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News
Aberdeen based electrical control system manufacturer JCE is marking National Apprenticeship Week by highlighting the role apprenticeships play in developing skilled professionals and supporting the future of the industry.
Apprenticeships have been a core part of JCE’s workforce and skills strategy for decades. The company maintains a structured training cycle that supports apprentices at every stage of their development, ensuring a consistent pipeline of emerging talent while allowing skills and knowledge to be passed on across generations of employees.
Over the years, many apprentices have progressed into permanent roles within the business, while others have gone on to successful careers across the wider electrical and engineering sectors.
Rik Christie, Operations Director at JCE, said the company’s long-term commitment to apprenticeships reflects the importance of structured training in addressing skills shortages across the industry.
“Apprenticeships are fundamental to how we develop talent at JCE, they give people the opportunity to gain practical experience, recognised qualifications and long-term career prospects, while allowing us to retain vital technical expertise within the business.”
Apprentices at JCE benefit from funded training, practical experience and structured mentorship, helping them build strong foundations in both technical ability and workplace standards.
One of JCE’s newest recruits, Innes Duncan, Apprentice Electrical Fitter, said the hands on nature of the role confirmed he had made the right career choice.
“I wanted a career where I could learn on the job and build real skills. The support from the team has been great, and you’re trusted to get involved from early on, which really helps with confidence.”
JCE continues to strengthen its apprenticeship programme in response to skills needs within the electrical and engineering sectors, ensuring its training approach remains aligned with industry requirements.
When hazardous environments demand absolute confidence, ESI Technology’s ATEX and IECEx certified pressure transducers and pressure transmitters deliver proven performance without limiting application choice. Across industries where explosive atmospheres, extreme pressures and harsh conditions are the norm, ESI provides intrinsically safe versions of pressure measurement solutions tailored to hundreds of real-world applications.
The range covers an exceptional breadth of measurement requirements, including high pressure, low pressure, differential pressure, and high-accuracy instruments, alongside specialist options such as subsea-rated designs and flush membrane versions for viscous, corrosive or hygienic media. Whether monitoring minute pressure changes or operating reliably under extreme pressure loads, ESI ensures intrinsic safety is never a constraint on performance.
Designed and manufactured in North Wales, ESI’s intrinsically safe products combine robust mechanical construction with advanced sensor technologies, including Silicon-on-Sapphire, delivering long-term stability, excellent temperature performance and outstanding resistance to harsh process conditions. ATEX and IECEx approvals allow confident deployment in Zone 0, Zone 1 and Zone 2 environments, supporting global compliance across oil and gas, chemical processing, marine, hydrogen, mining, aerospace and general industrial applications.
Crucially, intrinsic safety at ESI is not an afterthought. Many standard product platforms are available with intrinsically safe variants, enabling engineers to select the right pressure range, accuracy level, output signal and mechanical interface without redesigning systems or compromising on specification.
From offshore platforms and subsea installations to processing plants and hazardous manufacturing environments, ESI Technology offers an intrinsically safe pressure solution to match the application, not the other way around.
If your application operates where safety is critical and performance cannot be compromised, there is likely an ESI intrinsically safe solution engineered to fit.
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Blyth Marble Limited has been fined after a worker was killed when granite slabs fell from a lorry loader at the company's premises in Larkhall. Hamilton Sheriff Court heard that on 4 September 2024, Steven White, 61, was offloading granite slabs from a lorry loader at Blyth Marble Limited's premises at 1 Carlisle Road, Larkhall. Mr White was working on top of the flatbed section of the lorry when two granite slabs, with a combined weight of over 900 kilograms, fell and struck him, causing fatal injuries. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that vertical safety posts, which provide a physical barrier to prevent slabs from toppling, had been removed during the offloading operation. While it was accepted custom and practice for the posts to remain fitted during offloading it was not specified in the company's Safe System of Work. The investigation also found that while lifting two slabs at once was regular practice, the company's Safe System of Work failed to distinguish between single slab lifting and multiple slab lifting and lacked specific instruction for handling multiple slabs. Additionally, Mr White was working alone on the lorry loader, whereas the Safe System of Work specified that two people should be involved in offloading operations. Further information on the safe handling of stone slabs and lifting operations can be found at Handling and storage of large sheet stone slabs - HSE and Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER) - HSE. Blyth Marble Limited, of Carlton Industrial Estate, Carlton In Lindrick, Worksop, Nottinghamshire, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £50,000 with a victim surcharge of £3,750 at Hamilton Sheriff Court on 28 January 2026. Speaking after the hearing, HSE Principal Inspector Martin McMahon said: "This was a tragic incident which could have been prevented had the company made sure the appropriate safety measures were in place and followed during offloading operations. "Employers must ensure that safe systems of work are not only in place but are sufficiently detailed to address all foreseeable risks, including the requirement for safety equipment to remain in position and for adequate personnel to be present during hazardous operations. Our thoughts remain with Steven White’s loved ones, and we hope today’s verdict offers them a measure of closure.”
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University of Huddersfield academic and leading expert in advanced nuclear materials, Professor Konstantina Lambrinou, has been named the winner of three global awards by The European journal.
Professor Lambrinou has been honoured in The European Awards 2025 three times over, as the recipient of the following awards:
- Excellence in Nuclear Engineering Award 2025
- Clean Energy Materials Visionary Award 2025
- Woman of The Year for STEM Leadership Award 2025
Professor Lambrinou is Professor of Advanced Materials at the School of Computing and Engineering at the University of Huddersfield. Her research interests revolve around the accelerated development of advanced nuclear materials, including accident-tolerant fuels (ATFs).
Professor Lambrinou is the coordinator of the H2020 IL TROVATORE project, an international collaboration involving 30 partners from the EU, the USA and Japan, funded by H2020 Europe’s Euratom Research and Training Programme.
She is also the coordinator of the HORIZON SCORPION project, an international collaboration involving 16 partners from the EU, the UK, the USA, Japan, and Switzerland, funded by Horizon Europe’s Euratom Research and Training Programme. Moreover, she is the European lead of the I-NERI US/EURATOM PERSEUS project, and the technical lead of a Westinghouse-led GAIN VOUCHER program funded by US-DOE.
The above projects focus on innovative ATF cladding materials, the development of which is driven by the demand for enhanced nuclear energy safety in the aftermath of the Fukushima Daiichi event in 2011.
Of the triple honour, Professor Lambrinou commented: “I was really caught by surprise back in November 2025 when they called me from The European to inform me that I won three awards, as I was not even aware of the journal’s online voting system. For me, these awards are not only a great honour but also a recognition for 15 years of hard work in the field of nuclear materials science and engineering.”
Professor Leigh Fleming, Acting Dean - School of Computing & Engineering, commented: “I am delighted that Konstantina has been honoured with these awards; they are a testament to her hard work and dedication to research. She has developed unique expertise in the field, and I am so delighted that it has been recognised with such a prestigious accolade.”
The European offers expert coverage of finance, technology, energy, leadership and emerging market trends and holds a position as a trusted source of high-quality global business insight.
Its annual awards programme celebrates achievement, innovation and excellence, with nominations submitted through an online voting system.
The awards team detailed that Professor Lambrinou, especially in leading the HORIZON SCORPION international collaborative project, was highly deserving of these awards for its pioneering development of revolutionary ATF cladding materials.
They added that the project not only enhances the inherent safety of future nuclear energy but also demonstrates exceptional international cooperation in addressing one of the most critical challenges facing the global power industry today.
Professor Lambrinou has featured in The European on multiple occasions, including on the front cover of its Spring 2025 edition, under the heading CORE STRENGTH: Prof Konstantina Lambrinou leads Europe’s race to engineer nuclear materials tough enough for Earth – and beyond.
Britain’s national regulator has announced leadership changes to its Energy Division, which regulates the offshore oil and gas industry and renewables and onshore gas networks, mines and quarries.
Samantha Peace, who has held the position of Director of Energy Division at the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), will retire in May after serving the regulator for more than 30 years.
Samantha, who has worked in the public sector for 38 years, has held the role since July 2023, overseeing the health, safety, and welfare of workers across the offshore and renewables industries, and supporting the deployment of technologies such as Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS).
Matthew Blackburn has been appointed as interim Director of Energy Division and will take over from February 16 to allow for a smooth and structured handover to take place. Matthew, currently Operations Manager in Energy Division, has more than 27 years’ major hazards experience in HSE.
Jane Lassey, Director of Regulation at the Health and Safety Executive, said: “I would like to thank Sam for her dedication throughout the last 30 years at HSE and, more recently her leadership over the last three years.
“Energy Division is responsible for some of the most important, and most hazardous, industries in Britain, and Sam has played an important role in our efforts to maintain safety, while working with industry as an enabling regulator.”
Published in August 2024, the latest update to IEC 60079-14 introduces mandatory compliance requirements for products used in explosive atmospheres — including a major shift in how cable and cable gland selection is assessed.
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A global chemicals company has been fined £400,000 after a worker narrowly escaped serious injury in a high-pressure steam release incident at its site in Huddersfield.
Syngenta Ltd was sentenced after the 59-year-old contractor – working under its control and direction – had been carrying out unsafe maintenance work. The man had been working as a mechanical fitter on 6 November 2023 when the incident took place, resulting in the company reporting it to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) as a dangerous occurrence. The incident involved a release of high-pressure steam as he went about his job.
The company operates a large agrichemicals production site where some of the production plants rely on high pressure steam to manufacture products. The HSE investigation found that the incident occurred during the planned replacement of a faulty steam trap on small-bore pipework.
Steam traps are devices that automatically remove condensate (water) and air from the high-pressure steam system. There was a sudden failure of the valve used to isolate the work location from the steam, and this resulted in the uncontrolled high-pressure release.
The HSE investigation also revealed several failures with the system of work in operation. These included:
- The isolation valve failed when the mechanical fitter was separating a bolted flange by cutting the bolts using a battery powered reciprocating saw.
- The isolation valve and flange bolts were affected by corrosion and were in a poor condition.
- Due to widespread corrosion of flange bolts on the steam distribution system, it was considered necessary to routinely cut bolts rather than unscrew them using a spanner.
- Cutting flange bolts reduces the ability to control any unexpected, trapped material or pressure remaining in the pipework.
Syngenta Ltd pleaded guilty to having failed to ensure that the isolation valve and flange bolts were maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair – as required by Regulation 5(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) – HSE.
In addition, there was an issue with the company’s documented risk assessment procedure in place before such maintenance work was undertaken. It was routine for Syngenta to carry out maintenance work on small-bore pipework of the high-pressure steam distribution system, using a single method of isolation.
HSE’s published guidance about on this subject (The safe isolation of plant and equipment – HSE, HSG253) emphasizes that using a method of double isolation is safer. The risk assessment documents in place failed to appreciate the increased risk involved in relying on a single method of isolation when there was known corrosion of the work equipment. Syngenta Ltd also pleaded guilty to having failed to make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risk involved in carrying out the specific maintenance work described as required by Regulation 3(1) of the The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
Syngenta Ltd, whose head office is at Bracknell, Berkshire pleaded guilty to the two offences at Leeds Magistrates’ Court on 28 January 2026 and was fined £400,000 and ordered to pay costs of £8,288.
HSE Inspector David Welsh said: “If a safe system of work had been in place at the site when the maintenance was being carried out, this dangerous incident would not have happened.
“The company did not appreciate the extent of the risk posed because of the way the maintenance work was being done, and the relatively simple control measures that could have been applied to make it safer.
“Syngenta not only failed produce an appropriate risk assessment, but also failed to maintain work equipment in a safe condition – which taken together meant that this was a dangerous accident waiting to happen.”
This HSE prosecution was brought by enforcement lawyer Iain Jordan and paralegal officer Zara Salman.
Further information:
- The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places, and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.
- More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
- Further details on the latest HSE news releases is available.
- Relevant guidance can be found here: The safe isolation of plant and equipment – HSE
- HSE does not pass sentences, set guidelines or collect any fines imposed. Relevant sentencing guidelines must be followed unless the court is satisfied that it would be contrary to the interests of justice to do so. The sentencing guidelines for health and safety offences can be found here.
Replacing an explosion-proof size 1000 motor at short notice is an ambitious task. For the German family-run company Menzel Elektromotoren, it was a chance to prove once again its extensive expertise in the design, manufacture and certification of explosion-proof motors. A plastics producer had to replace an existing extruder motor with ignition protection type Ex d (flameproof encapsulation) very urgently. Menzel and the client found that a motor with the ignition protection type Ex ec (increased safety) would satisfy the current hazardous zone requirements. The motor manufacturer selected a suitable three-phase squirrel-cage motor from its extensive stock, individually adapting it for the drive task and the installation site. The project hinged on upgrading the motor for zone 2 hazardous areas with potentially explosive gas atmospheres and getting it the necessary ATEX certification. Menzel’s officially certified in-house experts labeled the motor II 3G Ex ec IIC T4 Gc. The new motor with a lower shaft height at 630 mm was brought up to the center height of the old motor by means of a welded base. Since the new motor has four winding systems instead of the two of the old one, Menzel also made electrical modifications for operation on the existing frequency converter.
Fasttrack customization and certification for hazardous areas – the extruder motor is now already in use and the customer is satisfied
The project exposes the existing supply gap for explosion-proof motors in large sizes: the few existing suppliers can only offer building a motor from scratch – with the corresponding months-long delivery times. Menzel stands out from the competition with its large stock inventory and ability to configure and adapt stock electric motors in-house for hazardous areas and certify them according to the latest ATEX
directives. In this instance, only two weeks passed from order placement to installation at the customer’s site. The customer came to Berlin for testing and acceptance and praised Menzel’s flexibility.
More about motors with ignition protection type Ex ec (increased safety) for zone 2 or 22 hazardous areas with gas or dust atmospheres: https://www.menzel-motors.com/ex-na/
Menzel Elektromotoren now also performs load tests on motors in a vertical installation position. The family business has expanded its in-house test field to include a right-angle gearbox with various flange options for vertical motors of different sizes. This enables thorough testing of vertical motors for pumps, compressors and other industrial applications under realistic load conditions. Menzel tests motors and generators from its own production and also offers its state-of-the-art test facilities for manufacturer-independent external tests. The plant in Hennigsdorf near Berlin has two large test stands. Indoor cranes with a hook height of 7.52 meters shift large drive units up to 80 tons. The range of services includes all common routine, type and system tests in accordance with international standards for test voltages from 3 to 13.8 kV. Machines up to 1800 kW and 2300 kVA can be load tested. In addition, Menzel offers a heat run test with the equivalent load method according to IEC60034-29 for higher electrical performances. The test field engineers and certified technicians carry out all measurements and inspections according to EN 60034, with full documentation. The team also has extensive expertise in testing requirements of international acceptance organizations.
Detailed information about Menzel’s testing services and facilities: https://www.menzel-motors.com/motor-test-field/