|
News
Manchester-based compliance consultancy, OHS, has appointed Nick Bye as Group Commercial Director as it diversifies its business to become the UK’s only comprehensive solution for compliance and protection services in occupied and unoccupied property.
OHS has long been in the business of environmental compliance services in occupied, managed spaces, covering risk assessment of asbestos, water and fire, but with the appointment of Nick it will now provide new services to manage vacant property. It will become one of the few providers that offer services that can cover the full property lifecycle, from being vacant to occupied again.
Nick has 10 years' experience in the property services sector, formally working for VPS Group. His experience in vacant property services will see him sell OHS’s wraparound solution of ensuring protected occupied and unoccupied properties to the property management, facilities management, and social housing sectors.
Commenting on his appointment, OHS Group Commercial Director, Nick Bye said: “Part of my role will be to take the business forward with new service lines, such as property maintenance and clearance work, while also developing OHS’s current service lines.
"I have a number of years’ experience of knowing what clients do and do not want from a property support service company, so I will to be able to grow the business rapidly as it offers a completely holistic service.”
OHS Managing Director, Andy Fowler follows: “The business has a lot of heritage and lots of exciting expansion plans, but we also needed someone to spearhead the strategy to deliver more services. This holistic approach will help us stand out in a crowded market space that sometimes can fall victim to poor service delivery and a lack of understanding of true customer needs.
“When we met Nick, the realisation that if we diversified into unoccupied property management –there are so many more following the pandemic- we could grow our portfolio of services and also offer a unique proposition to current customers and potential customers. Nick has fantastic contacts within various sectors, including major insurance companies who have strict requirements on making sure properties are protected and compliant. In addition, as a new board director, he will bring a new dynamic to the management team and we’re sure he’ll be a real asset to OHS.”
A fast-growing Teesside engineering and management services consultancy in the energy industry has revealed plans to target UK regions as part of an ambitious national expansion plan.
Stockton-on-Tees-based Encora Energy already has a strong presence in the north east of England, having had a base on Teesside since 2015. In the last few years, the company has expanded its geographical reach, working on projects in East Anglia and the south of England.
Now Encora has made its first senior appointment in the Midlands to bolster its presence in this region, hiring Michael Coe, a project engineer. In his new role, Michael will be responsible for managing projects on Midlands-based sites that are set to begin construction soon.
A mechanical engineering graduate, Michael previously held the position of international business development manager for environmental consultancy Fosse Liquitrol. He is also working alongside Durham University and Northern Power Grid on a research project to develop a heat exchanger for transformers.
His appointment marks the next phase of Encora’s growth strategy as it looks to expand into new UK markets. The company is eyeing up several regions, including Scotland and the north west and east of England.
Andrew Normand, new business manager and UptimeAI partnership lead at Encora Energy, said: “We’re already very well-known in the north east of England but now we’re looking at markets further afield. Michael’s appointment will allow us to get a greater foothold in the Midlands – an important UK region for us – and win more work there.
Michael Coe said: “I’m delighted to be joining a company that has ambition which matches my own. Encora is a forward-thinking consultancy that’s helping clients to exploit opportunities arising from the rapidly changing needs of the energy market. The
Encora provides project development, engineering, consultancy and operations management services to customers, helping them deal with the practicalities of developing, installing, operating and maintaining new energy systems such as renewable and battery storage systems, combined heat and power (CHP) plants, fuel cells, gas engines and gas turbines. The company also acts as UK and European agents for UptimeAI, providing cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for the process industries.
For more information, visit https://www.encora.energy/ or Encora’s LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/encora-energy-limited/
TÜV SÜD UK has appointed Darren Hugheston-Roberts as the new Head of its Machinery Safety division.
Darren joins TÜV SÜD from Bureau Veritas, where he was Service Lead of Engineering Technical Services and Technical Manager for its machinery & UKCA Approved Body. Previously, he served for 25 years in the British Army, within the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME). Most recently he served as the senior engineer within a battle group, providing technical advice to the commander to optimise equipment use and ensure its availability. He also oversaw the work of over 40 multi-skilled engineers and engineering managers, and was responsible for the inspection, maintenance and repair of vehicles, plant, weapons and lifting equipment.
Paul Taylor, Business Development Director for Industrial Services at TÜV SÜD, said: “Darren brings a unique set of skills to TÜV SÜD, with 30 years of extensive engineering and people management experience in a high-pressure environment, backed up by his commercial work in technical safety and machinery conformity. His appointment will be a real asset to our growing business - further strengthening our team’s capabilities and our ability to deliver excellent customer service.”
Darren Hugheston-Roberts said: “I am really excited by this new opportunity to work as part of a team that is the UK market leader in machinery safety. TÜV SÜD is at the forefront of industrial safety developments and its certification mark has become a globally renowned symbol for safety, security and trust. Our dedicated and experienced team are superb, and I am really looking forward to working with them to build on that success and develop the business.”
Why are so many isolating switching amplifiers and pneumatic valve terminals still installed in large control cabinets to send intrinsically safe signals and pneumatic drives from Ex zoned areas?
There are numerous concepts for planning of potentially explosive systems, such as the optimization of the zoning, the reduction in size of zoned areas or the wish to run everything out of hazardous areas into a central cabinet via cable routes.
The crux of the issue is that the calculation of the cabling is often not within the scope of the plant or- machine builder. Logically speaking, the effort and costs arise elsewhere, but they do not vanish into thin air. An innovative solution while considering the potential trade-offs must be carefully considered.
It is clear that many plants, especially in the chemical industry, have long been equipped with Ex Remote IO systems. Large and modular Remote IO cabinets are widely established in this industry. In this article I would like to draw the attention of plant and machine builders to a new concept.
What is new about it and what are the benefits?
The new concept for zoned areas is: Place small Remote IO valve terminals distributed within a system instead of building central or large decentralized solutions. The aim is to collect the intrinsically safe signals on-site and to supply the pneumatic drives decentrally via short pneumatic lines. From there, communication takes place directly via PROFINET to the controller.
Newly developed technologies from non-hazardous areas are usually upgraded and certified for zoned areas with a time delay. In the case of products for Zone 2/22, this may happen very quickly. However, for devices for Zone 1/21, which also supply sensors from Zone 0/20, new and innovative products can usually only be implemented with considerable effort by the manufacturer.
Through the successful partnership between BEx Solution, FESTO and Exepd, the 3 in 1 solution was created, which as a result provides an innovative, tried-and-tested and certified compact Remote IO valve terminal for potentially explosive areas in zone 1/21.
What added value results from this solution? You gain space, time and money! The small boxes combine bus nodes, isolating switching amplifiers, intrinsically safe IO channels and the valve terminal, guaranteeing short distances to the sensors and the pneumatic actuators. Connect compressed air, power supply and PROFINET, quickly and easily!
Now many will say yes, but what about the software effort? Those who already have experience know that it does work but costs a lot of time and money. We are back on the big topic of resources. When developing the new concept, particular care was taken to ensure that the Remote IO module itself does not have to be configured. Communication and I/O settings take place via 64 I/O bytes.
Areas of application: Painting plants, pharmaceutical and chemical industry, bulk goods plants, mixing / grinding plants, industrial heating / cooling systems, sewage plants, and much more.
Functions: The connection is possible via PROFINET or Modbus TCP / IP. Up to 16 pcs 3/2-way valves or up to 8 pcs 5/2-way valves can be configured, or combinations thereof. 16 Namur inputs are available for the position indicators. The module is also equipped with analogue 4 to 20mA Ex i signals
One final point: Many customers like the compact concept very much, but they have decided on existing solutions based on long-term specifications by their end customers or company-specific specifications. That is certainly the reality, especially in explosion-prone systems, where technology should last for several decades. With existing and well performing systems, you have to think twice about a change. But when it comes to modernising old systems or planning new systems, we recommend that you take a closer look at this solution which will enable more flexibility in the future.
“Not yet convinced , simply request a test device”
More information at: https://exloc.co.uk/bex-remote-io-valve-terminal/
Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Contribution by Karl Vogel CMO - BEx-Solution GmbH & Andrew Tither Exloc Instruments UK Ltd
Enerpac announces two new series of workshop presses—the XLP-Series H-Frame Workshop Presses and VLP-Series Benchtop Presses. Whether for differential assembly in the automotive industry, gear components assembly in the aerospace industry, or bearing maintenance in the mining industry, the new Enerpac VLP and XLP presses offer superior performance.
New XLP-Series Workshop Presses
Available in 25-, 50-, and 75-ton models, the XLP-Series Workshop Presses feature adjustable side-to-side cylinder movement, a locking winch for easy height adjustment of the press bed, and high-performance manual, pneumatic or electric pump options with remote valve operation. The 25-ton press has a simple, welded design and the 50- and 75-ton presses have an open frame and bolted design. The 50-and 75-ton models come standard as unassembled kits, and include complete press frame, winch, cylinder, pump with gauge, couplers and hose.
New VLP-Series Benchtop Presses
Enerpac VLP-Series Benchtop Presses work with manual or air pumps. They feature a welded frame and are available in 10-ton models.
To learn more about the Enerpac VLP and XLP Presses, visit www.enerpac.com.
Hart Door Systems has secured its largest order for its Speedor Storm door, the high-performance exterior roller door designed for frequent use in high traffic situations and constructed to withstand harsh environments including 90mph for wind class 5.
Brian Woodcock, Hart’s regional sales manager for the Midlands and South West, says the rapid roll door, with its robustness, low maintenance and exceptional wind resistance was required for a factory in an exposed part of Lincolnshire.
“With half a dozen major storms so far this year there is a noticeable increase in enquiries for a high speed door which can withstand exceptional weather,” says Mr Woodcock.
The order for 15 ‘Storms’ is for a pre-World War 1 building which is undergoing phased redevelopment to create new space and streamline production. The high-speed Storms will help to reduce energy consumption, keep the building warmer and more efficient.
Mr Woodcock adds: “While its high-speed opening and closing action improve efficiency, the energy-saving potential of this rapid roll door is high, controlling internal temperatures as well as reducing escaping dirt, odours and noise.”
www.hartdoors.com t: 0191 214 0404 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
One promising solution to the problem of carbon emissions and Global climate change is the direct use of renewably generated hydrogen in fuel cells or in internal combustion engines for transportation and electricity generation. Although the most common element in the universe, Hydrogen isn’t found in its purest form and must be either electrolysed from water or stripped out of natural gas by means of steam methane reforming. Both are energy intensive processes that result in greenhouse gas emissions. Using electricity in a process called electrolysis splits water into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen is then removed, compressed, transported and used effectively.
Wind Turbines & Green Hydrogen Production
Green hydrogen starts with wind. Lots of wind. Harvesting wind offshore on a massive scale can produce stable green hydrogen on a large scale quickly. By combining wind turbines to hydrogen production there is a synergy that mitigates the energy intense electrolysis process. A substantial proportion of offshore wind farms could eventually make hydrogen rather than transmit electricity. Safe hydrogen exhaust using effective and suitable ventilation will be a key factor in designing these emerging renewable electrolysis technologies.
For wind to hydrogen generation, the systems work by linking wind turbines to electrolysers which pass the wind generated electricity through water to split the liquid ions into hydrogen (to the cathode) and oxygen (to the anode). The hydrogen can then be stored and used later to generate electricity. The only by-product of producing hydrogen is water. Currently wind turbines produce huge amounts of energy with much of that volume going to waste as the grid cannot use it fast enough. In wind to hydrogen initiatives this energy produced from wind farms would be used efficiently to produce hydrogen, meaning none of the electricity produced would go to waste. Current developments are allowing researchers to work on increasing the efficiency of wind to hydrogen systems. When a wind turbine is co-located with the electrolysis system, more direct connection between the source and the electrolyser stack is possible, this eliminates the need for long distance cables and transportation, resulting in a much more cost effective and efficient system. The technology has the potential to deliver a completely emission free, climate-friendly method of making, storing and using energy in the future and as wind turbines are placed further out to sea, hydrogen production close to source becomes even more attractive.
Key Fact: The Global demand for hydrogen is 75 million tonnes and is likely to rise sharply
Is it an ATEX Application?
Most wind to hydrogen systems will incorporate combustible gas detectors that monitor the air flow from the generation cabinet in addition to the compression building air make up, and will shut the system down if a set % of the lower flammability limit of hydrogen in the air is reached. The lower flammability limit of hydrogen in air is 4% by volume. ATEX fans are required if situated in the gas zone containing hydrogen. Typically, an exhaust fan installed in the production and compression building would run continuously during production to avoid a potential build-up of the combustible hydrogen gas. A differential pressure switch on an exhaust fan that indicates proper airflow can be used to inhibit the operation or the electrolyser and compressor ensuring safe working conditions. One of the largest consumers of ancillary power may very well be the fan that continually forces fresh air through a generation cabinet so choosing the most efficient industrial fan to suit the system is important. Industrial fans are required for cooling system components to prevent overheating and additional fans may be used to continuously purge the building for safety.
Class 1, 2 and 3-accredited Protective Wear for heat and flame, electrostatic and chemical risk environments from the UK’s leading workwear innovator.
Protecwork is an advanced range of protective working clothes and accessories from Snickers Workwear.
Designed for men and women operating in high-risk work environments, all the clothes are ingrained with the Snickers Workwear hallmarks of best-in-class durability, comfort, ergonomics and fit. What’s more, the market-leading risk-protection properties of the clothing are integral to all the Base-, Mid- and Top-Layer garments in the range.
Fully accredited for Class 1, 2 and 3 protection in risk environments such as heat and flame, electric arc, electrostatic, chemical as well as bad weather conditions, all the garments are manufactured from tailor-made fabrics designed to respond to the demands and risks in the conditions in which they’re worn.
With over 60 different garments and accessories to choose from, you can make sure you get the right protection, visibility, flexibility, comfort and durability – wherever you’re working. Check out the new Snickers Protecwork range to fit your workday and well-being on site.
(ENDS 183 words)
For more information on Snickers Workwear’s Protecwork range and the brand’s sustainability philosophy you can call the Helpline on 01484 854788; check out www.snickersworkwear.co.uk or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
To mark Love Your Lungs (Week 21 – 27 June 2022), Arco Professional Safety Service’s Respiratory Manager, Kevin Williams, urges businesses to better understand Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE) regulations to ensure workers are protected
Over the past seven years, hospital admissions for lung disease have risen three times the rate of all general admissions, costing the NHS £11 billion a year in the UK.1 In the workplace, employees can develop these often life-threatening illnesses following exposure to harmful dusts, mists, fumes and vapours. It can take years following exposure before any symptoms of ill-health become apparent, despite being preventable through effective control measures.
RPE is designed to keep workers safe, but research shows that up to 50% of RPE users may still be breathing in harmful substances.2 The main reasons for this are a poor fit, insufficient training, incorrect RPE for the hazard, poor maintenance and inadequate storage.
The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) RPE at Work document states that employers must ensure reusable RPE undergoes thorough examination and, where appropriate, testing on a monthly basis or every three months if used less frequently. However, many employers are unaware of this legislation, resulting in a lack of compliance and safety. Arco Professional Safety Services estimates that over 80% of businesses are not meeting this legal requirement, leaving employees at risk of lung damage and respiratory illnesses. This issue affects any industry where employees are exposed to harmful substances and are therefore at risk.
As the HSE continues to focus on respiratory health inspections, businesses need to better understand the legal requirements to ensure that workers are protected. In addition to training employees on the steps they need to take to protect their safety, such as selection and routes of exposure, employers must understand how to maintain RPE correctly and using toolbox talks alone does not provide the required knowledge.
Thorough maintenance, examination and tests should be carried out at least once a month. Employers must ensure all staff are taught how to use RPE correctly, how to clean it, how to maintain it to industry standards, how to wear it and when it should be replaced.
Employers should record RPE examinations and tests and, where appropriate, any repairs made and retain them for at least five years. The records will help to keep track of the equipment’s maintenance and ensure businesses can demonstrate compliance with the HSE regulations.
With the right fit, training and maintenance, the risk of workers developing deadly respiratory diseases can be reduced or eliminated. The RPE technicians at Arco Professional Safety Services deliver Fit2Fit accredited services and tailor-made learning packages to provide employees with the knowledge needed to meet regulations, ensuring compliance and the protection of worker health.
For Arco’s full guidance, visit: https://www.arcoservices.co.uk/services/respiratory-protection-services