corgi agsm aesm sponsored by n ignite! · publication: ignite magazine client:vaillant size:...
TRANSCRIPT
1www.agsm.uk.com
CORGITechnical Services
Regulation 36A – we did it!AGSM celebrates their campaign success for MOT-style gas safety checks
AESMAGSM
Women in Compliance introduces mentoring scheme
National launch of the ASCP
May 2018
P09
P24
P10
Ignite!Essential reading for AGSM, AESM & ASCP members
Electrical Safety: Responsibilities of the Senior Management Team explained
P45
Health and Safety
Executive
Approved Code of Practice and guidance
Safety in the installation and use
of gas systems and appliances
Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 2018 as amended
Sponsored by
2018 Conference Edition
AESM
Sponsored by
2
Whatever the social housing property, we’ve got a quality heating solution.
Comfort for your homevaillant.co.uk @vaillantuk
Heating Hot water Renewables
Vaillant Boilers, Controls, Heat Pumps and StorageVaillant Boilers, Controls,
ARTWORKER STUDIO CREATIVE SERV ART DIR/DESIGNER COPYWRITER CREATIVE DIR ACC MAN
SAATCHIPRO File name: 12356_02_Vaillant Social Housing_297x210_Roof tops_Ignite MagazinePublication: Ignite Magazine Client:VAILLANT Size: 297x210mmDate: 19/04/18 Operator: CARL Studio Proof: 01 Client Proof: 01
Social housing comes in all shapes and sizes. That’s why we’ve got a quality
heating system that’s future proof and cost-effective for every property type.
But even though every home is different, one thing is guaranteed – when you
work with us, you’ll always have access to personalised service and support.
12356_02_Vaillant Social Housing_297x210_Roof tops_Ignite Magazine.indd 1 19/04/2018 18:41
3www.agsm.uk.com
Whatever the social housing property, we’ve got a quality heating solution.
Comfort for your homevaillant.co.uk @vaillantuk
Heating Hot water Renewables
Vaillant Boilers, Controls, Heat Pumps and StorageVaillant Boilers, Controls,
ARTWORKER STUDIO CREATIVE SERV ART DIR/DESIGNER COPYWRITER CREATIVE DIR ACC MAN
SAATCHIPRO File name: 12356_02_Vaillant Social Housing_297x210_Roof tops_Ignite MagazinePublication: Ignite Magazine Client:VAILLANT Size: 297x210mmDate: 19/04/18 Operator: CARL Studio Proof: 01 Client Proof: 01
Social housing comes in all shapes and sizes. That’s why we’ve got a quality
heating system that’s future proof and cost-effective for every property type.
But even though every home is different, one thing is guaranteed – when you
work with us, you’ll always have access to personalised service and support.
12356_02_Vaillant Social Housing_297x210_Roof tops_Ignite Magazine.indd 1 19/04/2018 18:41
In this edition...
Welcome
04 Industry news & views latest updates from our sector
08 Meet our new team members
09 Launching the ASCP
10 Regulation 36A what you need to know
13 AGSM National Conference & Exhibition
14 Conference summary day 1 speaker session summary
22 AESM LIVE! Electrical safety speaker round-up
24 Women in Compliance
29 Conference summary day 2 speaker session summary
35 AGSM 2018 national awards
40 Technical updates Gas & electrical technical
articles
46 Meet our members AESM’s Eddie Spicer spills the beans!
47 Dates for the diary Technical meetings,
conferences and events
ContactsADVERTISEAdam Hart T: 07785 630380 E: [email protected]
EDITORIALClaire Cullen T: 07909 324060 E: [email protected]
GENERAL ENQUIRIESE: [email protected] T: 01256 548040 Next EditionIf you have any thoughts, feedback or contributions you would like to provide, please email: [email protected]
Members’ letters are always welcomed!
Firstly, I would like to thank all those who attended the AGSM National Conference and Exhibition 2018 – what an amazing event! Two days packed with content that left us all feeling inspired, informed and better prepared for the challenges ahead. Whether a delegate, exhibitor, speaker or sponsor, you all played a huge part in creating an extremely valuable event for everyone.For me personally, it was a wonderful opportunity to speak with so many of you and hear your experiences and feedback, all of which contributes to the development of our associations and services.
With the tragic events of 2017 still in our minds, I opened the conference with the moving artists for Grenfell music video, its words reminding us of the impact this tragedy has had on our industry and highlighting the important role we play in safeguarding so many lives. It is therefore no surprise that the programme this year was focussed on both safety and compliance, with expert speakers and exhibitors covering gas, electrical, fire, legionella and asbestos safety as well as other health and safety considerations. Our thoughts were even with Grenfell Tower victims at our evening awards, where we raised an incredible £1366 for The Kensignton & Chelsea Foundation’s Grenfell Tower Fund - a cause close to our hearts.
We too have responded to the changing environment. Conscious that many of our members and delegates are facing broader compliance challenges, we launched the Association of Safety & Compliance Professionals (ASCP) to provide support, guidance and advice to those responsible for these areas within social housing and facilities management. The first of these initiatives is the ‘Are You Listening’ campaign; a full toolkit to help improve communication of safety concerns at all levels of an organisation. You can read more about it on page 16 of this edition of Ignite.
And, of course, I cannot forget to mention the long-awaited changes to Regulation 36, which came into force last month - I couldn’t be prouder of the achievements of our AGSM members who campaigned for the new MOT-style LGSRs – pages 10-11 detail everything you need to know!
If you missed our conference, you’ll be pleased to know that we will be talking about some of the subjects at our forthcoming technical meetings, or if in the North, join us for our first ever AGSM Scotland conference at Crieff Hydro 13th Sept 2018. Don’t forget to pencil our 2019 conference into your diary too – it’s the 24-25th April 2019 at our amazing new venue, Celtic Manor!
I hope you enjoy this edition of Ignite and as always, your thoughts and feedback are always welcome.
Claire Heyes FCCA
Chief Executive, AGSM, AESM, ASCP
AESMAGSMT: 01256 548040 E: [email protected] www.gassafetyconference.co.uk www.agsm.uk.com www.aesm.uk.com
Contact detailsClaire Heyes FCCA Chief Executive, AGSM, AESM, ASCP
M: 07968 180940 E: [email protected]
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Regulation 36A – we did it!
Industry news
We know many safety and compliance departments are being put under great pressure with the threat of resource and funding cuts from their senior management team, who are under pressure themselves to make budget reductions. From unprompted feedback at the AGSM National Conference in April, it is apparent that many safety and compliance managers feel some directors do not fully understand the safety and legal implications of the cutbacks they are proposing, or indeed their own responsibilities and accountabilities in this area.
Claire Heyes, CEO of the Association of Safety & Compliance Professionals, which incorporates the Association of Gas Safety Managers and Electrical Safety Managers, has responded to the concern of association members by writing a letter to directors to help explain some of the challenges faced by those responsible for safety, and of the responsibilities they themselves as directors hold for the health and safety of tenants in their care.
Highlighting key action points for effective safety management at board-level, the letter goes on to remind directors of the health & safety guidelines they are legally bound to adhere to as part of their statutory duties. Those who would like further information on this topic can email [email protected]
After years of campaigning, the Association of Gas Safety Managers (AGSM), along with campaign partners CORGI Technical Services and Home Group, are celebrating, as the long awaited change to Regulation 36 comes into force. As of 6th April 2018, Landlords’ Gas Safety Records can be carried out on a more flexible ‘MOT-style’ schedule, giving landlords greater flexibility in carrying out regulatory annual gas safety checks allowing more efficient scheduling and a greater focus on hard to access properties.
Having worked closely with HSE on the new regulation, the Association of Gas Safety Managers believes that new Regulation 36A will not only help landlords smooth out the process of carrying out landlords gas safety records (LGSRs) – a legal requirement for all rented properties, but also give residents greater certainty of when the safety checks will be carried out. In response to the changes, Claire Heyes, CEO of the AGSM said:
“One of the biggest challenges our members face is efficient scheduling
of safety checks, with dates constantly changing, at a significant cost to the sector, so I was determined the AGSM would do all it could to help make improvements. In response to this, we worked closely with
the HSE on the benefits of the new MOT-style servicing scheme which is already being actioned by many of our member organisations. Working closely with our determined and dedicated members, we have taken the industry forward, and I couldn’t be prouder of our achievements.”
The new MOT-style of servicing is not compulsory, and therefore landlords are not obligated to implement the new scheme, however it does offer significant advantages for landlords, tenants and contractors. Under the new scheme, gas servicing can be completed up to two months before the anniversary of the previous check whilst retaining the existing expiry date. Currently, to ensure compliance, many organisations operate anything up to a 12 week process to ensure they gain access which previously resulted in a new LGSR date. Regulation 36A addresses this by fixing the LGSR date.
Those who wish to learn more about the full benefits of the new scheme can do so by attending one of the forthcoming technical meetings – dates and locations can be found on page 47.
Health and Safety Executive
Approved Code of Practice and guidance
Safety in the installation and use of gas systems and appliancesGas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 2018 as amended
Association CEO writes to board members about directors’ responsibilities under the Health & Safety at Work Act
5www.agsm.uk.com
On the day of this magazine going to press, the long-awaited Hackitt Review has been published, so we have cleared our industry news page to bring you a summary of the key recommendations from the report, below.
Following the Grenfell Fire in June, which killed 71 people, questions were raised about the part that building regulations played in the tragedy. Dame Judith Hackitt was commissioned to conduct an independent review into building regulations and fire safety, with particular focus on regulations that apply to high-rise residential buildings.
An important point to note regarding the review is that Dame Judith’s recommendations are proposed for buildings of 10 storeys or more. Current building regulation guidance is based on greater fire safety for buildings with 6 storeys or more. Existing guidance would therefore still apply to buildings with 6-9 storeys and the new guidance will only apply to buildings of 10 storeys and above.
Banning of combustible materials
Dame Judith’s review aims to move away from telling those responsible [for tower blocks] ‘what to do’ and place them in a position of making intelligent decisions about the layers of protection required to make their particular building safe.” She believes that a prescriptive approach will only lead to an over-reliance in guidance. As such, there is no ban of combustible materials in the report, as many had hoped would be the case, however the government has challenged this decision by launching its own consultation on the subject.
Large-scale testing regime
Dame Judith recommends that test houses should produce an annual report providing summary details of tests carried out and the number of passes and failures. She does not, however, recommend any new oversight to the testing regime or that reports should be made public.
In addition, so-called ‘desktop studies’ have been used by industry to clear untested materials for use, by extrapolating results from previous tests. The report stops short of a ban on this but does recommend that desktop studies should only be carried out by independent organisations such as the BRE, accredited to run large-scale tests.
Building control
With much criticism since the privatisation of building control, and the suggestion that builders may have been able to choose their own regulators, Dame Judith acknowledges the problem and proposes in her report that private ‘approved inspectors’ can still be used, but if they provide regulatory oversight they must be independent of builders.
The report also recommends the re-branding of Local Authority Building Control as ‘Local Authority Building Standards’; a body which would have additional powers to issue ‘stop’ notices to builders, require changes to building work and work with an increased time limit for bringing prosecutions. Builders would also be required to prove safety to building control more regularly than is currently the case: before getting planning permission, again before starting work, again before the building is occupied and regularly after occupation.
Approved Document B
Approved Document B is the government’s official guidance on how to comply with building regulations on fire safety. According to Dame Judith, the government is currently working with the Building Regulations Advisory Committee and industry experts to redraft the document, including “clarifying the language used” to remove ambiguities. The report also recommends the publication of a new “over-arching Approved Document” that would cover how different parts of a building interact with each other.
Fire risk assessments
Before Grenfell, the vast majority of fire risk assessments were only ‘category one’, meaning they only looked at common parts, not including cladding, and did not look inside walls. They were to be carried out by ‘competent persons’, but regulations provided no specific definition provided for competency, which has led, according to the Fire Protection Association, to hundreds of unregistered fire risk assessors operating in the UK.
Despite significant criticism of this system, Dame Judith does not recommend any change to the category one practice. She adds that government should not decide what makes a competent person. One of her recommendations, however, is that professional bodies should come up with a set criteria for competence, but she stops short of saying that certification by one of these bodies should be compulsory.
At the time of printing, little more is known to what extent the recommendations in this report will be accepted and implemented, however it does give a good indication to some of the key areas of concern, and proposals for change in our sector.
Hackitt Review – report overview
CORGI assists Metropolitan Police in Grenfell enquiryCORGI Technical Services are currently working with the Metropolitan Police Service to investigate any possible gas safety breaches that could have contributed to the Grenfell Tower incident. Once the results of the investigation are made public, CORGI will be working hard to ensure clients and members understand what actions they need to take.
6
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7www.agsm.uk.com
Energy efficiency and the 18th EditionSteve Martin takes us through the upcoming changes to the Wiring Regulations
The official list of changes to the 18th Edition of the IET Wiring Regulations, otherwise known as BS 7671, has been announced. This provides us with a general overview of what is expected prior to 18th Edition being published on 2 July 2018 and coming into full effect on 1 January 2019. Notably, this comes with one considerable draft section missing − Part 8, Energy Efficiency. Energy Efficiency, a completely new part and probably one of the most controversial introductions to the 18th Edition, was presented last summer. This came during the Draft for Public Comment (DPC) stage, a period where industry had its say as the revised standard became public for the first time. Until then, BS 7671 had only ever been considered as a safety standard in terms of preventing electric shock and fire.
Although the proposed Part 8 has disappeared from the Wiring Regulations, energy efficiency will still play a key role in BS 7671. It will do as an aid in meeting the requirements to Part L of the Building Regulations (conservation of fuel and power) in both England and Wales and conservation requirements of Scotland and Northern Ireland. But it is now a condensed `Informative Appendix’.
Electrical installationsAppendix 17 − Energy efficiency will now provide recommendations for the design and implementation of electrical installations, including installations having local production and storage of energy, for optimising the overall efficient use of electricity. The recommendations within the scope will apply to the new and modification of existing electrical installations. However, most will not apply to domestic and similar installations.
To many readers the concept of energy efficient electrical installations is nothing new. Regardless of its inclusion into BS 7671, a good design will take into consideration: maximum demand; load profiles; power factor correction; location of equipment; controls, such as lighting control; harmonics and cable sizing.
As the world continues to strive to reduce energy consumption, the UK still has an obligation to implement International and European standards on energy efficiency. As such the intention of Appendix 17 is that, it should be read in conjunction with BS IEC 60364-8-1 to provide a systematic continual assessment of energy efficiency.
There are a range of other changes within the 18th Edition. For more information on these changes, training and other industry updates can be found at www.eca.co.uk/Project18.
Other significant changes to BS 7671:2018 include:
Chapter 41 Protection against electric shock:
• Metallic pipes entering the building having an insulating section at their point of entry need not be connected to the protective equipotential bonding.
• The maximum disconnection times stated in Table 41.1 now apply for final circuits up to 63 A with one or more socket-outlets, and 32 A for final circuits supplying only fixed connected current-using equipment.
• Regulation 411.3.3 has been revised and now applies to socket-outlets with a rated current not exceeding 32A. There is an exception to omit RCD protection where, other than in a dwelling, a documented risk assessment determines that RCD protection is not necessary.
• A new Regulation 411.3.4 requires that, within domestic (household) premises, additional protection by an RCD shall be provided for AC final circuits supplying luminaires.
Chapter 42 Protection against thermal effects
• A new Regulation 421.1.7 has been introduced, on the installation of Arc Fault Detection Devices (AFDDs). Regulation 422.2.1 has been redrafted. Reference to conditions BD2, BD3 and BD4 has been deleted. A note has been added stating that cables need to satisfy the requirements of the CPR Construction Products Regulation in respect of their reaction to fire.
Chapter 44 Protection against voltage disturbances and electromagnetic disturbances
Section 443 − The AQ criteria (conditions of external influence for lightning) for determining protection against transient overvoltages has been deleted. Instead, protection against transient overvoltages has to be provided where the consequence caused by overvoltage:
(a) results in serious injury to, or loss of, human life, or
(b) results in interruption of public services/or damage to and cultural heritage, or
(c) results in interruption of commercial or industrial activity, or
(d) affects a large number of co-located individuals.
For all other cases, a risk assessment should be performed.
Chapter 52 Selection and erection of wiring systems
Regulation 521.11.201, which gives requirements for the methods of support of wiring systems in escape routes, has been replaced by a new Regulation 521.10.202, which requires cables to be adequately supported against their premature collapse in the event of a fire. This applies throughout the installation (not just in escape routes).
Section 722 Electric vehicle charging installations
This section contains significant changes to Regulation 722.411.4.1 concerning the use of a PME supply. The exception concerning ‘reasonably practicable’ has been deleted plus changes have also been made to requirements for external influences, RCDs, socket outlets and connectors.
About the author Steve Martin is ECA Director of Technical
AESM industry news & views ELECTRIC
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Joe Beesley, Technical Safety ManagerJoe Beesley is a qualified carbon monoxide incident investigator and a level 3 assessor, with over 16 years experience working professionally in the gas industry. Starting as an apprentice, Joe successfully progressed his career in the sector, most recently working as Head of Compliance for a large installer of energy efficiency and renewable heating measures. In his first compliance role, in 2010, Joe worked on both social housing and national government contracts, including the warmfront scheme. He gained further expertise in social housing gas contract management processes, working for both Morrison F.S and Mears Group PLC and was pleased to have the opportunity to pass on his knowledge and experience by providing training and support to both gas safe registered and non-registered staff as a regional Compliance Manager. Joe regularly participates in industry working groups and believes it is vital to continue raising awareness and advancing standards around matters of gas safety.
Candice Appleton, Business DevelopmentCandice joins us with over 10 years’ experience in the coding and marking industry supplying equipment used to print variable information on to food, pharmaceutical and cable products. Graduating from Southampton Solent University with a BA Degree in Business Studies she was recruited in 2008, initially to assist a fledgling company establish itself at a difficult economic period. Over the years Candice was able to create working practices and functions to bring in new business. This started as a service and maintenance solution moving forward to providing new equipment to customers once the business had established itself firmly in the industry. On a personal note, she loves to spend quality time with her two daughters, going to the theatre and learning routines with her local dance group! Candice is looking forward to utilising her skills in her new role at CORGI, working on the development of Women in Compliance and the new Association of Safety & Compliance Professionals (ASCP).
Charlotte Heyes, Business Support ApprenticeCurrently studying for her A-levels, Charlotte will be joining the CORGI Technical Services team as the Business Support Apprentice once her exams are completed this summer. She has already had a great induction into the team by volunteering to help at the recent AGSM National Conference and Exhibition where she provided invaluable support to delegates, exhibitors and of course the event organisers!
Charlotte has always had a keen interest in CORGI and the AGSM, having heard about them over many years from her mother, CEO Claire Heyes. She is very much looking forward to her new role at CORGI and will be spending time with colleagues across the organisation, learning different skills and supporting the team in providing a high quality service to customers and association members. Charlotte will also be undertaking the CORGI gas and electrical VRQ qualifications as part of her apprenticeship, which will give her a sound understanding of the challenges of gas and electrical safety and compliance management.
Alex Mclean, Electrical Technical Safety ManagerAlex has nearly 20 years of experience within the electrical industry, working in roles such as contract management, electrical departmental management and as an electrical consultant for both the private and social housing sectors. Alex is a fully qualified electrician with extensive inspection and testing experience, with a detailed knowledge of standards, regulations and procedures within the electrical industry. Able to audit and review clients’ requirements to extremely high standards, Alex’s background also includes senior management positions where he has an array of experience in interrogating data to analyse performance matters in order to provide a comprehensive and robust proposal for service delivery improvement. Alex was also responsible for overseeing 100% compliance on electrical testing programmes as well as reviewing and implementing key compliance policies and procedures within previous roles. In his role at CORGI, Alex provides dedicated support to clients, managing contracts across the UK as well as supporting members of the AESM on electrical safety technical matters.
John Vaughan, Technical Safety Manager - Northern IrelandJohn has over 30 year’s experience working in both gas and electrical industries for public and private sector organisations including local authorities, gas equipment manufacturers and the facilities management sector. His involvement in attaining and maintaining ISO 9001, ISO14001 and OHSAS 18001 in the past, has provided John with the necessary skills required to manage services including water, gas and electrical infrastructures for clients.
Working for the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland for 8+ years as a gas safety compliance officer, John has been responsible for the investigation of gas incidents including explosions and carbon monoxide fatalities both for gas, oil and solid fuel installations, and is a qualified carbon monoxide investigator and experienced expert witness. John has also been responsible for ensuring that during inspections, general compliance has been met with regards to the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and, where appropriate, taking enforcement action to ensure compliance. John has been involved with the education of engineers and managers in all aspects of H&S, as well as raising awareness of ongoing changes to legislation.
Meet our new team members!This month, we are pleased to welcome to CORGI Technical Services 5 new team members to support the work of CORGI, AGSM, AESM and ASCP.
9www.agsm.uk.com
This year’s AGSM conference saw the launch of the Association of Safety & Compliance Professionals (ASCP). This new association has been set up in response to our members’ much broader professional responsibilities in safety and compliance – not just gas or electrical safety – and the new, non-technical compliance teams they manage. Many additional challenges have arisen since the Grenfell Tower tragedy, and in order to offer the most effective support to professionals in the sector, we have developed an association that brings safety and compliance professionals together, for a more holistic, collaborative approach. We want to remain relevant and offer the best support possible to our current and future professional members and, together, continue to help shape the sector.
Our two successful existing associations - the Association of Gas Safety Managers (AGSM) and the Association of Electrical Safety Managers (AESM) – remain strong interest groups and continue to attract membership from managers in these specialist areas. Together, we continue to go from strength to strength.
The ASCP will work with and build on these strong foundations, addressing what matters across as well as up and down your organisation. By bringing together those responsible for the safety of tenants across the UK, we can share best practice, and provide support, resources, training, expertise and guidance on all areas of asset safety and compliance, as well as listening to members’ issues and concerns, to move us all forward together.
The ASCP will focus on:
• Safety leadership – promoting a safety culture and ethos in the sector
• Impact of H&S at Work Act - championing competence through the development of training, experience, knowledge, ability and skills, at all levels, enabling safe working practices.
• Sharing best practice – whether it be technical, safety or compliance related
• Promoting effective communication – providing tools to encourage better safety awareness and communication within member organisations
• Raising awareness – campaigning for positive change in the sector, providing a voice for our members on important issues
• Taking a holistic and strategic view on safety and compliance in the sector
I hope that our existing AGSM and AESM members will join us on this journey by extending their membership to include the ASCP, whilst still receiving all the support and benefits of their own association. Extending your membership is free of charge for 2018.
We also very much welcome membership from those responsible for other areas of asset safety and compliance (e.g. fire, legionella, asbestos). Membership is just £75 for 2018.
We look forward to welcoming many of you to our new Association of Safety & Compliance Professionals so that, together, we can bring about positive change in the sector and keep safety and compliance high on everyone’s agenda. For more information or to receive a membership pack, please email [email protected] or call 01256 548 040.
Launching the
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As of 6th April 2018, the AGSM’s long-campaigned for change to Regulation 36A - MOT-style of gas safety checks, came into effect.This wonderful achievement is down to the hard work and commitment of members of the AGSM – thank you to all those involved in the campaign to convince the HSE and other stakeholders of the significant benefits to our sector. It goes to show the power we have when we work together as an association to achieve a common goal - one industry, one voice! Hopefully this is just one of many positive steps we will take to really move the industry forward.
For those who haven’t yet read about the changes, below is a summary from Kim Morris, Head of Training and Membership at CORGI, which was presented at last month’s AGSM conference.
Whilst the new MOT-style of gas safety checks is not compulsory, if adopted, there is still an obligation to carry out safety checks within 12 months, – not up to 2 months after the deadline date as some have assumed making a possible period between safety checks of 14 months. This confusion has arisen because if the safety check is completed within the period of 2 months ending with the deadline date, that check is to be treated for the purposes of regulation 36(3)(a) and (b) as having been made on the deadline date. In theory this could be as much as 14 months but under no circumstances should the deadline date be exceeded. There is however a change to Regulation 36(3) (c) meaning that records need to be retained for a further 2 checks rather than 2 years, so the minimum time for storing records would be 34 months and the maximum would be 36 months.
For example:
LGSR Deadline date – 30th June 2018
Safety check carried out – 30th April 2018 – 10months – 1 check
Safety check carried out – 30th April 2019 – 12 months – 2 checks
Safety check carried out – 30th April 2020 – 12 months – 3 checks
If an appliance or flue is removed, then records need to be retained from the last date of any check for 2 years. Where a safety check of an appliance or a flue made in accordance with regulation 36(3)(a) or (b) is or was completed within the period of 2 months ending with the deadline date, that check is to be treated for the purposes of regulation 36(3)(a) and (b) as having been made on the deadline date.
There is a one-off flexibility permitted to allow for realignment of the dates of safety checks on existing appliances and any new appliance within 12 months of its installation. For example, if a new appliance is installed during the window between the actual date of check and the preserved deadline date of check of other appliances (2 month window), the new appliance may be checked for the first time at the same time as the next safety check of the other appliances.
An example in rented premises would be:
Boiler, Cooker, Fire – Deadline date 1st September 2018
Safety check takes place – 1st July 2018
New fire is fitted – 30th July 2018
Safety check required on fire for Regulation 36A is now between 30th May - 30th July 2019
Because the fire was fitted within the 2 months prior to the deadline date of the original LGSR, the due date on the fire can be now be aligned with the other appliances, which will be 1st September.
This can only be applied once to each newly installed appliance. In theory the gas fire will not be checked for safety until 13 months after installation, which is acceptable as a one off alignment. In multiple appliance situations any replacement outside the 2 months leading up to the deadline date or past the deadline date will be treated as a new date!! Alternatively, you can align the existing appliances with the new appliance date and reset the deadline date.
Where a gas safety check is carried out at less than 10 months following the previous gas safety check, this will have the effect of ‘resetting the clock’ and the deadline date will now be 12 months from the date of this latest check. Where a gas safety check is carried out more than 12-months after the previous gas safety check this will also have the effect of ‘resetting the clock’ and the new deadline date will be 12 months from the date of this, later, gas safety check.
So in summary, one day after deadline or one day before 10 months resets the clock.
However, consideration needs to be paid to void properties or mutual exchanges carried out before the 10 months. Most organisations carry out another LGSR, this will have the effect of resetting the clock too. Can your IT systems adapt to new dates in this case?
Members of the AGSM, ASCP or AESM can access further support on Regulation 36A by emailing [email protected] or using the online members forum at www.agsm.uk.com
Regulation 36A: What you need to know
Kim Morris, Head of Training and Membership CORGI Technical Services
11www.agsm.uk.com
During day 1 of the AGSM 2018 Conference, Fleur Whittingham, Gas Operations Manager, and Becky Salter, Gas Operations Team Leader at Wrekin Housing Trust gave an overview of how Wrekin Housing Trust came to the decision to implement Regulation 36A, an MOT-style of gas safety checks for LGSRs, and the progress made so far on their implementation journey.Looking at the new regulation they have tried to understand the benefits, costs and risks to their organisation in terms of implementing or not implementing the new regulation and gave an update on their decision-making process and their journey so far from a practical point of view.
Some of the benefits identified by the Wrekin Housing Trust team were that by implementing the new regulation, they would only need to carry out one gas safety check, per property, per year – which would reduce costs on their servicing contract. This was estimated to be around 800 services per annum, which equates to an approximate saving of £40,000. There would also be a reduction on environmental impact and associated costs such as travel and fuel etc. as well as increased productivity owing to a reduced need to travel. And of course, the benefits of smoothing out the gas safety check programme, allowing servicing to be programmed in the summer months - an end to year end and all the headaches it can bring!
With all new initiatives, there is an element of risk that needs reviewing – for the Wrekin Housing Trust team these were identified as being:
• Financial implications of changing IT systems to monitor compliance
• Changes to policy and procedure
• Service failures – ensuring tenants understand the new regulations
• Ensuring auditable systems
Becky and Fleur went on to stress the importance of fully understanding the benefits and risks, with particular focus on understanding potential savings. These include the value of the additional safety checks per annum, the environmental/productivity impact (making sure you know exactly what your servicing programme looks like through profiling properties and servicing requirements) and reviewing how much time is needed to update policies and procedures. There are also considerations such as; can your IT system cope with the additional date fields required? What is the upgrade/time cost of this? How will you communicate the changes to tenants and ensure they understand these changes? And of course, throughout the review process, ensuring you document all your findings, to enable you to make a case to your Board for either moving towards implementation or not.
Finally, for those who decide to implement the new Regulation 36A, key activities to remember are:
• Ensure you explain to everyone involved in the access procedure what the changes are and how they will be affected.
• Brief engineers so they understand why you are carrying out gas safety checks early (and are able to explain this to tenants if asked!)
• Build a check point into your audit plan three months into implementation to ensure everything is running as planned
• Ensure procedure notes and your website are updated to reflect any changes
• Understand what needs to be measured and monitored to ensure compliance
• Monitor savings and the profile of your service programme
Lastly, based on the review carried out by Wrekin Housing Trust, be patient! It may take a few years to fully maximise the benefits of the change, but it should be worth the wait.
Regulation 36A – Wrekin Housing Trust case study on implementation
Fleur Whittingham, Gas Operations Manager, & Becky Salter, Gas Operations Team Leader at Wrekin Housing Trust
12
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The AGSM National Conference & Exhibition took place on 25th & 26th April 2018 at Hinckley Island Hotel, Leicestershire.Over 400 delegates attended the two-day event, benefitting from a jam-packed conference programme and extensive exhibition. For the first time, in response to the changing roles of many delegates, the event welcomed speakers and exhibitors specialising in the broader areas of compliance, including gas, electrical, fire, legionella and asbestos safety. Ensuring a warm welcome to all attendees, the team went the extra mile this year, with a few additional treats such as bacon rolls, doughnuts in the breaks, and even a very convincing Gordon Ramsey look-a-like to entertain the lunch queues! Here is a selection of photos that give a flavour of the event…
AGSM National Conference & Exhibition 2018
In 2019 we’ll be extending our conference programme to include even more of the important industry, technical and leadership updates that ensure our delegates are inspired, informed and equipped to carry out their role.
We’re looking for speakers to share their knowledge and experience in the following areas:
• Health, safety or compliance – experience or learnings from your organisation
• Leadership in a challenging climate• Learnings from gas, electrical, fire,
legionella or asbestos safety challenges
Alternatively, if you have an interesting story to share or have a particular topic you would like to see covered at the event, please let us know!
Email [email protected] or call 01256 548 040
National Conference 2019 – Call for speakers!
14
With a packed conference room and delegates eager to see what the day’s agenda would hold, Claire Heyes, CEO of the AGSM and AESM opened the event with a stirring and thought-provoking introduction. As the Grenfell song and video played, we were reminded of the tragedy of June 2017, an event that no one could fail to be moved by and one that will almost certainly shape the future of the sector. Now more than ever, the role of safety and compliance professionals in social housing is in the spotlight and, with this in mind, Claire introduced a packed two-day agenda, created specifically to inform and support those working in these areas. She also went on to explain some of the key areas
of support that have been developed for association members:
• A new communications framework and toolkit for members’ organisations, to ensure safety concerns are raised and dealt with effectively – the Are You Listening campaign
• Support and advice for the AGSM’s long-campaigned for change to Regulation 36A, MOT-style gas safety checks
• Support in the form of the newly launched Association of Safety & Compliance Professionals (ASCP) encompassing the 5 main areas of safety and compliance, for broader support in this challenging climate.
Sessions on each of the above were held across the two days, along with a
host of other practical and informative presentations ranging from gas and electrical safety, to compliance priorities and leadership inspiration. You can read a short summary of each of the speaker sessions in the pages that follow.
The events of June 2017 not only changed things for the social housing sector, but for the whole country. Grenfell Tower was the ‘Piper Alpha’ moment for housing and we’ve seen nothing like it since the shock of ‘Ronan Point’ in 1968. What has followed is almost unprecedented; a public enquiry, a building regulations review, the implementation of an independent Advisory Panel and a Government Building Safety Programme.
This will be the stuff that future generations will study in their technical text books for years to come. There are a series of learning points that will emerge from this one incident, and in the context that a number of these concerns were raised by residents several times, the focus has to shift away from buildings and onto people.
In the last 10 years, we’ve had 11 housing ministers and 3 in the past year alone. Each with a different priority, and coupled with our own priorities in the sector, consistency of approach has to be a contributory factor. The question we ask is whether over time, numbers replaced people as a measure of success and safety…
In reaction to Grenfell, the Secretary of State at the time, Sajid Javid, announced the development of a ‘Green Paper’ for Social Housing, which had the widest scope for any review of the sector. Covering everything from safety and quality, to complaints and community, this is being informed by 12 national roadshows that sought to find out directly from tenants, their experiences, views and concerns when it comes to housing. The outcomes were
clear and not unexpected, and included the need to develop better communication and engagement with landlords.
So what are we likely to see emerge in the ‘Green Paper’? Well, possible outcomes could include tackling the social housing stigma, with a stronger link between tenant complaints and governance ratings, better standards of investment and safety in homes – as well as public transparency for risk assessments and follow up actions. We can also expect a real emphasis on better communication and engagement with landlords – community panels that have wider influence, enhanced consultation requirements and even a regulatory framework that gives residents decision-making power.
Whatever they are, we should welcome all the possibilities because we can only ever benefit from more resident involvement. We should embrace change and make it positive, starting the process now and recognising the opportunity of housing being a top national priority. Either way, all of us should do everything in our power to make sure that Grenfell does not happen in our own organisations.
Alan Keers, Chief Executive, Twenty11, Deputy Group CEO, Red Kite Community Housing, AGSM Political Correspondent
Power to the people – a post Grenfell legacy?
Conference summary day 1
Claire Heyes, CEO of the AGSM and AESM
Claire Heyes opens the 2018 AGSM Conference
15www.agsm.uk.com
Peter covered three main areas in his presentation. The discovery of non-compliance with gas safety legislative and regulatory requirements in a bespoke part of the business, the difficulty and complexity in identifying the scale of the problem (and the action plans put in place to ensure that the breach was addressed) and, finally, the more robust systems of compliance that were introduced across a range of key health and safety performance indicators as a result of the breach.In relation to the discovery of non-compliance, Peter outlined the challenges of working with a small co-operative and the less formal and more casual way in which some smaller organisations appoint contractors, retain important records and then work with partners when things go wrong.
Peter then shared the experience of working with the HCA when a regulatory breach has been identified. The information, liaison and assurance that the HCA require and the implications of the breach on both the company and employees within the gas safety and wider maintenance team.
Peter went on to outline the RBH approach to addressing the non-compliance in relation to gas safety and what the wider implications were for other aspects of the business in relation to fire safety, water safety, asbestos and lift maintenance.
Lastly, Peter shared the experience of the HCA In Depth Assessment which resulted in RBH being upgraded by the HCA and their comments contained within the Judgement of how things had improved since the original downgrade.
Peter concluded that whilst it was a very difficult and challenging process to go through, you can come out of it stronger, smarter and wiser. He trusts the experience
of RBH and lessons learnt through this process will be invaluable to other landlords to ensure they learn from RBH and, in doing so, they will minimise the chances of falling foul of the regulator in future.
Carbon monoxide (CO), like many gases, is undetectable to our human senses. Unlike many gases, though, comparatively small doses can be fatal, or can cause lasting damage. Julie’s talk centred on the idea that although we know a good deal about CO, we can make some assumptions. One of these is that people are ‘fine’ if they survive exposure to CO. Another is that a person has to have a certain amount of exposure to have a certain set of symptoms, when the real situation seems to be far more complex; two people can share the same dose and have very different outcomes.
Julie’s research focuses entirely on the survivors’ experiences of CO. She had read many very useful medical papers, but they were all written from the perspective of the healthcare professional and none told her anything of the individual’s story. What is it like to be exposed to CO? How do people
cope with the aftermath of having that brush with death themselves, maybe losing people whom they love in that process, and then having to live with a whole range of truly burdensome symptoms? How does it feel for them to try and get some support? No-one has ever asked those questions.
The right tool for this job is a methodology that allows people to share what they feel is important to them about their experience. Julie explained that Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) allows people to talk; it is designed to elicit responses about those experiences that researchers/healthcare professionals would probably miss otherwise. So far, there are some interesting results; healthcare professionals seem not to have enough knowledge to support survivors, and headaches aren’t reported very often, despite being top of many lists of symptoms of poisoning.
Peter McHugh, Repairs Manager, Rochdale Boroughwide Housing
Gas Safety – the HCA downgrade process and developing robust systems of compliance
Julie Connolly, Senior Lecturer & CO Researcher, Liverpool John Moores University
Silent Voices: the lived experience of carbon monoxide poisoning
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Working in partnership with the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) as part of their Helping Great Britain Work Well commitments, the newly formed Association of Safety & Compliance Professionals (ASCP) launched a brand new framework, to support better communication of safety concerns within social housing organisations – answering a concern that has been raised by many association members in the past. Michelle Allsop opened the session by introducing the HSE’s Helping Great Britain Work Well strategy, which sets direction for health and safety across the country, focusing on six priority areas: acting together, tackling ill health, supporting small businesses, keeping pace with change, sharing success and managing risk well. It was developed in consultation with people working to tackle health and safety challenges throughout Great Britain
including: employers, workers, regulators, trade unions and membership organisations – such as the ASCP. The strategy provides a route map for all to continue to improve health and safety in Great Britain.
She went on to explain that HSE selected the ASCP’s “Are You Listening” campaign to be included in the Helping Great Britain Work Well commitments because effective communication is a crucial aspect of any organisation and introducing a framework that encourages this can only be a positive in the improvement of safety.
Introducing the campaign itself on behalf of the ASCP was CEO Claire Heyes, who explained that safety managers and front-line staff often have a ‘coalface’ view of operations and may be aware of potential risks or threats long before senior executives and directors. Ensuring this information reaches the correct colleagues and is actioned appropriately can often be a challenge. Following the tragic Grenfell Tower disaster, the ASCP felt it more important than ever to work with
members and colleagues to address real issues and safety concerns at all levels, with practical solutions that allow a more holistic approach. The new framework and accompanying toolkit include practical steps to aid communication of safety concerns.
Neil Yeomans, Head of Property Compliance at Orbit, then took the stage to endorse the campaign, highlighting its benefits and giving examples of Orbit’s own experiences to encourage others to consider adopting the framework within their own organisations - to improve the communication of safety concerns across the sector.
Michelle Allsop, HSE, Claire Heyes, ASCP, Neil Yeomans, Orbit
National campaign launch: Are You Listening?
Safety managers and front-line staff often have a ‘coalface’ view of operations and may be aware of potential risks or threats long before senior executives and directors. Ensuring this information reaches the correct colleagues and is actioned appropriately can often be a challenge. Following the tragic Grenfell Tower disaster, it is now more important than ever that we work together to address real issues and safety concerns at all levels, with practical solutions that allow us to work more holistically.
The Association of Safety & Compliance Professionals (ASCP) considered how to achieve alignment of executive boards with safety and compliance managers and their teams in social housing. The ASCP worked in partnership with the Health and Safety Executive and built on the success of a similar framework implemented in the aviation industry which significantly reduced incidents. The ‘Are You Listening’ (RUL) framework uses words that are known and accepted by
the sector (R–Report, U–Uncomfortable L–Listen). The framework is designed to bring something that can assist organisations to uncover, highlight and eliminate potential risks in their work and across the organisation as appropriate.
The Are You Listening campaign has been designed to do the following:
Raise awareness and eliminate potential risks
Introduce a common language to address safety concerns
Align frontline staff and executive board’s objectives
Improve communication channels at all levels to improve safety and compliance
Provide ongoing commitment to safety leadership
The Are You Listening campaign is supported by a toolkit which includes a presentation that can be used to communicate the message across the business, as well as a poster and a health and safety checklist, all of which can be customised to include a company logo. Currently the toolkit is available to members of the ASCP, AGSM and AESM as part of their membership benefits and can be downloaded from the members’ area of each association website. Anyone interested in learning more about the campaign can contact [email protected] for more details.
Are You Listening campaign
Let’s work together to identify, expose and eliminate potential risks
Let’s work together to identify, expose and eliminate potential risks
Let’s work together to identify, expose and eliminate potential risks
RUL Toolkit
17www.agsm.uk.com
The 31st of January 2004 was the saddest day of Keith’s Fire Service career. The previous evening he had attended a Burns Supper and enjoyed first class entertainment in the company of his colleagues. He returned home to be awakened a few hours later with the news that a serious fire was in progress at a residential care home on the outskirts of Glasgow. The tragic deaths of fourteen elderly people in the Rosepark Care Home fire was a defining moment for him, he then became a strong supporter and campaigner for automatic fire sprinklers. Never again did he want to witness the needless deaths of helpless people due to fire.
We are now nearly a year on from an even greater tragedy than Rosepark. As Keith watched the footage roll on the day of the Grenfell tragedy, he thought again as he did at Rosepark that we had failed these innocent and helpless people. The fight
for justice both for the victims and the survivors goes on, many are still waiting to be rehoused in suitable and nearby accommodation. As a former firefighter, he commended the actions of the personnel of London Fire Brigade, faced with a situation of the scale and magnitude they could never have anticipated, they carried out their duties with the utmost professionalism.
The cause and development of the fire will be decided by one of the inquiries currently in progress and in a number of years we will finally hear an outcome. But what will be the result of that outcome? Will we act on the judgement when it is given, or like so many incidents before, will it be noted and brought up again when such tragedies occur?
There is of course an understanding that we need to know what went wrong and why it got to such disastrous proportions. We need to understand that knee jerk reactions are not always the best way to deal with such tragedies. However, in Keith’s view the
installation of automatic fire sprinklers into high rise housing is absolutely essential. He supports the view that installing sprinklers on their own is not the full solution, but it does however give residents of high rise blocks a chance when all else may have failed. The installation of automatic fire sprinklers by third party accredited installers, in conjunction with regular fire risk assessments and suitable structural fire protection, is what is needed to deal with the current situation until such time as the outcomes of the inquiries are announced.
Keith MacGillivray, Chief Executive, British Automatic Fire Sprinkler Association
Fire Sprinklers: Drowning, illness, flooding, electrocution… what next?
Landlords have major specific duties for managing gas safety under the Health and Safety at Work Act and Gas Safety (Installation & Use) Regulations. However, they are also answerable to the Housing Regulator RSH (Regulator of Social Housing) inspection regime which is undertaken largely on a rolling programme with Housing Authorities, and on a risk assessed basis using Comprehensive Performance Assessment Scores for Local Authorities.
The housing regulator audits gas safety issues including repairs and maintenance and gas safety checks. However other areas such as responsive repairs, capital improvement, major repair works etc. can all affect an organisation’s ability to satisfy the key question: does the organisation comply with gas safety regulations?
Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HSWA) places a duty on employers and the self-employed: ‘to
conduct their undertaking in such a way as to ensure that persons not in their employment who may be affected thereby are not therefore exposed to risks to their health or safety’. Under the HSAW Act, Landlords are not culpable if they can show that they have done all that is “reasonably practicable”, and under The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations, they would have to show that they have taken all “reasonable steps” to prevent the contravention.
Kevin presented a 4-point best practice guide to help delegates ensure they are carrying out, and can effectively demonstrate, their efforts in meeting current requirements. The 4 key areas covered in the best practice guide included:• Quality specification / tender• Effective policies / procedures• Competent staff / assigning of
responsibilities• Auditable procedures & verification of work
Kevin concluded by reminding delegates that the risks associated with not undertaking gas safety checks are high. During inspections, the Housing Regulator reported that performance and procedures varied significantly across all organisations, and failure to have robust procedures in place have often been the cause. In light of the recent Grenfell Tower tragedy there is justifiably far more focus on this area of safety, and thus greater risk of an encounter with the police and/or the Health & Safety Executive.
Kevin Winship, Technical Safety Manager, CORGI Technical Services
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Pen Hadow, Inspirational Speaker and World Class Explorer, presented his experience of trekking solo, and unaided, to the North Geographic Pole, and how his approach and learnings can be transferred to business scenarios. Pen’s challenge was one that 15 other explorers had tried to do in the past but failed. Pen is the first, and only person to succeed in this task, and the achievement was 15 years in the making. A journey that took 75 days and 480 miles, alone. How can one person achieve this?
Pen acknowledged that explorers are good at risk management, communication and innovation, so why had so many others failed at this expedition before? Pen knew he needed to take a practical approach and build up an understanding of what obstacles he was to face. This needed to be carried out over time, looking at the environmental changes depending on the time of year. He achieved this by spending 10,000 hours in the area for a period of up to 3 months at a time.
By mapping the route, Pen could see the unpredictability of the surface of the ice from summer to winter, and over the years he noted that the ice was getting thinner and turning to water in some parts. He also
looked back at previous attempts made by other explorers and could see that the route was getting longer to avoid the water – this gave Pen the idea to create an immersion suit to swim across these parts meaning a shorter journey in a straight line, a key innovation to achieving his goal! The next challenge was to transport a 20-stone sledge across the water, again the creation of a blow-up boat was made for Pen to drag through the water.
He then broke the journey down to nine sessions of 75 minutes per day. This was a psychological approach giving him a logical A-to-B plan.
The cold presented another challenge; hypothermia can slow the brain and stop you from anticipating risk. Then there is frost bite, the risk of being attacked by a polar bear, and not to mention the unavoidable dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning from cooking on a stove inside the tent.
However Pen found that the hardest challenge was to manage his emotional state. When you are ‘in the zone’ you can lose third-party perspective. At these times, Pen recalled a mental image of his son as a form of reality check; is the risk too great? Even though he was out of his comfort zone, Pen focused on the plan, and kept moving forward. Finally, when Pen got to the North Geographical Pole, after 15 years
of effort, his first thought was utter relief that he would not need to do it again! He was at last free from his challenge.
Pen shared his learnings to highlight that, even in challenging situations or when difficult decisions have to be made, there is an alternative approach. If faced with a big challenge or project, preparation and research are key to success – know what you need to achieve, identify obstacles and consider how to overcome them, then break down activities into manageable sections.
When managing risk, ensure you have fully thought through potential issues, speak to others to get their view, and have a plan for each scenario.
Lastly, find your own ‘reality check’ to keep you on track and ensure you aren’t taking unnecessary risks to achieve your end goal.
The risks from asbestos must be taken seriously as it is the greatest cause of work-related deaths in the UK, with currently approx. 5,000 asbestos related cancer deaths per year. Therefore, it is vital that organisations take the risks from asbestos seriously and deal with asbestos in a controlled and safe manner. When asbestos is managed well, inadvertent exposure can be prevented so that the health and safety of individuals is not put at risk.
At the AGSM 2018 Conference in April the Asbestos Removal Contractors Association (ARCA) discussed ‘Managing the Risks from Asbestos’, covering asbestos surveying to the removal of asbestos containing materials.
The presentation also included an overview of the legal responsibilities for managing the risks from asbestos, as property owners/ managers are responsible for ensuring that employees and non-employees are not exposed to health or safety risks as a result of the presence of unmanaged asbestos. This includes the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, and the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, which includes the requirement to identify the presence of asbestos and have an asbestos management plan - where is asbestos, how much is there and what is its condition. This plan must be kept up-to-date and communicated to all those who need to know where asbestos containing materials are, which could include, employees, in-house maintenance teams and external contractors, such as, utility installers.
The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 was also mentioned, for example, if asbestos removal is required the client needs to appoint a ‘competent’ asbestos removal contractor. To support this, ARCA explained that membership to the Association is granted following audits, and then maintained by successfully passing two unannounced site audits every year, reassuring that good practices are continually demonstrated.
Pen Hadow, Inspirational Speaker
Overcoming challenges with a new mindset
Steve Sadley, Chief Executive, Asbestos Removal Contractors Association (ARCA)
Managing the risks from asbestos
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John Fisher, Founder, ARK Consultancy
Asset compliance priorities in the current climateAsset management in the affordable housing sector was for many years seen as more proliferal than core. Provided externally imposed KPI targets were achieved, the service focused more on repairs and planned maintenance (for Decent Homes) than on a strategic and holistic approach to managing the asset base.
Affordable housing landlords spend around 40% of rental income on maintenance – some £2,000 per home per annum. In addition, a proportion of service charge income is spent on facilities management – looking after common parts and buildings services in flats.
At property level only around £250 per home per annum needs to be spent on compliance – gas servicing and all other cyclical servicing and the management of building services. As relative spend has been low in overall budget terms, so has the sector’s focus on the importance of compliance and thus the approach has been weak.
Positively, the sector is now recognising both the importance of taking a strategic approach to asset management and the critical need to understand compliance responsibilities and to completely fulfil these objectives. Assets (homes) are, at last, at the centre of the affordable housing landlord business plan; if they are well maintained and fully compliant, then people will want to live in them, which in turn will lead to satisfied customers and low turnover and so strengthen financial plans.
So in John’s view, at last compliance is now becoming recognised as a critical aspect of asset management in housing. Even though the spend is around only £250 per home this is still a £1bn market employing nearly 20,000 people, but more importantly ensuring the safety, security and well-being of residents of 4m homes.
At the conference, John asked for a view on how well delegates thought the sector currently ‘does compliance’. Consistent with his own view, the answer was that we still have a long way to go to achieve compliance excellence. The good news is that the need is now definitely understood by regulators and Boards, so the time has come to achieve that excellence. Conference delegates are the key people in the sector who will ensure that objective is now achieved.
Boiler Plus is a new government regulation that applies to England from 6th April 2018.Boiler Plus encourages efficiency by mandating requirements for heating systems and setting out new expectations regarding what both manufacturers and installers have to deliver.
The government will work with consumer advocacy groups to provide more information to consumers and enable them to hold trades people to account if they do not consider whether homes would benefit from; – Individual radiator controls – Balancing the system so that all radiators get as warm as
each other – Suitable levels of cleaning and protecting the heating system
from debris
Installations must meet the following;– All gas boilers installed into existing systems in England to have
an ErP efficiency of at least 92% – Time and temperature controls to be installed at the same time,
if not already present and working – Combination boiler replacements to include the provision of
an additional energy efficiency measure to be installed at the same time.
But to reflect the diverse needs and circumstances of our homes and our households, the requirement will flex to allow a wide range of technology options to be considered
Installers will have to offer their customers the best advice on the energy saving measures below and must be able to install them; • Flue gas heat recovery systems • Weather compensation • Load compensation • Smart controls
Paul Honeyman, Head of Product Development, Vaillant
What is Boiler Plus?
21www.agsm.uk.com
We are delighted to announce that next year, the Safety & Compliance Conference (incorporating the AGSM National Conference & Exhibition and AESM LIVE!) will be moving venue to the prestigious Celtic Manor, Newport! Following consultation from members, Celtic Manor was selected for its generous event spaces, high quality catering & accommodation and excellent transport links.
Join us on 24-25th April 2019 for The UK’s only event dedicated to supporting safety and compliance professionals in social housing! You’ll notice a few subtle changes to our event too – our large exhibition hall will now include a dedicated asset compliance area, and we’ve already lined up some fantastic expert speakers to inform and inspire at the conference including:
– Joe Murphy, Head of Health & Safety, Southern Water– John Vaughan, Gas & Electrical Technical Safety Manager, CORGI– Network Homes– ECA– Ceri Doyle, CEO, Newport City Homes
Book now to take advantage of our earlybird rates, or register your interest to be kept up to date with the latest developments and speakers as they are announced!
We’re giving the AGSM National Conference a refresh. Join us in 2019 for the biggest, most exciting event to date!
In association with
safetyandcomplianceconference.com Tel: 01256 548 040 [email protected]
22
Martyn took a practical approach to electrical safety risk management in his AESM Live conference session: Why: All electrical installations/equipment deteriorate with age. Home Office statistics reveal over 50% of fires are caused by electricity, including those at Lakenal House, Shepherds Court and Grenfell Tower. Clarity of legal requirements to check electrical installations varies by sector so the question to ask oneself is ‘can I mitigate my electrical risk?’
When: Fixed frequency or risk based? Fixed is often simpler to implement and suited to large property portfolios like the PRS. Risk based needs to be implemented correctly and not used as justification to universally adopt a maximum frequency – that’s ‘risk taking’ not ‘risk based’. Detailed knowledge of properties, together with supporting evidence such as EICRs, records of visual checks and maintenance are essential.
Who: Anyone carrying out periodic inspection and testing must be competent. If you don’t use someone registered with a competent person scheme (assessed for PIT) ensure you have records to demonstrate their competence.
What: Limitations must be agreed and not used to ignore parts of the installation - particularly distribution equipment.
Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR): is the evidential output and not something to simply file. EICRs show the outcome as satisfactory/unsatisfactory, together with observations on what’s needed to maintain the installation in a safe condition.
Remedial works: Electrical Installation Certificates, Minor Works Certificates and worksheets are evidence of remedial work – there is no need to do a repeat EICR.
Interim checks can identify damage, overheating, misuse, test RCDs, and to check for recalls.
Fixed electrical equipment such as wall heaters and portable equipment provided as part of tenancy will need to be separately checked. Electrical appliances should be registered so that manufacturers can make contact if a product needs to be recalled.
Keeping up-to-date on changing standards is key in preparing for future electrical safety and compliance. During his session Steve gave a pragmatic insight to the proposed changes to the 18th Edition of the IET Wiring Regulations, otherwise known as BS 7671, including the possible impact that some of these changes may have for those involved in electrical safety, when the regulations are published later this year. You can read some details from Steve’s presentation on page 7 of this edition of Ignite.
Martyn Allen, Technical Director at Electrical Safety First
Practical steps to mitigating electrical safety risk
Steve Martin, Director of Technical, ECA
BS 7671 18th Edition - An impact to future compliance ?
Conference summary – AESM LIVE
23www.agsm.uk.com
The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 (EaWR 1989) are made under the Health & Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The act imposes duties principally on employers, the self-employed and employees. The prime responsibility is placed on employers, directors and managers. Management are deemed to have the resources and the authority necessary to ensure a safe place of work. In order for a duty holder to discharge their responsibilities, those responsibilities must be under their control. Kim and Gary’s session examined this using a Q&A approach, to get delegates to consider whether within their own organisation they can clearly define who the designated principle duty holder is, and what the consequences would be of not having the correct policies and procedures in place. More information on this topic can be found on page 45 of this edition of Ignite.
With his background in electrical safety and education, Kevin Sparrow took delegates through a presentation that helped explain how qualifications support competence in the electrotechnical sector. Using the HSE’s example of competence, described as ‘the combination of training, skills, experience and knowledge that a person has, and their ability to apply them to perform a task safely’, Kevin explained how qualifications support a competent workforce, ensuring they have the correct and appropriate training for their needs.
Kevin went on to cover the qualifications available in the electrotechnical sector and how they relate to the competence equation. He also covered how qualifications support competence schemes for individuals (such as the ECS card and Registered Electrician) and also for contracting firms and the Qualified Supervisor.
Kevin sparrow, Electrical Product Specialist, EAL
Qualifications versus competence
Kim Morris, Head of Training & Membership, CORGI Technical Services, Gary Gundry, Electrical Technical Safety Manager, AESM
Responsibilities of the electrical duty holder
Following on from the main AESM LIVE sessions, there was an opportunity to quiz the expert speaker panel on all aspects of their sessions. Delegates made full use of the time with plenty of questions seeking clarification on particular aspects of the 18th Edition Wiring Regulations and guidance on frequency of inspections within social housing.
AESM LIVE: Panel Q&A
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Women in Compliance
As part of the AGSM National Conference and Exhibition 2018, the Women in Compliance group attended a networking lunch focusing on the importance of peer mentoring. The session provided a friendly and relaxed female atmosphere catered for by (look-a-like) Chef ‘Gordon Ramsey’ who entertained us all during lunch.
Our first guest speaker was Elly Hoult who is the Business Improvement Director for Notting Hill Housing. Elly focused on her career path, from a junior to senior woman at work, and why we still have inequality in the workplace.
Starting off with a list of challenges women face daily and how these challenges can affect their confidence, Elly discussed ways to overcome this, specifically by making use of peer mentors. If used effectively, mentoring can be a safe place to share our feelings and thoughts with likeminded professionals. Mentoring can also help us gain personal insight, develop self esteem and operate more effectively and confidently in the workplace. As a mentor herself, Elly feels passionate about the value a woman to woman mentoring relationship provides. Only women really understand what it’s like to be an older woman, younger woman, mother or without children, and all the challenges that come with those roles. We have the power to change the workplace culture; strong women empower each other!
Towards the end of Elly’s session, we were offered a few tips to get started: • Read, learn and develop through data,
attend courses and keep up-to-date with the news
• Meet likeminded people• Attend networking events• Mentor/coach• Be confident and believe in yourself!
Our second guest speaker was Stephanie Smith who is a Professional Coach and Mentor. Stephanie introduced the Women in Compliance peer mentoring scheme and discussed how connecting with other women in the same role can offer encouragement and motivation to help succeed in a male-dominated sector.
Within the session she highlighted that every attendee has something different to contribute, whether they have worked in compliance for many years, or just a few months. On the day there was a combined experience of 174 ½ years! Stephanie noted that sometimes it can feel as if you’re the only one thinking a certain way or asking a certain question – almost as if you’re speaking a foreign language. Women in Compliance is a powerful network of experienced, professional women who understand the challenges we face and cheer on our successes. Connecting with each other brings improvements for individuals as well as potentially spotting changes that could be implemented in to your organisation or even industry!
Stephanie broke up the session with a game of ‘Getting to know you Bingo’. Each member moved around the room asking if the other matched to a specific characteristic listed in the provided leaflet. This gave the group an opportunity to network without feeling intimidated, and proved that as the game progressed, it got easier to talk to others.
Networking isn’t limited to people you connect with directly, we all have our own network of colleagues, friends and family to help find the answer and make that difference.
Women should not be afraid to ask – recognise what you can give to others and remember that a simple ‘thank you’ goes a long way.
“You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you see and smarter than you think” A.A. Milne
Stephanie concluded by asking, “what do you wish you’d have known when you started your current role?” Sharing this one thing could make a huge difference to others in your network. The members were given the opportunity to write a piece of wisdom to place on to the ‘Wall of Wisdom’ and share with the group.
Women in Compliance is open to all women working in safety and compliance in the social housing and facilities management sectors and is free to join. We hold networking events, run mutual mentoring schemes, provide inspiration and offer technical advice in asset and building compliance. Most importantly, we facilitate our community to support each other for the benefit of everyone. Contact Candice Appleton on [email protected] for more information, or follow us on LinkedIn.
Women in Compliance Meeting – held at the AGSM National Conference and Exhibition 2018
Women inCompliance
Women inCompliance
Women inCompliance
If you are interested in joining either the Scotland event in September 2018, or Conference Women in Compliance meeting in April 2019, email [email protected] for more details!
incorporating Women in Gas
25www.agsm.uk.com
We recently sent out a survey to over 500 of our female contacts to find out their views on training and development opportunities. We wanted to see how well women in our sector feel about the support they are given, and what, if anything, held them back in their roles. We asked them whether they felt they had sufficient learning opportunities through associations, events and training courses and the results are below.Professional association membership for peer support and learningWhilst a large proportion of those surveyed felt that there was a good support for association membership within their organisation, a surprising 24% had to pay for membership fees themselves, despite the benefits and learnings being of direct benefit to organisations. The main reason for women not becoming members of an association was because their employer would not fund the fees.
External training for career developmentA reassuring 75% of all participants agreed that their organisation funded external training courses to support career progression, with most feeling comfortable to request training when needed.
Events, seminars and conferences for continuous professional development When it came to general CPD training to maintain or improve knowledge for their role, only 12% felt they regularly attended learning events, and a shocking 87% said they rarely had the opportunity to update their knowledge at these kinds of events. When asked why, the following reasons were given:
Considering that from those surveyed 88% were at Manager level or above, and 65% had team responsibilities, it is worrying that at this level, many women still feel unable to access learning events and CPD that would support their career development, predominantly because they feel uncomfortable with gaining permission.
Continuous professional development is such an important part of career learning and development for both individuals and organisations, so this survey does raise the question as to whether more needs to be done to ensure opportunities are made available by team leaders and directors. Perhaps particular encouragement is needed for females who, it seems, may not feel it is easy to make the request themselves.
Aside the obvious benefits to the individual as part of their role and career, organisations themselves benefit directly from the updates in learning that their employees receive. It demonstrates their professionalism as an employer and commitment to staff, whilst aiding employee retention and bringing new ideas and developments into the workplace. It is also an employers responsibility to ensure the competence of their staff under the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 by providing training, experience, knowledge, skills and ultimately developing an employee’s ability to carry out their role.
As Women in Compliance demonstrates, continuous professional development can bring huge benefits to individuals and organisations as the quote below illustrates.
Many thanks for inviting me to join the Women in Compliance group at the AGSM Conference. As a first time visitor to the event, I was made to feel welcome and part of the family from the minute I walked into the lobby at registration at the start of day 1. I really enjoyed the two days, have come back to work with loads of ideas and initiatives I want to try and implement and am already looking forward to hopefully being able to attend next year.
Sara Winterburn, H&S Manager, Home Group
What’s holding us back? – Women in Compliance Survey Results
Here’s what was written on the Women in Compliance Wall of Wisdom:
If you need to know something, chances are someone else has already asked the questions. Don’t reinvent the wheel
You only know as much as you have needed to know. Always need to learn and listen
Integrity is the essence of my success
Don’t be afraid to NOT follow the crowd
There is no such thing as a silly question!!
Mistakes happen. Do not blame yourself or others. Learn from the experience and change processes if required to rectify the situation and avoid it happening again
Don’t be afraid to voice your opinions and put forward new ideas and processes.
Be organised and prioritise.
Don’t be afraid to challenge.
Don’t hold grudges or negative experiences. Speak to someone and it may not even be an issue as big as you thought!
Be strong, be powerful, be beautiful, be you!
Don’t be scared to speak out or try new things. A year after doing my first public presentation, I was presenting award entries at the H&V
Trust your instincts enough to try something challenging/new!
However big a problem appears, break it down into stages/chunks and tackle one at a time. Before you know it, you’ll have overcome/resolved it.
Believe you deserve better and be motivated to succeed for yourself.
Use Yammer for networking and always ask others to help.
Get out of your comfort zone and be brave!
Don’t be afraid to learn from your mistakes. They make you stronger.
Just give it a try
Never give up!
Daily positive affirmations. Tell yourself you can do it!
Know that you are a part of the bigger picture.
I don’t have the time – 9% I would like to attend but am worried about asking for permission – 27% I don’t think my organisation/manager would allow me to go – 23% I feel unconfident about attending events like these – 26% I’ve asked in the past and been refused – 15%
26
Over the last two years, Orbit has fully reviewed their safety and compliance activities and brought in some fresh thinking to make sure the safety of their customers is at the heart of what they do. They developed new policies and procedures, brought in a whole new compliance team and transformed their performance. Led by Head of Property Compliance, Neil Yeomans, the 27-strong team manages over 40,000 properties from two regional offices, and are split into three main functions; gas/heating, maintenance & servicing and control.So, what is so unique about this you may ask? Well, unusually for our sector, 82% of Neil’s team are women. Keen to raise awareness and support for women in our sector, Neil tells us a little more about Orbit’s own ‘Women in Compliance’.
“Setting up a team from scratch can be a challenge, but also a huge opportunity. One of my observations since moving into the housing sector is that using technical experts to manage logistical tasks just doesn’t make sense as it doesn’t play to their strengths. Moreover, ‘logistics’ is a specialism in and of itself that should be respected much more than it currently is.
In my experience, it is rare for a contract to fail due to a lack of technical expertise; it is much more often the case that it is the logistical staff who are under-resourced and haven’t been given the tools and training they need. That’s why we wanted people who have a talent for logistical planning and building strong relationships, because this is the element we felt was weakest in our industry.
We went about finding people who had those organisational skills and experience, people with drive and ambition - and as we moved through the recruitment process with those attributes in mind, we found the strongest candidates were most often female. We have since invested in them to give them technical qualifications too, whether that be in asbestos, fire safety, gas safety, water safety etc. This now means we have a team with a great balance of both technical understanding and logistical abilities.
Ultimately, I can’t tell you how proud I am of my female colleagues – they are some of the strongest and most knowledgeable people I have ever worked with. They are incredibly supportive of each other and the performance and results they are producing is sector leading.
While our compliance team at Orbit is predominantly female, I do recognise that generally, women working in the field of safety and compliance are in the minority. That is why I am so pleased to see groups such as ‘Women in Compliance’ offering a way for women in the sector to connect, share experiences and gain support on challenges that we men rarely face. It could be the challenge how to win the confidence and respect of (male) colleagues/contractors and be heard as an equal or managing personal circumstances such as childcare. The fact is that there are still some barriers that we need to tackle.
Finally, if I had any advice it would be this: Men, we need a greater male-female balance in our sector. Women bring a completely different perspective, and we will never move forward as an industry without taking commercial advantage of that, bringing in new ideas and skill sets. I’d also like to ask you a couple of questions: do you spend the same proportion of money per head on training and upskilling the women in your team as you do on the men? If not, why not? It makes good business sense. Are skills relating to logistics not just as important as technical skills?
And women, never be afraid to ask that awkward question about whether your skill-set is being invested in to the same levels as the male staff on your team. And please make sure you take the opportunity to share experiences and ideas with other others in the sector, it can only help.”
Why everyone should support women in compliance
Women inCompliance
Women inCompliance
Women inCompliance
27www.agsm.uk.com
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Conference summary day 2
Joe Murphy, Head of Health, Safety & Security Southern Region, HS2
Managing risk in health and safety leadershipFrom the very start of his session, Joe reminded delegates that whilst safety and compliance are very important, we must not forget about health. Whether it be the health of social housing tenants, employees, or even contractors, it is the most important consideration in everything we do. With health-related incidents far outnumbering safety incidents, we must ensure everything possible is done to safeguard those we are responsible for.
Health shouldn’t just be an after-thought. Even at the design stage of buildings for example, consideration should be given to how people will use the facilities created, whether employees will be able to maintain them safely, without injury or strain to themselves, and how other stakeholders will be impacted. Keeping things simple is key. And it doesn’t just stop at physical health, but mental health too.
Joe stressed the importance of involving everyone in health & safety from the outset, particularly those who will be directly impacted. He gave the example of a railway station high-level safety feature he had spotted on a recent visit to France, and how much difficulty (and potential injury) the cleaners had to remove rubbish that collected in it. If the cleaners were involved from the start, or certainly as part of the process, then a better solution could perhaps have been found, keeping everyone safe.
Health and safety is everyone’s responsibility however demonstrating good health leadership tells people you care about them and their wellbeing. Happier people make for a healthier environment for everyone, reducing the risk of incidents. Joe concluded his presentation by reminding delegates that health and safety is about people, not about compliance.
Kim Morris & Panel Discussion
New Regulation 36A flexible MOT-style LGSR: what the changes mean for you. Panel discussion
Regulation 36A, MOT-style gas safety checks went live on 6th April 2018. Landlord’s now have the flexibility to keep the deadline date and to align the date of an appliance check with that of other appliances at the same premises.As part of the panel discussion Kim Morris, head of training and membership at CORGI, highlighted the amendments to the regulation with particular focus on how these changes could be implemented. Examples can be found in the detailed article on page 10 of this edition of Ignite.
Kim’s introduction was followed by a panel discussion, where guest speakers were invited to share their thoughts and experiences to date from their own perspective.
Steve Cooper of Nottingham City Homes recounted his thoughts around some of the benefits and challenges of adopting the new Regulation 36A, whilst David Riley of Servicesoft discussed some of the IT considerations that might be relevant to organisations wanting to move to a new schedule of gas safety checks following the guidance provided by HSE.
Next we heard from Scott Maddocks, who explained Regenda’s initial thoughts around implementation at this early stage, and Steve Parker of Phoenix Gas gave a contractor point of view, with some considerations for finding a smooth transition to the new style of gas safety checks. Questions were taken from the audience following the panel discussions which gave delegates plenty of food for thought!
30
Matthew Morse, Chairman, Legionella Control Association
Legionella compliance: - responsibility, risk assessments & control methods
Legionnaires’ Disease is a potentially fatal form of pneumonia that infects approximately 5% of people exposed. Approximately 12% of those infected, will die from the disease.The disease is contracted by inhaling a water aerosol containing legionella bacteria. The bacteria can grow in water systems if certain conditions are present.
The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 places a duty on landlords to safeguard the health and safety of their tenants. Identifying risks with a suitable and sufficient risk assessment is the first stage. Identification of potential for growth of bacteria, production of water aerosol and the exposure of susceptible people forms the basis of risk assessment for legionella. Access to competent help in assessing risk is invaluable. There is no requirement to formally review risk assessments on a set timescale; but they should be kept up to date and any changes should be managed.
When risks are identified, control measures must be put in place to minimise the possibility of disease. For simple systems these may be very simple control measures and easy to achieve. Rarely is sampling, for legionella, required from domestic premises.
Void properties are a potential issue and these should be carefully managed. The water systems can be left filled and flushed, drained and disinfected prior to reoccupation or a combination of these. The key is to consider the desired outcome and manage the system to achieve it.
Jamie Cooper, Technical Manager, Omegaflex
Applying the correct domestic and commercial gas standardsJamie’s presentation covered the importance of ensuring that when any gas work is carried out, the appropriate legislation and standards are applied. Whether it is the person who has commissioned the work, the engineer actually carrying out and commissioning the work or the person undertaking any third-party auditing of the work, it is important to ensure that the right framework of legislation and standards is used.
There is a wide variety of legislation and standards that can be applied, and it will depend on various factors as to what should be applied to the job in hand. It may be down to the geographical location (different Building Regulations apply to England, Scotland and Wales for example) or it may be down to the size of the heating boiler or pipework being installed. The size of the pipework can also affect what industry tightness test is applied. The appropriate standards to be applied can also affect what gas engineer can be used to carry out the work based upon their proven areas of gas safety competence.
The aim of the presentation was to highlight the issues that are faced when deciding on what legislation and standards should be applied but it also outlined what resources are available to make the decision process easier and ensuring everyone involved is appropriately informed. The presentation also highlighted the pitfalls to avoid when trying to make these decisions, such as avoiding out of date publications and certain online forums.
31www.agsm.uk.com
Brent summarised how Hyde’s Landlord fire safety record has become their ‘new normal’ and what they have learnt since the tragedy of Grenfell. As landlords we have an obligation not just to comply with regulations, but to keep our residents safe. This duty of care goes beyond purely legislative compliance.
Last summer Hyde Housing devised and committed to delivering a programme of MOT style landlord fire safety records (LFSR) for every one of their high-rise blocks. This has taken them down a path of checking cladding, not only for combustibility, but also its configuration; the insulation and fixing arrangements, and the effectiveness of fire breaks. They also carry out fire risk assessments (FRAs) to the common areas, escape routes and a sample of flats.
So what lessons have been learnt?
For relatively new buildings it has become apparent that they cannot rely on the operating and maintenance manuals as evidence that cladding has been correctly installed, and in Hyde Housing’s older blocks they couldn’t assume compartment integrity; as this may have been compromised by refurbishment works.
This matter is important as the assumption of compartmentation integrity is the premise behind most block fire strategy stay-put policies.
Their LGSR includes a check to ensure they have valid gas, electrical, and lift certification but it goes beyond technical considerations; residents are a key factor in fire safety. They have an obligation to their neighbours to act responsibly, so Hyde Housing also carry out tenancy inspections and provide advice.
While Hyde Housing feel they still have a long way to go to restore the confidence in high-rise living to pre-Grenfell levels, they have at least made a start in rebuilding the trust. However, they accept they are in it for the long haul and recognise that the recent focus on fire safety is now the new normal.
Brent O’Halloran, Director of Asset Management, Hyde Housing
Fire safety post Grenfell; lessons learnt and the new normal
Andrew Keyworth, Assistant Product Manager, Groupe Atlantic UK & ROI
ErP vs SAP – what and when?
Compliance with building regulations will now require a knowledge of both the Energy Related Product Directives (ErP) for the retrofit of boilers in existing dwellings and the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) for new build installations.The Boiler+ scheme was recently included in the Approved Document L1B and utilises ErP data to achieve compliance. The data is regulated but is not always deemed robust or provides an accurate comparison due to the large variances in its band rating i.e. for water heating a band rating of A can vary between 65 -100%. This data can also be displayed by manufacturers in a number of different load profiles to achieve the best efficiency making comparison even more difficult.
For New Build the SAP calculation process used to prove compliance with Approved Document L1A uses some ErP data (EN13203) but other data is calculated from full and part load test data and further validated by a third party approval body. This means the data used is strictly regulated and presented in a more consistent format.
Precautions should always be taken when changing specification especially in new build situations. Swapping an A rated boiler for a similar model may not necessarily be an issue for compliance within a retrofit situation, as both will prove compliance with Boiler+. This scheme only takes into consideration the seasonal space heating performance (requires 92%).
For new build dwellings the performance of similar rated boilers can vary significantly and consideration should always be taken when changing boiler specification. The SAP calculation methodology takes into consideration both space and water heating and this can mean that the performance of a less efficient boiler can result in the whole house calculation failing or significant improvement measures being required to achieve a pass for building compliance.
It is always recommended that any boiler specification changes be checked with an energy assessor prior to work being undertaken.
32
Still manually checking assetcompliance documents?
Tel: 01256 548 040Email: [email protected]
www.corgitechnical.com/CDMS
What are the benefits of CDMS?� Checks gas and electrical safety records such as LGSRs and EICs and ensures your organisation is compliant with current Regulations
� Stores all of your past and current electrical documents in one place, giving you access to review, analyse and report on your compliance 24/7
� Helps manage and prioritise the work of your engineers or contractors and pinpoints inconsistencies
� Eliminates the need for manual record checking, freeing up o�ce sta� for redeployment onto other important tasks.
From just £2 per property per year and with no set-up costs, CDMS is a�ordable, easy to install and keeps your important data totally secure.
Join the many Housing Associations across the UK moving to CDMS, a more ecient and cost-e�ective way of gathering and managing gas and electrical compliance documents
Contact us today for further details or to arrange your 2-month, no-commitment, free-trial.
14Compliant
VIEW COMPLIANT PROPERTIES �
6Advisories
VIEW COMPLIANCE REPORTS �
17Total
VIEW NON-COMPLIANT PROPERTIES �
Landlords’ responsibilities for gas in domestic properties are well understood but have you thought about non-domestic or multi-occupancy properties as part of your risk strategy? Trevor’s presentation highlighted those duties, to provide delegates with food for thought regarding their housing stock and buildings. Focusing on commercial plant rooms and gas installations in high rise blocks or low rise multi-occupancy accommodation, it prompted us to ask questions of our own system of checks by highlighting areas often missed. Using experience from quality control and consultancy work, which has increased massively since Grenfell, Trevor’s session
highlighted real life failings in installation and refurbishment that have had a detrimental effect on safety.
Delegates went away either feeling satisfied with their current regime or with a checklist of areas to focus on, a win-win situation. If you would like to understand more about your risks in these types of properties, contact Trevor on [email protected]
33www.agsm.uk.com
Trevor Batt, Technical Safety Manager, CORGI Technical Services
Responsibilities for gas installations in multi-occupancy and domestic properties
Lee Woods, Head of Compliance, Your Housing Group
Document compliance: working smarter to be fit for this ever-challenging marketWorking within compliance is challenging at best; obligations, regulations, processes and procedures can create a myriad of issues that any compliance professional will have to circumnavigate in order to achieve ultimate compliance.To thrive and grow in this modern smart technological world, any compliance professional must adapt to work smarter not harder. There are key tools, systems and processes that can support your efforts to working smarter, the key is the want to change!
Fundamental to working smarter is your access to data and the ability to use core data to enhance and shine the spotlight on the areas which require some much-needed focus; only when you are aware of the detail can you look to amend, advance, and improve your functional area. A good document management system such as CDMS can hold the key to this. The output will ultimately be the same, providing assurance with statutory obligations, regulations and your own organisations polices/procedures, but the how you end up at your destination does not have to be a difficult road to navigate! (if you would like more information on CDMS, please contact [email protected])
Charlie Lamb, Sales Director, Windhager
Free communal/district heating for RSLsDuring Charlie’s presentation, he took the opportunity to raise awareness of a free heating solution for residental social landlords. Windhager are working with their carbon consultancy partners to provide funded biomass installations to care homes, sheltered and multi-occupancy accommodation within the social housing sector – they are able to offer this because all of the major utilities have carbon obligation targets that they have to meet.
Biomass is an established form of heating provision across Europe and has become very popular in the UK over recent years. Windhager have many thousands of installations across the country from individual domestic properties to large care facilities, hotels and leisure facilities and gave examples of some of their social housing installations during the conference session.
Biomass boilers are fully automatic in operation and can be remotely monitored with any alarms or warnings being immediately notified. The cost of wood pellets has remained very stable over the past 6 years and there are numerous UK manufacturers providing home produced pellets, making it a viable option for RSLs.
Qualifying installations that are completed before the end of September 2018 will be supplied and installed free of charge (subject to survey). This supports the UK government’s target of reducing fuel poverty and displacing high carbon fossil fuels such as oil, coal and electricity with a particular emphasis on rural off-gas buildings. Combining the carbon funding with renewable heat incentive (RHI) enables Windhager to offer not only funded installations, but with the systems being eligible for the RHI, any surplus monies will be paid to the property owners (the RSL).
Those interested in the offer should contact Windhager directly: [email protected]
Still manually checking assetcompliance documents?
Tel: 01256 548 040Email: [email protected]
www.corgitechnical.com/CDMS
What are the benefits of CDMS?� Checks gas and electrical safety records such as LGSRs and EICs and ensures your organisation is compliant with current Regulations
� Stores all of your past and current electrical documents in one place, giving you access to review, analyse and report on your compliance 24/7
� Helps manage and prioritise the work of your engineers or contractors and pinpoints inconsistencies
� Eliminates the need for manual record checking, freeing up o�ce sta� for redeployment onto other important tasks.
From just £2 per property per year and with no set-up costs, CDMS is a�ordable, easy to install and keeps your important data totally secure.
Join the many Housing Associations across the UK moving to CDMS, a more ecient and cost-e�ective way of gathering and managing gas and electrical compliance documents
Contact us today for further details or to arrange your 2-month, no-commitment, free-trial.
14Compliant
VIEW COMPLIANT PROPERTIES �
6Advisories
VIEW COMPLIANCE REPORTS �
17Total
VIEW NON-COMPLIANT PROPERTIES �
34
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The 5th annual AGSM Gas Safety Awards Dinner took place on the evening of Wednesday 25th April 2018, with safety and compliance professionals gathering at the Hinckley Hotel in Leicestershire to celebrate excellence in the social housing sector. Their achievements and contributions were celebrated and awarded in eleven different categories, presented by a number of highly regarded sponsors within the field, including our wonderful headline sponsor, FireAngel.
The sold-out event began with a drinks reception in the venue’s Rotunda, with magician Will Duncan bewildering guests with card tricks and illusions. CEO of the AGSM, AESM and ASCP, Claire Heyes, welcomed the guests to the Paris Suite for the gala dinner, after a super-quick room transformation from the day’s conferencing.
After a delicious three course meal, London’s Comedy Store and Radio 5Live favourite, Ian Moore, kicked off the fun and laughter with an entertaining game of Heads & Tails in order to raise funds for this year’s chosen charity: the Kensington & Chelsea Foundation Grenfell Tower Appeal Fund. A fabulous amount of over £1,350 was raised to help the local communities affected by the tragic fire of June 2017.
The main event started with the presentation of Level 2, 3 and 4 VRQ certificates to hardworking students, and CORGI Quality Accreditation was awarded to East Riding of Yorkshire Council for achieving high standards in all areas of quality management systems and processes. Then the waiting was over, the AGSM Gas Safety Awards presentations were underway, with eleven prestigious awards being received by proud and deserving winners.
The rest of the evening quickly became a blur once dancing to the brilliant singer, Diva Devine, took off in the Triumph Bar, and a wonderful evening of informal networking and relaxing was had by all.
Claire Heyes commented “Congratulations to all the worthy winners and achievers. The AGSM Gas Safety Awards was a great event and provided an unbeatable opportunity to network and socialise with peers. Thank you to everyone who nominated and attended, and also to our fantastic sponsors who play such a huge part in the success of the event.”
Next year’s awards will be held at the impressive Celtic Manor in Newport on Wednesday 24th April, so be sure to book your tickets in plenty of time to avoid disappointment!
Keep an eye on our website for details of next year’s event including nomination categories, dates and awards tickets
www.safetyandcomplianceconference.com
National Gas Safety Awards
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36
Presentation of Certificates
CORGI Level 2 VRQ Certificate in Gas Safety Awareness in Social Housing – Linzi Laugharne, ateb.
CORGI Level 3 VRQ Certificate in Gas Auditing Processes – Andrew Dickens, East Riding of Yorkshire Council
CORGI Level 4 VRQ Certificate in Electrical Safety Management in Social Housing – Gerry Claxton, Broadland Housing Group and Eddie Spicer, South Cambridgeshire District Council
CORGI Level 4 VRQ Certificate in Electrical Safety Management in Social Housing – Ben Milligan, Cairn Housing Association
CORGI Level 4 VRQ Certificate in Gas Safety Management in Social Housing – Paul Benton and Phil Scarfe, Lincolnshire Housing Partnership; Gavin Thomas, Merthyr Valleys Homes Ltd.
CORGI Level 4 VRQ Certificate in Gas Safety in Facilities Management – Ian May, University of Reading
CORGI Quality Accreditation – East Riding of Yorkshire Council
37www.agsm.uk.com
Winner: Bowbros
Winner: Network Homes and DimplexWinner: Vaillant
Gas Safety Initiative of the YearSponsor: Ashley & McDonough Compliance Services
Electrical Safety Supplier Support AwardSponsor: ECS
Supplier Community Initiative of the YearSponsor: LHC
Winner: East Riding of Yorkshire Council Highly commended: Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council
Gas Safety Staff Training & Development AwardSponsor: Potterton
Joint Winners: Hull City Council & Places for People
Gas Safety Leadership & Board Participation AwardSponsor: Grundfos Pumps Ltd
Presentation of Awards
38
Above-Ground DrainagePolypipe offers a comprehensive range of
above-ground drainage and waste products
incorporating all necessary systems required for
the disposal and redistribution of waste water
and rainwater.
Underground DrainageCarrying all the accreditations and approvals
you would expect from the UK’s leading plastic
piping manufacturer, our below-ground drainage
systems offer a flexibility and strength that make
them the perfect alternative to rigid materials.
A complete underground drainage solution.
Plumbing and HeatingPolypipe offers the broadest range of Plumbing
and Heating products in the UK, widely available
through builders’ and plumbers’ merchants.
Our broad product offering is based on the
principle of choice, with alternative products
and systems developed to suit different
applications and project criteria.
Water Supply ManagementFlexible, innovative product solutions for the
delivery of mains water to residential properties
and its distribution around the home. All BS EN
ISO9002-accredited to ensure the safety and
security of potable water supplies.
www.polypipe.com
Polypipe is the number one manufacturer of plastic piping solutions, providing innovative products and specialist systems that deliver reliability and value for a more successful construction project.
39www.agsm.uk.com
Winner: Charlene Williams, Gas Compliance Officer, Network Homes
Winner: Wrekin Housing Trust and Cadent Gas
Winner: Thirteen
Winner: Lukey Cassette Boilers Ltd, Fortis Living and Socket & See
Winner: Taunton Deane Borough Council
Winner: Nuaire
Women in Gas AwardSponsor: Intergas
Gas Safety CollaborationSponsor: Sycous
Gas Repairs & Maintenance Scheme of the YearSponsor: Arctic Hayes
Electrical Safety CollaborationSponsor: Envirovent
Social Housing Compliance InitiativeSponsor: Sure Maintenance
Golden Stilson AwardSponsor: AGSM
T o o l s & C o n s u m a b l e s
40
CORGI Technical updates
Uncollected goods and possessions left or abandoned in premises by tenants can pose a real problem for landlords as it is in the interests of the landlord to re-let their property as quickly as possible.The Torts (Interference with Goods) Act 1977 sets out how to avoid any consequences in the future should this be the case.
Any goods left behind by a tenant still belong to that tenant, whether a possession order is obtained by the landlord or the tenant surrenders the tenancy. It would be unwise to dispose of these goods in the nearest skip straight away.
If goods are left in the property, a full inventory should be taken by at least two members of staff. If possible take photographs of the property and its contents and an estimate of the value of the goods left behind should also be recorded.
A commercial decision should be taken based on what is left behind. If the goods are disposed of by the landlord and subsequently turn out to be of value, the landlord may be subject to a claim for damages.
Torts (Interference with Goods) Act 1977In law the landlord has become an ‘involuntary bailee’. This brings with it a duty to use reasonable care to look after them until they are returned to their owner or disposed of providing the correct procedures have been followed. Social landlords must also ensure that the procedure is also in line with internal policy and procedure.
The Act requires landlords to take care of the tenant’s goods and make reasonable arrangements to trace the tenant so that their goods can be returned to them. Notice should be served in accordance with Schedule 1 of the Act, requiring the tenant (or the true owner of the goods) to come and collect them. The notice should be sent to
the tenant if the address is known, and in any event attached to the property so that it can be clearly seen.
Reasonable time to collect the goods is dependent on the landlord, however 14 days or more is normally sufficient.
If all reasonable steps have been taken then the goods can be sold. Any proceeds of sale that remain, after deducting storage costs and debt owed to the landlord, must be returned to the former tenant.
Should tenants leave any possessions it is strongly recommended to seek legal advice to ensure the correct procedure has been followed. You could also ensure that any tenancy agreement has a clause setting out the procedure concerning goods left in the property at the end of the tenancy. However, consider the “Unfair Terms in Consumer Contract Regulations 1999” or “The Consumer Rights Act 2015” depending when the tenancy agreement was written and signed.
Nowadays, there is far more thought given to accessibility than there ever has been in the past – ensuring equipment in the home is installed within reach, that switches and sockets are placed at the correct height… however what guidance do we follow when installing gas?
There is very little information within the British Standards for installing gas meters or low pressure gas installation pipework in relation to disabled access, however these considerations surely cannot be ignored. In which case, what accessibility considerations should be taken into account when installing gas meters with regards to Emergency Control Valves (ECVs) and Additional Emergency Control Valves (AECVs)? And what about central heating controls?
The Building Regulations 2010, Access to and use of buildings – Approved Document M – Volume 1: Dwellings – M4(2) Category 2:
Accessible and adaptable dwellings - 2015 edition incorporating 2016 amendments – for use in England states:
We must assist people who have reduced reach. Section 1.18 states that the following services and controls serving habitable rooms throughout the dwelling, should have their centre line 450-1200mm above the floor level and that consumer units should be mounted so that the switches are 1350-1450mm above the floor level – for ease of access.
• Door bells• Entry phones• Light switches• Power sockets • TV aerials • Telephone jacks
Section 2.30(b) states stopcocks and controls should have their centre line between 450-1200mm above the floor level and a minimum of 300mm (measured horizontally) from an inside corner.
However the specific requirements for gas appliances in 2.30(e) state that either:
• Boiler timer controls and thermostats are mounted between 900mm and 1200mm above the finished floor level on the boiler, or
• Separate controllers (wired or wireless) are mounted elsewhere in an accessible location within the same height range.
(It should be noted that controls that are part of a radiator or cooker hood are exempt from these provisions).
Within these sections of the Building Regulations, it clearly indicates that consumer units, stopcocks and controls have specific guidance in relation to accessibility, but the guidance for gas installations and controls is not aligned. It does therefore prompt the question to how a wheelchair user would access ECVs and AECVs in an emergency?
Kim Morris, Head of Training & Membership, CORGI Technical Services
Property left behind? What is the legal position?
Mark Baker, Technical Safety Manager, CORGI Technical Services
Is disability considered in relation to gas installations?
To find out more about any of the technical articles on pages 40 & 41, contact the CORGI Technical Team on [email protected] or call 01256 548 040
41www.agsm.uk.com
Recently, I have encountered several instances, involving gas engineers or employers, who are failing to recognise the scope for tightness testing on particular types of gas installation – one of these situations being identified following a gas escape at a property. This has caused a number of irregularities. It is, to some extent, understandable why a gas engineer could attend a property which is considered to have a domestic meter installed, for instance, a U6 ,G4,E6 or U16 meter along with a Boiler below 70 kW net, and then proceed to test the pipework installation under the scope of IGEM/UP/1B.
Paragraph 2.2 IGEM/UP/1B ed 3:
This standard applies to any section of installation pipework, including meters, having the following:• MOP at the outlet of the emergency control valve (ECV) not
exceeding 2 bar for NG and LPG/Air and• A nominal bore not greater than 35mm (DN32, R11/4) and• A maximum badged capacity through the primary meter of not
exceeding 16 m3 h-1 and• A maximum installation volume (IV) supplying an individual dwelling
or non domestic premises of 0.035 m3
However, here is the pitfall! In the construction industry, over the course of the last two decades, there has been a significant growth in multi-occupancy premises. For example, usually between 5-30 flats where gas meters are banked together and the installation pipework routed from this location to the individual dwellings. Often in this situation, the installation volume exceeds the 0.035m3 of this standard, due to the nominal bore and length of pipework required for this application.
Regulation 3(1)–(2) of the Gas Safety Installation & Use Regulations state:
(1) No person shall carry out any work in relation to a gas fitting or gas storage vessel unless he is competent to do so.(2) The employer of any person carrying out such work for that employer, every other employer and self-employed person who has control to any extent of such work and every employer and self-employed person who has required such work to be carried out at any place of work under his control shall ensure that paragraph (1) above is complied with in relation to such work.
Recently, I have investigated a property which consisted of 24 flats, each containing a 24kW boiler and a hob, with a bank of U6 meters at one end of the building. All 24 flats had a current LGSR, which indicated a passed tightness test. After a gas escape at the property, I carried out a series of pipe sizing calculations, to discover that 11 of the properties had fallen outside of IGEM/UP/1B with 35mm and 1¼” pipe runs of 30 meters or more. Furthermore, none of the gas engineers that carried out tightness tests on the installation at the meter were qualified, and therefore not competent to do so.
Paragraph 2.2 IGEM/UP/1B ed 3:
Note 2: Installations of larger volume are rare in domestic premises. However, if there is any doubt, it is advisable to calculate IV in accordance with appendix 7 before using this standard.
If the scope of IGEM/UP/1B above is surpassed in any way, the operatives who complete testing or purging of pipe work on this type of installation must have the relevant qualifications. In this case all operatives must be qualified to IGEM/UP/1A or IGEM/UP/1.
Mark Duffy, Technical Safety Manager, CORGI Technical Services
Recognising scope: testing pipework
A large number of installed water heating products will have electrical connections to them – usually to the thermal controls (thermostat and thermal cut-out) and, where fitted, to an electrical immersion heater. Following recent events such as the Grenfell Tower fire, it is timely to remind installers, landlords and end users of their obligations under the Electricity At Work Regulations 1989 Section 4(2) and the Landlord And Tenant Act 1985 Section 11(1b and 1c) regarding the importance of the correct electrical installation of water heating products and the associated on-going maintenance, for example annual servicing.
Incorrectly made electrical connections can result in over-heating and are, therefore, a fire risk. When installing the product, please ensure the wiring is adequate to minimise risk of overheating. Please ensure you have:
• Used the correct type and cross-sectional area cable to meet manufacturer and Wiring Regulation requirements
• When stripping the insulation from the individual conductors, taken care to not damage the strands of the conductor wire, which would reduce the cross-sectional area of the conductor
• Ensured the conductors are tightly and securely connected to the controls or immersion heater
• Ensured the bared conductors are correctly inserted into the terminals, to avoid bearing on the insulation sleeving or only partially clamping the conductors
• Securely anchored the supply cable using the means provided, to avoid exerting any external strain to the cable and therefore to the terminals
• Checked to ensure the product is earthed correctly; the Live and Neutral connections are to the correct terminals; and the Residual Current Device (RCD) operates correctly.
• Regularly checked the electrical connections as part of the maintenance schedule, to ensure the wires remain in good condition and terminations remain secure.
• Ensure any spare parts used during maintenance of the product are an authorised spare part and meet the manufacturer’s requirements.
The manufacturer’s wiring instructions must always be followed.
THERMAL CUT-OUTS Any new water heater or immersion heater must be fitted with a thermal cut-out which will operate should the normal control thermostat fail. This will prevent the water heater from possibly continuing to heat and leading to components over-heating. In the case of vented products, the thermal cut-out would prevent the unit from boiling. If the unit is supposed to be manually filled or topped up, a thermal cut out is particularly crucial to avoid the risk of overheating the exposed immersion heater in the event of the user forgetting to top up.
Some older types of vented water heaters or immersion heaters may not have been factory supplied with a thermal cut-out device. Please check all products for the presence of a thermal cut-out device and, if there is not one, ensure one is fitted. If it is not possible to add a thermal cut-out device, you may need to update the immersion heater assembly to one that incorporates a thermal cut-out.
If you are unsure whether the product includes a thermal cut-out, please contact the manufacturer of the product for further advice.
Electrical connections to water heating products
Locking cooker valve When you care for a vulnerable person, such as someone with dementia or autism, we understand you may wish to put extra safety measures in place. The locking cooker valve is a simple solution, which helps vulnerable people retain their independence while keeping them safe at home.
Our engineers will fit the valve to the existing gas cooker pipework for free. The carer can then easily lock the valve so that the cooker can’t beunintentionally turned on or left on.
If you know someone who could benefit from this free service please check our website for further information www.cadentgas.com/lcv
43www.agsm.uk.com
Taunton Deane Borough Council property team have been early adopters of the Gas Tag solution for their stock of 4,500 gas heated homes. This has produced clear evidence of both improved safety and real efficiency savings.This was achieved through an impressive 50% reduction in no access rates plus greater admin and workflow efficiency for engineers.
Outstanding Landlord Gas Safety Records (LGSRs) have been completely removed each month, ensuring 100% compliance. The data relating to this is available in real-time to the property team via the Council’s Gas Tag dashboard.
In addition, administration savings have been made. For example, before introducing the Gas Tag system, paper LGSRs were scanned, uploaded to a database, and assigned to a property. This took time and resources. This all now happens automatically, without errors and the LGSR is available as soon as the service is completed. There is complete assurance.
Background
In April 2017, Taunton Deane Borough Council agreed to bring their gas servicing, heating repair and maintenance in-house.
The main drivers were cost and greater control. To be successful with the changes, the council wanted to innovate and develop new working practices for effective management of compliance.
“Contracting out delivery of services does not contract out responsibility to meet the requirements of legislation or standards, so providers need systems to give Boards assurance of compliance,” says Fiona McGregor, Executive Director of Regulation (HCA).
Taunton partnered with Gas Tag whose pioneering technology provides a full gas compliance database and workflow monitoring solution, for cyclical and reactive maintenance, as well as capital heating system installations.
Improvements
The council has seen huge improvements to the way the property team manages compliance, which they put down to the innovative approach realised through the Gas Tag technology:
• Tenant safety – Through a unique interface with the Gas Safe Register, they are now assured that the correct work is carried out at the appropriate time, by a qualified Gas Safe Registered engineer. This gives everyone peace of mind when it comes to tenant safety.
• Real-time compliance - At the touch of a button, they can demonstrate the full gas compliance position with a comprehensive audit trail. They now have electronic storage of all documentation e.g. LGSRs, repairs, tenant notes, which can be accessed instantly.
• Provable ‘no access’ - The technology gives evidence of ‘no access’. The location is geo-tagged, time-stamped, proving that the engineer has made necessary efforts to complete the work. First time access rates have significantly improved, saving over £55,000 in ‘no access’ journeys.
Taunton’s success was also highlighted in April as they were awarded the much-coveted Social Housing Initiative of the Year at this year’s AGSM.
Richard Wiseman, Property Investment Manager at Taunton Deane, says: “The quality of the information now captured and the ease by which it can be accessed is a huge step forward.
“Our future upgrade programme is now based on accurate asset data generated by qualified engineers and include supporting photographs.
“Thanks to innovative technology, we’re achieving compliance, reducing our costs and ensuring the safety of our tenants.
“We’re leading the way for our council and our sector in ensuring that we meet more than just the bare minimum when it comes to compliance; we’re going above and beyond to ensure legislative compliance.
“We’re improving the lives of our residents. Fuel poverty is a massive issue for our residents, and ensuring that they have a reliable, safe, well-maintained and efficient operating heating system means that every penny they spend on fuel bills goes towards keeping them warm.”
Book a Gas Tag demo at www.gastag.co.uk/book-a-demo
Taunton Deane sees a 50% reduction in no access rates thanks to Gas Tag
Pictured: (L-R) Paul Durose Gas Tag CEO; John Roche, Operations Director (Gas Tag); Richard Wiseman, Property Investment Manager, Taunton Deane; Richard Prewer, Property Services Manager, Taunton Deane; and Stephen Ullathorne Gas Tag CEO.
44
Totally dependable.
The new Potterton Assure is fast to fit, reliable and easy to maintain. You asked us to help you speed up installation and maintenance, protect your vulnerable tenants and find an innovative way to support annual servicing. Together, we’ve made all that happen - and more.
You asked us for a boiler created just for social housing. Rest assured, we have the solution.
To find out more about the Potterton Assurewww.potterton.co.uk
The boiler designed by you.
DEPT_257318_Potterton_Assure_A4Ad_IgniteMagazine.indd 1 24/04/2018 12:19
45www.agsm.uk.com
The number of directors and senior managers being prosecuted for breaches of health and safety laws has increased significantly following the new sentencing guideline in the way in which the courts deal with prosecutions. Duty holders are quite understandably starting to realise their responsibilities are much more serious than before.The courts now look at likelihood and severity of harm when considering culpability, with those responsible for electrical safety within their respective organisations no doubt aware of the very real risk of electrical fires and electrical shocks that can arise from even minor oversights.
Earlier last year, it was reported that a car wash owner was jailed as a result of electrical systems that were ‘woefully maintained’, amounting to gross negligence.
Electrical testing and inspecting plays a large part in preventing such risks developing into incidents, but duty holders are often left wondering what the law says about their responsibilities and what the consequences are if they fail to comply.
Who is the duty holder?
Under Regulation 3 of the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 (EAWR), it is the duty of every employee while at work to comply with the regulations “in so far as they relate to matters which are within his control.”
In most organisations there will be a principal duty holder that has been given responsibility for electrical safety. In smaller organisations someone may be given responsibility for health and safety procedures in general. Whatever the name given to the role, a duty holder will often be in control of all policies, practices and procedures that could affect electrical safety. This will include responsibilities relating to electrical inspection and testing.
Electrical inspection and testing duties
Regular inspection and testingThe EAWR requires that systems are maintained to prevent danger (regulation 4(2)) and the accompanying guidance, HSR25, makes it clear that regular inspection is an essential part of this (para 68).
Frequency of inspectionsDuty holders looking to comply with the ‘regular inspection’ requirement can choose two options:
• Following the minimum intervals set out in the Institute of Electrical Technology’s Guidance Note 3 for Electrical Inspection and Testing for various electrical installation types.
• Undertake a thorough risk analysis and implement a risk based inspection approach to electrical safety.
For those who require further information on this, CORGI Technical Services are able to offer both of the above services both holistically and bespoke to your requirements within their auditing and risk management service.
In all cases, duty holders must ensure that they can reasonably justify the inspection intervals following an adequate consideration of the risks.
Ensuring adequate inspection records are keptThe Guidance also makes it clear that records can assist in demonstrating compliance and help with the effective monitoring of electrical systems maintenance (para 69).
Whilst not mandatory, any duty holders concerned about the rise of personal prosecutions against those responsible for health and safety should consider ensuring that their records are fully up-to-date and contain all of the relevant and required information needed to make an informed risk assessment.
The 17th edition of the IET sets out what should be included in your reports, which includes:• Test results• A Condition Report, which will state the severity of the defects
against the appropriate standards• A Schedule of Defects – coded C1,C2,C3, FI terms of severity of
defects and timescales for rectification
The requirement of competence
Duty holders are also faced with what is often regarded as the most difficult task: assessing the level of competency required by those carrying out inspections and testing. Regulation 16 requires that they must possess the necessary technical skills and knowledge relative to the nature of the work.
In practice, this means that they will need the relevant qualifications (including ones specific to electrical inspection and testing, rather than generic electrical work) and sufficient regular experience of carrying it out. CORGI’s experience in particular regarding the shortlisting of candidates for inspection and testing engineers has been through a series of rigorous questions relating to this field, including a series of scenario based questions and drawing in the individuals’ experiences in order to identify how they have overcome such instances.
As has been evidenced, duty holders who fail to fulfil their duties under the EAWR the consequences can be simply disastrous.
To find out more please do not hesitate to contact CORGI Technical Services on [email protected] or call 01256 548 040.
Alex Mclean, Electrical Technical Safety Manager, CORGI Technical Services
Electrical Safety – Responsibility of the Senior Management Team
Totally dependable.
The new Potterton Assure is fast to fit, reliable and easy to maintain. You asked us to help you speed up installation and maintenance, protect your vulnerable tenants and find an innovative way to support annual servicing. Together, we’ve made all that happen - and more.
You asked us for a boiler created just for social housing. Rest assured, we have the solution.
To find out more about the Potterton Assurewww.potterton.co.uk
The boiler designed by you.
DEPT_257318_Potterton_Assure_A4Ad_IgniteMagazine.indd 1 24/04/2018 12:19
46
AESM Membership interviewEddie Spicer AESM MIET, M & E Surveyor,South Cambridgeshire District Council
1. If you could swap lives with anyone in history for a day, who would it be?Fred Dibnah, he is a complete legend, knowledgeable, fearless, funny and above all passionate.
2. What would be the one thing you would change about the sector? The sector has lacked direction with electrical safety and is slowly playing catch up now. We need a direction, licence to practice or single registration etc. that is highly respected and has a broad awareness, just as the gas industry does - we need to be on the same level of importance sooner rather than later. We also need a better understanding of the dangers present with electricity across the social housing sector.
3. What’s one piece of advice you would give your younger self? Believe in yourself, anything is possible!
4. Who would your top two dinner guests be? Guy Martin & Rag’n’Bone Man, what a night that would be.
5. What originally drew you to becoming an AESM member? Sharing knowledge and building a solid network with a drive to help the industry.
6. What has been your favourite moment in your career so far? Every tenant that says thank you when I have only done my job, but it has made a huge impact on them.
7. Do you have any hidden talents? I can rebuild a classic car from the ground up (previous career a long time ago).
8. How has your experience of membership been with the AESM? I have found membership of the AESM very useful, interesting and inspiring, all presented in a professional manner.
9. If you could learn to do anything, what would it be? Drive a steam traction engine.
10. What would you say to anyone thinking of joining the AESM?The AESM, is growing fast. The more that get involved, the faster we will grow. It is a great network full of amazing people all driven and passionate.
Any final wise words you would like to share? A great quote from Jordon B Peterson; you need a challenge, because you’re not forced to bring forth what you could bring forth without a challenge; and the greater the thing you’re supposed to bring forth, the greater the challenge has to be.
Headline sponsor
In association with CORGI
Announcing the launch of the very first Safety & Compliance Conference Scotland!
For more information or to secure your early bird discount, email [email protected] or call 01256 548 040
– Hear from industry experts in gas, electrical, fire and other safety & compliance specialisms– Take part in thought-leading discussions– Get the latest regulatory updates– Network with peers and share best practice– See the latest compliance products in the exhibition hall– Take inspiration from shared experiences at the Women in Compliance working lunch
Join us for a jam-packed day of essential learning and leadership inspiration as we bring you Scotland’s first event dedicated to infoming and supporting safety and compliance professionals in social housing.
Exhibitors: Sentinel, Siemens, ECS, Scalemaster, Polypipe, Gas Tag, Windhager, Grundfos, Neomitis, Kane, Propeller, Tracpipe, Fireangel, Worcester, Accuserv, ASCP, AGSM, AESM
Crieff Hydro Hotel in Perthshire will play host to this exciting event on the 13th September 2018.
AGSM
47www.agsm.uk.com
Dates for the diary!AGSM Technical Meetings 2018Region Venue Date
Northern Ireland La Mon Hotel, Belfast 5th June
North West Sentinel offices, Warrington 3rd July
North East Bowburn Hall, Durham 2nd Oct
North West TBC 4th Oct
South West Thornbury Golf Centre 9th Oct
Yorkshire TBC 11th Oct
Midlands TBC 16th Oct
South East St. Paul’s Cathedral, London 18th Oct
AESM Technical Meetings 2018Region Venue Date
Northern Ireland La Mon Hotel, Belfast 5th June
Harrogate EnviroVent House 24th May
Welwyn Garden City Mill Green Golf Club 7th June
Bristol Thornbury Golf Centre 28th June
Oswestry Aico Centre for Excellence 20th Sept
Nottingham Nottinghamshire Golf Club 11th Oct
Scotland TBC 8th Nov
Other events:AGSM Scotland Conference, incorporating AESM LIVE - 13th September 2018, Crieff Hydro
Women in Compliance – next meeting at AGSM Scotland Conference - 13th September 2018, Crieff Hydro
ASCP National Conference & Exhibition – incorporating AGSM Conference and AESM LIVE – 24th-25th April 2019
Despite it being a busy time of year for you, our members, we were delighted to welcome many of you to our AGSM Technical Meetings. The great turnout meant you benefitted from lively discussions and we were kept on our toes with your questions! Additionally, we were supported by a wide variety of industry suppliers, some of whom hosted us and looked after us well.Topics on the agenda included the popular Boiler Plus Directive; one manufacturer’s PE pipework solution; an overview on steps to manage an incident; our range of technical updates; and the groups’ own discussions.
Our sessions for facilitated discussions were well received and worked well and, at most meetings, we simply ran out of time! Our objective was to give you some constructive time to talk about the challenges you face in 2018 and gather ideas and/or input for solutions – or simply to have the opportunity to air your views and share them with like-minded peers, harnessing the huge amount of knowledge and expertise in the room. The range of topics was interesting, with popular subjects coming up at each venue, as well as the similar challenges that were hindering resolutions – including communication issues, lack of understanding, resource.
The new MOT Style boiler servicing was one of those popular subjects, the question being should we do it or not? For many members the issue was “how” to implement it and for others it was convincing their colleagues in IT and their senior management that any downsides in the short term would be offset by the positives in the future. One organisation said they are going to trial it in a sheltered home environment in order to learn lessons first in a controlled manner before hopefully rolling it out across the housing stock. Hopefully those who attended the AGSM National Conference in April have gained some additional insights. The AGSM is continuing to work on the implementation and is committed to supporting our members to make it a success.
This was closely followed by Access. In London, I think every trick in the book was being utilised to ensure 100% compliance, highlighting the facts that we are dealing with people, no one size fits all and it’s not just an issue for the gas safety function – it’s something that touches the whole organisation. Some organisations had started using text messaging to contact tenants and others were frustrated that repairs were being carried out at problem properties and the gas team weren’t notified.
Just as Access is something for the whole organisation, members pointed out that compliance had to be a concern for all too - and it required support from the top down. It couldn’t just be a focus for the few carrying out their “day job”.
Implementation of Smart Meters – and the competence of the people employed - was discussed by a few groups. Members wanted standards and skillsets raised, some mentioning that gas engineers would probably benefit from attending a basic course in electrical competencies.
Staff retention is a struggle for many members, especially skilled staff. One member stated, “they are simply chasing the money”: despite the organisation’s time and money spent training engineers, they simply left if another organisation offered more in terms of salary. It highlights the market competition and the need for employers to offer attractive packages. There were concerns across the country about the next generation of engineers and the standards to be maintained. Someone mentioned their astonishment at the speed that an engineer could be “ticked off” as qualified.
AGSM gas technical meetings – Winter seasonOther topics included the challenges of replacing boilers; using KPI measurements; mutual exchanges; communication with other works’ teams (or the lack of); selecting asset management systems and moving from hand-written documents to electronic.
The presentations are available to review in the AGSM members’ area of the website. If you have not yet decided to support the AGSM, then do contact me for more information and an application form.
We have secured dates and most venues for the next season, starting in early October. Remember, attending the meetings is part of your AGSM membership, with the benefit of being able to bring along a guest once. For others, the fee to attend is £45 (+VAT). For more details or to book, email [email protected] or call 01256 548 040.
Don’t forget to look out for our AESM Technical Meeting update in the Autumn edition of Ignite!
This article was written by Michele Stinson, Training and Membership Services
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