INDUSTRY NEWS
CRB CHECK AND PHOTO ID CARD AVAILABLE FROM THE JIB
A CRB check and photo ID card service from the Joint Industry Board for the Electrical Contracting Industry (JIB) is now available to all electrical operatives who need to access properties such as schools, care homes, hospitals and other establishments which house vulnerable people. The JIB, working in conjunction with the Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA), has appointed Capita Recruitment Vetting Services to provide the CRB checks. If the checking process is successful, applicants can receive a photo ID card, which confirms their clearance by the CRB. Approximately 300 individuals have taken advantage of the service since its launch. Applicants can benefit from an online processing system to allow for faster turnaround times and lower costs. The photo ID card is an optional extra and applicants can simply receive a formal letter confirming CRB clearance, if a card is not required. ‘The provision of a photo ID card is currently a unique
service not provided by other organisations that offer a CRB check,’ said Steve Brawley, JIB chief executive. ‘Throughout the whole application process, full support is provided by JIB and Capita to support individuals and companies who require the checking and ultimately approval to gain access to certain sites.’
CIBSE AND AMTECH JOIN FORCES TO PROMOTE NEW
BUILDING SERVICES DIRECTORY
The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) has entered into an exclusive agreement with Amtech Group to provide CIBSE members with access to the new
LUCKINSlive.com directory of building services, products and services.
LUCKINSlive.com is the first online information centre for the UK building services industry that provides a single source of comprehensive, accurate and up to date information for hundreds and thousands of products. The centre boasts a clear, easy to use design, with consistent product presentation, is accessible to all as no log-in is required and includes regular newsletters which are sent to subscribers. CIBSE chief executive,
Stephen Matthews, commented, ‘CIBSE members are becoming more and more focused on the need to provide building users with buildings which are as excellent in operation as they are on the drawing board. The only way they can achieve this is to ensure that they specify the right products and that they are competently installed.’
CLICK SCOLMORE STRENGTHENS LINKS WITH NICEIC
Click Scolmore’s has agreed a number of sponsorship deals with the NICEIC. The company has signed up as one of the main sponsors of the NICEIC Golf Classic and is also lending its support to the series of Tech Talk events taking place up and down the country throughout the year. Marie Parry, marketing manager for Scolmore, commented, ‘We
are delighted to be getting more involved with NICEIC. As the leading voluntary regulatory body for electrical contracting in the UK, NICEIC plays a vital role in supporting the electrical contractors. Having worked with the contractor market for 20 years now we are all too aware of the need for ongoing access to the services, advice and schemes that the body offers.’ The prestigious, annual Golf Classic event is now in its third year and is open to all NICEIC registered contractors. The TechTalk events are designed to give contractors and specifiers the opportunity to get face to face advice from NICEIC’s technical experts and this year’s subjects include the anticipated amendments and additions to the 17th Edition of the Wiring Regulations and the implications for domestic, commercial and industrial installations.
ELECTRICAL SAFETY COUNCIL CALLS ON MPS TO SIGN SAFER HOMES PLEDGE
The Electrical Safety Council (ESC) has called on all newly-elected parliamentarians to sign up to its Safer Homes Pledge.
The Pledge – which has been mailed to over 200 new, would-be MPs fighting for a seat in the
forthcoming election – asks for support for three key points aimed at improving electrical safety in UK rented property. Periodic inspection testing: The ESC wants to ensure that all tenants have the same level of
protection in relation to electrical safety. Currently, only people living in houses of multiple occupation (HMOs) are legally required to have a periodic inspection of their electrical wiring undertaken at least once every five years. The ESC wants to make this a requirement for all rented accommodation. Suppor ting decent landlords: The ESC is calling for the development of a national register
of private landlords, to suppor t decent landlords and deter those few who rent unsafe or dangerous property.
RCDs: Safety devices which switch off electricity automatically if there is a fault. Using an RCD can not only save your life by cutting off the current if you come into contact with a live part but it can also reduce the risk of fire. ‘With the likelihood of a large influx of new MPs in the next parliament, it’s important that we get their support now for these key electrical safety issues’, explained Phil Buckle, director general of the ESC. ‘An impor tant par t of our strategy for raising the level of electrical safety is through our work with national and local government. Asking prospective candidates to sign up to our pledge is just one example of how we engage with them to improve electrical safety for the general public.’
DRAKA LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN TO HIGHLIGHT SUB-STANDARD CABLE PROBLEM
Draka is showing an industry lead by spearheading a campaign aimed at highlighting the dangers of installing electrical cables that fail to comply with the required regulatory standards. The company is focusing much needed attention on the absence of cable marking, without which there is no means of establishing the cable’s authenticity. In the absence of such marking there is every probability that the quality and performance of the cable is highly suspect and is from a disreputable supplier. Under the banner ‘If it’s not marked, it’s not worth it’, the campaign is aimed primarily at installers but, Draka believes, it is a problem that should also concern wholesalers and distributors, specifiers and building control officers. Depending upon the particular application, there is a legal obligation to include certain information; the more demanding the specification, the more information is required to be shown on the cable. Marketing services manager, Mark Froggatt, commented, ‘Every year millions of metres of electrical
cable are installed in the UK and it is essential to know that the cable being used is to the correct specification. With no markings on the cable it is impossible to know its origin and, more important, whether you can trust that it is safe to install.’ To help installers, Draka has published a freely available pocket guide and has an explanatory video
presentation on its website. Both are available at
www.drakauk.com. The company is also inviting anyone who finds unmarked or misleadingly marked cable being installed to send a sample to Draka in support of the campaign’s aims to achieve best practice throughout the industry and eradicate this dangerous and reprehensible practice.
ECA SURVEY REVEALS ENERGY SAVING COST CONCERNS
According to a recent survey conducted by the Electrical Contractors’ Association, 44 per cent of homeowners believe that they cannot afford to install energy-saving technology which could help minimise the effect of future soaring energy bills. The UK energy watchdog
recently warned that consumers face up to 60 per cent rises in energy bills by 2016, but research undertaken by the ECA shows that by installing simple but effective energy saving technology in their homes, the average household could cut the cost of their annual energy bills by almost a third, in some cases by as much as £400. Ranging from setting
thermostats correctly, to installing timers, right up to the installation of larger scale renewable technologies such as photo-voltaics and wind turbines, there are opportunities for electrical contractors to advise customers on energy saving technologies and solutions. David Pollock, group CEO
of the ECA, commented, ‘Electrical contractors have the knowledge to advise customers and to install energy saving measures. They should be up-skilling themselves to take advantage of the burgeoning renewables market, which is set to rise given increasing energy costs and Government’s carbon reduction commitments.’
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