News

A Yorkshire-headquartered high-voltage electrical engineering firm has pledged to address the industry’s skills gap, by launching a new apprenticeship scheme – and is in the process of enrolling its first four candidates.

Smith Brothers will provide vital hands-on experience to the quartet of trainees, which will be dovetailed by a two-year City & Guilds academic course and three years with Utility and Construction Training (UCT).

The candidates include 19-year-old apprentice HV jointer Michael McNeill – who has been working on cable pulling and HV fault work for the past 12 months – as well as a trio of trainee fitters, including Rory Sharp (18), Cameron Galbraith (19), and Bronson Taylor (17), the latter of whom worked as a trainee fitter for Smith Brothers during the pandemic.

Businesses will have an additional year to apply new product safety markings such as UKCA Ex (ATEX) for most products placed on the market in England, Scotland and Wales This applies to all goods where businesses were due to begin using the UKCA marking by the end of this year (2021).

The UK Conformity Assessed (UKCA) marking allows the UK to have control over its goods regulations, maintaining the high product safety standards expected in the UK.

Recognising the impact of the pandemic on businesses, the Government has extended the deadline to 1 January 2023 to apply UKCA marks for certain products to demonstrate compliance with product safety regulations, rather than 1 January 2022. The UKCA marking replaces the product safety labelling the UK previously used while a member of the EU, such as the CE mark.

Manufacturers and engineering sites are being offered a new super-tough antimicrobial coating to improve hygiene standards while controlling cleaning costs.

Touchpoint Shield uses proven silver ion technology to destroy pathogens. Laboratory testing has shown it is highly-effective against bacteria and viruses, including SARS-CoV-2 which causes COVID-19.

Field trials have confirmed the coating is significantly more effective at controlling the growth of microorganisms than standard cleaning, at a fraction of the cost.

The coating, launched by national cleaning specialist SafeGroup, provides manufacturers with vital support and advantages as COVID-19 continues to cause significant concern, especially over the winter months.

Developed to help protect electricians from arc-flash risks up to 7kA without compromising on comfort, the new V-Gard 950 Class 2 is now available.

Falls from height are the single biggest cause of workplace deaths and one of the main causes of major injury within the workplace. Steve Dawson, working at height expert at Arco Professional Safety Services, explains the importance of training for working at height and having the right equipment

The most tragic consequences of not providing the right training and protective equipment to your work force, can be serious injury or even the death of an employee.  In 2020/21, 35 fatal injuries were due to Falls from a height, accounting for 25% of all worker deaths over the year.  Add to this the 17 deaths caused from ‘Struck by moving’ (including flying/falling objects) statistics - which can often be related to Working at Height - and there continues to be a serious need for education and training.

Enhanced usability and safety features for your employees’ health and wellbeing

Dräger, an international leader in the fields of medical and safety technology, has launched the Dräger PSS® AirBoss, the next generation in Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) that provides emergency service teams with the utmost in usability, safety+ and serviceability.

Designed for emergency teams in industries where safety is most critical such as within airports, oil & gas, clean energy, utilities, nuclear plants, tunnelling and mining, Dräger’s PSS® AirBoss includes a carrying mechanism with pneumatics, monitoring systems, masks and numerous accessories such as the ultra-lightweight Type 4 Nano compressed air breathing cylinders, lung demand valves and fire escape hoods.

The iconic 13-tonne bulldozer at the entrance to the Pratley head office in Krugersdorp is suspended using a Pratley Wondafix® adhesive joint. Wondafix® is an epoxy urethane hybrid ‘world-first adhesive’ that combines the strength of epoxy with the toughness of urethane.

This truly unique bonding and shock-resistant repair system cures to a rubber-like material that is tough, strong abrasion and shock-resistant. Another feature is that it has a good coefficient of friction, which means it is ideal for making things like anti-scuffing feet for chairs and furniture, points out Mark Bell, Pratley National Sales and Marketing Manager for Adhesives.

Not only has local manufacturer Pratley used its hazardous locations expertise and experience to develop the world-class Envirogland range, it also offers this knowledge to the industry at large. Marketing Director Eldon Kruger, a recognised authority on the subject and current President of the South African Flameproof Association (SAFA), presents a ‘Hazardous Locations’ seminar. These seminars are usually aimed at senior management and engineers wanting to refresh their knowledge about the subject. Past attendees have benefited significantly from Kruger’s interesting and informative sessions.

Grolite® from Pratley is a unique, naturally occurring, perlite-based mineral that has become very popular as a horticultural growing medium. The main benefits include increased fertiliser efficiency to boost overall plant health and growth. In addition, it promotes water drainage while still retaining an ideal moisture content level in the root zone.

Pratley actively produces and processes a mineral called Perlite in South Africa that is actually a volcanic glass. The perlite raw material is then processed in special proprietary furnaces to produce products, including Grolite®, that enhance agricultural practices and increase crop yields.

Although specialists in gas detection and analysis, ION Science have recently picked up a new readout of recognition when it comes to their market-leading Cub 11.7 eV personal solution. ION Science are delighted to have been recognised for their hard work across all teams with a nomination for Technical Innovation at the 2021 HazardEx Awards.

The launch of the Cub 11.7 eV personal solution was a long-awaited step forward for gas detection and personal protection against VOC (volatile organic compound) exposure. However, thanks to the efforts of the dedicated teams and expert employees, ION Science were able to bring this new product to market in 2021, transforming the way 11.7 gases are detected and safety upheld.