david holmes designed_Layout 1 26/06/2014 17:37 Page 1
R
IES was established in 2004 by Derek Beahan and Clive Heathcock – two men who are synonymous with the recovery industry in Ireland and are both past-presidents of AVRO (Association of Vehicle Recovery Operators). Indeed, Dublin-based operator Derek also served as AVRO membership secretary. It was the view of Derek and Clive that RIES could be developed to provide a service to AVRO members at competitive rates. The personnel used to carry out inspections were formally used by the Association to carry out membership inspections. These engineers were then and still are self-employed. Shortly after RIES was formed, PAS43 was introduced following the work carried out by the Survive Group. PAS43 is a form of Quality System aligned to a lesser degree to ISO 9001:2000, as it was at the time. The need for impartiality and freedom of influence meant that to achieve accreditation by UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service), RIES had to become a separate entity and this accreditation was duly achieved. In a UKAS inspection, the issue of conflict of interest was raised. This meant that in order for RIES to retain its accreditation, none of the directors could hold a position in AVRO. As a result, Derek Beahan and Clive Heathcock stood down and the reins were handed over to Brian Drury and Davy Holmes in 2009, with Brian becoming financial and training director, and Davy managing director. Both of these positions are voluntary. There was always an interest in standards among the major recovery players in Ireland who were also AVRO members. In the early days following the introduction of PAS43, this was taken on board by the aforementioned Derek Beahan, Eamon Kelly and Alan and Cora
Viewing equipment at German Tow Show
Sherwood, who are all well-known operators in the Dublin area. While PAS was not a standard in Ireland, it was adopted as a best practice. The members’ passion to improve standards in Ireland saw the PAS applications roll in and RIES now services 43 PAS
Davy Holmes, MD & Chief Engineer of RIES
inspections in the Republic of Ireland and a further 12 in Northern Ireland. The demand for RIES’ services has surpassed the expectations of its founders. Nowadays, the company provides services to both AVRO members and non-AVRO members. To meet this need, RIES needed to ensure its engineers were up-to-speed with all equipment they were inspecting and so a training programme was embarked upon and courses were organised. This effectively means that RIES can now deliver the following services: LOLER inspections of recovery vehicles LOLER inspections of garage equipment Bespoke inspection for Police Forces PAS43 certification Compressor inspections ISO 9001:2008 accreditation ISO 14001: 2004 accreditation OHSAS 18001 accreditation
RIES - a professional service for the professionals Celebrating 10 years in business, RIES (Recovery Industry Engineering Standards) provides efficient, expert inspections to businesses and individuals. Managing director and chief engineer Davy Holmes explains more. 32
IRISH TRUCKER & LIGHT COMMERCIALS