NEWS & APPOINTMENTS
Call for urgent review of refrigerant safety proposals
A leading trade body has warned that changes to the rules governing refrigerant gas could increase the risk of accidents. Revisions to the European F-Gas regulations, which the UK continues to apply, are expected to significantly increase the amount of flammable gas and high-pressure systems used by the refrigeration and air conditioning industry, but The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) is concerned there are not enough trained, competent people able to apply them safely. The UK’s primary competence register REFCOM, which is managed by BESA, said
there would be a significant rise in the use of new or ‘alternative’ refrigerants to meet new targets set by the regulators to further reduce the amount of global warming gas available to the sector. REFCOM, which has more than 7,000 registered firms representing over 90% of the marketplace, echoed the concerns of the European contractors’ umbrella body AREA that the proposed changes would put tremendous strain on the industry’s workforce and could lead to unqualified people working with potentially dangerous substances. “The speed of change envisioned by the regulators will make it impossible for the industry to train up enough competent people in time to work safely with the alternatives like flammable hydrocarbons,” said BESA’s head of technical Graeme Fox.
Challenge
“We are in the process of adopting the most far-reaching regulatory change to building safety in 50 years with the passing of the Building Safety Act, yet this threatens to create a whole new safety challenge that could easily be avoided by adopting a more realistic timetable,” he added.
The Association said it accepted the principle of the proposed changes to reduce the amount of greenhouse gas in circulation, but said measures must be practical both in terms of suitable equipment and the size of the competent workforce. BESA is particularly concerned that the proposed changes will accelerate the adoption of flammable refrigerants in smaller air conditioning and heat pump solutions – many of which could be installed in homes.
“This could lead to a ‘wild west’ scenario with untrained installers working on equipment they should not be anywhere near, including carbon dioxide systems which operate under much higher pressures than many installers have experienced,” said Fox. “It could also have unintended consequences for energy efficiency and carbon emissions.” BESA also backed AREA’s calls for tighter regulation of alternative refrigerants by applying existing safe handling rules and by including them in the F-Gas regulation’s leak testing requirements to reduce the risk of accidents.
Fire specialist commits to future of fire safety with graduate scheme intake
Warringtonfire, a global leader in fire testing, inspection and certification, has welcomed four new engineers as part of its inaugural graduate recruitment scheme. The company, which is part of Element Materials Technology, launched the scheme to help future-proof the fire safety industry and coincides with the 50th anniversary of the first commercial fire test at its fire testing laboratory in High Wycombe.
The extensive history and experience of
Warringtonfire’s multiple laboratories enable the company to provide graduates with the support and knowledge needed to make valuable contributions to the fire safety industry going forward. Amman Ahmed, Evandro Valente, Shannon Muir and Susie Hall joined Warringtonfire as graduate engineers in September 2022. The two-year structured training programme will see the four new recruits join Element’s team of over 7,000 scientists, engineers, and technologists working across a network of over 200 laboratories worldwide. Mark Cummings, Technical Director – Built
Environment at Warringtonfire comments: “Warringtonfire is very proud of its record
of developing world class fire safety professionals. Many leaders and senior stakeholders within the business have spent the majority of their careers within the organisation. However, given the pace and scale of product development within the construction industry, fostering the next generation of engineering talent is more important than ever.
“After a highly competitive application
process, which saw over 200 graduates apply for just four places, we are delighted to have welcomed Amman, Evandro, Shannon and Susie into Warringtonfire. We hope the 2022 cohort are the first of many to undertake this programme, all of whom will be playing their part in helping us make tomorrow safer than today.” Amman Ahmed, graduate in aerospace engineering, added: “I’m over the moon to have been selected for the Warringtonfire Graduate Scheme. It really stood out to me how much help and guidance we will be given, and the opportunity to get exposure to different areas of the business, whilst gaining new qualifications, is invaluable. I can’t wait to get stuck in.”
Appointments
Leeds College of Building appoints chief
The first female principal & chief executive of Leeds College of Building has started in post. Nikki Davis, the college’s former vice principal for teaching, learning & quality, takes over from Derek Whitehead who announced his retirement in February. Nikki has previously held the position of head of department at Kirklees College, managing various departments from hospitality to business development, before progressing to assistant principal at York College and leading the apprenticeship programme. A subsequent promotion to vice principal for technical and professional programmes included leading the successful bid for the Yorkshire and Humber Institute of Technology.
Nikki Davis copyright Carolyn Mendelsohn
Nikki moved to Leeds College of Building in May 2019, just prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite the challenges, the College has grown and now holds a strong position with exciting plans ahead. Nikki said: “I’m delighted to take up this role in preparation for the new academic
term, and to build on the College’s previous successes and first-rate tradition of delivering exceptional training to learners from across the UK. This is an exciting time for the College, and I very much look forward to working with students, staff, employers, and partners to ensure that Leeds College of Building delivers on its potential.”
Harley Haddow accelerates Manchester growth with director appointment
Harley Haddow has announced the appointment of Ian Chalk as director to further strengthen their Manchester offering
The multi-disciplinary engineering consultancy opened the North West base earlier this year as part of its ongoing UK expansion and recruitment strategy. Chalk joins the firm from construction engineering company Hoare Lea with 20 years’ experience in the industry and region. He has worked on an expansive portfolio across multiple projects around Manchester, the North West, and the Middle East; including leading the current St. Michael’s scheme, Manchester Airport, many of the major North West universities, Liverpool Women’s Hospital and multiple Covid-related healthcare schemes during the pandemic. He also led the Doha Metro Green Line project in Qatar, in preparation for the World Cup being held there later this year. Within his new role, Ian will be responsible for heading up the Manchester office, business development and growing the Mechanical, Electrical & Public Health (MEP), Sustainability and Civil & Structural teams. Ian said: “Harley Haddow has created a strong reputation as being innovative leaders in the engineering market and is clearly ready to grow further – with Manchester being the obvious choice. They’re a long-term established consultancy that shares similar values to my own, and the knowledge, team and experience in Scotland and in London means that this can only be a success for our clients; both existing and those we are yet to meet.
New chair for Hot Water Association
Stephanie Allchurch, product development manager at Altecnic, has recently been appointed as Chair of the Hot Water Association (HWA). The HWA exists to support, drive and promote the sustained growth and improvement of standards within the entire domestic hot water industry.
Commenting on her appointment, Isaac Occhipinti,
director of external affairs, HWA said: “Altecnic is a chartered member of the HWA , they have supported our aims for many years. We are delighted to welcome Stephanie as the new chair.”
“Stephanie has over 20 years’ experience in the in the industry, having worked for various manufacturers of plumbing and heating controls. She has also been an active member of the HWA for over 10 years, providing technical insight to form the basis on standards, legislation, and guidance.”
Stephanie commented on her appointment: “I am so pleased with my new appointment and am looking forward to the challenges this role will entail. Working at Altecnic, a chartered HWA member, means that I am in the perfect position to take on these challenges.” “I am looking forward to exploring how the HWA can help shape the industry position with hot water storage cylinders to help show the potential within these as ‘batteries’ to further support the journey to decarbonisation.”
4 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER OCTOBER 2022 Read the latest at:
www.bsee.co.uk
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