UKAS accreditation for PHS Compliance Workplace safety expert, PHS
Compliance, has announced the successful renewal of its UKAS Inspection Body accreditation to ISO/IEC 17020: 2004, following detailed reappraisal of its electrical testing division. The stringent technical and quality standards assessed by UKAS are challenging to meet and annual audits mean that organisations holding the accreditation must be able to demonstrate consistent quality standards in the provision of inspection services. UKAS (the United Kingdom
Accreditation Service) is the sole national accreditation body recognised by government to assess organisations that provide certification, testing, inspection and calibration services against internationally agreed standards. Accreditation by UKAS demonstrates the competence, impartiality and performance capability of these evaluators.
UKAS says that choosing an accredited supplier ‘means that the customer reduces the risk of selecting an incompetent evaluator and paying for, or more seriously, acting upon invalid results’. According to UKAS, ‘too many of Britain’s companies
run the risk of undermining their long-term success by purchasing independent evaluations that are not UKAS accredited’. The ‘schedule of accreditation’ issued by UKAS to PHS Compliance concerns inspection of low voltage electrical installations and electrical appliances. This covers the work the company does to help customers comply with safety legislation for fixed electrical installations and portable appliances (PAT).
Commenting on the approval, managing director of PHS Compliance, Paul Caddick, enthused; “We are enormously proud to hold the UKAS accreditation and deliver what it stands for; excellence in delivery of safety services and confidence for organisations who seek to fulfil their legislative responsibility in a diligent and safe manner.
“This goes way beyond most awards,” continued Caddick. “It assesses the provider at every level and confirms that processes and procedures are robust, reliable and technically accurate. The current assessment included site visits to see our engineers in operation and the auditors were very complimentary of the standard of our delivery. This is about an
industry-leading quality that is delivered every day, by every engineer and through every test - repeatable quality that we have founded PHS Compliance upon.” In addition to its UKAS accreditation, PHS Compliance has recently received renewed CHAS accreditation (the Contractor’s Health & Safety Assessment Scheme), SAFE Contractor accreditation in recognition of reaching health and safety standards set by SSIP (Safety Schemes in Procurement) and ISOQAR certification for the company’s health and safety management system to BS OHSAS 18001: 2007, environmental management system to ISO 14001:2004 and also its quality management system to ISO 9001:2008. As part of the environmental management system, ISO41001 was also achieved in recognition of the high qualifying standard for the UKAS accreditation.
www.phs.co.uk/testing Tel: 02920 809090
Sontay develops wireless sensor solution for improved Legionella control
A new wireless temperature monitoring solution from field controls and peripherals expert, Sontay, will bring better legionella control alongside significant savings in maintenance time, cost and fuel bills for building owners and facilities managers. Developed by Sontay in partnership with legionella specialist, H2
O Chemicals,
the SonNet family of wireless sensing devices features battery powered sensor nodes together with permanently powered network receivers and routers, and software. SonNet sensors are designed around a robust 2.4 GHz, 802.15.4 self- healing tree topology to provide consistent measurement of water and air cooling system temperature at set frequencies and
periods in the day. These readings are then communicated to the building’s control system, helping to identify any trends or out of specification temperatures and so control the risk from legionella. Using SonNet wireless sensor technology also significantly reduces the amount of manpower required to implement a full legionella monitoring programme. It can also provide opportunities to reduce storage temperatures and still be ACoP L8 (Approved Code of Practice and Guidance L8, “Legionnaires’ Disease – The Control of Legionella Bacteria in Water Systems”) compliant, thereby reducing fuel costs and a building’s carbon footprint.
Legionella continues to be found in water services throughout the UK. The ACoP L8 requires a detailed monitoring and record-keeping regime to minimise or eliminate the risk from this bacteria. This regime can be both difficult to administer and costly, especially for customers responsible for a large number of systems. Results can also be distorted according to system usage.
SonNet eliminates concerns with reception and reliability often associated with existing ‘point-to-point’
Building & Facilities Management – April 2011
wireless systems. If a sensor detects a problem with the signal, it will automatically re-route to find the strongest available path to the receiver. Interference with other radio devices in the same frequency spectrum has also been addressed through a proprietary algorithm which continually adapts to site conditions. All products in the range are supplied with a two-year warranty as standard. By eliminating the need for structural cabling during sensor installation for an HVAC control system, SonNet sensors greatly reduce engineering time and installed-project cost. This enables faster and easier installation on new and retrofit projects.
A comprehensive SonNet range is available, catering for space, immersion, duct and outside air monitoring applications. For ease of commissioning, a dedicated site survey kit allows engineers to map any building for suitability prior to carrying out site installation. It helps them analyse transmission paths and signal strengths between proposed sensor locations and receivers to ensure that a sound communication path will be achievable when site installation is completed. Email:
sales@sontay.com www.sontay.com
feature :: health & safety 25
Health & Safety
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