Your BESA Issue 18

YOUR

Issue 18

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Virtual Conference and Exhibition 2020

BESA members are ‘Hackitt-ready’ P15 Flying start to Associate Member scheme P17

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BESA chief executive David Frise

Welcome

YOUR BESA - ISSUE 18 In this issue:

VIRTUAL CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION

David Frise

PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE

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HEALTH AND SAFETY

P15

THE BESA ACADEMY

P19

TECHNICAL NEWS

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SFG20 AT THIRTY

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THE BESA ACADEMY DIRECTORY

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Not back to square one I don’t think many of us were that surprised when a second lockdown period was announced to deal with the ongoing Covid-19 crisis, but rather than being depressed about it, I have found the mood in our sector to be relatively upbeat.

We are most definitely not back to square one. Yes, there is business uncertainty, but we have learned a lot from the first lockdown; many firms have adapted well and can build on those lessons to get through the next few months.

At BESA, we have been ramping up our information programme again to keep you on top of changes and ahead of the information curve – as you will see throughout this issue of Your BESA. Our National Conference (see pages 4-11) was held online for the first time and attracted nearly 1,200 registrations. You have also been signing up in your hundreds for our regular webinars proving there is still a real thirst for information out there and that the ‘BESA Community’ is pulling together.

We will keep the information coming and continue to distil government measures down to what specifically affects you. We will continue to do the reading

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and watching on your behalf and make the information we provide contractor specific.

BIG CHANGES There is no stopping two other big changes heading our way: Brexit and Hackitt. Deal or no deal, Brexit will create disruption and it is very difficult to define the impact when so much remains unknown.

New building regulations to emerge from the Hackitt process are further off (due in 2023), but the changes needed to deal with them need to be taking place now.

They require a massive change in culture; to one of competence and evidence of compliance with the onus and responsibility falling on you as the contractor.

Dame Judith herself was crystal clear about what she expects from us when she delivered her keynote address at our Conference (see page 7). Not preparing for change now is business suicide, she said, but she also offered carrot – it is not all stick. She announced that she was looking at rewarding ‘early adopters’ with a special accreditation: “Giving you another reason to be ahead of the game…putting you ahead of your competitors”.

This is exciting news for BESA members because many of you are ahead of the game and more

are catching up fast. As our new specification manager Maria Driver says on page 15, you are becoming “Hackitt-ready”, which puts you in a great commercial position – as well as ensuring you are also meeting your moral obligations to ensure people can feel safe in their buildings.

For our part, BESA has revised its competence assessment standard (CAS) to make it more technically robust. We recognise that it is a tougher standard, but we are aiming to audit, not catch you out with a snap test.

We want you to have a chance to prove you are technically competent and willing to stand by the quality of your work far into the future as Dame Judith requires.

She likes what we are doing. We are on the right track and ahead of the game, which should make us all feel cautiously optimistic that 2021 can be a better year. n Your BESA Magazine is produced and managed

by Open Box Media and Communications Ltd. • Tel: +44 (0)121 200 7820 • www.ob-mc.co.uk Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information given, the publisher - the BESA Group; or Open Box Media and Communications Ltd - the production managers; cannot accept liability for loss or damage arising from the information supplied.

The inclusion of adverts and information herein does not in any way imply or include endorsement or the approval of, or from, the BESA Group.

Open Box Media & Communications are proud to be corporate sponsors of Heart Research UK (Midlands)

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VIRTUAL CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION

Building engineers on health frontline The role of the building services sector in supporting the NHS and minimising threats to human health was a major discussion point during the 2020 BESA National Conference.

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The two-day conference, which was held online for the first time and attracted nearly 1,200 registrations, was addressed by more than 60 speakers and panellists – many of whom focussed on the growing public awareness of the industry’s efforts to protect the health and wellbeing of building occupants.

BESA members were urged to recognise their potential role as “physicians of the future” by an international authority on virus transmission. A range of other speakers highlighted the importance of mechanical ventilation systems in dealing with the UK’s multiple health and wellbeing problems.

Delegates also heard that the industry had a responsibility to help support the UK’s ‘indoor generation’ of vulnerable children spending 90% of their time inside buildings.

Many suggested the current

advice to schools and other public buildings that they should open their windows to deal with the coronavirus pandemic was inadequate and likely to be ineffective.

Ventilation systems that manage air change rates, filter outside air and control both temperature and humidity would also be increasingly important as the country learns more about the airborne nature of Covid-19 and other viruses, delegates were told.

“Opening windows will not give you the air movement you need…it will just make you feel cold,” said BESA Health & Wellbeing in Buildings group chair Nathan Wood during a plenary session.

REDUCING VIRUS CONCENTRATIONS The government’s SAGE advisory group has called for a national strategy on building

ventilation is now seen as a key weapon in the battle against Covid-19,” he told the Conference.

ventilation backed up by research from Cambridge University recommending the use of displacement ventilation systems to reduce the concentration of virus particles inside buildings.

They have also advised that air change rates should be adequate to keep carbon dioxide levels below 700 parts per million, which would not be possible with ‘natural’ ventilation, according to several conference speakers.

BESA Ventilation Group chair Tim Hopkinson said these developments were moving the ventilation industry into “uncharted territory” as its work comes under intense scrutiny. “We are getting belated recognition for the vital role the industry has always played in the health and wellbeing of building occupants – and

World Health Organisation advocate Rosamund Adoo Kissi-Debrah added that there was still widespread ignorance about indoor air quality (IAQ), but she was more optimistic about the country’s ability to improve conditions inside buildings than she was about efforts to tackle external pollution.

“People would be surprised if they only realised how much control they can have over their indoor conditions.

That gives me hope,” she said.

Luke Levens of Aspen Pumps reported growing demand for his company’s services to remove unpleasant odours from air conditioning systems and to tackle the problem of filters becoming breeding grounds for all manner of viruses.

really important – particularly now – that we follow a process of clean/ kill/protect,” he said.

The importance of controlling relative humidity (RH) was also stressed by Dr Stephanie Taylor from Harvard Medical School, who said it was key to tackling Covid-19 and in preparing buildings for future pandemics. She said managing the indoor environment was “the best medicine for treatment and prevention” and dubbed building professionals as the “physicians of the future”.

The ASHRAE Distinguished Lecturer said numerous studies had identified an RH ‘sweet spot’ between 40% and 60%. Air that is too dry will allow viruses to thrive and be more active, she added. >>

“People are continually shedding skin cells, which end up in the filters. It is

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VIRTUAL CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION

The corollary of that is that building professionals really, in my opinion, are the physicians of the future.”

“We need to start regarding human health as a key measure of success for our buildings,” said Taylor; adding that RH should not be sacrificed to reduce energy use. “We need to get that balance right.”

Dr Taylor presented compelling research results from around the world that covid-19 becomes ‘more prevalent and more virulent’ in dry air.

“As we speak, we expire droplets out of our airway about 100 microns in diameter. When they enter the air in the room, those droplets shrink according to the RH of the ambient air. If humidity is maintained between 40% and 60%, the droplets shrink to a point where studies show the concentration of salts in those droplets inactivates microbes that are being carried in the droplets.”

However, if RH is less than 40%, those droplets shrink even further and the salts preserve the microbes, making them more virulent. “One study at a preschool showed that humidification decreased flu infections.

In fact, it showed that dry air causes infections,” said Dr Taylor.

Other research has also shown that in low humidity indoor environments, the human body has difficulties fighting off infections – compounding these problems. A US study looked at higher flu infections in dry environments. It found that at 50% RH, the human immune responses function well.

But at 20% RH the body cannot defend itself from microbes as effectively.

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TACKLING DISEASE AND ALLERGIES Covid-19 is not the only illness that thrives in our modern air-tight and heated environment. There are also increases in inflammatory disorders, auto-immune disease, and allergies.

Dr Taylor emphasised that there can be no doubt that the indoor environment is in the front line in the fight against future pandemics.

“As a physician I’ve come to realise that managing our indoor environment is the most powerful medicine both for treatment and prevention.

However, the quality of ventilation installation, particularly in homes, is a growing area of concern, according to several conference delegates. BESA’s head of technical Graeme Fox said mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) systems were being more routinely fitted in new homes that were being designed for energy efficiency and, therefore, made more airtight.

Many of these systems were fitted by plumbers and electricians who may not have the right qualifications or technical understanding of how they should work. Often, they were not properly commissioned and rarely maintained leading to serious problems with condensation and stale air. It was agreed that BESA should work with other like-minded industry bodies to address this problem as a matter of urgency.

Growing problems with legionella bacteria was another human health issue under the microscope during the BESA Conference.

Swiftclean’s David Randlesome said there was more legionella found in sampling procedures during the first long lockdown.

“The symptoms of Covid-19 are very similar to Legionnaire’s Disease, so anyone showing symptoms is more likely to be tested for the virus and not for Legionnaire’s,” he added. “I would say that there’s a good chance that a lot of cases were there, but were not tested for.”

The industry can also be a source of reassurance to people reluctant to return to buildings because of health concerns, the conference agreed. One solution proposed was the creation of a ‘covid-safe’ certification scheme that would display what measures had been taken to safeguard occupant health and wellbeing.

“This could also act as a reward for the most responsible building owners,” said Fox. “If you are spending more on your properties to make them better and safer, you should be able to tell people.”

Would you be happy for your Granny to live in your building? pandemic; adding that it proved the industry could change its working practices if it wanted to. “So, if you can do it for one reason you can do it for another,” Hackitt said.

PROSECUTE

During her address to the BESA Conference, Dame Judith Hackitt announced a new plan to recognise and reward ‘early adopters’ of her building safety reforms.

The chair of the Industry Safety Steering Group told the Conference that businesses should not be waiting for the new building regulations due to come into force in 2023 before making essential changes.

“Why would you want to wait?

Why not get ahead of the game and your competitors?” Hackitt challenged delegates at the two-day online conference.

The draft Building Safety Bill, which was developed after the government accepted all of the recommendations in the Hackitt Report produced in response to the Grenfell disaster, will create a legal framework for holding noncompliant companies to account.

The new regulator will also have retrospective powers to prosecute poor quality work being carried out now.

“It will no longer be possible for people to say they did what the rules said they could; or did it because the rules didn’t tell them they shouldn’t,” Hackitt told the Conference.

It was also agreed that a baseline standard for IAQ was urgently needed so that building managers could assess what contaminants to measure and what action to take.

She also appealed to the industry’s better nature by asking business leaders to reflect on the “shameful legacy of regulatory failure” that has left people “stuck in apartments that have become like prisons” due to poor quality work and safety breaches.

She said there were too many companies not changing at all, but there were also a “good number” of early adopters. “So, we are looking at ways to recognise those companies and reward them with a special accreditation for taking the lead – giving you another reason to be ahead of the game.”

BESA’s Health & Wellbeing in Buildings group reported to the conference that work was already underway to produce a ‘Layman’s Guide to IAQ’ that would prove equally useful to both non-technical building managers and highly qualified professionals designing ventilation systems. n

“People choose to live in high-rise blocks because we are a crowded island and those people deserve to feel safe. We owe it to them,” she said in conversation with BESA chief executive David Frise. “If your elderly Mum or Granny lived in one of these buildings would you be happy about that? If not, then change.”

David Frise said BESA had been planning for the changes since the Hackitt Report was published and had already tightened up criteria for membership in line with the higher competency standards that will be needed to comply with the new regulations. This was applauded by Hackitt. n

To review the conference sessions, go to: www.theBESA.com/conference

She congratulated the sector for the way it had dealt with the Covid

To watch the BESA Conference on demand click here

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VIRTUAL CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION

we need people in our sector who have emotional intelligence. That means our teams have to have diversity in areas such as education and background.”

Mark Parker, managing director of MKL Innovation agreed that while technology was shaping the FM industry and buildings, the basics have to be in place: “As facilities managers, we need to nail the basic stuff, such as providing an asset register. We also need to understand that what we do has an impact on people.”

Future workers will expect more from buildings Building design and operation must focus on the changing expectations of a future workforce, according to an expert FM and human resources panel at the BESA Conference.

Kelly Carney, regional facilities manager at Skanska said flexibility would be a significant element of the future workplace: “We need to think about the blended workplace where people work from home and the office in multi-purpose spaces.”

The panel, which was chaired by BESA Vice President Claire Curran, agreed that workers will expect more support for their physical and mental health from commercial buildings in the future.

That kind of ‘future workforce’ is no longer a distant concept and the effects of increased automation are already being felt, said Cupper: “Technology has enabled businesses to reduce the number of people in the workplace. That has meant fewer people who are more demanding of their working environment.”

FM will come to be seen as more of a service rather than a “risk management function”, according to consultant Jackie Cupper. “We might look after the physical environment, but now people want to be able to have choices about that environment.

They want to be able to sit on a sofa, not in a cubicle and have control over lighting and temperature.”

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TRANSFORMING THE PROFESSION These changes are also starting to transform the FM profession, according to Claire Curran: “We need more than technology skills;

Looking further into the future, Jacquie Price, head of business support at Linaker said: “We need to get smart about working and using technology. And people also need to develop resilience as our industry undergoes change.”

Parker highlighted major developments in technology, such as quantum computing, that would allow for fast analysis of massive amounts of data.

“Automation and artificial intelligence will mean that buildings will be alive; assets will be self-diagnosing,” he said.

Changing demands on how office space is used will be a significant factor for the future design and operation of buildings according to Wayne Young, facilities manager for Hermes: “Collaboration space, including outside working environments, will be in high demand. And the environmental credentials of our workplaces will be critical for the future.”

Cupper agreed: “The sustainability agenda has taken a back seat during the pandemic. For example, we’ve moved back to single use cups and utensils for safety. We have to get back on track when this is over.” n

Opportunities opening up across the sector The government’s ambition to stimulate a £12bn ‘green industrial revolution’ that supports low carbon heating and energy efficiency retrofits presents huge opportunities for BESA members, the Conference heard.

The BESA National Conference heard about a range of business opportunities emerging in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and the government’s push for net zero carbon buildings.

Noble Francis of the Construction Products Association gave the Conference a detailed analysis of the economic prospects. Although, he expects an overall fall in construction activity of 15% this year, there are growing grounds for optimism about 2021.

Brexit is expected to cause considerable disruption and there will be productivity issues caused by ongoing social distancing on sites both of which could drive up costs and further depress profit margins throughout the supply chains.

Professor Francis said growth in 2021 was “unbelievably reliant” on

the government doing what it has promised in terms of stimulating growth. This includes green grants for energy efficiency retrofits – something that the government has not historically done very well, he pointed out – and supporting overdue infrastructure developments.

He said building engineering firms should not ignore infrastructure because it is not all about civil works: “There are other opportunities around big projects like HS2 and nuclear power stations that would suit building engineering firms i.e. the stations; offices; retail that go alongside them. These are worth 10s of millions,” said Francis.

He also said it was too soon to write off the commercial office market, it may well bounce back, but there will also be opportunities to re-purpose many of these buildings for residential use.

Heat pumps are at the heart of the strategy with the government calling for 600,000 to be fitted every year by 2028 rising to over a million a year in the 2030’s. To put that in context, Graham Wright of the Heat Pump Association (HPA) told the conference that the industry was currently installing just 30,000 a year, a figure that could grow to 71,000 in 2021. He told the Conference the new targets represented an “enormous leap and we are already contending with a skills gap”.

BESA head of technical Graeme Fox said the Association was working with the HPA and others to set up a training scheme that could help to upskill existing heating and plumbing engineers to carry out this work. They would like the government to make it mandatory because getting installation right would be crucial to achieving net zero ambitions.

“If there are lots of poor installations, it could harm the reputation of the whole technology,” said Fox; adding there also needed to be better understanding of how heat pumps work. “There is a big issue with getting heating engineers to understand the technical aspects of low temperature systems. We also need to educate householders about running systems at low temperatures – we are moving away from 70°C.” n

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Corrosion rate (µm/yr)

120 100

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Temperature (°C)

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20.01.20 03:06

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VIRTUAL CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION

Digital tools crucial to industry reform The long-awaited digital revolution in building engineering is moving closer, according to a number of speakers at the BESA National Conference.

For one thing, Dame Judith Hackitt said it would “no longer be allowed” for firms to deliberately avoid recording project information using widely available digital technology under revised building regulations, which are due to come into force in 2023.

She said it was crucial that the industry “started doing things differently” including switching to digital “as fast as possible as that will help get it right and also gather the data you need…and get away from all the paper trails”.

Hackitt has called for all projects to have a ‘golden thread’ of information to preserve and record the original design intent throughout a building’s operational life.

“The technology exists to record everything you do and trace actions back, but the decision is often made not to record that information.

That will no longer be allowed,” she told the BESA Conference; adding: “It doesn’t have to be BIM, but that will certainly be part of it.”

Delegates and speakers at the conference welcomed the

increased emphasis on digital as an opportunity for improvement.

However, several suggested it was not a ‘silver bullet’ for the sector’s current problems with information and communication.

A panel of engineers and FM experts, chaired by BESA’s head of business development Steve Tomkins, warned that digital tools could also lead to information ‘dumping’.

EXCITEMENT “There is a danger with improving technologies that we need to ask, ‘Are they fit for purpose?’, for each project that we work on. We must not overlook practicalities in the excitement over technology,” said Christine Gausden from the UKBIM Alliance.

Former CIBSE President George Adams added that BIM was not affordable for all clients and might not be suitable on many retrofit projects.

“The worst outcome would be that each company on a project offers a ‘packet’ of digital information at the end of a job. That would not be a good outcome. It is the digital equivalent of

handing over an O&M manual and walking away,” said Martin Trentham, head of national design at Interserve.

Gordon Pringle, managing director of Heating Appliances and Spares (HASL), said there was already a great deal of useful technology capable of making building services systems more efficient.

“We can apply technology to help alleviate problems in water systems, which suffer component failure or poor performance due to inadequate commissioning, for example. This will also ensure that they are operating optimally, and not wasting energy.”

BESA added that greater use of digital tools was a key part of its widely used SFG20 industry standard for building maintenance.

It said this was helping to realise Hackitt’s ambition for a ‘golden thread’ of information by enabling the inclusion of building operational information at an earlier stage of the design and construction process.

Providing building engineers with additional digital skills is a key aim of its new online training Academy and they also form part of the revised Competence Assessment Standard used in its membership application process, the Association said. n To review the BESA Conference sessions go to: www.theBESA.com/ conference

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PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE

Together, we are stronger Welcome to the latest edition of our award-winning magazine – Your BESA. It is being published just a few weeks after our highly successful National Conference (see pages 4-11), which was held online for the first time and attracted nearly 1,200 registrations – a fantastic achievement for the Association staff, but also a great tribute to BESA and its ability to inform and influence.

There were plenty of reasons for us not to stage a conference this year. I don’t think anyone would have blamed us if, given the circumstances, we had decided to keep our powder dry until next year. However, BESA has a hardwon reputation for providing leadership in times of difficulty and keeping our members – and the wider industry – informed when information is crucial.

attendance and by the fact we attracted an incredible range of expert speakers – more than 60 in total.

The need for business, technical and health & safety advice has never been greater, but it is equally important that we are able to come together as an Association and a sector to share our concerns and work together on solutions.

The BESA Community is proving extremely resilient in the face of the ongoing Covid-19 crisis and there are clear signs that our work is gaining wider recognition as a result of our efforts on behalf of the country during this extremely difficult year.

BESA President Neil Brackenridge

of the government’s ambitions to rebuild the economy as we emerge from lockdown.

These are exciting times to be a building services engineer. We are seeing increased interest in careers in our sector because of our profile being raised in This came out very strongly response to the pandemic.

Our series of daily webinars during during the National Conference.

Young people eager to make a the first lockdown period this year Areas like ventilation, air difference to their communities turned out to be a magnet for can now see what people right across our industry has to our sector desperate “THE BESA COMMUNITY IS PROVING offer – and our new for the latest industry EXTREMELY RESILIENT IN THE FACE OF online training BESA specific news. We Academy is ready and reached an audience THE ONGOING COVID-19 CRISIS AND easily accessible to all of more than 20,000 THERE ARE CLEAR SIGNS THAT OUR (see page 19). between March and August and WORK IS GAINING WIDER RECOGNITION” So, please continue the webinars have to engage with started picking up the Association through the conditioning and indoor air momentum again since the launch many avenues we offer for quality have been highlighted of the new autumn series. communication and networking as providing a crucial direct – albeit ‘remotely’ for now. By response to the virus, but also our So, we didn’t really hesitate to pulling together as we are; we can work in cutting carbon and smart stage the conference – a decision look forward to a better 2021. buildings are very much part that was surely vindicated by the

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HEALTH AND SAFETY

BESA members are ‘Hackitt-ready’ BESA’s newly appointed specification manager Maria Driver believes members are already well placed to meet the quality and safety challenges posed by the “once in a generation” changes being brought about by the Hackitt Review and subsequent legislation.

Maria, whose role is to represent the Association’s members and help them secure more business through specification on tenders and frameworks, said the new culture of competence and compliance demanded by Dame Judith Hackitt, who chaired the independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety that followed the Grenfell Tower tragedy, was a major opportunity for BESA firms to prove their quality.

“My job is to highlight the member benefits to clients who wish to use competent and compliant companies on their projects,” she told Your BESA. “The Hackitt Review and the draft Building Safety Bill that followed will change attitudes and the way our sector operates forever.

“My message to contractors, building owners and architects is to be ahead of the safety and quality game. If you want to be part of it, you need to demonstrate and prove your competence and your ability to comply with the latest industry standards and best practice.

“However, I believe most BESA members are Hackitt-ready now,” added Maria.

PRIDE She also expressed her pride in joining an organisation that “has such an impressive history of sector leadership and that is focused on making the building engineering industry a better place. “This is not just about ensuring specialist contractors are competent and compliant, but the wider social implications of that effort to ensure people feel safe living and working in buildings and contractors’ own staff feel safe and supported during projects,” she added.

Liverpool-based Maria has considerable experience of the construction materials, roofing, and commercial interiors markets. She has worked in sales management with a particular emphasis on driving specifications. She joined BESA from Water Logic PLC where she was UK key accounts manager dealing directly with main and sub-contractors. In that role, she worked with some of the industry’s top companies including Overbury, Morgan Sindall, Willmott Dixon, Kier and Balfour Beatty.

Previously she was specification manager at the £100m roofing specialist Alumasc and was formerly commercial manager

BESA Specification Manager Maria Driver

at IKEA where she introduced the company’s intranet.

“We are delighted to be able to add Maria to our senior staff,” said BESA chief executive David Frise.

“This is a strategically important new role for the Association and demonstrates our commitment to ensuring clients recognise the value of BESA membership and that using our members can help them achieve their own competence and compliance goals.

“Maria will be able to explain to specifiers how our fully refreshed Competence Assessment Standard means all BESA members have been thoroughly vetted for their technical and commercial competence and are fully committed to delivering work to the highest quality.” n Maria says she is happy for members to contact her direct to discuss their projects further either by email at: maria.driver@theBESA.com or mobile: 07967 318835.

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MEMBERSHIP

New member benefits The team at BESA have been hard at work behind the scenes adding extra benefits for members via two new partnerships.

R&D TAX CREDITS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH FORRESTBROWN ForrestBrown, the UK’s leading R&D tax credit specialist, has now become BESA’s dedicated R&D tax partner.

ForrestBrown will offer an exclusive discount from their standard fee to all members. ForrestBrown already have a history of working with BESA and its members and have delivered over £12m for BESA members via the government’s R&D tax credits.

The incentive is a quick, debt-free source of cash and claiming – when using a specialist adviser like ForrestBrown – requires a minimal time investment to benefit. n

Welcome to the BESA family BESA AND ESTA ESTABLISH JOINT ENERGY EFFICIENCY GROUP BESA has established a joint Special Interest Group with the Energy Services Technology Association (ESTA) to promote energy efficiency in buildings to government and industry.

The Energy Efficiency in Buildings Group will include members from both associations. Its focus will be to promote the economic benefits of energy demand reduction, energy efficiency and management to all demand-side users and professionals.

ESTA is the UK’s leading energy management industry association and has been active for over 30 years in energy management. ESTA has also established a number of standards and training courses for its sector. n Find out more about ESTA at www.estaenergy.org.uk

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BESA BUSINESS INSURANCE SERVICES IN PARTNERSHIP WITH MARSH COMMERCIAL This new insurance partnership will offer a range of insurance policies tailored specifically for BESA members that includes: public liability, employers liability, professional indemnity, cyber insurance, tools insurance and van/fleet insurance. All policies have been developed and selected with the needs of BESA members in mind. BESA Business Insurance Services is a trading name of Marsh Commercial.

Because of the high bar set with the BESA Competence Assessment Standard that all members have to meet, BESA have been able to agree preferential rates. n

Interested in more member discounts and offers?

You can find out more and see the whole range of offers and discounts BESA members are able to access by visiting: www.theBESA.com/member-offers/

BESA ‘TEAMS’ UP WITH TEMA The Technology Enabled Maintenance Association (TEMA) is now partnering with BESA to help accelerate the adoption of emerging technologies by the building maintenance sector.

TEMA will work closely with BESA’s specialist Service & Facilities group, which amongst other things, is responsible for the widely used industry best practice facilities management tool SFG20.

It will provide a forum for the dissemination of knowledge and help to improve understanding of the latest technologies available to service and maintenance specialists across the sector.

The two bodies see particular opportunities to drive innovation in the fast-growing areas of ventilation hygiene and indoor air quality (IAQ) both of which are seen as of significant strategic importance as buildings begin to re-open after the Covid-19 lockdown period. n Find out more about TEMA at www.theTEMA.org.uk

Associate membership scheme off to flying start A new category of BESA membership has already attracted more than 50 applicants within a month of its launch.

The Associate Member category caters for individuals with a particular interest in the building services industry. This is a significant development for BESA, which has previously only admitted companies and corporate organisations into membership.

retired engineers, other experts and young engineers including apprentices and trainees. We will now set about creating communities of like-minded individuals with tailored content covering their area of interest and supporting their personal development goals.

INSIGHT

and industry guidance and further extend its sphere of influence.

Standard membership costs £120 per annum, but retired people and apprentices/trainees will be admitted for free. Workers recently made redundant are having their membership fee waived for the first 12 months or until they find alternative employment.

The decision to provide a ‘home’ for individuals wanting to engage with us and gain access to our specialist knowledge and share their own expertise, has already proved to be a popular one.

The new group will give those involved opportunities to network and provide them with insight into the sector and its ‘hot topics’.

They will be able to raise their professional profiles through membership of BESA and share ideas, problems and solutions.

They will also be given access to training materials via the new online BESA Academy.

BESA associate members will receive a comprehensive suite of benefits including: an invitation to join relevant BESA specialist groups; the use of a special BESA logo; inclusion in social media groups; the opportunity to contribute to industry research and access to reports; political consultations and articles.

They will also receive discounts on publications and events. n

Members already signed up include consultants, academics,

For the Association, it will open up new audiences for its expertise

For more information email: jenny.house@theBESA.com

NEW BESA Jobs Board – Coming Soon!

BESA are delighted to announce that we are partnering with the PRS group to deliver a new Jobs Board that will sit across the BESA Group websites targeted at the building services sector.

As we widen our community with the BESA Associate membership offering adding the Jobs Board to the toolkit available to the sector will be critical to retain essential skills within the sector.

Employment in the UK construction sector has been falling steadily this year and is 11% lower than its peak in Q1 in 2019. No doubt we will see unemployment rise in the early part of 2021, given the combined impacts of the pandemic and

ongoing Brexit uncertainty. Finding the right person or the right job will be an increasingly difficult task.

The Jobs Board will primarily target building services roles – BESA members will be able to post roles (free for the first six months) and to ensure they are hitting the right audience and individuals will be able

to find a bespoke list relevant to their skills.

PRS have recently started a new digital services brand called We Move People (WMP) and they have a wealth of experience in the online recruitment of competent and skilled operatives, together with the technical knowledge to build an exciting and dynamic new Jobs Board that will be launched in January 2021 – so watch this space! n For more information please email us at info@wemovepeople.co.uk For any help with your career planning visit www. outplacement.services and www.prsjobs.com, the built env recruitment specialist.

17

Refcom Elite reaches 300 member milestone as industry demonstrates best practice maintenance or servicing of static equipment that contains refrigerant must have F-Gas Certification.

REFCOM, the UK’s leading F-Gas register, now has 300 company members at its Elite level. Membership of REFCOM Elite voluntary scheme demonstrates that members have reached high standards of competence and compliance in refrigerant management.

REFCOM’s Elite scheme goes further than the mandatory certification. Member companies undergo third-party inspection of the business every three years.

The 300 REFCOM Elite members not only meet the basic F-Gas Certification standards, but have also demonstrated that they operate auditable procedures for control of refrigerants. They also use purpose-designed refrigerant recovery equipment; and perform any refrigerant transactions with minimum emissions.

REFCOM is the F-Gas certification body of the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA). The law requires that anyone carrying out installation, commissioning, decommissioning, repair,

Rachel Davidson, BESA’s Director of Certification says: “We are delighted to see the numbers of REFCOM Elite members grow. It shows that our sector takes its environmental responsibilities seriously.”

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BESA Group Companies:

REFCOM Elite membership ensures that businesses meet the best practices in refrigerant management.

Clients can be sure that a REFCOM Elite member will work to high professional standards. A members’ engineers will hold an ACRIB SKILLcard which provides evidence of identification, skills and qualifications. It also demonstrates that the cardholder has passed a Health Safety and Environment test.

“The Elite scheme shows potential clients which contractors are going the extra mile to demonstrate compliance,” says Davidson. “It gives them peace of mind that their refrigerant systems are in safe and competent hands.”

A full list of all REFCOM Elite member companies can be found on the REFCOM website (www.refcom.org.uk).

Anyone interested in joining the scheme can also find full details and start the application process online. n

for a winning performance

by Pegler

THE BESA ACADEMY

Online learning gathers pace The new BESA Academy is growing fast as the appetite for online training continues to gain popularity, reports BESA director of training and skills, Helen Yeulet.

The landscape for technical training in the UK seems to have changed permanently since the lockdown periods drove more people online and forced them away from ‘physical’ learning environments.

Launched in the summer, the online BESA Academy is rapidly getting up to speed and is delivering a comprehensive programme of training courses, assessments and CPDs for individuals, employers, and training providers.

The new year will see a more ‘blended’ approach as more colleges re-open (at least partially), but the proportion of training delivered remotely will continue to grow and the Academy is already helping other training providers by delivering the online elements of courses on their behalf.

This is a key element of the BESA strategy to help its members achieve and demonstrate competence in line with the major changes happening in building safety and sustainability driven, in part, by the Hackitt recommendations that will lead to new building regulations in 2023.

The Academy is designed to help employers and managers ensure their workforces are fully

There is also growing demand for re-skilling suited to modern methods of working, such as the increased use of digital systems and off-site manufacture. qualified and able to comply with legislation and industry standards.

All training courses are accessible from a laptop or PC whether the user is at home, at work or on the move. Each Academy candidate receives an online ‘skills passport’ storing all their completed training, qualifications, and CV in one place.

The BESA Academy makes it possible to complete many courses online and in ‘bite size chunks’ that would have required at least two days of ‘physical’ attendance at a training centre or college before the pandemic threw the whole education system into turmoil.

Being able to update skills and complete professional assessments at work or in the safety of your home and at your own pace saves both time and money for the individual and their employer. It will also support employers’ efforts to plug skills gaps by making access to the appropriate training easier, more flexible and, therefore, more appealing to a wider section of the population.

The Academy was launched with the support of several BESA affiliate members who have provided valuable CPD training materials and continue to add more content as the resource grows. One notable example is the BESA Health and Safety Environment course and test in partnership with Mitsubishi Electric. This sixmodule programme covers the latest requirements for keeping workers safe and meeting new site operating procedures.

BESA’s F-Gas Renewal course, also in partnership with Mistubishi Electric, can now be fully completed online or in person via a BESA Approved training centre. The course will enable experienced workers to meet the mandatory F-Gas requirements and, as there is an online option, they can complete the course from home. n For more details of available courses see pages 28 and 29 and to access the Academy go to: www.theBESA.com/academy

19

THE BESA ACADEMY

BESA future proofs F-Gas renewals The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA), in partnership with affiliate member Mitsubishi Electric, has launched an online training course so refrigeration and air conditioning engineers can renew their professional accreditations remotely.

‘The BESA F-Gas Online Renewal’ course is offered by the Association’s new online Academy.

It is future proofed against any repeat of the shortage of physical training facilities experienced during the Covid-19 crisis and the sector’s rapidly changing competence and compliance requirements.

Head of technical Graeme Fox unveiled the online training and certification process during a BESA

20

BESA Group Companies:

webinar and hailed it as a vital step towards avoiding the kind of registration ‘pile up’ experienced by the industry earlier this year.

were shut,” said Fox. “So, we looked urgently into how we might address this as part of the development of the Association’s new online service.”

The RAC sector was hit particularly hard by the first lockdown period as restrictions were imposed just at the point in the three-year cycle when hundreds of companies were preparing to renew their REFCOM registrations. It also coincided with thousands of engineers needing to renew their F-Gas certificates.

DISCIPLINES

DEFRA denied the industry a legal extension that would have allowed engineers to continue working without renewing, leaving contractors and their customers in a difficult position.

“We had a mandatory certification scheme with an expiry date, but no way of renewing qualifications because all the training centres

The BESA Academy, which was launched in the summer, offers a wide range of training modules for all building services disciplines and now makes it possible to renew an F-Gas qualification in under six hours from an engineer’s home or workplace.

“That means no more hassle booking a test centre, travel expenses and time off work. This will save engineers and employers time and money, while ensuring they meet the mandatory F-Gas requirements and can continue to work even during a pandemic,” added Fox. Candidates do still have a ‘physical’ option by using one of BESA’s approved training centres around

the country, but having an online option gives the sector unprecedented choice.

Also, the safe working arrangements put in place because of the Covid-19 crisis have reduced physical capacity at many centres so being able to have some students studying remotely is increasingly important. As a result, the BESA Academy is working in partnership with several colleges.

Some critics have suggested that the online approach is open to abuse, but BESA has put in place a robust verification process or ‘proctoring’, which guards against “THE plagiarism.

BESA RACHP group. “It really is the missing link that the industry has been looking for and we now have a one stop shop for all our training needs,” he told the BESA webinar.

The F-Gas renewal course, supported by Mitsubishi Electric, costs £295 plus VAT, but BESA, REFCOM F-Gas and REFCOM Elite members receive a discount of £45.

Mitsubishi Electric’s product marketing manager Mark Grayston said the launch of the Academy course was extremely timely as the number of new products coming onto the market was accelerating in

AVAILABILITY He added that online training would become more popular because it made business sense: “The problem with physical training centres is that you depend on them having availability at a time that suits your business,” said Merritt. “It is much better to be able to do this online at a time that works for the engineer and the employer. If a project gets cancelled, you can jump on and use the time to do some training.”

He also pointed out that many engineers were not comfortable in a classroom environment and would feel happier being able to complete BESA ACADEMY OFFERS A WIDE the course remotely and work RANGE OF TRAINING MODULES FOR ALL at their own pace.

“The process still finishes with an BUILDING SERVICES DISCIPLINES AND NOW assessment under BESA members MAKES IT POSSIBLE TO RENEW AN F-GAS exam conditions right across even if you are at the building QUALIFICATION IN UNDER SIX HOURS FROM home – so you need engineering to make sure your AN ENGINEER’S HOME OR WORKPLACE.” spectrum are environment is set up already seeing the for that. This will be benefits of the line with the F-Gas phase down. “It is verified by our proctoring agency online Academy. For example, many really important to have these online before you can sit the exam,” said are now completing their BESA training modules as we can respond BESA’s director of training and skills Health and Safety Environment test more quickly and flexibly to changing Helen Yeulet. online via the Academy. requirements such as the increasing Refrigeration engineers will also “It is a convenient and lower cost use of mildly flammable refrigerants.” need to upload prerequisite way for employers to ensure their Richard Merritt, managing director documents that prove they have installers have the right competence of AC Solutions and vice chair been working regularly on RACHP and evidence in line with the more of the RACHP Group, added systems at Cat 1 or Cat 2 over the demanding standards that will be that employers should have full previous five years. These include a required in the wake of the Grenfell confidence in the quality and signed Statement of Eligibility from inquiry,” said Yeulet. “The Academy robustness of the process. their employer or self-declaration is geared up to help employers if self-employed; along with two satisfy the forthcoming competence “Proctoring gives us the confidence commissioning log sheets and a and compliance requirements that that people are actually doing what current or recently expired F-Gas will be enforced by the Building they say they are doing and being Cat 1 or Cat 2 certificate.

Safety Bill and policed by a new properly assessed,” he told the BESA regulatory framework. webinar. “I have more confidence “The Academy is a brilliant solution in this course than many of the for small companies like ours as it “So, look out for a rapidly expanding classroom ones. The quality of the helps us to plan and manage our range of courses in the coming Academy slides and other training training arrangements,” said Jason months.” n materials are better than we have Canning, managing director of NBC www.theBESA.com/academy experienced before.”

Air Conditioning and chair of the

21

TECHNICAL NEWS

Insurers recognise value of TR19® and BESCA VHE Scheme In a major development for the insurance sector, RICSAuthority has recognised both the TR19® Grease specification and the BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite (VHE) Scheme as best practice for fire safety in catering establishments in the UK in their new RC68 publication in association with the Fire Protection Association.

RISCAuthority is a research scheme supported by a significant group of UK insurers that conducts research in support of the development and dissemination of best practice on the protection of property and business. ‘RC68 Recommendations for fire safety in catering establishments’, details recommendations which apply to the installation, management, operation and maintenance of cooking appliances and related equipment in commercial catering kitchens.

It recognises that if deposits of grease are allowed to accumulate in extract ducting, the introduction of an ignition source may cause the deposits to ignite, and the resulting flames may spread rapidly throughout the complete ducting system. The fire may then spread to other parts of the building resulting in possible loss of life, considerable interruption to business operations and have a damaging effect on reputation.

RICSAuthority recommends regular maintenance and cleaning of grease extract systems to BESA’s TR19®

22

BESA Group Companies:

administered by

RC68: Recommendations for fire safety in catering establishments

Specification Fire Risk Management of Grease Accumulation within Kitchen Extraction Systems.

5.1.4 As part of the fire risk assessments undertaken to comply with fire safety legislation the good practice set out in BESA Guide TR19 ® Grease (ref.

8) should be considered and a specific assessment of the extract ventilation should be undertaken based on the guidance provided in RC44.

It also specifically refers to the competency of contractors and certification of works citing BESCA’s VHE Scheme as a benchmark.

5.7.10 Kitchen extract duct cleaning should be undertaken by contractors who have demonstrated competence through independent third party certification…

Duncan Sibbald, Head of Certification at BESA, commented “It’s a great step forward and the kind of recognition by the insurance industry that the vent hygiene industry has been working hard to gain for many years.”

He went on to add, “Compliant maintenance of grease extract systems not only saves lives, it gives catering and hospitality operators reassurance and continuity of business. The VHE scheme delivers peace of mind that the work has been undertaken by a company who has been independently

Version 1 Published 2020

assessed, verified and holds the evidence to demonstrate that it’s works are compliant with the TR19® Specification.”

The next step is to continue the engagement with insurance companies, vent hygiene service providers and the catering and hospitality sector to ensure a better understanding of TR19® and how engaging with VHE Approved Members is currently the only mechanism available to ensure compliance with TR19®. This will further boost adoption of the specification and demand for the rapidly growing VHE Scheme.

BESA members operating in the vent hygiene sector commit as part of their membership to operating to TR19® Grease and the VHE scheme is the route to certify this. n Find out more about the VHE Scheme at www.besca.org.uk/ schemes/besca-approved-venthygiene-elite/

BESA Business Insurance Services

Affordable, flexible, and tailored business insurance BESA members can now access competitively priced, high-quality business insurance cover from BESA Business Insurance Services (BBIS), thanks to our collaboration with Marsh Commercial – part of Marsh, a global leader in insurance broking and innovative risk management solutions.

Working with BESA Business Insurance Services will help make sure your business’s insurance needs are catered for. We make it easy to secure a wide range of insurance protection, specifically tailored to your business and have a range of cover options available.

“I had been using a broker for a number of years and wasn’t sure if I was getting the best service available. Then I was put in contact with Marsh Commercial through my membership with BESA. Samantha was very helpful and responsive and managed to save me £££’s on my renewal premium.I feel I can trust her to find the right insurance for my needs and this enables me to concentrate in other areas of my business.”

Mr M, Co. Down

Get in touch Call us on 03332 413533 for a no obligation discussion regarding your insurance cover or send us an enquiry to besa@marshcommercial.co.uk

This is a marketing communication.

BESA Business Insurance Services is an Introducer Appointed Representative of Jelf Insurance Brokers Ltd (Jelf). Marsh Commercial is a trading name of Jelf Insurance Brokers Ltd which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Not all products and services offered are regulated by the FCA (for details see www.marshcommercial.co.uk/info/regulation/). Registered in England and Wales number 0837227. Registered Office: 1 Tower Place West, London EC3R 5BU.

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HEALTH AND SAFETY

Staying safe as crisis continues The industry was given the green light to keep working despite the restrictions announced for a second lockdown period. However, BESA continued to stress that everyone must keep following the Site Operating Procedures (SOP) set out by the Construction Leadership Council.

The industry was given the green light to keep working despite the restrictions announced for a second lockdown period.

However, BESA continued to stress that everyone must keep following the Site Operating Procedures (SOP) set out by the Construction Leadership Council.

Domestic tradespeople can enter customers’ homes to carry out work, but office-based staff should work from home wherever possible. Car sharing should be avoided ‘where possible’, though it can be done where SOP guidance is followed.

between and two and 10 times higher at one metre,” Becky added.

“If it is impossible to remain two metres apart, you should apply other controls like reducing the duration of time you spend together or avoiding face-to-face contact.”

BESA’s Health and Safety Advisor Becky Crosland has also restated her concerns about the use of PPE: “Be aware of what masks you are wearing. They are not all equally effective,” she said.

The BESA Covid-19 panel has produced a comprehensive suite of guidance documents specifically for engineering and building services contractors since the start of the crisis delivering clear, concise information that prioritises worker and customer safety.

The Association’s Covid-19 Panel has also produced two new guidance documents providing clear and practical information about how to reduce the risk of virus transmission on site and methods for carrying out risk assessments for workers who have to stay away from home.

All the panel’s documents have been thoroughly researched, taking into account current government guidance, and providing a series of steps that any employer can put into practice.

“The new guides are all about prioritising workers and customer/client safety,” said Becky. “As we see a rise in the R number across the country, it is clear that the threat of infection from Covid-19 remains very much alive. It is, therefore, vital that businesses have robust procedures to safeguard against the risks employees face on site and in domestic settings.”

“In uncertain times, it can often feel that your personal contribution is not making a difference,” said BESA Covid-19 panel member Rosie Newcombe from Royston Group. “However, by working with BESA and our partners across our sector, individual health and safety professionals have been able to collaborate and contribute positively by interpreting the latest government guidance to produce effective guidance notes and risk assessments.” n

She also reiterated the warning that the twometre social distancing restriction remains in place on construction sites.

BESA’s health and safety guidance is freely available and downloadable from the dedicated area of the website: www.theBESA.com/covid19

“Some people seem to think the two metre restriction has been reduced to one metre – it has not. Infection risk is

BESA Academy has developed a FREE short SOP course to ensure you and your workforce are COVID compliant as certification ensures you and your staff are site ready.

Register for free here

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SFG20

30 years and still innovating

BY STEPHEN BROWNSTEELE / STEVEN TOMKINS In 2020, SFG20 achieved its 30th anniversary. We weren’t able to celebrate with a party, for obvious reasons, but we have marked the occasion with a continued commitment to innovation.

SFG20 began life in 1990 as a fivevolume set of books, put together by what was then the HVCA. Today, it’s a dynamic, customisable online management tool with over 2,500 schedules. It provides a definitive standard for planned building maintenance across an extensive range of property assets.

With legal compliance at its heart, the SFG20 system is continuously monitored and updated by a team of experts to ensure that it covers the latest legislation. A committee of industry professionals ratifies updates to ensure that any guidance reflects industry best practice.

The SFG20 journey over thirty years reflects the growing complexity of the work of facilities and maintenance teams. Managing

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BESA Group Companies:

and maintaining buildings requires far more than complying with regulations. There is an increasing focus on saving time, working to budget and helping organisations reach their energy-saving and carbon-reduction goals. Not to mention a greater use of technology and cloud-based data collection.

And of course, this year facilities teams have faced one of the most challenging periods in all of our working lives. Building managers have had to mothball buildings while ensuring they remain compliant with legal and insurance requirements.

Maintenance and facilities teams may also have been supporting small groups of occupants or been responsible for essential buildings such as hospitals, often working with much smaller teams themselves.

We like to think that throughout this time, the unique SFG20 software tool has supported those professionals in their work. For example, when the first COVID-19 shutdown took place in early 2020, we developed SFG30 to help building and facilities managers ensure buildings remained compliant

during lockdown. SFG30 also offers guidance on reactivating buildings safely for the return of occupants.

Meanwhile, the SFG20 team has been developing our software and information resource with a determination to stay relevant, useful and accessible for facilities and maintenance professionals into the future.

This is the driver behind our most recent development – functional sets. These are collections of tasks and schedules developed for specific building types. The first two, which are available now, are for Residential Care Homes and Residential Properties.

A ‘functional set’ is an online resource of tasks and schedules selected by SFG20 experts specifically for buildings in these sectors. We have focused on these two markets because both are currently under particular scrutiny for compliance with legislation and health and safety regulations.

The Residential Care Home Functional Set features over 560

schedules across 22 categories. It includes advice on the operation and maintenance of the specialised equipment used in care homes.

The set for Residential Properties is a suite of more than 750 maintenance schedules covering areas such as air conditioning, boilers, burners and heat generators; as well as chillers and ventilation. The functional set schedules are fully customisable, so users have full control of the priorities for each building they maintain.

Our aim in launching functional sets is to make the SFG20 software toolkit simpler to use and configured for a specific building type.

“A ‘FUNCTIONAL SET’ IS AN ONLINE RESOURCE OF TASKS AND SCHEDULES SELECTED BY SFG20 EXPERTS SPECIFICALLY FOR BUILDINGS IN THE RESIDENTIAL CARE HOME AND RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY SECTORS.”

Another recent innovation is the SFG20 Resource Modeller. This service is for those in the business of providing maintenance to clients, to improve cost certainty and control. The Resource Modeller can also support staff planning, helping to ensure that the right staff are available to meet client requirements.

NRM3: Order of cost estimating and cost planning for building maintenance works. It is the industrystandard method for labour loading and costing of planned maintenance.

The Resource Modeller aligns with the RICS’ (Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors) new rules of measurement,

By providing Resource Models in this way, SFG20 provides visibility of budget forecasting against standards,

while allowing for the provision of unforeseen events such as asset verification work.

As providers of a software tool, we are very aware that the way our subscribers access information is changing rapidly. With this in mind, SFG20 now integrates with several leading Computer Aided FM (CAFM) software systems. We also continue to develop the SFG20 online service so that it is easy to access via hand-held smart devices.

This has undoubtedly been a year that none of us will forget. Despite the challenges we have faced and overcome, at SFG20, we think that this can be a time for FMs and engineers to take stock of their maintenance procedures.

They can emerge from 2020 with a renewed focus on finding the most effective way to re-open buildings that are safe, comfortable and productive environments for occupants. And we aim to ensure that they have the right tools to support them in that work. n For more information visit www.sfg20.co.uk

27

THE BESA ACADEMY DIRECTORY

The BESA Academy is the online learning solution for the building engineering services industry. We provide a range of training courses, assessments and CPD which enables you to develop your career.

Website: www.thebesa.com/ academy

All our courses are flexible, can be completed at your own pace and accessed from your PC or laptop whilst at work, home or on the go.

Email: academy@ thebesa.com Tel: 0800 917 8419

Start your learning journey with us today by registering at besa.academy to complete one of the courses below.

BESA Health and Safety Environment Course

BRAND NEW BESA F-Gas Renewal Course in partnership with Mitsubishi BESA has developed its first online F-Gas Renewal course in partnership with BESA Affiliate Mitsubishi Electric.

The course is aimed at refrigeration engineers who are either approaching the end of their five-year certification period for Cat 1 and Cat 2 F-Gas or want to ensure they are up to date with the latest mandatory F-Gas requirements.

Renew your F-Gas qualification in less than 6 hours all from the comfort and safety of your own home, with immediate assessment results and a downloadable certificate if passed.

Renew here

In partnership with Mitsubishi Electric, BESA has developed our first online Health and Safety Environment course and test.

It meets the H&S requirements for all Craft and Operative SKILLcards and is designed for those within the heating, ventilating, air conditioning and refrigeration occupations.

The full online course enables those working on site a minimum level of health and safety awareness and removes the hassle of booking and travelling to a test centre or taking time out of work, saving you and your employer time and money!

The course and test are 100% online and take approximately 3 hours to complete. The test can be taken as part of the course or as a standalone.

Cost: Course & Test Non BESA Members £95+VAT BESA Members discounted rate £50+VAT Book here Test only £19.50+VAT Book test only here

Standard Operating Procedures – This free online module features the latest COVID CLC

guidance and will enable you to be up to date with the latest operating procedures onsite. Register here

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Free CPD:

Understanding Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery for Commercial Applications Join this course with Ian Palmer, Head of UK Specification at Airflow to learn about the following;

• Why do we need ventilation?

• Why is ventilation with MVHR an ideal solution?

• How does MVHR work?

• Key drivers for MVHR • Legislation • Types of Heat Exchangers • Energy saving via different MVHR technologies

• Typical MVHR applications Register here

HVAC System Air Filtration for Clean Healthy Indoor Air Quality Air filtration is the best proven technology for the removal of hazardous airborne particles.

Traffic air pollution particles in cities and Covid19 droplet aerosol virus particles inside buildings are of concern.

This CPD gives practical measures that can be used as a strategy to deliver clean safe air inside buildings.

HVAC system maintenance with use of PPE should be made in adherence to current safety guidance. Enhanced air filter efficiency and reduced running costs can be made using Low Energy Air Filters.

Air and Dirt Separation Join Flamco for this CIBSE accredited course all about Air and Dirt Separation.

On this course you will learn:

• Theory use and application of air and dirt separation equipment,

• the principles of operation • theory behind air release • common symptoms of sealed system equipment containing too much air and dissolved air.

Register here

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Reducing Risk When Specifying Building and Industrial Services Pipework Join TATA for this course on reducing risk when specifying building and industrial services pipework.

History of Legionella and Legionella Within Hot and Cold Water Systems Join Altecnic for an insight to the history of Legionella, Legionnaires Disease and managing the risk within water systems.

On this course you will understand how the systems we use today can be managed to reduce or remove the risk of Legionellosis and associated bacteria.

Register here

Monitor, React and Prevent Corrosion Register for this CIBSE approved course, facilitated by Gordon Pringle of HASL on Monitor, React and Prevent Corrosion. Gordon is joined by Paul Ashby of Geberit and Rob Vissers of Resus.

On this course you will learn, how to correctly specify project pipework, review application and installation case studies to identify best practice and discover more about new innovations such as BIM and the use of VR, which will have a positive impact on the industry.

Register here

On this course you will learn:

Interested in working with the BESA Academy?

If you have course content you would like to provide or would like to help us develop a course, then get in touch!

Email academy@thebesa.com

• Why do systems corrode?

• Think again regards to Precision Carbon Steel adoption

• Why poor pressurisation is often the cause of corrosion problems

• The no-brainer benefits of an early warning system

Website: www.thebesa.com/ academy Email: academy@ thebesa.com Tel: 0800 917 8419

Register here

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A SMALL CHANGE THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING Aquarea air-to-water heat pumps Panasonic Aquarea air-to-water heat pumps – the peak of comfort, efficiency, low energy costs and for a limited time you can get CASHBACK on your completed Aquarea installation* We have made the scheme simple and easy for you to claim, saving you both time and money, whilst providing you with an extensive range of benefits!

REFRIGERANT

• Become a Panasonic PRO Partner to access exclusive benefits such as: - Listed on our i-finder, providing you with more visibility and allowing customers to find and contact you with ease - Extended Warranty Terms and Conditions - Access to the latest marketing material, Installation Support Software and upcoming Training courses through our PRO Club platform • Receive Free Accredited Training on our Panasonic Aquarea Heat Pump Range • Offer remote maintenance and monitoring to your customers via the Panasonic Service Cloud –saving you travel time and expenses!

• Your customer could be entitled for up to £600 cashback on their Aquarea installation Please note that all work needs to be complete by 31 March 2021 for your claim to be valid.

For more details call us on: 01707 378 670 www.ampair.co.uk

Panasonic FP PHAM Nov 20.indd 1

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BESA Group Companies:

Scan for further details *Terms and conditions apply

04/11/2020 15:40

A big welcome to our newest Affiliate...

To help its customers better find the help and expertise they need in branch and online, Wolseley, the UK’s largest plumbing, heating and cooling trade specialist merchant, is evolving its brand to highlight and signpost the business’ key specialisms, under the banners of Wolseley Pipe and Wolseley Climate.

John Hancock, Managing Director of Wolseley Pipe and Wolseley Climate, comments on the changes: “In January 2018 our business brought together its different units under a single Wolseley brand. As the specialist trade merchant, this meant our customers could access our entire range, all in one place. This gave us a unique position as a merchant and it’s something we don’t want to lose.

“But what we also have, uniquely, is specialist people in each field. We want to be able to direct our customers to our experts in branch, online and on the phone to help with their end-to-end project delivery – so they can benefit fully from working with our sector specialists, who can now be easily identified under our banners of Pipe and Climate.”

Under the banner of Wolseley Pipe, customers will find innovative, reliable and flexible services – true end-to-end project delivery from customers’ single point of contact and the project tracking team through to the technical team and branch network. Wolseley Pipe offers market leading product ranges, specialist customer support and added value to keep commercial projects of any scale running like clockwork.

Wolseley Pipe specialises in pipe, tube and fittings in a variety of materials and has a team of specialists with in-depth knowledge of sourcing and selling these products to make sure that customers get what they want, when they need it.

From industrial pipes and fittings to commercial boiler parts, the stock is available to react quickly and meet the needs of large commercial installations.

As a leading pipe distributor, Wolseley’s comprehensive range includes well known and high-quality brands including Uponor, Pegler Yorkshire, Jet and many more.

While those who are also looking for products, services and expertise on cooling and refrigeration will find under the reinvigorated banner of Wolseley Climate.

The plumbing and heating elements of the business remain largely unchanged.

But the key areas of the brand will be more clearly distinguishable in Wolseley’s dual-sited specialist branches.

For more information on Wolseley Pipe, the specialist team, services and branch network visit: wolseley.co.uk/pipe For the latest updates follow Wolseley Pipe on LinkedIn by searching and on Twitter @WolseleyPipe

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BESA BITESIZE UPDATES Tribute to Mel Cargin It was with great sadness that we shared the news of the passing of BESA’s Mel Cargin who was taken suddenly in October. Mel worked with BESA since 2014 and was highly valued as a friend, colleague and key contact within the BESA Academy. Our thoughts and condolences are with Mel’s family and friends.

CPD now online!

The BESCA CPS scheme require sa mandatory 21 hours of CPD to be completed annually, which in the past has been recorded and submitted in a written log.

Following feedback from CPS members, we have now moved this to a streamlined on-l ine process.

You can now record it simply and quickly using a new on-line CPD record within the BESCA portal, using your normal login.

Click here to find out more

Cooling industry honours Graeme Fox Graeme is this year’s recipient of the Gold Award for outstanding achievement at the Cooling Industry Awards organised by RAC magazine.

Read more by clicking here

Becky is Outstanding!

BESA’s health & safety advisor Rebecca (Becky) Crosland received the Outstanding Achievement Award at the H&V News Awards 2020 in recognition of the speed with which she produced vital safety guidance and then kept up a relentless pace to ensure the guidance evolved and developed as more information emerged about the particular safety issues facing contractors.

Click to read more here

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BESA Group Companies:

SFG20 wins innovation award from Construction Excellence West Midlands for utilising BIM within the building operational phase

Winners at RAC Cooling Awards REFCOM were delighted to have won the Small Company Achievement category at the RAC Cooling Industry Awards 2020.

Welplan no longer provide pension services Following a market review, the decision was made for Welplan to close its Pensions scheme, this closure has now taken place and all employer and member portals are no longer available.

Welplan continues to offer a wide range of flexible and cost-effective Employee Benefits.

Click here to read more

BESA WINS BUILDING AWARDS ‘PROUD TO HELP’ HONOUR We were delighted to be shortlisted alongside a number of other companies in the construction sector for this honour. Building Magazine decided that all finalists deserved the accolade so, in an unprecedented twist, we were all made joint winners. It just goes to show that as an industry we really can rise to the challenge when we need to; be agile and innovative – and work as a team.

Read more by clicking here

INTRODUCING

the NEW AQUASNAP® R-32 AIR COOLED SCROLL CHILLER RANGE

TO FIND OUT MORE VISIT: www.carrieraircon.co.uk | uk.info@carrier.com

01372 220 220