INDUSTRY INSIGHT FMJ.CO.UK
ASSOCIATION NEWS
RICS WORLD BUILT ENVIRONMENT FORUM TO
FOCUS ON FUTURE OF INVESTMENT
Following last year’s successful London forum, this year, RICS World Built Environment Forum Summit 2019 is heading
to New York from 13th to 14th May. There, more than 500 delegates from industry, government and policymaking will
debate how to make informed and responsible investments in an ever-changing technological and geopolitical landscape.
The annual summit reconvenes to tackle “The future of investment in
real assets” and how we harness new technology to mobilise the private
capital investment needed to meet the growing global demand for new
infrastructure, new real estate and the renewal of existing assets.
Headlining the event is Parag Khanna, named one of Esquire’s “75 most
influential people of the 21st Century,” and featured in WIRED magazine’s
“Smart List.” He brings a global perspective to the intertwined forces shaping
investment in the built environment.
“Across the developed and developing world, cities are assuming an
ever-greater role in the overall health, wealth and happiness of the planet’s
people,” says Khanna.
“At this pivotal point in human history, innovative, ambitious and holistic
approaches to issues such as rapidly growing migrant populations and
climate change are urgently required – and both the public and private
sectors have a vital role to play. In my capacity as a keynote speaker at the
fourth annual summit of the World Built Environment Forum, I’m excited
about the opportunity to participate in this timely, global discussion.”
“Cities stand at the forefront of the world’s challenges, and as the world
continues to urbanise, grapple with globalisation and address the impacts of
climate change – cities are where the world’s hopes and opportunities lie,”
says Elizabeth Yee, Vice-President, Resilience Finance at 100 Resilient Cities,
IT IS CRUCIAL THAT YOUR BUSINESS
SUCCESSFULLY MANAGES ANY
ASBESTOS PRESENT IN WORKPLACES
8 FEBRUARY 2019
who is leading a panel about Global Cities.
“Critical to the success of the cities’ ability to build resilience is the ability
to deploy capital for maximum public benefit. We need to understand
how to evaluate both the financial viability and resilience benefits of new
infrastructure projects in the ever-complex world we live in.”
Also on the roster is John Busi, President, Newmark Knight Frank’s
Valuation & Advisory, and one of the most innovative and respected figures in
property valuation globally.
“Enhanced automation in valuation, big data and artificial intelligence are
technological innovations that are shi ing the construction and real estate
appraisal landscape,” explains Busi.
“What technology-driven changes could happen over the short to medium
term? How will technology advances in real estate impact risk assessment
and risk mitigation? Will predictive analytics shi the valuation ‘problem’
from ‘what is the value?’ to ‘what will the value be?’ These are just some of
the questions our industry needs to address and that we will explore at the
World Built Environment Forum Summit.”
For a full programme list visit:
www.rics.org/north-america/wbef/
the-summit/ To book tickets please
email vip@rics.org
Why? Well
asbestos is,
quite simply, a killer.
The importance of
preventing you and
your colleagues from
being exposed cannot
be overstated.
According to the
British Health and
Safety Executive, 5,000 people die every year in
Britain alone from an asbestos-related cancer
caused by exposure at work.
These people and the many more who are
su ering from cancer caused by asbestos will likely
have been exposed 20 or more years ago, due to the
long latency of the disease.
Asbestos fibres are invisible to the naked eye.
When breathed in, they can stick into the lining
of the lungs, causing serious illnesses over time,
including fatal cancers like mesothelioma.
Because of how dangerous it is, asbestos was
banned in Britain in 1999. It is banned in well over
60 more countries in addition.
Despite the ban, it still lurks in thousands of
workplaces, and homes which were built before
this time.
The fact that asbestos is still present in our o ices
and other workplaces today – in products including
roofing, spray coatings, lagging, insulating boards,
ropes, yarns and cloths – makes it crucial that
businesses do all they can to ensure workers are not
exposed to it, to prevent them from becoming ill
and dying from mesothelioma and other cancers in
years to come.
The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health
(IOSH) is focusing on asbestos in the latest phase
of its No Time to Lose campaign, which is tackling
cancer caused by work activities. It has produced a
series of free resources for organisations to use.
Is your business at risk and what you should do?
All businesses should be aware of whether there is
any asbestos in their premises. If it was built before
2000 then there is a chance it will contain it.
Those that do contain it should have an asbestos
management plan, which includes details such
as where it is, who is responsible for managing it,
and a schedule for monitoring the condition of the
asbestos-containing materials (ACMs).
Employees must not be asked to do any work
which could disturb asbestos and must know
exactly where it is located. Training should also be
provided on how to work safely around ACMs.
If anyone believes they may have disturbed, or
may be about to disturb, ACMs, they should take the
following steps:
• Stop work immediately
• Move everyone away and ensure no one enters
the area
• Do not remove equipment or materials
• Close, seal or lock o the area
• Put up warning signs
• Report it to your employer
No one should have their life cut short by
work activities. As with fatalities from workplace
accidents, deaths from exposure to asbestos are
avoidable.
Organisations can all play their part in ensuring
workers do not have a death
sentence like mesothelioma
hanging over them.
More details can be found at
www.notimetolose.org.uk
Craig Foyle, Immediate Past President, IOSH
/the-summit
link
/www.notimetolose.org.uk