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November 2003 |
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Buyers want security and sockets
House buyers rate security measures and an adequate number of electrical sockets as more important than floor coverings and soft furnishings. This fact was revealed in an NOP survey of over 1000 potential house buyers.
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ECA action on safety
The ECA has started work on compiling core health and safety criteria for measuring contractors' capabilities.
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New in office
New in office: Mike Storey, left, the first president of BEAMA Installation bestowed the chain of office on Geoff McCann, managing director of Electrak International, at the organisation's annual conference. McCann, a former BESA president, assumes the role of BEAMA Installation president for the next two years.
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Hagemeyer turns full circle
Electrical equipment distributor Hagemeyer UK has abandoned its plans to consolidate the Newey & Eyre and WF Electrical brands by establishing different market positionings for the two companies.
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Call for energy efficient buildings
Building design should put energy efficiency and sustainability at the top of the agenda stress Terry Wyatt, president of the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) and Paul Hyett, past-president of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).
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Show zone
Show zone: Over 600 visitors attended the Electrical Roadshow at the Theatre of Dreams, Manchester United's Old Trafford ground on 8 October. The event, organised by EMC, saw over 30 exhibitors from across the electrical sector doing brisk business, providing information and products to a varied audience of contractors, both large and small. Watch out for the next show at Brands Hatch in March 2004.
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Hills awards suppliers
Hills Electrical & Mechanical has announced the 15 winners of its Preferred Product Awards 2003.
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ECA blasts CIS reforms
The ECA has voiced its anger at the latest developments made by the Inland Revenue in its revision of the Construction Industry Scheme.
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Partnering scheme
The Construction Accredited Partner Scheme was launched on 13 October by the National Federation of Builders.
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Industry opt-out gets government support
The Government has announced that it is to support the ECA and a raft of other industries in their stand to retain the opt-out facility from the European Commission's 48-hour working week.
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Northern star
Northern star: Sheffield's new winter sporting arena, iceSheffield, has been equipped with a web-accessible hvac control system by m&e services contractor N G Bailey. The £15.7 million arena contains two Olympic size ice rinks and seating for over 1500 people. A Cylon Building Management system will control the chillers, boilers, domestic hot water, air handling, humidification and dehumidification plant and lighting through Tridium's Niagara framework.
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Presidential VIEW
As you may be well aware, a welcome step towards electrical safety is soon to be introduced in the form of Part P of the Building Regulations. Under this proposed regulation, domestic fixed electrical installation will be subject to the statutory provisions of building control as administered by local authorities. Contractors who are certified as competent will be able to self-certify that their work fully meets these provisions. It is anticipated that government will formally announce its approval of the schemes to be used to judge a contractor's competence to self-certify compliance with Part P early in the new year.
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ECA members happy with Association
A recent round of interviews with 150 ECA members shows that the overall level of satisfaction with the association is riding high, with 91% being either very or quite satisfied.
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Conference calling you
Places can now be booked for the 2004 ECA Electrical Industry Conference in Vilamoura, Portugal. The event, from 8-15 May, is at the glamorous Tivoli Marinotel on the Algarve.
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Opening night
Opening night: Visitors to the Royal Albert Hall this winter will get a warm reception thanks to a new heating system installed by MJN Colston as part of its £14 million m&e contract in the £70 million restoration. The Solray radiant panels from Comyn Ching & Co have been installed on the ceiling of each of the Hall's three main porch areas.
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Poole has the quay
House buyers in Dorset have the option of the latest home automation technology at a new development in Poole.
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A quality assessment
What does third party assessment entail? Chris Ottaway outlines the process in a continuation of our ISO 9001: 2000 series.
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Stopping short
How can you ensure that a system is designed to the correct short-circuit parameters? BEAMA Installation explains the rules.
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Council under control
A new sustainable, low energy building will provide the headquarters for North Wiltshire District Council. The council's 300 staff will move into the purpose-built space in Monkton Park from five offices in Chippenham town centre.
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Beam of light
Beam of light: Standard Life's Dundas House in Edinburgh is now kept cool with multi-service chilled beams from Stifab Farex. The1400 active beams include integrated lighting designed by Riegens Lighting, which has a curved top reflector to direct the light across the ceiling, giving diffused lighting throughout. The electrical and mechanical contractors were NG Bailey and Haden Young respectively.
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Data service reaches century mark
CK Electrical was the 100th contractor to subscribe to the recently launched Estimation Group Data Services (EGDS), doing so with a view to reducing costs and increasing efficiency.
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Cold conferences
Cold conferences: The auditorium and restaurant at 120 Fleet Street, London have been lit with cold cathode lamps from Oldham Lighting. Prodigy lighting was chosen as a versatile and low maintenance solution. The auditorium has various uses including video-conferencing. Two rows of lamps have been installed, which can be dimmed for architectural purposes and give bright light when needed. Lighting Design International designed the scheme.
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PFI award
Academy Services has been named as the preferred bidder on eight new schools for the London Borough of Waltham Forest under the Private Finance Initiative. It is a partnership between Kier Project Investment and Dexia Public Finance Bank. Three of Kier's regional businesses will construct one secondary and seven primary schools in the region under a £50 million contract. Its m&e division, IEI, will undertake all m&e installations as part of a £8.5 million contract.
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Retention battle is not over yet
The Trade & Industry Committee has taken the Government to task over its refusal to act on retentions.
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Roving safety rep boost
Andrew Smith, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, has announced £3 million of backing over three years for worker safety advisers (WSAs).
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Village green
Village green: Powerminster has secured a £33.5 million contract over the next 30 years from Grove Village, the company that has been formed to deliver the largest ever PFI housing scheme. The scheme will turn part of Manchester's Plymouth Grove into a new community with 1250 homes. Powerminster will provide a 30-year domestic fm service, complete with life cycle replacements.
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I'll have P please, Bob
The tortoise that is the much-talked-about introduction of electrical safety into the Building Regulations is slowly inching towards the finishing line (see pages 7 and 15). Barring any last minute glitches, the new Part P will be in place by the middle of next year, probably 1 July 2004. The government has made it clear that one or more competence assessment schemes need to be up and running before Part P is finally given the green light. Contractors enrolled with such a scheme will be able to self-certify that their installations are compliant with the Building Regulations.
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Firms urged to act over Part P
Contractors are advised to start looking at registration with competence assessment schemes if they want to self-certify installations as being compliant with the new Part P of the Building Regulations.
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Busbars explained
John Clarke answers some of the questions most regularly asked about busbar trunking systems.
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Directive action
Christopher Syder looks at labour issues from an employment law perspective and asks: are agency workers more hassle than they are worth?
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Manage the pain and feel the gain
If companies must change to survive, how can they do so successfully? Tony Matthews continues the series on best practice explaining how benchmarking can help your business.
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Bad management
The same fractious relationships between different trades that plague the construction industry also compromise the performance of many building management systems, as Richard Simmonds discovers.
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Cold comfort
Replacing traditional high voltage paper cabling with polymeric equivalents means an alternative to heat shrink joints must be used. Paul Bickerdyke explains how one power utility company found a faster and safer solution.
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Labour savers
With the ECA proposing action against the growing use of agency labour, we look at current industry trends. In this first article in a special two-part feature, agencies fight back and tell how they can help busy employers.
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Worthwhile endeavour
Suffolk County Council is set for a sustainable future with its new Ipswich hq.
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HSE blitz on falls from height reveals shocking attitude to safety
HSE inspectors have swooped to uncover a multitude of illegal and unsafe working practices. The shocking evidence of scant regard for worker safety is exposed as part of the Europe-wide Don't fall for it campaign.
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