UKAS ACCREDITED ROTARY TABLE MEASUREMENT TESTING FACILITY


Trescal has opened a new facility in Derby which is the only UK UKAS accredited rotary table measurement testing facility. The facility includes the UK’s largest coordinate measuring machine (CMM) with rotary table measurement. The CMM allows component parts of up to 10 metric tonnes to be measured – making it suitable for the aerospace and automotive industries.


The site features six labs, all


operating under strict climatic conditions, to meet UKAS standards. Commenting on the facility, Steve Powell, branch manager at Trescal Derby said: “Our ability to offer a one-stop-shop for calibration services, at this level, ensures we continue to deliver high end accuracy in-line with customer requirements.” www.trescal.com


STEAM DISTRIBUTION OVERHAUL OFFERS IMPRESSIVE SAVINGS


Chemical company, Johnson Matthey, has overhauled the steam distribution network at its Billingham plant, saving around £60,000 per annum on heat losses and reducing maintenance costs. The site’s processes and office


heating was supplied by an oversized steam line which also lacked adequate steam traps. The system was not equipped with isolation valves, which meant that maintenance teams were unable to shut down or isolate the flow of steam. Flange leaks were leading to high


maintenance bills and the plant was suffering from heat losses costing around £130,000 per year. As part of a pilot scheme to


explore the value of proactive steam system maintenance, Spirax Sarco worked alongside the company to reduce the length of the steam line to 25% of its original length and replacing the old 36in steam pipe with a new pipe of 8in and 4in sections. This was followed by the introduction of new control and automation devices, including steam traps, dirt pockets and pressure indicators to improve flexibility of use, with isolation valves offering greater control of the steam supply itself. www.spiraxsarco.com


NEW TEST LABORATORY FOR HAZAROUS AREA NON-ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT


Intertek is now an approved International Electrotechnical Commission Explosive (IECEx) Certification Body and Test laboratory and can provide global third-party approval on non- electrical equipment for use in hazardous areas. Intertek’s UK Chester and


Leatherhead laboratories have tested European equipment under the ATEX Directive for over 10 years, and with the recent arrival of ISO/IEC 80079- 36 and ISO/IEC 80079–37 standards and their incorporation within the IECEx certification scheme, these laboratories are now approved to accept global applications from


equipment manufacturers, package assemblers and end users for certification to these standards. They can also provide guidance on the application of the IECEx scheme and discuss individual manufacturers’ responsibilities and routes to compliance within the scheme. www.intertek.com


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ELECTRICAL COMPETENCY TRAINING


The British Pump Manufacturers Association (BPMA) has developed a three-day ‘City & Guilds’ course which will assist non-electrical employees to prepare themselves for cross trade working, and to help companies comply with the requirements of current legislation regarding the use of such people for minor electrical tasks. After completing the course, students should be able to recognise safe working practices related to electricity in the workplace; work within the requirements of current electrical legislation; understand the fundamental principles of electrical energy; perform routine electrical tasks at a basic level; perform safe


isolation of electrical circuits; enhance their workplace skills; and relate to electrical circuit diagrams. The course is aimed at mechanical or un-skilled tradespersons that are preparing themselves for work on electrical systems. The course will be of most benefit to companies that intend to employ non-electrical personnel to perform routine electrical duties such as lamp replacement or portable appliance testing, for example. Costing £495.00+ VAT per person the three day


course will be held on 7th, 8th & 9th March at the National Metalforming Centre in West Bromwich. www.bpma.org.uk


MODELLING PARTLY TO BLAME FOR AIR QUALITY FAILURES


On 2 November the High Court ruled in a case brought by ClientEarth, that the UK Government’s plans to tackle air pollution are illegal. The judgement said: “the Secretary of State (for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) must aim to achieve compliance (with the Air Quality Directive) by the soonest date possible, that she must choose a route to that objective which reduces exposure as quickly as possible, and that she must take steps which mean meeting the value limits is not just possible, but likely.” The judgement also said that the Secretary of State fell into error by adopting too optimistic a model for future emissions. “This modelling approach is deeply


flawed,” said Jim Mills, managing director of air quality monitoring company Air Monitors. “It is well known that the major cause of air pollution in towns and cities is road traffic, and that diesel engines in particular are responsible for high levels of Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) and fine particulates. It is dangerous to rely too heavily on models that generate air quality predictions based on laboratory tests rather than real-


world air quality monitoring data. “Pollution results in over 40,000


premature deaths every year in the UK and the Royal College of Physicians has estimated that this costs more than £20bn per year, which is just under 16% of the current annual NHS budget. New monitoring technologies,


such as ‘AQMesh’ have improved the flexibility and relevance of air quality monitoring. As a low cost, small, lightweight, web-enabled device, an AQMesh pod can be placed in almost any location; recording air quality where it is most important. Pods can be installed at head height, next to schools, alongside busy roads, in car parks etc. As a result, air quality data can help make decisions that protect


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health. “AQMesh was not designed to replace reference monitoring stations; its purpose is to fill in the gaps; to help find pollution hot- spots and to check that remedial efforts are working,” said Mills. According to Mills the Government


must now develop an effective plan to tackle air pollution; which is guided more by monitoring than modelling, and which is evaluated with real monitoring data. “Given the number of lives being lost to air pollution and the enormous cost to the NHS, it is clear that significant investment in monitoring and air quality improvement measures must be made immediately,” concluded Mills. www.airmonitors.co.uk


INDUSTRIAL COMPLIANCE   2016 


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