COMMENT COVER STORY
P4 reflects on 35 years in emergency lighting
At P4 we have been manufacturing self-testing emergency lighting for over 35 years, starting out in Bedfordshire in The Warner family home. In 2011, following several strategic growth steps, we moved into our current purpose-built factory in Fakenham, Norfolk.
We have come a long way, achieving BSI accreditation of our systems and operation, BSEN14001, and certification to the self-testing emergency lighting standard, BSEN 62034.
Our sales team talk to people daily who are hearing about self-testing emergency lighting for the first time. Many face manually testing their emergency lighting, knowing that if they fail to achieve the minimum testing requirements of a monthly functional test and annual duration test, they could face fines, and even imprisonment. Hearing there is a time and money- saving-solution available to assist them really is a breath of fresh air. For many lighting companies, emergency lighting is dull. They focus instead on the controls and aesthetics of mains lighting, viewing emergency lighting as a necessary evil, and yet it is the part of the lighting system that really can save lives. Lighting design is an art, and mains and emergency lighting can and do work well together. We have recently extended our mains lighting offering in recognition. Emergency lighting has evolved from tungsten filament lamps, (some will remember the ‘Pygmy Lamp’), through the demise of fluorescent lighting, to the current light source of choice –
Advertising feature IHEEM
August 2024 Volume 78 Number 7
www.iheem.org.uk
Technical Platforms give update
JOURNAL OF THE INSTITUTE OF HEALTHCARE ENGINEERING AND ESTATE MANAGEMENT
Technical Platforms report on their work Wales conference hears from top athlete
Working at height in focus
www.healthestatejournal.com
FC HEJ
Aug24.indd 1 18/07/2024 16:49
LED. P4 has produced LED emergency lighting since 1989, and the only time our emergency lighting conversion service sees a fluorescent lamp today is when we are building a bespoke LED replacement gear tray to replace it. It’s not just light sources that have evolved. Innovation in technology has enabled P4 to offer a 10-year warranty on its self-testing emergency lighting – via LiFePo4 batteries and system communication to a central data collection point. Thirty years ago, P4 developed its ‘Link’ system, currently installed in at least 25% of NHS Trusts. This evolved into 2.4 GHz and 868 MHz wireless communication systems, and now our FMT self-healing mesh systems. Reliability, greater communication, and compliance made easy. Who said emergency lighting was dull?
P4 Limited 1 Wymans Way Fakenham
Norfolk NR21 8NT T: 01328 850 555 E:
sales@p4fastel.co.uk www.p4fastel.co.uk
Last month’s IHEEM 2024 Authorising Engineers conference in Epsom, titled ‘Driving the Standard’, saw each of the Institute’s Technical Platforms update delegates on their recent work. Listening to some impressive and detailed presentations it was clear just how much focus each Platform devotes to activities in its field – ranging from helping shape the latest fire safety guidance and involvement in the formulation of electrical standards, to input on better managing hospital oxygen flow should the UK face another pandemic. One of the day’s speakers was Ash Morpeth,
an Authorising Engineer at ETA Projects, who spoke on the hazards of working at height and in confined spaces. Despite some clear general guidance in legislation on ensuring the safety of personnel working in such environments, he noted that accidents continue to occur, and that lessons on preventing them do not always seem to be being learned. In an associated article (pages 46-48), he discusses working at height, the risks, and some of the key considerations for those managing such activity. John Prendergast, a Senior Decontamination
Engineer at NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership, reported on the work of IHEEM’s Decontamination Platform, one of whose current focuses is ensuring Authorised and Competent Persons working in the field are sufficiently well-trained and competent to undertake the key engineering tasks they may face on hospital sites (see pages 18-21). Meanwhile, IHEEM COO, Tania Davies, and Council member, James Chadwick, discussed the launch of the new MyIHEEM Mentor mentoring system, and the positive feedback on it to date. Te platform is now available to all members who wish to be mentored, or individuals keen to share their knowledge to mentees, and, in the process, assist with their CPD. Tis month’s IFHE edition includes interesting
articles from Australia on a new HVAC ventilation filter standard there, and a look at how those responsible for keeping plant and equipment safe and secure in healthcare facilities need – where their region is at risk – to prepare a Business Continuity Plan to cater for natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes. Next month’s HEJ will include our
secondary picture to come
usual comprehensive preview to this year’s Healthcare Estates event in Manchester (see also pages 7-8 highlighting some of this year’s keynote conference speakers).
Jonathan Baillie,
Editor jonathanbaillie@
stepcomms.com
August 2024 Health Estate Journal 5
health estate journal
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72
