A lift manufacturing company in France has been forced to begin removing the buttons from hundreds of its products after it was discovered that they contained the radioactive material Cobalt 60.  Shockingly, around 20 staff at the factory in question are believed to have been exposed to unsafe levels of radiation because of the mishap which appears to have happened when 600 Otis lifts were refurbished using materials which had been supplied by an Indian firm.

The Nuclear Watchdog of France raised its alert level but qualified this by giving reassurances that there was no danger to human life.  The incident is only said to be a Level 2 on the International Nuclear Event Scale; a scale on which 7 represents the most serious nuclear accident.

A spokesperson for Otis has said that the company will remove buttons from 500 – 600 of its lifts as a precaution, even if some of these lifts may pose no danger to public health. This should go some way to reassuring customers who may have had their confidence shaken in the usually reliable company who take their name from the inventor of the very first elevator.  The company also reiterated the most important point which is that, ultimately, despite the scary-sounding nature of the event, the buttons do not actually pose and danger to human life.

The removing and checking of the buttons already installed on the renovated elevators is likely to take several weeks and all remaining buttons will likewise be destroyed. The Nuclear Watchdog has said that 5 Indian companies are believed to have been behind the exporting of the contaminated products and they are now all under investigation. The French authorities are to keep working very closely with the relevant Indian authorities in an attempt to  get to the bottom of what it was which actually went on. How were the materials contaminated, how did they get past safety checks and how was the problem not realised until many of the buttons had already been fitted?

These are questions which it will certainly take time to answer but another, perhaps much larger, question which has been raised by this incident is whether or not it points out the unintended consequences of a globalised world.  This incident was luckily very minor but health and safety checks will have to be tightened to ensure something like this, or something worse, does not occur again.

Passengers at the Sunderland Metro Station can, if they’ve got any breath left after struggling with prams, heavy bags and suitcases, breathe a sigh of relief now that they are to be given a new lift.  It comes as part of a larger £7million refurbishment of the platforms and the station which has been funded by Nexus.  Amazingly the station’s main concourse, the main thoroughfare for the thousands of passengers which pass through every day, has been without a lift since the renovation work began in March. Passengers, and station bosses too, will likely now be very relieved that a passenger lift, an essential service, can now be offered once again.

Refreshingly, much of the renovation work which has been going on at Sunderland Metro Station has been carried out at night and thus passengers, whilst many have been without a lift, have not also had to combat severe delays and disruption.  There is now not just a light at the end of the proverbial tunnel, but a dazzling shine, as passengers are spoiled for choice with two lifts and a brand new escalator all helping commuters and visitors to the station have a much more relaxing and enjoyable experience.

All walls, ceilings and lighting fixtures were replaced during the massive revamp and it is hoped that such changes, along with the afore mentioned introduction of an escalator, for the first time ever at the Sunderland Metro, will make the place more inviting and make it an integral part of the North’s 21st Century travel infrastructure.  The station has had problems in the past with vandalism and it is hoped this work will create a more enjoyable station for everyone to enjoy.

Ultimately the message seems to be one of convenience.  Passengers in wheelchairs, the elderly and those with small children will now find it much easier to navigate the station and travel, often stressful at the best of times, will now be that little bit easier. The inclusion of an escalator is also an important step in terms of bringing the Sunderland Metro Station into the 21st Century. Such inclusions will heighten convenience but, it is hoped, will also help curb vandalism by creating a station which has a much more modern look and feel. Commuters to and from Sunderland will now be able to lift themselves above the stress of travelling.

The Government has made the bold statement that all homes must be wheelchair-friendly by the year 2013. This ambitious project is being spearheaded by Caroline Flint, Housing Minister and Hazel Blears the Communities Secretary and the two Government frontbenchers have published a list of 16 requirements which they say all new houses must meet.

By 2011, all social housing will have to be built to these “lifetime home” standards and, if private house builders are not following the standards voluntarily, then they could become compulsory in the private sector too in 2010.  The features which will have to be included range from adequate space for a stair-lift to an entrance-level toilet. It is hoped that spending money on such features when houses are newly built will drastically reduce the costs for older people in future generations of adapting their houses so that they can remain in them rather than entering the nursing-home system.

The money-saving won’t just stop in the home though.  1.25 million old people are admitted to hospital every year because of falls in the home and this costs the NHS about £750million. Adapted homes, it is hoped, could cut the number of falls by up to as much as a staggering 60% and this would obviously save the NHS a drastic amount of money which could then, possibly, be diverted into other budgets for care of the elderly. 

Policy Director for Help the Aged, Paul Cann, has welcomed the move, stating that: “Older people often tell us that they want to live in their own homes for as long as possible. This strategy will hopefully be a springboard to this becoming a reality.” However, the Government’s proposals have not met with universal acclaim across the board. Builders are worried about the impact upon their business.

A spokesperson for the Home Builders Association has commented that:
“Until and unless government clarifies fully what it has in mind, we are concerned that this is yet another potentially costly policy initiative, in addition to the code for sustainable homes, renewable energy requirements, higher densities and more social housing.” 

Shadow Housing Minister, Grant Shapps has added his concerns: “we are concerned that the government has sprung these moves on to business … without any apparent consultation with the house-building industry.”

One thing is clear, that this could be a vital way to help old people retain their dignity and remain living in their own homes.

Buying a car can be an expensive time and, when you’ve finally handed over the cash, you want to be able to drive off the forecourt straight away and go show off your new wheels to the neighbours. Well, spare a thought for Christine Barton who had to fork over another £16,000 and have her car shipped to Sweden for six months. Christine is in a wheelchair due to MS and, as such, needed special adjustments making to the car.

Whilst there are many custom cars out there on the market which allow for wheelchair access, they usually only allow disabled passengers to sit in the back and Christine only feels safe and comfortable when sat in the front of a car. Because of her busy work commitments with the various trusts and charities she’s involved with, travel is essential to Christine’s lifestyle- her old modified car was getting a little too old and so a new alternative had to be found. Ultimately, it was decided that something as important as this shouldn’t be dependent on money and thus one of the more expensive options was pursued; this is when the problems started.

The Chrysler Entervan was chosen because, as Christine has three different wheelchairs, a large vehicle was going to be needed. The Chrysler Entervan begins its existence as the Grand Voyager car.  Christine got hers for around £21,000, as VAT is not charged for purchases made for conversion. This might seem like a good saving, but then the hidden costs began to show up.  The major restructuring of the car is done in Sweden and, after all the necessary adjustments have been done, you’re left with a bill that is closer to £40,000. The charges are explained away by the fact that most people come to buy such modified vehicles after receiving very high compensation or insurance payouts after road-accidents. However, Christine had no such financial cushion to rest her hopes on, nor is she given all that much help financially from the state. If she had saved up her Disability Living Allowance then she may have been able to buy the car in around 25 years!

A cheaper alternative from FIAT is now on the market for around £20,000 but this came too late for Christine who had to endure months of delays and extra costs before she got her car but, as she has commented, it has been worth the wait.