13 minute read
News
Suspended sentence for illegal gas fitter who caused gas escape in care home
A kitchen fitter has been given a suspended prison sentence after a range cooker that he fitted at a care home suffered a substantial gas escape.
Exeter Crown Court heard that on 24 December 2020, Mark Whitham, from Barnstaple, fitted the new gas cooker at the residential care home in North Devon after damaging the existing gas cooker while he was fitting out a new kitchen.
Over the next 24 hours, staff at the care home had problems using the cooker and contacted their usual Gas Safe engineer. The engineer found a substantial escape from the gas supply to the cooker and reported the installation under RIDDOR.
The HSE investigation found that Mr Whitham was not Gas Safe registered and did not follow the manufacturer’s instructions when he fitted the cooker.
Mark Whitham of Fallow Fields, Barnstaple, Devon, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulations 3(1) and 22(1)(a) of the Gas Safety (Installation & Use) Regulations 1998. He was sentenced to six months in prison for each offence, suspended for 12 months. He was also ordered to undertake 120 hours of unpaid work, and pay £2,000 costs.
Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Simon Jones said: “Mark Whitham undertook gas work, which he knew he was not registered to do. In this case Mark Whitham’s unregistered gas work put the lives of vulnerable people at real risk from fire and explosion.”
To report illegal gas work please call 0800 408 5577 or go to www.GasSafeRegister. co.uk/reportillegal
eBay to halt sales of patch CO detectors
eBay will remove all black spot/ patch CO indicators from sale or advertisement, after a request to do so by the All Party Parliamentary Carbon Monoxide Group (APPCOG).
APPCOG wrote to the online marketplace recently, requesting it “to take immediate action to prevent any further ads from being listed in the future. This is because these alarms do not work and give a false sense of security to home occupiers.”
After receiving the letter, the sale of black spot detectors was urgently reviewed by eBay’s Prohibited and Restricted Items team, in accordance with eBay’s Product Safety Policy. Alasdair McGowan, head of Public Affairs and director of Government Relations at eBay UK, has confirmed that all listings of black spot CO detectors will be removed and that eBay UK will: • Update its filters to flag these products if they are listed in future ads, and • Conduct manual sweeps to remove current ads for of black spot and patch CO detectors.
Barry Sheerman MP says: “The APPCOG parliamentary members and myself are delighted to hear that any listings of black spot/patch indicator carbon monoxide detectors will be removed from sale or advertisement in accordance with eBay’s Product Safety Policy.
“I would like to express my thanks, and those of APPCOG, to Mr McGowan and the Prohibited and Restricted Items team for taking such swift action on this important consumer safety issue.”
Amazon has already taken steps to remove patch CO detectors from its platform.
The government plans to expand the requirements for CO alarms so that it will be essential for landlords to install an alarm with an audible or alerting indication in order to keep their tenants safe.
BPEC helps Malawi maternity clinic
The BPEC Charity has helped fund the installation of a new clean water supply to the Chikwina village maternity clinic in northern Malawi.
The clinic now has fresh water from a tap so that staff can clean equipment, wash laundry, prevent infection, and give new mothers and babies clean water for drinking and washing. Previously, water had to be drawn from a borehole a 15-minute walk away.
“BPEC is delighted to have been able to invest in such a worthwhile cause, which is already having a major impact on the Chikwina community,” says Neil Collishaw, CEO at BPEC.
“We know that access to clean water can literally save lives and made providing water and sanitation to the Chikwina clinic a priority,” says Dean Buchanan, trustee at international development charity Datum Foundation. “We were delighted to receive a life award grant of £1,500 from the BPEC Charity towards the cost and can’t thank them enough.”
Competition winners
James Griffiths from Cholsey, Oxfordshire, won a Fusion Astro electric combi boiler in our June competition, courtesy of our friends at the Electric Heating Company.
There were five winners in our July competition, with prizes from IMI Hydronic ranging from products from the company’s HVAC portfolio to tickets to Installer Stock 2021, the UK’s only installer festival, which takes place this month.
The winners were Steve Morrison from Midlothian, Niall Evans from Gosport, Martin Neate from Bristol, Lui Olandese from Newport, and Brett Williams from Plymouth.
Congratulations to all our winners. • Turn to page 59 to enter this month’s competition, with great prizes up for grabs from Grundfos.
Covid-19 continues to cast a dark shadow on the industry and the effects will be felt long into the future, says Actuate UK, the alliance of UK building engineering services.
Construction output remains high but is threatened by the twin threats of a skills shortage and long Covid, both of which could have a devastating impact on a volatile industry this winter.
Actuate UK is warning the sector to be vigilant and follow good practice guidance to prevent long-lasting impacts on businesses. It adds that businesses and the government should start planning now to avoid winter disruption.
Fiona Hodgson, CEO of Actuate UK member SNIPEF, says: “As the restrictions ease, Actuate UK urges industry to strike a balance when considering the health of its workers and the need to move the economy forward.
“This survey gives us grave concern about the long-term effects of Covid on our industry. Building services are the lifeblood of all major construction projects, with heating, lighting, ventilation and digital infrastructure essential to successful project delivery.
“Yet we continue to hear from members there are simply not enough skilled installers to meet current demand. With fewer apprentices being recruited during the pandemic, this has exacerbated the issue and we are deeply concerned this will impact on government targets and future projects.”
Andrew Eldred, of Actuate UK and ECA’s director of Skills and Employment, said: “The pandemic has had repercussions for training; the number of new entrants into the workforce has declined. The difficulties of gaining practical experience, along with reduced numbers starting apprenticeships, have taken their toll.”
The spectre of long Covid throws another shadow, with recent figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showing that 385,000 people in the UK have lived with symptoms for a year or more.
Andrew adds: “While life may return to ‘the new normal’ for many in the coming weeks and months, for others, the long-term impact of the pandemic will remain a very real barrier to work.”
New head for HHIC
Steve Keeton is the new chair of the Heating and Hotwater Industry Council (HHIC). Steve, the director of external affairs and future portfolio at Vaillant Group UK, has had a long career in the industry, working as Vaillant’s UK. R&D director from 2000, then in 2008 as its commercial head of system technologies.
He replaces outgoing director Andrew Keating, group service director at BDR Thermea Group.
HHIC director Stewart Clements says: “Steve’s work epitomises the long-standing commitment to high standards and future thinking that we champion.
“The HHIC is… committed to using our knowledge and expertise to define practical solutions for decarbonising heat and hot water in UK homes and businesses.”
Steve Keeton says: “These are changing and challenging times for the industry and it is important to have the backing of a strong team to help drive the actions to achieve our targets.”
Take three from Testo
There are three new offers from Testo this autumn on selected flue gas analyser kits, the new 55x digital manifolds and the 868 thermal imaging camera.
When you buy a Testo 327, 320B or 300 flue gas analyser kit, you’ll get a free first-year service, saving over £100. Just register on the website before 31 December to claim your free service.
You can get a free electric Wiha screwdriver, worth over £65, when you buy a new Testo 550i, 550s or 557s digital manifold. The new digital manifold range is suitable for heat pumps and refrigeration applications, providing fast measurement and easy operation, with wireless measurement.
And there’s £100 off the 868 thermal imaging camera too, which connects to the free Testo Thermography App to create customer reports simply.
All offers end on 31 December 2021.
www.testo.com/en-UK
A Green Jobs Taskforce has declared that every job has the potential to become green as the government sets out its ambition for 2 million skilled green jobs by 2030 and build back greener from the pandemic.
The government has welcomed 15 new recommendations from the independent Green Jobs Taskforce. Its Ten Point Plan reckons up to 90,000 highly skilled green jobs will be supported within this Parliament, and up to 250,000 by 2030. This includes supporting 60,000 jobs in offshore wind, 40,000 new jobs in zero-emission vehicles, and 50,000 jobs in greening the UK’s buildings – all by 2030.
The Taskforce’s findings and recommendations on how the government, industry and skills sector can best deliver the green jobs and skills of the future include: • Publishing a detailed Net Zero
Strategy and using policy to promote good green jobs, skills and competitive supply chains • Industry, the education sector and the government working together to ensure green
careers advice and pathways into good green jobs • Building on the government’s skills reforms to support people to work in the green economy.
The report assesses how the jobs market and the skills sector should adapt to support net zero, from training engineers and construction workers who are building offshore wind farms and nuclear plants, to the retrofitters who will make homes more comfortable and energy efficient, and car mechanics servicing electric vehicles and vans.
UK Energy & Climate Change Minister and co-chair of the Green Jobs Taskforce Anne-Marie Trevelyan says: “We need to invest in the UK’s most important asset – its workforce – so that our people have the right skills to deliver a green industrial revolution and thrive in the jobs it will create.”
Gillian Keegan, Minister for Apprenticeships and Skills and co-chair of the Green Jobs Taskforce, says: “We are focused on delivering the talent pipeline businesses need for green jobs now and in the future.”
New sustainable home centres for Daikin
Daikin UK has opened Sustainable Home Centres in East Anglia and Essex, giving homeowners the opportunity to see Daikin’s air source heat pump technology. The centres also put people in touch with a trusted installer in their area.
Partnerships have been set up with East Anglia Renewables Centres, a sister company of local air conditioning and air source heat pump provider EOC Services, and with CB Heating in Essex.
For heating engineers, the partnerships mean they will be able to win projects and source products as well as accessing training and resources to help enhance the services they offer, says Daikin – and to ensure the long-term competitiveness of their business as fossil fuels are phased out.
Iain Bevan, Daikin UK’s commercial manager, Heating & Renewables, says: “It’s important that homeowners who want to go green can access the best solution to meet their household’s heating and hot water needs. Being able to explore and discuss heat pump technology in person is vital, as is knowing that it will be installed by a highly trained professional.
“Installer training is critical if we’re to meet the target for 19 million heat pumps to be installed nationwide by 2050. To help get us there, industry estimates predict that 17,000 new heat pump installers will be required in the next decade.”
Heating engineers who join Daikin’s Sustainable Home Network can get free, hands-on training at its centres around the UK, helping to develop their heat pump installation and commissioning expertise.
Other benefits of joining the network include dedicated technical support, sales-ready leads, business support and special offers.
www.daikin.co.uk/en_gb/ installers/support.html
Fill up your toolbox with Vaillant promotion
Engineers can earn new tools with every ecoTEC plus boiler pack they buy in Vaillant’s new promotion.
Vaillant has teamed up with Wolseley to offer its Advance engineers the chance to earn up to 10 prizes, ranging from Makita Bluetooth radios to a wide variety of power tools.
The promotion runs until the end of the year and is based on a prize accumulator, so engineers can claim their prize at any time, or bank their installations to claim an even bigger reward. Once a prize is claimed, the engineer will automatically restart the accumulator from the beginning. With up to 10 restarts, they have the chance to earn one of every available prize.
The promotion is available on both the 48kW and 64kW larger-output ecoTEC plus boilers, which must be purchased and registered through the Vaillant Advance loyalty scheme.
Spencer Clark, commercial director at Vaillant, says: “The cost of kitting out a toolbox can really add up, especially for smaller businesses or engineers who are just starting out. Our latest promotion in partnership with Wolseley is a great way for engineers to expand their toolboxes with some of the best pieces of kit on the market.”
Engineers not registered with Vaillant Advance can claim an additional 50 extra credits when they sign up using the code WOLSELEY21, £100 cashback on their first ecoTEC plus installation when registered via Advance, and a number of other bonuses and extended guarantees.
www.vaillant.co.uk/ toolgenerator
New awards to celebrate young people in LPG
Young Person in LPG is a new initiative that champions the talent of people aged 30 and under working in the industry. Awards will take place at the Liquid Gas UK Annual Conference in York in November in two categories – Rising Star of the Year, and Apprentice of the Year.
Sophia Haywood, director of Public Affairs at Liquid Gas UK, says: “Our industry census demonstrated the importance of skills within the LPG industry; we want to highlight the great work that is being done by talented young people and support them on their journey, across all different types of roles. We want to celebrate and nurture this new and emerging talent, while also promoting the huge opportunities available to people thinking about a career in LPG.” The awards are sponsored by Vaillant and nominations can come from either person or a company, or an individual nominating themselves.
www.liquidgasuk.org/news/young-person-in-lpg-2021
Sam wins Worcester Bosch writing competition
Nine-year-old Samuel Debenham from Northampton is the winner of Worcester Bosch’s storybook writing competition.
His entry, A City Called L8R, was awarded first place because of its creative view of a more sustainable future and will be turned into a real storybook later this year. The story is an optimistic tale about how the world can work towards a greener future together, through a travel forward in time to a world we could have if we protect our planet better.
The competition was launched following the release of Worcester Bosch’s own storybook, A Robot Called B4. Director of marketing Victoria Billings says: “We have been impressed and inspired by the passion shown towards creating a sustainable future, and hope that our commitment to warming lives and protecting our future continues to resonate with children and their families.”
