flexibility of the regionally based workforce and the care given to making the interventions of low impact, it is possible for Plastic Surgeon to carry out its work with the absolute minimum of disruption across the whole spectrum of client sectors.

Beyond the physical effects of having a specialist company carry out cosmetic repairs, as an alternative to employing in-house maintenance staff or a variety of external trade contractors, the document also assesses the quantifiable reduction that can be made in an organization’s environmental impact: repair being shown to greatly reduce the consumption of resources and waste sent to landfill, associated with going down the replacement route.

3

2.

VERVIEW OF RESPONSIBILITIES HELD BY FACILITIES MANAGERS AND OTHER O PROFESSIONALS WITH RELATED JOB DESCRIPTIONS, TOGETHER WITH THE BURDEN IMPOSED BY MINOR REPAIRS.

The title of Facilities Manager arguably covers the broadest range of responsibilities carried by any professional involved with the built environment. Along with Estates Managers, Building Managers, Maintenance Supervisors, and Property Management Consultants, they are tasked with keeping premises safe for occupation, fit for purpose and in a state of repair or decoration that befits the building’s intended function.

In fact within the Plastic Surgeon’s customer database are the names of hundreds of professionals whose job it is to take care of a staggering diversity of property types. The latter include blocks of flats, houses, hotels, care homes, army barracks, student accommodation, commercial offices, corporate headquarters, hospitals, police stations, shopping malls, department stores, leisure facilities such as cinemas and sports centres, and all sizes of factory or warehousing.

Both inside and outside of these structures are an array of substrates and components such as doors, windows, partitions, floors, worktops, tiles, cladding panels, pillars and endless plasterwork, that are all vulnerable to damage from passing pedestrian traffic or mobile equipment. Desks, tables, counters, bathroom suites, sinks and appliances such as fridges or freezers come in for similar heavy treatment; any of which may render them unserviceable.

Accidental damage or fair wear and tear is a significant factor in the running costs of almost all establishments and can easily outweigh other components of the whole life cost for a property: such as lighting, heating, security and cleaning. It is to the facilities manager’s advantage then, to not only try and guard against damage, but also to ensure any intervention is made as cost effectively as possible.

Plastic Surgeon asserts that repair is in almost all cases a cheaper, quicker and more sustainable recourse than replacement for damaged items. It is also the case that cosmetic repair does not cause interference with the normal operational life of a building and therefore will not result in any down-time.

Further to this, by repairing such items as windows, work-surfaces, wash-basins and fitted furniture, one avoids the need to make good or replace surrounding plasterwork, tiles or other substrates, Overall, the repair option offers the speedy, straightforward and financially expedient solution; employing the minimum of resources.

4

3.

COST OF OWNERSHIP

The typical working life of commercial properties, between major refurbishments or modernisations, is in the order of 25-30 years, depending on usage and the extent to which new technologies require to be retrofitted. Many of the capital’s listed buildings, for instance, have undergone a renaissance as financial headquarters through the introduction of raised access floors, suspended ceilings and new service cores, complete with high speed lifts.

Facilities managers can therefore find themselves faced with having to maintain everything from stainless steel, PVC profiles and laminate faced partitions to bronze fittings, fibrous plasterwork enrichments and marble balustrades. And the burden of repair can even begin before an organisation’s employees ever take occupation, due to the damage associated with the building process – almost universally referred to as snagging – or disputes between various parties involved with the project team.

Sadly it is all too common to find the main contractor and the architectural consultant both refusing to accept responsibility for the windows, cladding or some other very visible element to the building envelope having been delivered in the wrong colour.

Due to situations like this Plastic Surgeon has often established a relationship with the facilities manger very early on in a building’s life as the firm’s highly skilled finishers are called upon to respray frames, panels and other components in-situ. The cost is very low compared to the nightmare of removing all of the unsatisfactory units, and often represents the only means of completing work on time in order that handover deadlines can be achieved.

Plastic Surgeon also has a stone care division dedicated to repairing, re-tinting or otherwise saving masonry of all types and ages. Across the company, records show that, on average, clients save three pounds for every pound spent on the services of a finisher.

Then as everyday life settles into a routine of sorts, the facilities manager starts to see the results of repetitive wear and tear, as well as random damage caused by everything from the tea trolley or pallet trucks to equipment being knocked over, and even wanton vandalism.

Walls, floors, doors, windows and worksurfaces – together with every other substrate can suffer dents, scratches, discoloration or even more extensive damage, such as having a hole smashed in a wash basin. And depending on whether one is dealing with a department store, a shop, hotel, office or a social housing unit, there will be a level or priority attached to putting it right.

As already stated, Plastic Surgeon has teams of finishers located around the country, each operative being equipped with a hand held computer or palm-pilot, as well as a their vans stocked with repair products and access as well as safety equipment. The company’s national call centre, meanwhile provides a rapid means of contact and allocating assignments that are routinely carried out with one to two working days, depending on complexity.

5

So rather than ordering a replacement item, and organizing one or more trade contractors to effect its installation, Plastic Surgeon can carry out an effective repair at a fraction of the price with only the most perceptive of observers ever being able to discern where the damage was.

4.

MAINTAINING OCCUPIED PROPERTY

The implications for maintenance contractors working in occupied buildings – both commercial and residential – have become steadily extended; not just by health & safety considerations, but also client expectations; and the 24/7 culture that exists in many walks of life.

If we consider first of all COSHH regulations, it is essential that proper precautions are taken to limit the exposure of workers, residents or the general public to dust, fumes and other potentially harmful substances.

At the extreme end of the scale are operations such as asbestos removal, where there is the need to completely seal the work area and even create a negative pressure atmosphere in order to contain particles. In most circumstances where Plastic Surgeon’s finishers are involved, the use of plastic sheeting and dust extraction on equipment such as sanders is normally sufficient.

The company however, has wide experience of working in the most demanding locations, including re-spraying metal cladding panels within the secure storage facilities of a major financial institution. For this contract Plastic Surgeon purchased special spraying equipment and developed new application techniques offering vastly reduced escape of material and limited odour.

The finishers themselves all undergo prolonged induction training with regular update courses, which include customer care. Combined with the company’s excellent record on staff retention, this means clients can be assured that the operatives undertaking their work will be fully versed in procedures necessary to minimize disruption.

This has proved of particular importance in Plastic Surgeon’s work within schools, colleges, and medical facilities as well as for the affordable housing sector. The firm’s personnel understand that client care can extend from complying with security measures to respecting restrictions relating to individual occupants’ work patterns, level of vulnerability or religious faith.

Along with carrying out many different repairs in council and housing association properties, Plastic Surgeon has also worked very successfully in locations such as restaurants, shops, hotels and entertainment venues; where noise and even visual intrusion can have very costly implications for clients who are seeking to ‘keep the show on the road’.

6

Within one of London’s top department stores, for instance, a team of finishers successfully completed the restoration of retail display cabinets overnight, removing chips and scratches to leave a pristine finish. Then in a large and very busy spa hotel, one of the Finishers, trained in glass polishing, began work after midnight to remove unsightly scratches from the glazed balustrade to the main staircase, rising out of reception to a mezzanine level.

5.

ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY

As has been noted in previously in this document, repairing damaged items, rather than replacing them, greatly limits the use of resources, while also avoiding waste. What Plastic Surgeon has achieved, however, is to make these savings quantifiable.

In combination with the use of the palm pilots - known as Mobile Finishers – that all its operatives carry to organize their schedules and gain confirmation of work completed, Plastic Surgeon has created a new reporting service.

As part of the invoicing process, the finisher sends into the main office a description, and sometimes photographs, of the items repaired. This raw data is the processed using the company’s award winning VisibilITy software so that clients can routinely be informed regarding the tonnages of waste that has been saved from going to landfill. And this information can then be incorporated into customer’s own sustainability statements.

6.

CERTIFICATIONS AND COMPLIANCES

One very time consuming aspect of a facility manager’s job concerns respecting multi-layered workplace regulations, together with requirements from insurers; and necessarily involves vetting contractors who are engaged to carry out work in the building. It is therefore far easier for the conscientious manager to use only those companies which have engaged with the main industry bodies that offer pre-qualification under legislation, together with gaining mind in respect of professional liability.

Plastic Surgeon is able to demonstrate accreditation with CHAS (Contractors Health and Safety Assessment Scheme), which is dedicated to completing health and safety pre-qualification assessments to a nationally recognized and accepted threshold standard.

The repair specialist is also a member of SAMS (SAfety Management advisory Services), and is a Worksafe Contractor: as a result; meaning that it is able to prove its health & safety competence to suppliers: thus increasing its chances of getting onto preferred supplier lists for tenders. This membership also means that Plastic Surgeon can avoid the need to complete

7

full H&S assessment for other SSIP (Safety Schemes in Procurement) forum members, which saves its clients time and money. While being able to display the Worksafe logo on letterheads, publicity and vehicles shows clients that it is serious about safety.

Plastic Surgeon is also involved with SAFEcontractor, a leading health and safety prequalification assessment scheme, dedicated to promoting higher standards of competence and compliance through the provision of relevant industry specific and tailored health and safety assessments for all professions and sectors.

The company is additionally a member of Constructionline, meaning that as a supplier, it does not need to repeatedly fill in standard pre-qualification forms for every construction tender.

By providing an up-to-date register of pre-qualified suppliers for construction contracts, Constructionline is a commonsense solution that 8,000 buyers from over 2,000 organisations are already making the most of. It pre-qualifies all of its suppliers to government standards.

Plastic Surgeon has achieved NHBC SAFEMARK certification, which has been developed to help building companies meet their obligation to only appoint competent contractors. The scheme is a pre-qualification assessment designed around the requirements of Appendix 4 of the Approved Code of Practice to CDM `07.

Plastic Surgeon has been assessed against Stage 1 criteria, and has satisfied the requirements for a health and safety policy, access to competent health and safety advice and for ensuring its employees are appropriately trained. Safemark is accredited to the Safety Schemes in Procurement (SSIP) standard, of which NHBC is a founder member.

7.

INDUSTRY COMMENT

In an interview, Cathy Hayward, the former editor of FM World, the fortnightly journal of the British Institute of Facilities Management, offered her views on how the discipline is changing. ~oOo~ As we have explored throughout this report, facilities management is a very diverse discipline, where the professionals involved can hold responsibility for all elements of a building’s physical condition, and many aspects of the way that people use the facilities.

Cathy Hayward observes: “There are thought to be upward of 80,000 facilities managers in the UK, though only 12,500 are members of the British Institute of Facilities Management, and many of them may have job titles such as office manager or even managing director’s PA”.

8

“It just becomes a part of their role, because, as a guide, it is considered a company needs to have a staff of around 250 before it can afford to employ a dedicated facilities manager. There has also been a growing trend over the last five or six years for facilities management to be outsourced”.

“Therefore the Plastic Surgeon’s service will be of real interest to most people responsible for property maintenance, especially I would believe for the smaller companies, where having someone capable of undertaking cosmetic repair will be very valuable.”

Interestingly Cathy Hayward highlighted the fact that although it is now possible to embark on NVQs from level 2 up to Level 8, and there are even masters degrees you can do in the subject, facilities management is not a chartered profession. The institute does, however, encourage members to undertake relevant CPD training in order to keep themselves up to date on current technologies.

She also identified how managers are having to broaden their horizons – thinking outside of the box perhaps – in dealing with new methods of working. In order to reduce costs many firms are now introducing hot desking, for instance, or having staff operating from satellite facilities.

Turning to the subject of sustainability, Cathy comments: “The fact that Plastic Surgeon can save items from being ripped out and replaced, with all the implications for landfill is very important. Most facilities managers are keen to demonstrate to their organisations they are helping enhance their sustainability credentials: so it will be a big plus. Reducing the need to buy new fittings - repairing basins and furniture - has got to be better than replacing them every couple

www.plastic-surgeon.co.uk

9

About Plastic Surgeon Plastic Surgeon is the UK’s market leading repair expert for social housing associations and public sector housing.

Specialising in Social Housing Maintenance and Repairs, Plastic Surgeon can restore almost any damaged interior or exterior surface for housing associations across the UK. Established for over 20 years, the company was one of the founders of the fine finishing sector, now employing over 100 staff based at its headquarters in Devon and operating from seven regional centres throughout the UK. Thanks to specialist training the company’s finishers are expert in repairing and fine finishing practically any material including; · · · · · · · · · ·

Window Repairs in Social Housing UPVC Repairs in Social Housing Bath Repairs in Social Housing Worktop and Work Surface Repairs in Social Housing Plastic Repairs in Social Housing Wood Repairs in Social Housing Stainless Steel Repairs in Social Housing Ceramic Repairs in Social Housing Laminate Repairs in Social Housing Enamel Repairs in Social Housing

Construction Industry Sectors: The company’s commitment to a flawless finish means that some of the most respected names in the UK house building, construction and insurance sectors rely on them to get the job done. The company also provides specialist fine finishing and cosmetic repair services to many industry sectors including fit-out and retail, and social housing, as well as working with individual trades and homeowners.

Expert Repairs: The company prides itself on a very high standard of workmanship, providing a fine finish and virtually undetectable repairs that save customers thousands of pounds on expensive replacements.

Sustainable Solutions: Plastic Surgeon is committed to helping achieve sustainable construction and to minimising the impact on the environment. It prevented nearly 60,000 damaged items going to land fill

10

waste last year by repairing rather than replacing them. The company also provides customers with a unique online reporting service which shows a wealth of statistics such as the number of items repaired per customer site and the associated landfill savings.

Contact Details : Plastic Surgeon Limited Blue Waters House Pottery Road Bovey Tracey Devon TQ13 9DS T: 0845 141 0000 F: 0845 143 0000 E: priority@plastic-surgeon.co.uk

For media interviews or comments, please contact our PR agency: SMPR (Simply Marcomms Limited) – Kirstie Colledge 0870 199 4044 Email: kirstie@simplymarcomms.co.uk

11

About the Author Bruce Meechan, B.Sc Civ. Eng. Technical Journalist and editor of HA Magazine; as well as Modern Methods of Construction Magazine.

Bruce Meechan studied civil engineering at the then Portsmouth Polytechnic where many began their indentured training with major contractors such as George Wimpey. Having done a sandwich year on the Heysham Nuclear Power Station, he worked with Wimpey on the Canterbury by-pass and then became site agent for the Greenwich Peninsula Link Road in South-east London.

Having spent several years working on infrastructure contracts for developers across southern England, and refurbishment work on mainly period properties in the capital, Bruce branched out into technical journalism for magazines such as Building Design, National Builder and Building Refurbishment; often writing about projects with which he was involved.

With the boom of the late eighties, he transferred over to construction journalism full time and contributed to most of the sector’s titles on a freelance basis. Since 1998 he has been editor of Housing Association or HA Magazine, and later helped launch Modern Methods of Construction.

He is respected throughout the sphere of building journalism for his broad technical and practical knowledge of the subject; and has acquired an in-depth understanding of the social housing sector; including its emphasis on tenant service, the sustainability agenda, and new technologies.