Need to know

Understanding and analysing the carbon footprint of materials used in buildings can be difficult and confusing, which is why the Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Management has developed a carbon calculator to help.

The Building Materials Carbon Calculator assesses total CO2 involved in making, delivering and installing each material used. It also encourages comparisons with other materials to see if a greener alternative can be used.

Download the software at www.eccm.uk.com

Itchy Trigger Fingers

Users of hand-held electric power tools could benefit from a new industry partnership aimed at helping control exposure to hand arm vibration.

The Hand Arm Vibration Test Centre (HAVTEC) and the European Power Tool Association have agreed to collaborate to provide accurate and detailed real-life exposure data for new tools such as combi-hammers, breakers and saws, helping users identify which tools they should use, for how long and on which material, to help control exposure to hand arm vibration. Major Contractors Group members only use those hand-held power tools listed on the HAVTEC database. www.operc.com

Groundwater edition updated

We can hardly believe our good fortune: the third edition of Construction Dewatering and Groundwater Control is already out. It only seems like yesterday that we were thumbing feverishly through the second. Methods of analysing and treating groundwater conditions have vastly improved in recent years and the updated edition reflects the most current technology and practices, providing an overview of this rapidly changing field. We love it really!

www.researchandmarkets.com/ product/67573c/construction_ dewatering_and_groundwater

Get your site right

Attention site engineers: a revised and updated edition of CIRIA’s site procedures has been released.

Based on the experiences of practising engineers, Setting-out Procedures for the Modern Built Environment (C709) identifies good practice and recommends procedures for setting-out most small-to-medium-sized building and civil engineering works.

www.ciriabooks.com