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News Issue 5 September 2014
2
PSSA
Member News.
Ardenleigh
reopens for
troubled teenagers
One of only six adolescent forensic
psychiatry in-patient units in England
has reopened its wards to young
people with glowing praise for the
project team who performed the
£3.5m redevelopment.
Ardenleigh secure mental heath unit in
Erdington, run by Birmingham &
Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation
Trust, has moved into the new, state-
of-the-art building up to 18 young
adults who are suffering from complex
mental health problems.
The redevelopment led by main
contractor E Manton upgraded the
decade-old unit on the same site,
providing 18 ensuite bedrooms,
lounges and dining rooms in three
wards all separated by a central hub
and staff rooms for ease of observation
of wings. The wards are called Atlantic,
Pacific and Adriatic to reflect a calming
ocean theme.
Security was paramount given the
nature of the young people on site,
who might pose a significant risk to
themselves or to others. High-security
perimeter fencing expert Zaun was
appointed to design and install the
fencing solutions at a cost of £100,000.
They supplied almost 200m of their
HiSec fencing in different heights,
reflecting three different categories of
security rating.
Internal fencing, and that surrounding
a ball court and enclosing outdoor
stairways, was just 2.4m or 3m high.
But perimeter fences ran to 5.2m in
height and were buried in a concrete
sill for added security.
Zaun also installed aluminium
sheeting on some of the boundary
fencing to provide privacy to the
inpatients and to prevent them from
being distracted by events beyond the
hospital.
Zaun’s HiSec uses the ‘358’ welded
mesh to repel would-be intruders. The
close 76.2 x 12.7mm mesh means that
it is almost impossible to climb, and
is very difficult to cut with anything
other than power tools. Hence why the
Home Office uses it for prison
perimeters and other secure sites such
as Ardenleigh.
It is also increasingly specified on
schools, where pupil safety is
paramount as good through visibility
means staff can easily see what’s going
on on the other side of the fence, but
the mesh is so fine that items can not
easily be passed through.
Above:
Ardenleigh secure mental heath unit
Technical Forum at TRL
Since participation in the PSSA
Verification Scheme became a
condition of membership,
unsurprisingly, there has been an
increase in the number of
requests for more information and
help to achieve certification for
products and services. To meet
this need, the PSSA are arranging a
Technical Day at the new TRL facility
in the new year. Subjects covered will
include:
•
How to achieve verification
•
Forthcoming changes to ISO
management system standards
& how to upgrade your manage-
ment system
•
Technical File workshop – an inter-
active session to ensure that you
can meet regulatory requirements
Among the guest speakers will be Ian
Rosam of HPA, our elected certification
body, who represents the Chartered
Quality Institute on ISO TC 176, the
committee responsible for ISO quality
management standards.
If you have any particular items that
you would like to be addressed during
the day, please contact
smunden@pssaverification.comMore details and date confirmation to
follow.
CPNI Catalogue of Impact-Tested
Vehicle Security Barriers to be made
available to PSSA Members
As many in the industry will know,
CPNI maintains a list of impact-tested
products which is used as a reference
in security equipment procurement.
Business Keys Ltd has now agreed a
Memorandum of Understanding with
CPNI which will allow the Catalogue to
be made available, under specific
security arrangements, to PSSA
Members, for their use only.
Arrangements for the provision of the
Catalogue are currently being made
and details will be sent to Members
shortly.
NEWS
IN BRIEF