Any building work and property development can be problematic, and in the hospitality industry renovation and refurbishment carry an additional public safety risk. Merebrook Consulting‘s health and safety team includes a complete construction design management (CDM) co-ordinator’s role for both refurbishment projects and new builds.
Specialist health and safety consultancy, Merebrook, offers managers and proprietors guidance regarding the risks associated with building work, and provides practical advice on how to manage any staged closures and interaction with the public and staff during the construction phase.
The desired quick turnaround in hospitality refurbishment projects, alongside the public-facing nature of the industry, makes it a high-risk category for health and safety. Merebrook approaches the role of CDM co-ordination with a strong emphasis on risk. This may include the risk to the public that have access to the site during the construction works, or the risk to staff working in and around building contractors.
Naturally, restaurants and hotels want to maintain business as usual while work gets under way, which can be successfully achieved without drop-off in custom – with developments being completed both on time and on budget – when properly managed.
Merebrook oversees all health and safety aspects of renovation, and helps to safeguard the wellbeing of the public and staff, while protecting business interests and ensuring legal compliancy.
Merebrook is currently working with high-profile restaurant chain, Nando’s, to oversee construction health and safety of its ambitious 2012 UK expansion programme. Nando’s UK currently operates 261 restaurants nationwide, with a total of 27 new restaurants opening this year.
The majority of Nando’s properties are located within high streets and shopping centres, which increases risk during the construction phase, making it imperative to create a secure environment.
Merebrook’s remit covers the entire Nando’s property portfolio, from refurbishments of existing restaurants to acquiring new fit-for-purpose properties. This includes the initial assessment of the suitability of proposed new developments, as well as specialist advice with regard to the building conditions, completing surveys where necessary.
Working closely with the architects, Merebrook has completed assessments of the outline design to ensure that the ‘useability’, ‘maintainability’ and ‘buildability’ had been addressed. In addition, site inspections are carried out during the construction phase to ensure that a high standard of site safety is maintained.
Matthew White, senior project manager at Nando’s, comments: “Nando’s UK currently employs nearly 9000 staff, and serves close to one million customers a week – and their wellbeing is paramount to us. We needed a partner that understood our requirements, offers a planned strategic approach and a dedicated team of experts to offer us peace of mind in protecting our people, premises and business.”
Merebrook’s strong architecture, civil and structural engineering background, coupled with its expertise in new technologies such as building information modelling (BIM), helps reduce the element of risk to clients on their commercial development projects.
Last year, the Government Construction Strategy incorporated a heavy reliance on the use of BIM technology. The increasing dependence on this type of three-dimensional modelling in public sector construction and refurbishment projects is set to filter into the commercial world.
With BIM technology, the modelling of the refurbishment and fit-out project at design stage enables clients to have more control over the construction programme, allowing them to view their development online. In this way, the project can be visualised and agreed upon before any actual works commence.
The three-dimensional model can also be viewed by key members of staff, to ensure that they can work effectively within the workplace proposed. Staff are able to approve and provide constructive feedback on design practicalities.
BIM is becoming an invaluable tool in reducing waste, designing out hazards, identifying risks at an early stage, cost control and programming, and is a service designed to make the renovation and refurbishment process easier and smoother for clients.
In the long term, it is possible to maintain the final model as a facilities management tool, whereby equipment tags can be added with product numbers and maintenance schedules. This enables the facilities team to schedule and co-ordinate maintenance or replacement plans as necessary.
For businesses wishing to extend and redevelop their premises, or even acquire new business space, Merebrook consultants are available to provide advice on managing the process, offering peace of mind and high-quality results.
