Facilities Journal Issue 2

ISSUE 2 

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Contents 

Energy 

4 An intelligent approach to lighting control 

Bastiaan de Groot, Feilo Sylvania 

6 Renewable technologies need to be 

part of the energy conversation 

John Bailey, Vaillant 

10 Pumps driving industry to improve 

Linda Dingley, Grundfos Pumps Ltd 

14 Future heating costs post Brexit 

– it’s not all doom and gloom 

Nick Winton, Nortek Global HVAC 

Sustainable FM 

16 Business waste electronics 

James Nash, Valpak 

20 Free of charge recycling of waste lamps 

Nigel Harvey, Recolight 

Workplace 

23 Climate control equipment: 

what are the benefits of hire? 

Andrews Sykes 

26 What office are you? Traditional vs open plan 

Century Office 

Building Service & Maintenance 

29 FM now includes asset management 

June Lancaster and Chris Bradley, Asset Wisdom 

32 Is now the time to resurface 

your concrete floor? 

Chris Budd, Watco 

36 Pest control – grudge purchase or 

staunch ally of your brand? 

Ralph Izod, Dyno-Pest 

Health & Safety 

40 Fire risk assessments 

Howard Passey, Fire Protection Association 

42 A common sense approach to 

workplace appliance safety testing 

Amy Lyons, Seaward 

44 Automatic fire suppression systems 

George Phillips, Gemini Fire Management Systems 

Technology 

50 Anti-fraud data controls will secure 

company profits 

Anthony Pearlgood, Restore Datashred 

FM in Action 

52 Professionalising facilities management 

Dr Paul Wyton, Sheffield Hallam University 

56 Facilities management in the modern era 

Giedre Chesson, Adrem Contracts 

60 Advertisers’ Index 

FACILITIES 3

Energy 

An intelligent approach 

to lighting control 

Bastiaan de Groot, 

Global Director 

Strategy & New 

Business Development 

at Feilo Sylvania, 

advises facility 

managers on how to 

achieve maximum 

savings through 

lighting control 

W 

ith lighting accounting for at 

least a third of a commercial 

building’s energy consumption, 

the specification of an effective lighting 

system can have a significant impact 

for those looking to save energy and 

cut costs. The installation of a lighting 

control system will achieve significant 

savings of up to 80% when compared to 

having no control system in place, and of 

course the advances in LED technology 

also deliver impressive energy savings 

(in the region of 60% compared to 

conventional lighting technologies). 

There is a dizzying array of options 

available to the building owner, facility 

manager or lighting specifier when it comes 

to lighting control; typically the choice 

specifiers face is between established 

industrial systems like DALI and KNX and 

next-generation solutions that are being 

developed and launched on the market, 

it seems every month. These state-ofthe-art 

solutions are far more intelligent 

and easy to use, taking inspiration from 

the consumer electronics and digital 

industries with easy to use interfaces and 

minimum configuration. Legacy lighting 

controls are reminiscent of the early days 

of the computer industry: expensive, hard 

to use and aimed at trained professionals. 

In contrast, today’s latest plug-and-play 

innovations in lighting control provide the 

commercial environment with sophisticated, 

yet simple to operate solutions that 

deliver very real benefits to clients. 

Regulations and targets 

Many of today’s building codes and 

regulations require advanced controls 

in order to achieve the highest energy 

rating. The British Council for Offices 

(BCO) recommends the inclusion of 

lighting controls to achieve compliance 

with Part L of the Building Regulations. 

The criteria for meeting the BCO lighting 

requirements include daylight linking, 

constant illumination and occupancy 

control. And of course, when it comes 

to BREEAM, the worldwide assessment 

for sustainable buildings, there are also 

points available for lighting controls that 

include daylight and presence sensing 

as well as the ability to set individual 

light level controls for each luminaire. 

Keeping pace with the latest regulations 

4 FACILITIES

Energy 

and targets set by government requires constant 

vigilance. For instance, the latest target to be set for 

large organisations (employing 250+ or with a turnover 

in excess of €50m) is the Energy Savings Opportunity 

Scheme (ESOS). Effective lighting control can help 

companies meet their ESOS obligation of identifying 

ways that the business can save energy. Lighting control 

systems are great, cost effective methods for adhering 

to regulations, and for those solutions that do not require 

additional wiring, are ideal as a retrofit solution. 

Of course, the advantages of a lighting control system 

stretch well beyond energy savings and regulation 

compliance. The latest generation of control systems 

can link their data to cloud services and BMS, increasing 

the potential savings that are available. By detecting 

the number of workplaces occupied within a building, 

the opening up of a new floor is prevented and heating 

and cleaning costs can be prevented. Similarly, by 

using the data to estimate the number of people 

within a building, food preparation can be adjusted 

accordingly. These factors all contribute to efficiency 

of a building, allowing it to achieve a greener score. 

Distributed intelligence delivers benefits 

Installing a lighting controls system in a commercial 

building is a significant investment, indeed for some 

organisations taking a conventional approach to 

installing lighting control would be looking at a payback 

period of more than five years – and simply put, this 

lengthy period does not justify the initial capital 

investment. However with the latest generations of 

control systems the need for wiring and commissioning 

is removed, reducing the CAPEX investment by up to 

30%. Furthermore, the intuitive nature of new control 

systems enables them to use more advanced strategies, 

delivering an additional saving of 30%. This brings the 

payback below the five year mark, and with well-designed 

systems a period of below three years in achievable. 

Implementing a new lighting controls system can be 

a real headache for facility managers; the downtime 

can cause major disruption in large commercial offices, 

education or healthcare applications - many of which 

could be in use 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For 

maximum benefit, consider having luminaires installed 

that are fitted with integrated lighting control. Having 

the controls system integrated into the fixture at the 

point of manufacture represents significant on-site 

savings, as well as a much smoother specification, 

design, installation and commissioning process. Such 

systems also have the capability to adjust to changing 

surroundings (such as reconfiguring an office space with 

new partitioning) without any further programming. 

An intelligent solution 

In order to achieve maximum functionality, buildings and 

systems need to work in sync with one another. Part of this 

is the understanding of the occupants within the building: 

their presence, movement patterns and typical behaviour. 

This can only be achieved through data – collected via 

sensors – which is then analysed and acted upon. 

“Hot desking”, where employees do not have assigned 

desks, is increasingly popular in many office environments. 

With access to real-time data on the occupancy of 

the office gathered by a network of smart sensors 

embedded in luminaires, building managers could start 

the day with just the first floor open and, as it fills up 

with staff, open additional floors if necessary. On the 

closed floors, building services such as heating and air 

conditioning could be completely turned off, generating 

significant energy savings. This strategy ensures that 

energy is only being used where it is needed, and not 

wasted heating or lighting half empty office space. 

Smart lighting systems can also help reduce building 

operating costs. With property prices so high it is essential 

that building owners utilise every square metre of space as 

efficiently as possible, reducing their costs at the same time. 

If the smart sensor that is integrated within a luminaire in a 

meeting room detects very little usage of that room, then it 

could be converted to other uses – perhaps to provide more 

desk space, and enable more employees per square metre. 

Having a network of smart sensors can also help facility 

managers to co-ordinate cleaning more effectively. 

By analysing the heat map generated by these sensors 

they can find out which areas of the building have not 

been used, and instruct cleaners to avoid those areas, 

significantly lowering cleaning costs. This can also cut 

energy consumption, because the time that services 

such as lighting and heating are operating is reduced if 

cleaners spend less time in the building after hours. 

The requirement for facility managers to make 

savings is always paramount. Utilising a lighting 

control system presents itself as one of the most 

accessible methods in reducing energy consumption 

within a modern commercial building. 

Author information 

Feilo Sylvania is a leading, full-spectrum provider of professional and 

architectural lighting solutions. Built on over a century of expertise in 

lamps and luminaires, Feilo Sylvania supplies internationally state-ofthe 

art products and systems to the public, commercial and private 

sectors. Feilo Sylvania strives to deliver the finest products, service 

and consulting possible. All over the world, people rely on group 

business divisions: Concord, Lumiance and Sylvania, for top quality, 

energy-efficient solutions to suit their individual lighting needs. 

www.feilosylvania.com 

FACILITIES 5

Energy 

Renewable technologies need to 

be part of the energy conversation 

Despite the Government sharing its plans to reform 

the Renewable Heat Incentive and continue to at least 

2020, reports suggest that the UK will still struggle to 

meet its stated target of delivering 15% of total energy 

through renewable sources by 2020. John Bailey, 

Commercial & Renewable Systems Sales Director for 

Vaillant, discusses how renewable heating technologies 

should become a key consideration for Specifiers 

and Facilities Managers when considering heating 

and hot water solutions for commercial buildings 

L 

ast November, the Government 

shared its plans to reform the 

Renewable Heat Incentive and 

it has taken until April this year for the 

details to be shared of what these reforms 

entail. Changes to domestic RHI could see 

the introduction of heat limits to prevent 

larger properties from claiming more 

funds. This resulted in some sites exploring 

biomass options in order to qualify for 

tariff incentives; however, if organisations 

are only installing these systems to tick 

boxes it will not be enough, as no matter 

how efficiently the energy is produced, 

it defeats the object of the exercise 

if the building is poorly insulated. It is 

imperative that building managers have a 

holistic approach to energy conservation 

if there are to be real improvements in 

how we use the energy we produce. 

When assessing the initial outlay, of 

a different kind of installation, it is no 

surprise that many building managers 

choose to replace their existing 

heating and hot water systems with 

something similar to their existing 

plant room. It is familiar, after all, and 

means that no other modifications to 

the building are necessarily needed. 

What is vital at the planning stage of 

replacing or specifying a commercial 

heating and hot water system is a 

thorough lifetime cost analysis (including 

fuel usage), which includes ensuring the 

fabric of the building is optimally designed 

so that the energy that is being produced 

is being used with utmost efficiency. 

The initial remit of the RHI was to 

offer an investment payback for fitting a 

renewable heating and hot water system, 

but this didn’t cover the necessary 

measures needed to ensure that the 

full benefits of such a system could be 

realised, i.e. by better insulating the 

fabric of the building. By overlooking 

initial design and planning stages, the 

resulting installation will not be as 

efficient and cost effective as it could be 

and despite the installation qualifying for 

investment paybacks, the overall return on 

investment will be prolonged as a result. 

The publicity surrounding the RHI 

scheme has resulted in businesses and 

the general public being more aware of 

what the scheme could deliver and how to 

access the funds available, but there is still 

a lack of understanding on how to ensure 

optimum efficiency of a project. This could 

deter individuals and businesses from 

adopting renewable technology as a result 

of not anticipating more wide spread 

improvements and bigger investments 

upfront, than perhaps was initially 

anticipated. This is all in despite of the 

?? FACILITIES

LIGHTING THAT PAYS FOR ITSELF... 

NOW THAT’S SMART LIGHTING 

Organic Response enabled Concord Officelyte LED luminaires communicate wirelessly 

with their neighbours, enabling automatic adjustment of light output based on localised 

occupancy and ambient light conditions. Organic Response delivers a completely integrated 

control system offering the highest energy savings in the industry with many key benefits: 

• Addresses one of the biggest energy consumers in your building – save up to 

68% reduction in energy costs vs. non-controlled situations 1 

• Commissioning free installation 

• Fully retrofittable – no control cabling required 

• Achieve highest scores on BREEAM, LEED and BCO 

• Achieve your ESOS targets – did your ESOS report indicate you need to replace your lighting? 

ENERGY MANAGERS 

ASSOCIATION ENERGY 

PRODUCT OF THE 

YEAR 2015 

FINANCE HOLDING YOU BACK? APPLY LOGIC 

Feilo Sylvania’s LOGIC Finance Solution enables you to realise your project. 

With LOGIC there are no large up-front costs, just simple, manageable, monthly re-payments 

– typically lower than your existing lighting costs, enabling you to focus on your business. 

Contact us today to see how we can help you to start saving tomorrow! 

www.feilosylvania.com Tel: 0800 440 2478 info.uk@feilosylvania.com 

1 Team Catalyst, Lighting Art + Science, William Street project, 2014. Copies available on request.

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See www.grundfos.co.uk for details.

Energy 

fact that in some cases, the larger upfront investment would 

deliver the return on investment over a shorter timescale. 

When it has been researched, it has prompted 

landlords and businesses to consider (albeit in small 

numbers) the installation of available green heating 

technologies to not only drive a revenue stream through 

their energy source, but also access the undoubted 

benefits of longer-term cost and carbon savings. 

While any uptake of renewable technology is to be 

welcomed, figures show that a significant proportion 

of the commercial RHI-funded renewable energy 

installations that have occurred in the past four 

years, have utilised biomass-based solutions. This 

has not necessarily been the application of best 

practice or, in many cases, the specification of the 

most appropriate sustainable technology solution. 

Consideration needs to be given regarding the 

maintenance of a biomass boiler as well as the 

transportation of the fuel (which is often sourced 

overseas) as well as the CO2 emissions related to burning 

the fuel. All of this contributes to an increased carbon 

footprint that negates any potential emission savings 

gained by sustainable technology on the ground. 

In addition, with the vast majority of current commercial 

installations remaining boiler-based we might ask to what 

degree the RHI funding initiative has actually succeeded in 

turning renewable sceptics into converts? Where doubts 

remain as to the effectiveness of renewable systems, a 

hybrid solution can offer a good degree of reassurance. 

Cost considerations and the 

refurbishment opportunity 

Despite the welcome fall in the wholesale cost of energy 

over the past months, for many, energy bills still remain 

near the top of the agenda. Targets for reducing carbon 

emissions and alleviating fuel poverty still exist. For 

businesses and social landlords, the cost of supplying 

the energy required to operate a large commercial 

or residential building can make it one of the largest 

expenditure areas and, as such, has to influence the 

selection of a heating solution that can help minimise costs. 

There are already numerous examples of major 

refurbishment projects that have been enhanced through 

Ground Source Heat Pump renewable specification. The 

technology is delivering a tangible return on investment, 

both in terms of cost savings for commercial and public 

building owners and landlords, as well as driving convenience 

and ease-of-use for building users and tenants. 

Further information 

Practical and proven solutions 

At Vaillant we have invested considerable resources into the ongoing 

development of renewable, boiler and hybrid heating solutions 

that will satisfy the priorities of commercial building Specifiers and 

Facilities Managers. Issues of reliability, proven efficiency, cost 

savings and low maintenance commitments are crucial areas in which 

renewable technologies must prove their worth. 

Most recently Vaillant has developed the flexoTHERM heat pump 

solution that can connect to three different sources – ground, water 

or air offering a much more flexible approach to renewable heat 

pump systems. At its heart lies outstanding performance, minimal 

environmental impact and flexibility, which makes it one of the most 

energy efficient heat pump range on the market, with the Seasonal 

Coefficient of Performance or SCoP as high as 5.83. To ensure 

optimum efficiencies, it is worth considering the incorporation of 

controls within a scheme to help monitor and adjust the operation 

of a heating system accordingly, to cater for outside temperatures, 

occupancy of a building and the heating requirements of building 

users. flexoTHERM achieves the highest efficiency label in its class – 

ErP A+++, when used in conjunction with Vaillant’s VRC 700 control, 

resulting in further savings and optimum comfort for users. 

Tomorrow’s technology is here today. Make sure renewables are 

part of your energy conversation. 

FACILITIES 9

Energy 

Pumps driving 

industry to improve 

By Linda Dingley, 

Grundfos Pumps Ltd 

W 

herever you are sitting, you 

won’t be far from a series of 

pumps that are performing a 

multitude of tasks and that are key to your 

business. These pumps will be playing a 

variety of roles such as supporting the 

heating, ventilation and air conditioning 

requirements, as well as maintaining 

water pressure, delivering and distributing 

clean drinking water and removing grey/ 

wastewater and these are just the basics. 

Regardless of what industry you are 

involved with, a range of pumps will be 

in situ and playing a key role delivering 

many of the functions that you need to 

literally, keep your business running. 

In fact looking at the bigger picture 

the wider world depends on them too 

but pumps are also serious energy 

wasters, leaving behind a significant 

carbon footprint. This means that pumps 

stand out as offering the single biggest 

savings opportunities to a business as: 

n today pumps account for 10% of 

the world’s electrical consumption. 

n two thirds of all the currently installed 

pumps use up to 60% too much energy. 

n if every company switched to a high 

efficiency pump system there could 

be global savings of 4% of the total 

electricity consumption – comparable 

with the residential electricity 

consumption of 1 billion people. 

When to replace/upgrade 

In the main, it is very rare for anyone 

to consider switching a pump 

for any other reason than it has 

developed a problem that means it 

has reached the end of its life. 

Yet there are many other opportunities 

when to do so would result in better 

comfort and/or performance levels, 

improved energy efficiency and therefore 

reduced emissions. So looking at replacing 

either individual pumps or whole pumping 

systems prior to when it’s absolutely 

essential can have a short pay-back period. 

Pumps operating within an industrial 

environment require replacement for 

many reasons. When this happens, it 

offers the opportunity to review the 

system and make sure it is delivering 

the most efficient solution for that 

particular building against its individual 

blueprint. Whatever the circumstances, 

it is worth reassessing the situation 

as depending on the application 

there are large financial savings to 

be made by taking the opportunity to 

change to a more efficient option. 

Our experience tells us that, for the 

most part, pumps are directly replaced 

with a ‘like for like’ solution, without 

any extra consideration and this means 

that the opportunity to optimise on 

a replacement selection is lost. 

Check out your pump equipment 

However, there is a better way. For 

example, if you want to quickly assess 

what savings could be realised to your 

current pump systems, contact a pump 

company who offers this service and 

they can undertake an energy survey 

that will assess all the installed pump 

equipment and will look at the current 

and future demands of that system. 

They will then produce a comprehensive 

report that will document any suggested 

changes and the potential savings that 

they offer, along with giving an overview 

on the return on investment (ROI), CO2 

saving and a complete life cycle cost. 

10 FACILITIES

You expect to sleep 

easy at night 

You can trust Wilo 

Service Division. 

Service Division - Reliable Servicing 24/7* 

Wilo UK Service division are passionate in their pursuit of excellence, our dedicated service team can offer you 

a full range of after sales care for any manufacturer of pumps. 

Our national network of service engineers and service partners help ensure all site requests are fulfilled exactly to 

our customer requests by qualified engineers. 

So when it comes to reliable servicing 24/7* you really can trust Wilo. 

Our range of offers, standard, smart and comfort will appeal to every energy requirement 

All contracts include access to our 24hr 365d call out 

Dedicated for each contract 

A full site report complete with check list and recommendations after each visit 

Our experienced Service Engineers are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week*. 

Wilo Service 24/7 T. 01283 523015 or E. service@wilo.co.uk 

* Only available to customers with maintenance contract. 

Pioneering for You

Energy 

There is also a more detailed check available that involves 

an on-site inspection that tests your pump system’s 

efficiency using a variety of tools. The data is then used 

to formulate a report that highlights potential savings 

and how optimal improvements can be carried out. 

Pumps stand out as offering the single 

biggest savings opportunity 

We all recognise the pace of technological change over 

the past 10/15 years has significantly impacted on many 

aspects of our lives. Looking at the raft of developments, 

we’ve seen over recent years, we all accept that these 

advances have, by and large, made the world a better place. 

Equally, these developments have diversified away from 

consumer demand for increasingly smart gadgets, into every 

strata of business – including within the pump industry. 

A by-product of this has seen the opportunity to not 

only create pumps that are more efficient in individual 

operation, but that take this development one-step further. 

This has resulted in a holistic intelligent design approach 

that offers the opportunity to integrate devices such as 

pumps, communication units, controls and protection 

equipment, transmitters and drives within a pump solution. 

This means that you can now ensure that the whole system 

will operate to its maximum effectiveness and efficiency. 

Ready to communicate 

One of the specific ways that taking a more holistic approach 

to a pump system can manifest itself is demonstrated by 

new communication platforms that today offer a wide range 

of important benefits. Some of the reasons behind these 

changes are because we are seeing demand moving away 

from a simple pump selection scenario into a much more 

integrated and systems driven approach that looks at the 

integration of an entire system. This now means all aspects 

of pump engineering are becoming much more synergised 

and the communication abilities ever more sophisticated. 

This is in effect quite a sea-change for the industry as 

the previous focus had been on maximising the inherent 

engineering to deliver the best energy efficiency on 

an individual pump basis. Of course the economies of 

scale offered by being able to interrogate the system 

better, mean that a focus on energy is certainly an 

important spin-off of improved communications. 

Flexible data communication 

More technically advanced pump companies are able to 

offer a wider and more sophisticated approach. This can be 

seen for example in remote management systems which are 

already available on a secure, internet-based platform. Such 

systems can monitor and manage pump installations in a 

wide range of applications including industrial processes. 

What this means is that pumps, sensors, meters and 

pump controllers are connected to a data logger. Data 

can then be accessed from an Internet PC, providing an 

overview of your system. If sensor thresholds are crossed 

or a pump or controller reports an alarm, a communication 

will instantly be dispatched to the duty person. 

In this way changes in pump performance and energy 

consumption can be tracked and documented using 

automatically generated reports and trend graphs. 

These can also give an indication of wear or damage, and 

service and maintenance can be planned accordingly. 

To ensure that you will get the best system available, this 

is a checklist of things such systems should ideally be able 

to support: 

n achieve a range of fieldbus connectivity protocols that 

have the approval to the relevantly accredited marques. 

n enable data communication via open 

and interoperable networks. 

n deliver a comprehensive range of features and a range 

of documentation that will support specific demands. 

n provide data transparency through motor protection/ 

drives/sensors for total system optimisation. 

n offer a robust additional mobile platform 

that gives access to data ‘on the go’. 

n removes need for additional panels. 

Remote monitoring 

Remote monitoring and control refers to a field 

of industrial automation that is entering a new era 

with the development of wireless sensing devices. 

This was initially limited to SCADA systems, remote 

monitoring and control and refers to the measurement 

of disparate devices from a network operations 

center or control room and the ability to change the 

operation of these devices from that central office. 

Today there are other remote monitoring solution 

management options that offer an efficient and cost 

effective alternative that can be used in standalone 

solutions - for example in retro-fit applications; as 

complimentary to; or in partnership with SCADA systems. 

This route will often deliver a more cost effective outcome. 

Such systems have become more accessible with the 

introduction of cloud based remote monitoring systems. 

The future 

Pump engineering will continue to improve but in 

stage steps rather than any radical new developments. 

This will mean that bigger wins will need to be 

achieved in other areas – such as improved overall 

systems design and fully integrated solutions. 

The answers are out there – you just need 

to ask the right people the questions. 


Grundfos Pumps Ltd are a UK leader in the supply of pumps and pump 

systems for domestic, commercial building services and process 

industry applications, as well as being a major supplier to the water 

supply and treatment industries and provider of packaged fire sets. 

They are part of the Grundfos Group that employ 19,000 people in 

sales and production roles in 83 companies worldwide. Founded in 

Denmark in 1945, the Group now has an annual turnover of £3billion 

and produces 16 million pumps per year. 

12 FACILITIES

Energy 

Future heating costs post Brexit – 

it’s not all doom and gloom 

Leaving the EU could cost the UK up to £500 million 

per year in energy bills in the next few years according 

to an independent report commissioned by the British 

Power and Grid operator, National Grid, the country 

imports about 6 percent of its electricity from the 

Continent, and 50 percent of its gas from inside 

and outside the EU but it is not all doom and gloom 

according to Nick Winton, divisional manager for Nortek 

Global HVAC, particularly when it comes to heating 

C 

urrent industry regulations 

obviously insist that 

staff cannot work in cold 

temperatures but with factory and 

warehouse owners faced with an everincreasing 

overhead, the temptation 

is to resort to finding the cheapest 

heating system available, even though 

it is rarely the most energy efficient. 

Most manufacturers of heating 

systems are now looking to systems 

that deliver whole life costs as a way 

of making real energy savings. Short 

term, a cheap system might seem the 

right way to go, but don’t be deceived. 

Although paying for more energy 

efficient heating systems may not be a 

popular idea in the current economy, it 

makes tremendous sense when true value 

is looked at, rather than initial costs. 

According to government information, 

the most reliable indicator of ‘value’ in the 

construction industry is the relationship 

between long-term costs and the benefit 

achieved by the end-user. And when 

it comes to the heating system, best 

value is gained from the system that 

achieves the required functionality 

at lowest cost when calculated over 

the whole life of the equipment. 

Whole-life cost analysis is an 

economic evaluation process solely for 

the purpose of assessing the true cost 

of constructing and running a building 

over a period of time, based on the 

functional requirements of the building. 

It is effective for new buildings, including 

design and build projects, and has been 

a pre-requisite for PFI contracts. 

The technique was originally used by 

the accountancy profession to compare 

outcomes when income varies over 

time, using today’s value or net present 

value as a starting point. Today, the 

methodology is used widely in many 

industries, although uptake in the 

construction industry is ‘quite small’, 

according to a spokesperson at BSRIA. 

14 FACILITIES

Energy 

Using these calculations, modern 

manufacturers have proved that they can 

deliver energy savings of up to 70%, a 

significant reduction in running costs. 

It’s a technique that has been in 

existence for decades. With more and 

more people seeing the benefits of 

whole-life cost analysis, its popularity 

in construction is increasing. Rather 

than focusing on the cost of instalment 

and payment for the system, it focuses 

instead on the building’s requirements, 

how well each solution tackles 

them and the costs of doing so. 

Going cheap might look good in 

an initial payment. But compare its 

whole-life cost to that of an energy 

efficient system, and the difference 

can be thousands, wasted money that 

businesses cannot afford to lose. 

When considering each building’s 

needs, it shouldn’t be simplified to just 

simply ‘the building must be heated’, 

as the full requirements are far more 

specific. Value management and value 

engineering are indispensable factors 

in finding the more efficient solution. 

The system should match the needs of 

the occupants, as well as the building’s 

shape and size. This means knowing 

exactly where and when heat will be 

needed and how it can best be delivered. 

In specifying a heating system, it is 

important to base requirements on 

output and functional needs, rather 

than describing the process by which 

these will be achieved. This allows for 

flexibility and perhaps more thoughtful 

or innovative approaches to a heating 

solution, one that will fulfil needs over 

the system’s life. For example, it should 

respond to alterations in the work 

pattern, downsizing or expansion. 

The genuine energy saving benefits 

of this method and its heating systems 

have been shown at RAF Brize Norton’s 

Base Hangar. The station energy 

manager first contacted us to discuss 

the inefficient and unsustainable heating 

system that was in place at the time. 

From 2004 to 2012 the cost of gas 

to heat the hangar had risen from 

£400k to £800k per year. Following an 

investigation into the options, taking 

into account whole-life costing, radiant 

tube heating was found to be the 

best solution for long-term value. 

Economy and effectiveness are the 

two key factors when selecting a heating 

system for an aircraft hangar. The hangar 

environment is too hostile for some 

forms of heating. Warm air heating for 

example, would not be an appropriate 

solution. The system would not only 

consume fuel attempting to heat the 

entire volume of air in the hangar and 

the temperature stratification would 

be enormous. This volume of air would 

then only be replaced instantly with 

colder external air when the doors are 

open to allow aircraft movement in and 

out, bearing in mind that many aircraft 

maintenance operations occur at night. 

Radiant tube heating answers all of 

these needs. It is one of the most energy 

efficient forms of space heating available. 

It burns fuel (natural gas or LPG) at 

the point of use so there is no loss of 

efficiency in distributing heat around the 

building. Most importantly in the case of 

aircraft hangars, the warmth from the 

radiant system felt by personnel is less 

affected by cold air influx through doors 

opening and closing but also the ability 

of the heating system to rapidly respond 

to changed conditions is paramount. 

After just a few months of instalment, 

energy consumption was found 

to have reduced dramatically. The 

result, a potential saving of 75% over 

the previous warm air system. 

This is something that every sector can 

benefit from and with forward thinking 

companies strongly backing the system 

there can be nationwide savings of up to 

millions of pounds. With the uncertainty 

of future energy costs, it is a saving 

that no one can afford not to make. 

‘ 

The result, a 

potential saving 

of 75% over the 

previous warm 

air system 

’ 


Nortek Global HVAC (UK) Ltd is 

a powerhouse of energy efficient 

heating and ventilation systems 

and other related solutions. Its 

family of highly distinguished 

brands comprises AmbiRad, 

Nordair Niche, Airbloc and Benson 

Heating. 

Together these brands provide 

solutions that have a dramatic 

effect on reducing heating and 

therefore fuel costs, lowering 

energy waste and cutting down 

on carbon emissions. From high 

quality industrial heating systems 

to innovative air curtains, the 

group plays a vital role in helping 

companies in all sectors across 

the globe to meet and exceed their 

green targets. 

To find out more visit 

www.ambirad.co.uk 

FACILITIES 15


Business waste electronics 

By James Nash, 

Valpak 

W 

ith green policies and savings 

being high on many organisations’ 

agendas, it is surprising that 

a certain piece of waste electronics 

legislation is not more heavily used; a 

piece of legislation with the potential 

to dramatically cut, if not completely 

negate, the costs of sound disposal and 

recycling of electrical equipment. 

The Waste Electrical and Electronic 

Equipment Regulations, commonly 

known as the WEEE Regulations, 

came into force in 2007 and were 

refreshed in 2014. These regulations 

place an obligation on producers of 

electronic equipment to help finance 

the collection and recycling of WEEE. 

There are two WEEE systems in 

operation at present, household 

WEEE and business WEEE. 

The household WEEE system 

This well established system supports 

the infrastructure for the recycling of 

household waste electronics. Whether 

it is known to the lay person or not, it 

supports the public system by using 

funds from both producers and retailers. 

A result of this legislation is that 

almost all Council recycling centres 

now accept waste electronics free of 

charge – even hazardous items such 

as fluorescent lighting and televisions, 

both of which represent a significant 

cost to dispose of. This is owing to the 

current system’s financing mechanism, 

which is designed to work in partnership 

with Local Authorities and the services 

they provide. It is a complex system 

in itself, but one that works. 

The business WEEE system 

Another aspect of the WEEE Regulations, 

and one which is largely neglected, is that 

of business WEEE. A largely free disposal 

network has long been in place to support 

this waste stream, financed by producers 

of bespoke commercial and business 

equipment, commonly known as B2B 

Producers. But this option is not used to 

any significant degree. The Environment 

Agency’s 2015 figures provide a stark 

illustration of this, as they show that 

B2B Producers of electronic equipment 

declared nearly 336,000 tonnes of new 

equipment that they placed on the UK 

market, but only around 8,000 tonnes 

were collected and recycled via the 

official, producer financed system. The 

UK could never expect like for like figures, 

but with it running at such a low rate it 

is safe to assume that this is a vastly 

16 FACILITIES


underused system which could save UK 

business end users millions of pounds. 

The main barrier is education, with 

many professional electronics users being 

completely unaware of the system. All B2B 

Producers are legally required to advertise 

their recycling provisions in some manner, 

but unless you are specifically looking for 

it, it may be hard to find the information. 

Contrary to this some businesses do 

advertise prominently and are likely 

doing so with the understanding that the 

equipment they receive will have a positive 

value when either sent for re-use or 

broken down into its constituent materials. 

The IT industry is a good example, as 

most major IT brands offer a take back 

system owing to the inherent value of the 

“waste” material they hope to receive. 

Another barrier is the complexity of the 

law itself, with it being hard to understand 

what can and what cannot be sent back, 

and to which producer. Firstly there is 

“Historic WEEE”, which is that placed on 

the market before the 13 August 2005. An 

easy way for end users to check the age 

of their waste equipment is to look for the 

date mark. This is a solid, horizontal bar 

which sits beneath a crossed out wheeled 

bin symbol. If missing, it is likely to be 

historic WEEE, as the date mark was a 

production requirement in line with the 

European WEEE Directive on that date – 

the birth place of this UK legislation. If a 

business end user finds they have historic 

WEEE they can call upon the Producer 

replacing their old equipment to supply 

a free disposal solution on a like for like 

basis, so long as the new equipment 

serves an equivalent function. That is not 

necessarily saying the Producer replacing 

the item has to collect it and provide a 

full service, but as standard they must 

at least provide a solution. This can 

often involve the customer dropping it 

off somewhere for free. It is also worth 

noting sales agreements can contractually 

pass the whole disposal obligation on 

to the business customer, meaning the 

Producer is not obliged to do anything. 

If the waste electronics are found not to 

be Historic WEEE, then the end user can 

call upon the Producer of that equipment 

for a disposal solution. This is usually 

the brand owner, but could also be the 

manufacturer or importer. The latter is 

especially hard to track down, especially 

if they are importing already branded 

equipment that would not identify 

them in any way. As above, the same 

caveats may also apply; meaning 

that the end user potentially 

has to drop the items off, or 

the Producer contractually 

passing on the obligation 

at the time of sale. 

A summary of 

these 2 systems can 

be found below: 

Historic WEE 

n Time: placed on the market 

before the 13 August 2005 

n Marking: does not have 

the crossed out wheeled bin 

symbol with a bar underneath 

n Producer obligation: B2B Producers 

replacing this equipment have to 

provide a recycling solution on a 

like for like basis to the customer 

Non-Historic WEEE 

n Time: placed on the market 

after the 13 August 2005 

n Marking: does have the crossed 

out wheeled bin symbol with 

solid bar underneath 

n Producer obligation: B2B Producer 

who placed the equipment on the 

market has to provide a recycling 

solution to the customer 

As can be appreciated, it is not 

always a simple service to access and 

arguably reserved for those few who 

are in the know, either by chance or by 

having the resource and personnel to 

look into such matters. That being said, 

a positive note when looking at the 

recycling figures above is that they only 

represent WEEE sent into the formal 

B2B Producer system. In reality, many 

end users of B2B WEEE simply dispose 

of it responsibly themselves – a practice 

which is hidden from the WEEE system’s 

figures. This is more the case than ever 

at present, with the likes of Duty of 

Care, zero waste to landfill and various 

ISO accreditations insisting on it. 

In summary and within the current 

economic climate, when businesses 

are looking to make savings in order 

to compete the WEEE Regulations can 

certainly help – both financially and 

environmentally. It is merely a case of 

knowing about them in the first place. 


James Nash is an Environmental 

Compliance Advisor and works 

with the Procurement Team at 

Valpak Limited, the UK’s leading 

environmental compliance 

scheme. 

He started in 2007 (when the 

Waste Electrical and Electronic 

Equipment (WEEE) Regulations 

came into force) as a Technical 

Advisor working for Compliance 

Services, and provided advice 

and support on aspects of 

environmental law. He then moved 

into Valpak’s Recycling Services 

Team to solely run WEEE recycling 

services for Valpak members. 

James now works extensively 

in the fields of WEEE, batteries 

and packaging – both advising 

on legislation and overseeing 

recycling contracts in the public 

and private sector. 

FACILITIES 17

FREE BATTERY 

RECYCLING 

DO THE PREMISES YOU MANAGE HAVE 

BATTERY DISPOSAL REQUIREMENTS? 

Batteries often contain harmful and dangerous chemicals such as lead, 

mercury or cadmium meaning their responsible disposal is essential. 

Recycling batteries via approved channels is the only way to 

ensure you are doing the correct thing, either for yourselves 

or your customers. But as you might expect, doing so can be 

expensive. 

With these concerns in mind, Valpak is offering a free 

service to both collect and recycle batteries in the UK. This 

includes all forms of typical household batteries or any other 

non-industrial battery less than 4kg in weight*. 

Be assured of a totally compliant collection and recycling process, undertaken 

by qualified professionals with the necessary licences and insurance. All the 

paperwork required to cover your Duty of Care obligations is also provided 

free of charge. 

Storage solutions for your batteries are also free. Valpak can provide bulk 

containers that hold up to one tonne of material down to smaller containers 

designed for offices and the work place. 

*The batteries must not be damaged or wet. There is also a 3% threshold on lithium based batteries 

in any one load owing to their volatile nature and their special packing and carriage requirements

SOME SOURCES WE ALREADY SUCCESSFULLY SERVICE: 

• Retailers 

• Offices 

• Recycling Centres 

• Highways Maintenance 

• Waste Management Companies 

• NHS 

• Offices 

• Schools and Universities 

In addition to the operational collections, Valpak also offers a wealth of material 

to help you collect batteries in the correct manner at source. This can all be 

found on our free advice website: www.recycle-more.co.uk 

• Downloadable posters and leaflets 

• Information about the battery recovery and recycling process 

• Battery recycling facts 

• Risk assessment templates 

IT RECYCLING 

Valpak can also arrange compliant, data secure disposal for your organisation’s 

unwanted IT equipment. Simply book a collection via our website. 

TO FIND OUT MORE AND HOW YOU CAN PARTICIPATE IN THIS 

FREE SERVICE PLEASE DON’T HESITATE TO CONTACT US 

info@valpak.co.uk quoting “battery recycling” 03450 682 572 

Or visit our website, www.valpak.co.uk and use the live chat feature


Free of charge recycling 

of waste lamps 

The Government 

decision to include 

lamps collected from 

businesses in the 

national WEEE targets 

means that most FM 

companies should 

now be accessing 

free of charge waste 

lamp recycling, Nigel 

Harvey explains 

T 

he Waste Electrical and 

Electronic Equipment 

(WEEE) regulations require 

manufacturers to fund the recycling of 

waste electricals – including fluorescent 

lamps. Every year, the Government 

sets a target for the quantity of 

recycling that manufacturers must 

fund, through their WEEE Producer 

Compliance Schemes (PCSs). In 2016, 

for the first time, the target included 

the assumption that most waste lamps 

collected from businesses and consumers 

could be used to meet the target. 

This means that any FM companies 

that provide a waste lamp collection 

service to their customers, should now 

be getting those lamps recycled free 

of charge. That can result in material 

cost reductions – lamp recycling is 

not a low cost treatment process. 

This is great news for Facilities 

Managers, and any other companies 

which need to dispose of waste lamps. 

This change is particularly important, 

given that the large scale roll-out of LED 

luminaires is resulting in material tonnages 

of waste fluorescent lamps this year. 

Understanding how WEEE works 

To understand the reason why this is 

happening, it is important to appreciate 

how the UK’s WEEE system works. When 

lamp recycling is undertaken, the recyclers 

are usually able to issue an “evidence 

note” in respect of those lamps. WEEE 

Producer Compliance Schemes need 

evidence notes to show that they have 

met their share of the annual recycling 

target. They can obtain these either by 

arranging for lamp recycling themselves, 

or by purchasing them from lamp 

recycling companies. As many WEEE 

Producer Compliance Schemes (PCSs) 

buy evidence notes, they have a real 

financial value to the recycler. So if the 

FM company is also paying the recycler, 

there is a possibility of double charging. 

20 FACILITIES


How to access free of charge recycling 

If an FM company’s current recycler is 

charging for lamp collection and recycling, 

first of all, ask for a free service. Many 

may well agree. Failing that, it is important 

to shop around. In most cases, there 

will be a company willing to provide a 

free waste lamp recycling service, as 

long as quantities are sufficient. 

Check if your lamp supplier 

can provide a free service 

If an FM company routinely buys and 

installs lamps as a part of their service, it 

is possible that the supplier, or wholesaler 

can provide a free lamp recycling service. 

In most cases, this service will be provided 

through a PCS. All lamp producers need 

to be members of a PCS, and the better 

PCSs will all provide a rapid, free of 

charge collection and recycling service 

to support their members and their 

members’ customers. The same applies 

where FM companies get involved in 

purchasing and supplying new LED 

fittings for their customers. Their fittings 

supplier may also be able to provide a 

free lamp recycling service. In most cases, 

this will again depend on which PCS the 

supplier has joined. Some do provide a 

free service, although others don’t. 

The best approach is probably to make 

lamp or fitting purchase conditional on 

the provision of a waste lamp recycling 

service. 

What type of lamps are 

recycled for free? 

Virtually all lamps used by businesses 

should be recycled free of charge. That 

includes fluorescent, compact fluorescent, 

sodium and LED lamps. The only examples 

of exclusions in the Government 

guidance are specialist stadium lighting, 

and cinema projection lamps. 

Environmental Duty of Care 

All collectors of waste have a duty of care 

to ensure that the waste they collect is 

handed on to suitably licenced companies, 

and that it is recycled in compliance with 

applicable legislation. It is therefore 

important to check that companies further 

down the supply chain are compliant, 

and to understand which company is 

actually undertaking the recycling. 

Producer Compliance Schemes 

WEEE PCSs are organisations set up 

to manage the collection and recycling 

obligations of Producers of electrical 

equipment – including lamps. All 

producers must join a PCS (unless they 

are very small). In March each year, 

the PCS will receive a target for the 

amount of WEEE it must collect. The PCS 

target is a share of the annual targets 

announced by Defra, based on the prior 

year market share of their members. 


Nigel Harvey is Chief Executive of 

Recolight, the UK’s largest WEEE 

PCS for lighting. He is also chair 

of the UK PCS trade association, 

the WEEE Scheme Forum, and 

a director of EucoLight, the 

European trade association for 

lamp compliance schemes. 

Nigel.Harvey@Recolight.co.uk 

0208 253 9750 

About Recolight 

Recolight, the only specialist 

WEEE compliance scheme for 

the lighting industry, was set 

up by the industry to provide 

WEEE compliance and free lamp 

recycling for all business waste 

lamps across the UK. This service 

is free because we operate as a 

non-profit organisation, funded 

by our 180 members. Our network 

of over 3000 collection points 

across the UK includes over 850 

open collections points located 

at electrical wholsalers. We are 

dedicated to keeping waste lamps 

out of landfill. To date we have 

funded the recycling of over 250 

million lamps, this is more than all 

UK WEEE schemes combined. 

FACILITIES 21

for collection go to 

www.recolight.co.uk 

or call 0845 601 77 49 

Join the largest WEEE collection network for 

business and household waste lamps in the UK 

With a UK network of more than 3000 collection points 

FREE 

RECYCLING 

for all WEEE 

lamps 

RB19 

£0 

FREE 

RECYCLING 

for all WEEE 

lamps 

BIGGEST NETWORK 

UK Network of over 

3000 collection points 

for business and 

household waste 

lamps, managed by 

Recolight. 

FOR END USERS 

Giving your customers 

access to the 

most comprehensive 

recycling service 

for all WEEE GDLs, LEDs 

and luminaires 

BIGGEST RECYCLER 

To date we have managed 

the recycling of over 

250 million lamps, 

luminares and LEDs, more 

than all UK WEEE 

schemes combined 

NOT FOR PROFIT 

We operate as a not for 

profit organisation, funded 

by our 180 lighting 

producer members. Funds 

are used to drive up the 

recycling rate. 

TOTALLY FREE 

Our collection network is 

completely free of charge 

for all lighting end-users, 

for commercial refitting 

companies, and facilities 

managers. 

To join our WEEE lamp collection network, or find out more 

020 8253 9750 

info@recolight.co.uk

Workplace 

Climate control equipment: 

what are the benefits of hire? 

By Andrews Sykes 

T 

he primary role of a facilities 

manager is to ensure that the 

buildings and services for which 

they are responsible continue to meet the 

expectations of the people and equipment 

affected. Incongruous surroundings may 

lead to low morale, reduced productivity 

and, in extreme scenarios, illness among 

the occupants. Sensitive equipment, 

raw materials or products can also be 

adversely affected in areas exposed to 

inadequate climate control. The result? 

An unreliable operation manned by 

demotivated staff which could harm 

revenue streams, output and perhaps most 

importantly – your client’s reputation. 

Irrespective of the industry sector, the 

need for a supplementary or replacement 

climate control solution is likely to be 

encountered from time to time – whether 

heating, cooling, ventilation or moisture 

control. Such requirements may have 

a wide range of causes and persist for 

unpredictable periods of time. As a result, 

facilities managers are increasingly 

opting for hired solutions instead of 

an outright purchase arrangement. 

There are numerous advantages of this 

form of procurement – not least the ability 

to avoid significant capital expenditure by 

instead financing a rental agreement as 

an operational cost. Since the justification 

of capital expenditure generally 

requires the achievement 

of demanding financial 

benchmarks, this route is 

often unsuitable for use 

in emergencies or for 

projects of short or 

unknown duration. 

In many cases, 

the purchase 

of a capital asset 

is avoidable by the 

careful selection 

of appropriate, 

high quality rental 

alternatives. 

A hire arrangement 

also affords end 

‘ 

A hire arrangement affords 

end users a much greater 

degree of flexibility 

’ 

users a much greater degree of 

flexibility not possible with conventional 

assets. Changing circumstances often 

necessitate an increase, decrease, 

time extension or sudden end to the 

requirements. Such changes may be 

the result of rapidly changing weather 

conditions, the unexpectedly quick 

repair or replacement of a faulty system 

or an increase in seasonal demand. 

When a major property management 

company required the provision of 

air conditioning for a block of studio 

apartments in London, a capital 

investment was regarded as being too 

time-consuming and expensive to be 

completed before the summer heatwave. 

The solution was to mobilise, install and 

commission over two hundred portable 

air conditioning units in a matter of 

days to ensure the buildings’ occupants 

remained comfortable all summer long. 

Unlike permanently installed 

equipment, the responsibility for the 

routine maintenance and repair of rental 

equipment lies with the hire company 

and not the facilities manager, building 

occupier or owner. All equipment is fully 

checked, serviced and prepared prior 

to despatch to ensure its reliability and 

fitness for purpose. In the unlikely event 

of a breakdown, specialist technicians are 

on hand 24 hours a day to deliver an urgent 

response. In extreme circumstances, 

if a timely on-site repair cannot be 

completed, a hire provider with a national 

presence will have the capability to 

deliver replacement equipment with 

minimal disruption. This service is 

included in the rental price, instilling 

confidence in facilities managers and 

ensuring peace of mind for their clients. 

FACILITIES 23

Workplace 

In May 2016, a world-famous beer manufacturer 

encountered major disruption in one of its UK-based 

manufacturing sites when an ammonia plant was taken 

offline. These facilities convert natural gas into hydrogen 

and play a crucial part in cooling whichever beverage 

is being produced. However, unscheduled emergency 

maintenance necessitated swift intervention, and a 

750kW low temperature fluid chiller was delivered a 

short while after the enquiry was received. Without an 

immediate response, beer production would have come 

to a complete halt – at a cost of tens of thousands of 

pounds. Normal output levels were not only restored but 

maintained until the client’s permanent cooling system was 

recommissioned after a one-week period of conservation. 

A further benefit of hired equipment is its tendency to 

be modern and incorporate the latest technology. The high 

level of equipment utilisation achieved by efficient rental 

organisations enables them to renew their equipment 

fleets frequently. This ensures improved efficiency and 

performance of models in their hire range whilst also 

ensuring compliance with increasingly stringent health, 

safety and environmental legislation. Such regulations 

often place onerous responsibilities on the managers, 

owners and operators of a building services plant in 

relation to its co-efficient of performance, suitability 

to the application, energy efficiency and safety in use. 

The plethora of standards and expectations can be 

bewildering but by employing the technical expertise 

available from a competent hire organisation, a prudent 

facilities manager is able to ensure full compliance and thus 

maximise the benefits and service levels to their clients. 

When a multinational telecommunications provider 

was left without heating in their central London office 

complex throughout Christmas, the facilities manager 

responsible for the premises was under pressure to find 

a suitable replacement for their client’s faulty boiler. 

Many organisations are closed for business during the 

festive season, making it difficult for plant hire solutions 

to be sourced in the wake of emergency requirements. 

The contact had previously hired air conditioning on a 

separate occasion and was confident that an urgently 

needed heating system could be hired within a four-hour 

timeframe. A regional expert was then sent to conduct 

a site survey before suggesting a heater hire package 

consisting of more than fifty portable electric units. 

Once the need for increased or replacement 

capacity subsides, a temporary system can be quickly 

decommissioned, disconnected and removed from site. 

All the necessary engineering, lifting and transport 

resources will be organised and managed by the hire 

company. Owned equipment which is used sporadically 

still requires storage space during those periods when 

it is not in use. This highlights another, commonly 

overlooked, advantage of hiring – the burden of removing 

and storing equipment when it is not in use falls on the 

rental company, thereby absolving the FM or its client 

of the need to maintain a suitable storage location. 

Hiring is most cost-effective when a client’s needs fall into 

‘ 

A further benefit of hired equipment 

is its tendency to be modern and 

incorporate the latest technology 


’ 

one or more of the following categories – short or uncertain 

duration, intermittent demand, or uncertain and potentially 

changing volume. Many clients who choose to hire do so 

because they require only very sporadic support, possibly 

for just a few days or weeks a year. In instances such as 

these it is important that the correct equipment is delivered 

when and where it is needed, and subsequently removed 

promptly once its purpose has been served. The summer and 

winter months often place particular demands on facilities 

managers (particularly in the retail, education and healthcare 

sectors) to provide additional short-term cooling or heating 

whilst seasonal temperatures reach their extremes. 

The expertise available from specialist hire providers 

is often a crucial part of the contingency and business 

continuity planning processes of facilities managers. 

Although it is commonplace to formulate a plan for 

upcoming maintenance, upgrade and replacement projects, 

unexpected equipment failures and other emergencies can 

strike at any time. Towards the end of winter in 2016, an 

East London local authority urgently sought a replacement 

boiler in order to recommission a district heating system. A 

new house build in the area saw an existing circuit become 

overexerted, leading it to break down completely after 

several months. Three separate 100kW units failed under the 

strain, and so substitute equipment was needed immediately 

to ensure local residents would have heating and hot 

water. By supplying a high capacity 1.2mW containerised 

unit, we were able to reconnect a previously struggling 

classification within an extremely short turnaround time. 

In addition to the above benefits, professional providers 

of temporary climate control offer free site surveys to 

ensure a thorough understanding of each application and 

the selection of the most suitable equipment. Technical 

advice comes from expert engineers whose direct 

industry experience guides customers towards the best 

solution for their particular project. Unacceptable capital 

costs are avoided and all equipment is fully prepared 

prior to, and properly maintained during, each hire. 

For any instance where a client’s needs are variable, 

unpredictable, unexpected or of uncertain duration, 

equipment rental is unquestionably the ideal solution. 

As the country’s primary supplier of temporary climate control 

equipment, Andrews Sykes works with numerous clients in the facilities 

management industry. We provide the very best cooling, heating, 

ventilation and dehumidification solutions at competitive prices. Our 

nationwide depot network allows us to respond within four hours, 

guaranteeing a fast and effective solution whatever or wherever your 

problems may be. 

24 FACILITIES

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Workplace 

What office are you? 

Traditional vs open plan 

By Century Office 

T 

he traditional office layout 

involves offices with doors and 

walls. Office sizes may be larger 

or smaller depending on the business and 

its day to day tasks. The office furniture 

also indicates the position of the office 

occupant in the office hierarchy. Staff 

with less authority, such as support 

staff, often sit at desks with or without 

partitions outside the traditional office 

for the convenience of the office occupant. 

Whilst directors or the management 

team within the company usually occupy 

the familiar corner office with large 

bay windows, increased privacy and 

often much larger square footage. 

Workspace planners and designers 

are now saying it’s time to move away 

from these design directions to keep 

workers engaged and get the most 

out of your office space. Office 

employees are encouraged to provide 

a variety of spaces and destinations 

for workers to inhabit that promotes 

movement and flexibility throughout 

the day. Many companies and SME’s 

are trying to interpret and incorporate 

some of these elements into their 

workplace design & efficient spaces. 

There are various trends that can be 

adopted by SME’s that will help take 

a step in the right direction towards 

the modern workplace for example: 

n Concealed wires – Many office 

desks come with cable management 

options this is a simple, effective 

way to organise desk space and 

a clutter free workplace. 

26 FACILITIES

Workplace 

n 

n 

n 

n 

Bringing the outdoors in – nature is 

a popular trend that encourages the 

use of reclaimed wood in furniture, 

a living wall or even plants on 

desks can have a positive effect 

within the work environment. 

Multipurpose workspaces – non 

assigned seating, oval shaped 

desks or simply a sit-stand desk 

that can be altered to height 

level for impromptu meetings. 

Designate lounge areas – are a 

great way to have an informal 

catch up or team meetings for 

brainstorm sessions or to use 

as a reflective thinking zone. 

Offices organised by colour – Many 

of the larger organisations tend to 

use colour as a form of wayfinding 

i.e. red for accounts, green for sales 

etc, or block colours are often used 

to create a striking feature wall. 

Alternatively simple pops of colour 

can be used on workstation screens. 

n A mix of different of textures – 

such as oak wood worktops on 

steel frames, mesh back chairs, 

acoustic screens wrapped in fabric. 

n A mobile work environment – stacking 

chairs, mobile pedestal, sit/stand 

desks can encourage movement 

and fluidity in the workspace thus 

encouraging collaboration and 

creativity. Employees can bring 

their laptops away from their 

workstation over to the breakout 

area to share their ideas and 

expand on it in team meetings. 


Century Office are a leading UK 

office and contract furniture 

supplier, with over 40 years’ 

experience in the industry. They 

provide workplace solutions and 

offer a tailored approach for 

architects, interior designers & 

facility managers for small offices 

to large corporations as well as 

educational facilities. 

Please visit the Century Office 

website at www.century-office.co.uk 

or telephone 01206 844541 for 

more information. Century Office 

offers a complete service from 

survey and design through to supply 

and installation. 

FACILITIES 27

Building Services & Maintenance 

FM now includes asset management 

By June Lancaster 

and Chris Bradley, 

Asset Wisdom 

ISO Publications – 

Courtesy of BSI 

1. ISO 55000 has arrived 

If you’re in FM, you’re fast becoming 

responsible for the whole life of assets 

and the development and delivery of 

integrated systems to support them. 

“The launch of the internationally 

recognised ISO55k set of Standards 

is the catalyst for this trend”, 

says Keith Hamer of Sodexo. 

The frequency of the ISO 55000 Asset 

Management Standard being referenced 

in tender documents bears this out. 

2. Achieve recognition 

Few FM companies are achieving the 

Standard at a project or corporate level 

but, if you’ve already got good systems 

in place for quality, risk management, 

sustainability, collaborative working 

and continuous improvement, you’re 

already doing most of the AM elements. 

The Standard allows you to join the 

elements up for greater effectiveness 

and, with big private and public sector 

clients hungry for suppliers with the 

Standard, it’s worth going for. 

3. “Sweating assets is insufficient. 

The need now is for ‘whole life, 

whole system’ solutions.” 

The ISO55k Standards (ISO 55000, 

55001 & 55002) offers the opportunity 

for FM players to establish the minimum 

requirements for a joined-up, whole 

lifecycle asset management system and 

the competences required to achieve them. 

Assets defined 

The Standard starts with a 

broad definition of assets: 

■ “an item, thing or entity that 

has potential or actual value 

to an organisation”. 

Assets may be tangible like 

kitchens, data centres and buildings 

or intangible like policies, processes 

and corporate reputation. 

‘Silo thinking’ and ‘piecemeal answers’ 

are rejected in favour of integrated, 

systems-wide solutions which facilitate 

standardisation that maximises 

efficiency, flexibility and productivity. 

Getting there 

There are now proven methodologies for 

adopting ‘whole life’ and ‘whole system’ 

approaches. 

As a rule of thumb, the softer the 

issue, the harder the task. The toughest 

of them all is ‘culture change’, especially 

encouraging staff to let go of their tried 

and trusted ways in favour of adopting the 

new approaches. 

e-learning tends to be the fastest and 

most efficient way of giving staff the 

knowledge they’ll need while workshops 

and on-the-job assignments give them the 

confidence to put their new competences 

into practice. 

4. Business drivers for AM in FM 

Ask yourself the question: 

Asset Life Cycle Diagram – ©Asset Wisdom 

FACILITIES 29


5. Benefits of AM 

The Institute of Asset Management’s (IAM’s) ‘Anatomy’ 

document states the benefits of AM as… 

n “...higher performance; lower costs; greater consistency; 

increased confidence and credibility; happier customers, 

staff and regulators and more sustainable outcomes. 

n “..a significant re-engagement of the workforce, 

a breaking down of inter-departmental barriers 

and a collective, well-motivated commitment 

to delivering better value-for-money”. 

7. Wherever you start, key attributes include... 

Senior management recognise that... 

n ...an AM mindset needs to permeate the organisation 

n ...achieving the collective mine-shift to AM is possible 

n ...implementation will change ‘how 

we work around here’. 

Everyone... 

n ...has a part to play in making it happen 

n ...is free to work in multi-disciplinary groupings. 

Learning is seen as... 

n ...a precondition to making it happen 

n ...providing people with confidence and competence 

n ...knowledge sharing and the free movement of people. 

Communication... 

n ...starts at the top and runs through the organisation 

n ...reinforces the benefits to staff and clients. 

Staff retention 

With ‘recruiting & retaining top talent’ being 

crucial in FM, the “...re-engagement of the 

workforce” may be the most important benefit. 

Sodexo have certainly found so. Case Study 

8. Conclusion 

The demand for Asset Management as a key 

part of FM is becoming common place. 

The new ISO55k set of Standards provides the 

framework for FM companies to meet the demand and 

there’s lots of help available for navigating the journey. 

Successful implementation requires a recognition that 

it calls for a cultural change as well as process change. 

The key is to build knowledge and confidence in staff 

in order to inform and empower them. Early adopters 

have learned this and are reaping rich rewards. 

9. Sources of useful information 

1. BSI: http://www.bsigroup.com/en-GB/ 

search-results/?q=Asset+Management 

2. The IAM: https://theiam.org 

3. Asset Wisdom: www.asset-wisdom.com 

4. http://www.asset-wisdom.com/ 

clients/case-study-sodexo/ 

10. Free ‘Introduction to ISO 55000’ 

Contact us for a free login to our ‘Introduction to ISO 

55000’ module. 

6. The IAM’s 6 levels of AM maturity 

Levels 

The organisation is... 

1. Innocent ...learning about the importance of AM 

2. Aware ...aware of and starting to apply AM 

3. Developing ...developing & embedding AM activities 


AM activities are... 

4. Competent ...being integrated across the business 

5. Effective ...embedded and becoming effective 

6. Excellent ...continuously improved, optimising whole 

life value. 

June and Chris were instrumental in helping Sodexo embed AM. 

June has a learning and FM background while Chris has been in AM for 

years. 

Contact: 01937 222 126 / june@asset-wisdom.com / 

www.asset-wisdom.com 

30 FACILITIES

Time to Choose… 

Why do so many facilities managers choose Dyno-Pest 

for pest control and pest prevention? 

● Our focus is on delivering value and 

a ROI through effective and discreet 

environmentally responsible pest 

prevention, pest proofing and 

specialist pest-consultancy. 

All day. Every day. 

● We ensure you comply with 

all relevant health and safety 

legislation. 

● We work to your Key Performance 

Indicators and Service Level 

Agreements. 

● We become a trusted and reliable 

part of your team and have many 

years’ experience working with high 

profile clients in the FM sector. 

“As an accredited, experienced and trusted pest control 

and pest prevention company we protect your image and 

reputation and the occupants of the buildings you manage. 

Pest control is a small financial outlay but it delivers a clear 

ROI when you select the right company.” 

Ralph Izod, Dyno-Pest Founder and Managing Director. 

Arrange a site survey now 

Contact the Dyno-Pest team on 020 7582 9241, 

helpdesk@dynopest.co.uk www.dynopest.co.uk 

Dyno-Pest is a member of


Is now the time to resurface 

your concrete floor? 

By Chris Budd, 

Watco 

I 

f it’s your responsibility to make 

the call between temporary 

repairs and a complete 

resurfacing of your facility’s floors, how do 

you decide which is the right option for you? 

Floors take constant abuse, especially 

in buildings where heavy machinery 

is in regular use and motorised 

vehicles such as forklifts are driving 

across the floor on a steady basis. It’s 

inevitable that your concrete floor will 

sustain some damage over time. 

Consider the extent of the damage 

or wear and tear on your floor. If you’re 

seeing only a few hairline cracks here and 

there, a concrete crack repair product 

such as Fine Crack Filler is probably 

enough for you at this point in time. 

If you are noticing cracks wider than 

0.5cm and a few centimetres deep 

in your floors, that’s indicative of a 

bigger issue. Concrete resurfacing is 

probably required in the near future. 

You certainly have the option of using a 

filler or patch on these areas, but before 

you do so, consider the age of your 

floor and the extent of the damage. 

You can expect a concrete floor to last 

around 20-30 years depending on how 

much of the floor is used, so if your floor 

is nearing old age, you should consider 

the pros and cons of resurfacing your 

concrete floor. Any patching you do at 

this point will only temporarily fix your 

problem, and it will affect the look of 

your floor if there are already patches 

from previous repairs showing. 

Once a concrete floor is reaching the end 

of its anticipated lifespan, any additional 

patches you make are not necessarily 

going to be worth the effort. New problems 

will inevitably arise just as soon as the 

existing ones have been taken care of. 

This is when you should plan to entirely 

resurface your concrete floor. Make sure 

your floor is clean and free of any loose 

material, using a stiff broom is typically 

sufficient. After application of primers 

immediately mix and apply the concrete 

resurfacer using the spiked roller to pop 

any air bubbles that may have developed. 

Let the floor stand free of foot traffic 

for 6 hours and forklift traffic 24 hours. 

The real cost of concrete resurfacing 

If you are ready to start your concrete 

resurfacing project, you will need to 

consider the cost and how to budget for 

the project. 

Concrete resurfacing products 

– typical pricing 

A lot will of course depend on the size of 

your floor and the materials you decide to 

use, as well as the condition the floor is in 

before you start your project. The surface 

area covered will depend on the product 

you use, 25kg of a pourable resurfacing 

product will cover approximately 

3.75m 2 of your floor at 3mm thick. 

32 FACILITIES

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With CBRE, you benefit from the very best account management and technical services delivery alongside the 

personal, tailored approach you need from your local partner. 

Our facilities management services include: operations and maintenance management building services 

including reception, catering, mail room, security, pest control and landscaping critical environment services 

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FACILITIES 33

Just an FM company? 

ISO55000 

dominate 

or die 

Or do you manage assets 

to international Standards 

asset-wisdom.com 

! 

asset wisdom 

empowerment


Hidden costs of concrete resurfacing 

The cost of the concrete resurfacer 

isn’t the only cost you will incur. Make 

sure to plan the project and make a list 

of everything you need to do before 

and after the resurfacing project. 

Below is a list of some additional 

equipment you might need. 

n Power washer – your concrete 

floor needs to be cleaned well 

before resurfacing begins to 

remove dirt and debris. 

n Concrete crack repair products – before 

you start your concrete resurface 

project, you will need to fill in any 

cracks that already exist in your floor 

using a product like a fine crack filler. 

n Grinder or shotblaster – just before 

you start resurfacing, you will need 

to rough up your floor to make it 

easier for your concrete resurfacer 

to bond strongly to the floor. 

n Brush, trowel, and spiked roller – don’t 

forget the tools you will need for 

applying your resurfacer. You will 

apply your primer (which you also 

need to purchase if your chosen 

resurfacer does not include it) with a 

brush and apply your resurfacer with 

a trowel. Your spiked roller releases 

any air trapped within the resurfacer 

and makes the finish look its best. 

n Spiked shoes – while not a necessity, 

spiked shoes will make it easier 

for you to navigate over your newly 

resurfaced floor without leaving 

footprints before it dries. 

n Sealant – a good sealant such as 

Universal Sealer Dustproofer will 

protect your newly resurfaced floor 

and make it easy to clean. 

Keep this list in mind when planning your 

concrete resurfacing project and you can 

be sure you won’t be caught off guard with 

additional expenses you didn’t plan for. 

If you have resurfaced your concrete 

floor, the next thing to consider is 

which paint or coating is the most 

suitable for your premises. 

Industrial epoxy floor coating 

vs. concrete floor paint 

If you are deciding between an industrial 

epoxy floor coating and a simple concrete 

paint it can sometimes be difficult 

to determine what the differences 

truly are when terms get misused. 

What is epoxy floor coating? 

Epoxy involves two components: 

epoxy resin and a polyamine hardener. 

These two components must be kept 

separate and then mixed just before 

use to create the epoxy floor coating. 

Epoxy coatings cure instead of dry to 

provide an extremely tough and durable 

surface to floors. Depending on the 

quality of the epoxy product, it can offer 

very reliable resistance to staining, 

scratching, and even chemical spills, 

making it safer and easier to clean. 

What is concrete floor paint? 

Concrete floor paint contains minimal 

epoxy. It is a modified polyurethane 

paint which is hard wearing, oil resistant 

and produces a mid-gloss finish. 

Concrete Floor Paint allows for the easy 

removal of dust, dirt, oil and grease. 

Why the confusion? 

The confusion happens because some 

floor paint does contain minimal amounts 

of epoxy to make it more durable and 

adhesive. However, the inclusion of bits 

of epoxy does not make a paint become 

an epoxy product. So be aware of the 

properties of both types of products when 

you’re making your decision, and think 

about what your floor will be used for. 

If you run a factory where hazardous 

materials have the potential to be spilled 

a floor paint is not going to protect your 

floor from damage or your workers from 

exposure in the event of an emergency. 

On the other hand, if you have a 

showroom where minimal activity 

other than foot traffic occurs, epoxy 

floor coat might be more than you need 

and a simple coat of paint could be 

plenty to brighten up your space. 


Watco is the UK’s leading 

manufacturer and direct supplier 

of decorative and industrial floor 

coatings, repair and anti slip 

products. In business since 1927, 

all Watco products are designed, 

developed and manufactured inhouse 

by the company’s own team 

of chemists, technical advisors 

and production specialists. All 

manufacturing is conducted in the 

UK making Watco uniquely placed 

to guarantee all elements of the 

company’s products and service – 

including ISO 9001 Certification, 

a recognised standard for quality 

management. 

Watco offers a wide range 

of over 65 specialist coatings, 

concrete repair materials and 

anti-slip products for floors, 

steps and ramps to ensure that 

any workplace remains as safe 

as possible. With over 35,000 

customers, they include large 

commercial organisations, local 

authorities and schools, architects 

and contractors of all sizes. 

To discuss your concrete floor 

refurbishment, call Watco on 

01483 418 418. 

FACILITIES 35


Pest control – 

grudge purchase or staunch ally of your brand? 

By Ralph Izod, Dyno-Pest 

T 

he rise of social networking sites such as Twitter 

has led companies to adopt a more proactive 

approach to customer care, customer well-being 

and, customer complaints. One tweet accompanied by 

an image as ‘evidence’ of a person’s unhappiness with 

a business can be seen by many and it can attract the 

attention of editors and journalists. An unhappy client 

posting an image of a pest in a building they occupy is the 

stuff editors dream of and facilities managers dread. A 

clear break down in the pest control policy is now laid bare 

for the world to see. And, in the process of social sharing 

and media exposure, the brand is tarnished; sometimes 

significantly damaged if swift corrective action is not taken. 

Despite this, some facilities managers can sometimes 

look upon pest control as a grudge purchase; a commodity 

service with the contract offered to the lowest bidder. 

It’s not uncommon for the task of finding a pest control 

company to be given to a larger service supplier who in a 

bid to be competitive will make price the dominant factor 

in their decision making process. Alas this can store up 

trouble further down the line when the low price pales 

into insignificance. Pest outbreaks, the consequence of 

low service levels and inadequate technician inspections 

begin a cycle that ends in much higher costs. 

Far from being a grudge purchase, with the lowest 

bidder bagging the spoils, an effective well-managed 

pest control and pest prevention programme will add 

significant value to a facilities manager’s portfolio. 

n Compared to many other services, pest control is a 

relatively small item of expenditure. Crucially it delivers 

a ROI by minimising or eliminating the disruption caused 

by pest infestations. Why risk losing a contract? 

n Good quality pest control keeps clients 

happy, makes your life easier and helps build a 

‘longer life’ into your client relationships. 

n Working with your pest control company, occupants 

can benefit from best practice training in how to 

minimise the likelihood of an outbreak of pests through 

their own behaviour and so help keep pests out. 

n Brand protection. Pest control and pest prevention is 

an important part of the armour of your brand. That 

said, failure to find the right pest control company; 

one with an unrelenting focus on pest prevention 

can lead to significant disruption – a negative 

drain on your time and your client relationship. 

n With the right pest control company in place your 

buildings can be future proofed as far as is possible 

from pest infestations especially when the problem 

originates from neighbouring properties. In the 

Greater London area for example the landscape is 

one of constant change - demolition, refurbishment 

and new build. These changes displace pests, sending 

them to neighbouring buildings. If they are not 

adequately proofed and serviced it’s open season. 

How to choose the right pest control company for the 

buildings you manage 

So, what criteria should you use to select a pest control 

company? 

n Check they’re Members of the British Pest Control 

Association, also accredited by Constructionline, 

Chas, Altius and Safecontractor for example. These 

‘symbols’ demonstrate their professionalism, 

expertise, experience and crucially their 

understanding of the legislation relevant to you. 

n What does their infrastructure comprise of? 

One man and his van is unlikely to provide the 

support – administration back up, technician team, 

service reports and customer service you need. 

n How many technicians – feet on the beat, 

do they employ locally to you? 

n How long have they been in business? Pest control 

is an incredibly complex subject. The curve of 

experience, knowing the right treatment to use and 

how to treat a building with a number of different 

pests at varying levels of infestation is crucial. 

n What breadth of services do they offer? A pest 

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38 FACILITIES


n 

n 

n 

n 

n 

n 

control company should offer specialist consultancy 

services, professional proofing against pest entry, 

sanitisation and chemical free treatments. They 

should demonstrate experience preventing and 

treating all pests in challenging situations. 

With a growing number of pesticides being removed 

from use, choosing a pest control company 

that just relies upon poisons, spraying and fire 

fighting pest outbreaks has become outdated. 

Ensure the provider of pest management and pest 

prevention services can work to your KPIs and SLAs. 

Do they offer online reporting with additional useful 

information built in to the reporting system as standard? 

All technician reports should be available online so 

you can see the service history of the building and the 

specific issues that have arisen with the measures taken. 

Can they demonstrate an up-to-date knowledge of 

health and safety legislation and how this impacts on 

your duty of care to occupants and their visitors? 

Do they provide a detailed site survey of each one of your 

buildings as standard at proposal or mobilisation stages? 

Can the one company effectively look after every 

building you manage? Whilst each building requires its 

own bespoke pest control and pest prevention policy, 

it is usually beneficial for one company to provide 

a service to the same high consistent standard. 

How do you get started? 

When you have checked out the company the next stage 

is a site survey. This can cover one of the buildings 

you manage or several. It helps if you can ensure your 

maintenance and housekeeping teams are aware of 

the date of the survey visit. The surveyor should be 

allowed access to all of the building. This is imperative to 

identify if the building is adequately pest proofed and to 

determine any infestation in hard to reach areas. If you 

have an existing contract let them know what it covers 

and any historical or current problems with pests. 

Incidentally the surveyor should be there to 

survey the building, not to sell to you! 

What should a robust survey include? 

n Details of the areas of the building surveyed, 

any infestation found or otherwise. 

n Assessment of proofing already in place, its 

effectiveness and any recommended further proofing. 

n If pest consultancy is recommended, why and what. 

n Any legislation currently being breached. 

n The recommended frequency of technician 

inspections and what they will be doing beyond 

for example replenishing bait boxes. 

n What is not included in the contract? 

n Itemisation of the cost of any one off recommended 

treatment, proofing and the ongoing contract. 

In short, the survey should clearly explain the status 

quo, the pest control, proofing and pest prevention 

you need for the building, why and the cost. 

From Proposal to Mobilisation 

Whilst the survey is important in selecting a pest 

control company the ongoing service is important. 

They should be offering the following: 

n Consistent engineers delivering a 

consistently high service. 

n Good ongoing communication with the people 

in your building, your team and yourself. 

n Good reporting – in depth, for audit trail purposes. 

n A proactive approach – identifying problems 

before anyone in your building is even aware of 

them. This will prevent issues and save money. 

n The capability to resolve any existing infestations, 

swiftly, effectively and discreetly. 

n Advice and training when it is needed. An 

experienced and responsible pest control company 

should work with you to provide fact sheets for 

all occupants on the part they can play, not just 

in improving their own behaviour but, also in 

identifying the first signs of a pest infestation. 

Facilities managers can benefit significantly from a 

pest control company, with a clear ROI for a small outlay, 

satisfied tenants leading to long term, mutually beneficial 

relationships, brand protection and buildings effectively 

managed 365 days a year. It’s down to you to ensure you 

select the right company to protect every building you 

manage from the very real threat of pest infestations. 


Dyno-Pest provides pest prevention, specialist pest control and 

Integrated Pest Management to high profile clients and businesses in 

the UK including many leading FM companies. Accreditations include 

BPCA membership, Altius, Safecontractor, Chas and Constructionline. 

Headed by founder Ralph Izod and based in London, the company is 

renowned for its effective, environmentally responsible treatments. 

Pest entry points are tracked and proofed and any pre-existing 

infestations eradicated swiftly. Online access to pest control reports 

enables you to see what has been accomplished at each technician 

visit. Dyno-Pest technicians will skilfully and discreetly treat any pest 

infestation and protect your buildings from further infestation. 

FACILITIES 39


Fire risk assessments 

A high proportion of fire safety 

prosecutions include breaches involving 

fire risk assessments, yet there is no legal 

requirement for assessors to be competent. 

Howard Passey examines this thorny issue 

T 

he Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 

[FSO] in England and Wales, and similar legislation 

in Scotland and Northern Ireland, requires that for 

the vast majority of premises, (excluding private dwellings), 

a fire risk assessment must be carried out to determine 

the risks to those who may be affected by a fire on a 

premises and the measures required to ensure their safety. 

The assessment also informs the precautions required. 

However, legislation does not require the fire risk 

assessment to be undertaken by a competent person – 

in order to avoid an implication that every duty holder 

needs to employ the services of a fire safety specialist. 

The series of sector specific guidance produced by the 

government in England and Wales (and similarly in Scotland) 

to support the legislation explains that they were developed 

to help the duty holder carry out a fire risk assessment in 

less complex premises and that in more complex premises, 

advice should be sought from a competent person or the 

assessment undertaken by someone who has comprehensive 

training or experience in fire risk assessment. 

Fire service data in England indicates that the main 

reason for failure to comply with legal obligations, leading 

to enforcement action, is that duty holders fail to carry out 

a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment. Added to 

this problem is the emergence of evidence of inadequate 

fire risk assessments in premises that have suffered 

multiple fatality fires. Similarly, Warren Spencer in his 

article 100 Fire Prosecutions Analysed for IFSEC Global 

highlights that in 85% of cases, the charges included 

an alleged breach involving fire risk assessments. 

So what issues influence the decision regarding whether 

to use a consultant in favour of undertaking the fire risk 

assessment ‘in-house’? 

In-house assessors 

In the case of smaller organisations, it is arguably 

more appropriate for the fire risk assessment to be 

carried out by the responsible person or someone in 

their employment using the appropriate government 

guide to assist (the guides are occupancy specific). 

It is unlikely in such cases that this person will have 

detailed and specialist fire safety knowledge or experience; 

but on the plus side, they will know the business – the 

premises, activities carried out there and managerial 

arrangements – which does provide significant benefit. 

Similarly, in carrying out the assessment, they will develop a 

better understanding of, and be better able to manage, the 

fire risks to which persons on the premises are exposed. 

Therefore, although there is the potential that they 

will overlook some matters that a more skilled fire risk 

assessor would identify, if they carry out the assessment 

with reasonable commitment, it is unlikely that it will 

result in significant risk to occupants. In addition, 

the responsible person (or duty holder in Scotland) is 

far more likely to pay attention to the findings of the 

assessment having completed it themselves, which 

may provide sufficient compensation for any minor 

shortcomings in their fire risk assessment skills. 

To ensure that an employee working for a smaller 

organisation is capable of carrying out the fire risk 

assessment satisfactorily, it may be sufficient for 

them to complete a simple training course. 

External consultant 

At the other end of the scale, many larger organisations 

employ one or possibly more fire safety professionals. In 

such cases, they may act as both the fire risk assessor and 

competent person (appointed to assist the duty holder 

in undertaking the preventative and protective measures 

that are identified as a result of the fire risk assessment). 

Although many businesses may have one or more 

competent persons who are appropriate to assist in 

ensuring that the organisation meets the requirements of 

the legislation, they may not have the requisite competence 

or resources to carry out the fire risk assessments 

themselves. Consider the example of a larger organisation 

spread across numerous sites, but with potentially only 

a small team of people to cover health and safety and 

fire safety issues. In these situations, the responsible 

person will often look to appoint a suitably qualified 

fire risk assessor, or alternatively provide existing 

personnel with additional training to hone their skills. 

In such a circumstance, it is absolutely essential that the 

40 FACILITIES


person is specifically skilled and, of course, competent. 

This is important because if the risk assessment turns 

out to be so lacking that those at work in the premises are 

left at serious risk in the event of fire, then not only will 

the assessor be liable under both criminal and civil law, 

but also potentially the person who appointed the fire risk 

assessor. Hence, the responsible person must without fail 

ensure the competency of any appointed fire risk assessor. 

Relevant knowledge 

In order to carry out a fire risk assessment competently, 

it is necessary for the fire risk assessor to have a good 

underpinning knowledge and/or understanding of: 

n the causes of fire 

n the means for prevention of fire 

n the principles of fire safety 

n the design of fire protection measures 

n the behaviour of fire in buildings 

n the behaviour of people in fire 

We could look in detail at the factors that may need to 

be considered when reflecting on an external consultant’s 

competency prior to their appointment – there are now 

industry-wide criteria against which the competence 

of a fire risk assessor can be judged. But it may be 

simpler and potentially more appropriate to consult one 

of the professional bodies or third party certification 

bodies that register or certificate fire risk assessors 

and that will have used these criteria in developing 

new or augmenting existing registration schemes. 

While legislative requirements for competence do 

exist, they are aimed not at the fire risk assessor, but at 

individuals with specific responsibilities – for instance, 

those designated to use firefighting measures provided 

on a premises or to support/implement emergency 

actions such as evacuation in the event of fire. 

However, legislation can be less than helpful in 

defining what is meant by competent, with the FSO 

for example, citing someone with ‘sufficient training 

and experience or knowledge and other qualities’. 

Extended responsibility 

Legislation also extends the arm of ‘responsibility’ to 

those who have any kind of obligation in relation to 

the maintenance or repair of any premises, including 

anything in or on premises, or the safety of any premises. 

Hence for those engaged in managing a premises on 

behalf of the owner (managing agents), system design, 

installation, servicing and maintenance of any fire 

safety feature (be it an active or passive system) can 

be called to account if their work proves to be faulty or 

substandard. Therefore, this is a further responsibility 

on both the employer and contractor to ensure that 

those undertaking such work are competent to do so. 

If it is your responsibility to appoint the fire risk assessor 

or specify a system, materials and/or appoint the installation 

contractor, it is also your responsibility to ensure that they 

can prove competency for the work they are undertaking. 

David Liu, who ran the Dial Hotel and the Market 

Inn, both in Market Place, Mansfield, was jailed for 

eight months and ordered to pay £15,000 costs after 

pleading guilty to 15 offences under the FSO. 

John O’Rourke, was also jailed for eight months and 

ordered to pay £5,862, after pleading guilty to two breaches 

of fire safety requirements in relation to the inadequacy 

of fire risk assessments he provided for the two hotels. 

Fire protection officers from Nottinghamshire 

Fire and Rescue Service had visited both premises 

and found that the fire precautions that should 

have been provided to protect residents and 

employees in the event of a fire were inadequate. 

Gaining competence 

There is generally no single prescribed route to 

competence in any field or discipline and this applies 

not only in the fire risk assessment arena, but also in fire 

safety system design, installation and maintenance. 

In the fire safety and fire risk assessment fields, the 

requirements for competence do not depend on the 

achievement of any specific qualification – albeit that 

formal training will contribute to the competence mix – 

rather, it will result from a combination of education, training 

and experience. 

As already highlighted, the simplest and safest route to 

choosing a competent fire risk assessor is probably through 

consulting a register of fire risk assessors maintained by an 

independent professional or third party certification body. 

For example, the NSI Gold Award for registration to BAFE 

SP205 or another independent third party certification body 

such as BRE/LPCB, Warrington Certification or BAFE. 


Howard Passey is senior consultant at the Fire Protection Association 

and provides fire risk assessment consultancy and training. To contact 

him email technical@thefpa.co.uk 

FACILITIES 41


A common sense approach to 

workplace appliance safety testing 

Amy Lyons of Seaward looks at the 

importance of maintaining the safety of 

electrical appliances in the workplace 

T 

here is a great deal of evidence that the periodic 

inspection and testing of portable electrical 

equipment saves lives and prevents fires that 

may otherwise have caused injuries, loss of life and 

serious damage to business premises and workplaces. 

In this respect, the Electricity At Work Regulations 

1989, along with the HSE Memorandum of Guidance 

and successive IET Codes of Practice, have consistently 

provided sound advice based on industry experience and 

the electrical safety needs of the business community. 

Although nowhere in the EAWR 1989 is there a specific 

requirement for the testing of electrical equipment, there 

is an onus on the dutyholder to ensure that equipment in 

the workplace is maintained so as to prevent danger. 

It is this requirement that has introduced the implied need 

for periodic inspection and testing; without such actions, the 

inference is that the dutyholder will be unable to establish 

the potential dangers posed by faulty or unsafe equipment. 

For those facilities managers with responsibility for 

workplace safety, planned and proactive measures 

must therefore be able to detect potential problems 

with appliances before they occur and this is the 

role of preventative maintenance programmes. 

Importantly, in the event of electrical accidents, 

property damage or personal injury occurring, 

portable appliance testing (PAT) can demonstrate a 

responsible and diligent approach towards safety that 

may subsequently be required by the HSE, employers, 

insurance companies and other interested parties. 

A proportionate response 

Combined inspection and testing measures should be 

appropriate to the particular risk posed by equipment 

and its user environment. For example, smaller offices 

or workplaces with only a few electrical appliances, 

and a staff of limited technical ability, might be 

regarded as relatively low risk environments. Here a 

responsible attitude might be regarded as a regular 

process of formal user checks and visual inspection, 

combined with some limited periodic testing. 

A different view might need to be taken by a large 

organisation, with different departments and many 

types of electrical equipment being used by staff. In this 

case, ensuring the safety of appliances may not only be a 

matter of ensuring the correct test equipment is available, 

but also having the ability to show that the right tests 

have been performed at the right time in the correct 

sequence – with adequate records of testing and results. 

To meet this need continuous technical 

innovation has ensured that portable appliance test 

instrumentation has kept pace with the changing 

needs of everyone who has a responsibility for 

ensuring the safe use of electrical equipment. 

The evolution of PAT science 

Over the years, PAT instrumentation has evolved to make 

testing faster, more efficient and cost effective for 

those involved. All of this has been achieved without any 

compromise to the integrity of the testing being undertaken. 

The demand for in-service electrical appliance testers was 

initially met by two distinct types of PAT. At the basic level 

were relatively simple to operate pass/fail checkers capable 

of carrying out fundamental tests to provide an immediate 

‘go/no go’ display. For more demanding applications more 

sophisticated testers were available that incorporated a 

greater range of tests and the ability to store and download 

test data into PC based record keeping systems. 

Over the years the differentiation between these two 

types of PAT tester has closed. Specialist apps have 

provided manual testers with some record keeping 

capability and now all portable appliance testers have much 

greater functionality with the ability to link to specialist 

accessories for more comprehensive testing. In particular, 

lightweight, battery powered testers have further improved 

portability and reduced the downtime between tests. 

The availability of more sophisticated technology 

has also increased the testing abilities of PATs. For 

example, as well as the basic electrical safety tests, the 

latest generation testers have the ability to test 3 phase 

equipment, test RCD trip times, provide different options 

for insulation test voltages, incorporate the testing 

42 FACILITIES


of fixed appliances and utilise specialist test currents 

for reliable and accurate earth continuity testing. 

The introduction of barcode labelling of products with 

automatic recognition of test protocols is also an established 

time saving feature, along with Bluetooth connectivity 

of test accessories such as safety label printers. 

In the latest instruments, advanced PAT testers 

also now have a built in risk assessment tool to assess 

a variety of different workplace hazards and enable 

corrective actions to be planned and documented easily. 

Building on this theme, for complete traceability, 

high quality images taken during risk assessments and 

visual inspections can now be taken with an integrated 

camera built-in to the PAT tester. As a result, formal 

visual evidence of all workplace health and safety 

inspections can be recorded and tagged against 

inspection records as user checks are carried out. 

The value of record keeping 

Although there is no formal requirement in the EAWR 

1989 to keep records of equipment and of inspections 

and tests, the HSE Memorandum of Guidance (HSR25) 

advises that records of maintenance including test results 

should be kept throughout the working life of equipment. 

Software controlled record systems enable ‘realtime’ 

records to be maintained, which are easily 

amended and updated. This enables new equipment 

to be added and the movement of equipment 

from one location to another to be tracked. 

To meet this need, improvements in dedicated PAT 

management software have allowed records to be 

updated automatically, test reports and certificates to be 

produced and advance test schedules to be generated. 

PAT programs used for asset management purposes 

in this way can search through equipment records 

very easily and display the test details significantly 

faster than making changes to a manual system – 

reducing the chances of mistakes being made. 

All round safety management 

The versatility of modern electrical test technology means 

that PAT testing routines can also be effectively linked to 

more general workplace health and safety inspections and 

assessments. 

This is illustrated in an example from HM Winchester 

Prison, where advanced portable appliance test 

instrumentation is helping the technical facilities 

management team fulfil a range of essential health and 

safety responsibilities. 

Here, following the transfer of facilities management 

services at a number of HM prisons to Carillion, the 

focal point of the prison’s health and safety inspection 

and testing programme is the multi-purpose PAT tester, 

supported by a sophisticated software program. 

To meet its health and safety responsibilities, the team 

at Winchester has established rigorous inspection and 

testing procedures to ensure that all prison equipment and 

systems remain safe for use by both staff and prisoners. 

Importantly, as well as the safety of all electrical 

equipment and appliances used on the prison 

site, this includes the regular testing of water 

systems for Legionnaires disease, the condition 

of emergency lighting and fire alarm panels. 

As part of the safe systems of work established 

in the prison, the instrument is used to produce 

bar codes to identify and test all individual 

electrical appliances and other items of equipment 

included in the health and safety inspections. 

As well as electrical equipment and appliances, 

this includes water tanks and emergency lighting 

system components, so that the correct data and 

records are stored automatically against each 

item as inspection and testing is undertaken. 

Jeff Foster, FM services manager for Carillion 

at HMP Winchester, said: “With the huge variety of 

equipment and appliances in use in the prison, there 

is a considerable time saving in being able to identify 

items, carry out tests, record results and make any 

notes as part of a fully streamlined process. 

“Having all non-electrical inspections alongside the 

results of traditional PAT tests, in the same system 

and in the same format, also means that reports and 

certificates can be produced quickly and easily.” 

In this way, continuous PAT test innovation, with a 

common sense approach at the centre of technology 

improvements, means that adequate safety measures 

can be effectively maintained in all workplaces without 

the imposition of an overly excessive test regime. 


Amy Lyons is Applications Engineer for portable appliance test 

equipment in the test and measurement division of Seaward, a market 

leading supplier of electrical safety testing technology. Seaward’s PAT 

instruments, accessories and software have been specifically designed 

to meet the needs of electrical safety dutyholders in all workplaces. 

Details at www.seaward.co.uk 

FACILITIES 43


Automatic fire 

suppression systems 

By George Phillips, 

Gemini Fire Management Systems 

Overview 

Automatic fire suppression systems control and extinguish 

fires without human intervention. Examples of automatic 

systems include fire sprinkler systems, watermist systems, 

gaseous fire suppression and condensed aerosol fire 

suppression. When fires are extinguished in the early stages 

loss of life is minimal since 93% of all fire-related deaths 

occur once the fire has progressed beyond the early stages. 

Today there are numerous types of automatic fire 

suppression systems and standards for each system. 

Systems are as diverse as the many applications. In general, 

however, automatic fire suppression systems fall into two 

categories: engineered and pre-engineered systems. 

Engineered fire suppression systems are design specific and 

most commonly used for larger installations where the 

system is designed for a particular application. Examples 

include large marine and land vehicle applications, server 

rooms, public and private buildings, industrial paint 

lines, dip tanks and electrical switch rooms. Engineered 

systems use a number of gaseous or solid agents with 

many of them being specifically formulated. Some are 

even stored as a liquid and discharged as a gas. 

Pre-engineered fire suppression systems use pre-designed 

elements to eliminate the need for engineering work 

beyond the original product design. Typical industrial 

solutions use a wet or dry chemical agent, such as potassium 

carbonate or mono ammonium phosphate (MAP), to 

protect relatively smaller spaces such as distribution 

boards, battery rooms, engine bays, wind turbines, 

hazardous goods and other storage areas. A number of 

residential designs have also emerged that typically 

employ water mist and target retrofit applications. 

Watermist fire suppression systems 

Watermist fire suppression systems for commercial and 

residential low-hazard occupancies 

Watermist fire protection systems are fire suppression 

systems that have emerged as an alternative fire 

safety solution for specific applications over 

the past few decades and they are suitable for 

commercial and residential occupancies. 

A watermist system, when activated, will discharge 

a spray of water droplets from a nozzle or nozzles. The 

sizes of watermist droplets will be typically smaller than 

those discharged by traditional sprinkler systems. 

Some systems are linked to a panel whilst others use 

a break glass, fused links or other mechanical means of 

operation. 

A major benefit of a watermist system over a sprinkler 

system is that typically on watermist systems the 

amount of water required to suppress a fire is greatly 

reduced from a sprinkler system and will not have such 

a damaging effect on a building when operated. 

Watermist systems suppress fires by cooling, wetting 

and local oxygen displacement by the conversion 

of water droplets into steam in the flame zone. 

The LPCB are currently writing new standards and 

are undergoing constant testing on various systems. 

The tests on all watermist systems are ongoing at 

various sites including the burn centre at the BRE 

in Watford UK and a current standard being used is 

BS8458-2015 which has developed from the 2010 

draft DD8489 for industrial and commercial systems. 

There are both low pressure and high pressure water 

systems. Low pressure typically uses less water and does 

not require expensive high pressure pumps but the nozzle 

spacing is critical as with the high pressure systems. 

The water is either taken directly from a mains water 

supply on a low pressure system using a pump or supply 

from a tank. 

High pressure systems tend to require a tank as they 

require a higher flow rate. 

In the UK and elsewhere, watermist systems are 

increasingly considered and used for the fire protection of 

buildings, including offices, hotels and various commercial 

premises. 

There are smaller localised watermist systems that 

do not require a constant water main as they work on 

compressed air within a cylinder and technology to 

deliver the water via engineered nozzles. These are found 

mainly in kitchen systems and hand held extinguishers. 

There are now watermist kitchen systems available tested 

to LPCB approval and use no chemical extinguishant. 

44 FACILITIES

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Inert gas systems 

Inert gaseous systems that are used for protection of IT server 

rooms, EDP facilities and commercial properties that contain 

records or artwork. Can also be used on flammable liquids. 

Used for class A, B and electrical fires. 

Inert gas systems use inert gases to fill an area and 

therefore reduce the oxygen concentration to below 15% 

where most combustible materials will not burn. 

Inert gas is non-conductive therefore ideal for use with 

electrical or electronic items. 

Because inert gas systems do not remove all of the oxygen 

from an area it can be used in occupied spaces such as 

libraries or art galleries and is not deemed as hazardous to 

human life. 

Inert gas density is slightly higher than air so it provides 

excellent mixing upon discharge and increased retention 

times. 

The most common of the inert gases used are IG55 and 

IG541 although there are other mixes including IG100 and 

IG01 which are not commonly used. 

Inert gases are readily available in normal air and 

therefore the refilling costs are lower than alternative 

gaseous systems such as HFC227. 

There is no negative impact on the environment and is 

seen to be a green alternative and available worldwide. 

Chemical gas systems 

Chemical gas systems that are used for the protection of IT 

server rooms EDP facilities and commercial properties including 

air traffic control centres and railway signalling centres. 

Can also be used on flammable liquids. 

Used for a wide range of class A, B and electrical fires 

There are three main types of clean agent currently on the 

market. The most common clean agents are HFC227ea 

and Novec 1230. The other clean agent fire suppressant is 

HFC125, which we will not be mentioning in this article. 

HFC227ea is a clean agent and is not harmful to the ozone 

in its undischarged state. 

It is non-conductive and non-corrosive, ideal for server 

rooms and various electrical applications. 

As a result of reduced volumes of gas required for these 

systems, they are established as a space saving (area) 

alternative. 

Clean agent gas is colourless and odourless and is highly 

penetrating in the fire zone reducing the temperature 

dramatically to the point where combustion reactions 

cannot be sustained. There is also no clean up or residue 

after discharge. 

This gas is safe for occupied areas, has a low installation 

and maintenance cost and comes in relatively low pressured 

systems of 25 and 42 bar. 

HFC227ea is however covered under the F gas regulations 

and is due to have its usage reduced over the next few years. 

Novec 1230 fluid is a fluorinated ketone. Extinguishing via 

its cooling effect, Novec 1230 fluid works as a gas, yet it is a 

liquid at room temperature. Novec 1230 it is not transported 

under pressure and as a result, offers unique shipping and 

handling advantages over high pressure alternatives. 

Novec 1230 fluid systems allow for more efficient 

use of space compared to inert gas systems. 

CO 2 

systems 

Carbon dioxide systems are used for protecting Switch rooms, 

Engine test bays, CNC machining centres, paint spray booths, 

transformers, generators, turbines and flammable liquids. 

Carbon dioxide is about 1.5 times heavier than air 

but readily mixes in an enclosure to form a uniform 

concentration. It is colourless, odourless, non-conductive 

and does not produce a residue once discharged. 

Although CO 2 

is non-toxic at low concentration levels 

it becomes hazardous at high concentration levels 

and is therefore not suited for occupied areas. 

Kitchen systems 

Kitchen fire suppression systems are designed for kitchen 

cooker hood fire protection requirements and offer 

dedicated nozzles to cover risks such as cookers and 

deep fat fryers. There are two main types of approved 

Kitchen systems available; watermist and wet chemical. 

Most systems in the UK are designed to LPCB approval 

however, as watermist is becoming recognized as an 

alternative to a wet chemical suppression system, new 

tests are in progress and as a result, new standards 

established. Tests are carried out for both domestic 

and commercial kitchen suppression systems. 

Synopsis 

By definition, an automatic fire suppression system 

can operate without human intervention. 

To do so it must provide a means of detection, actuation 

and delivery. In many systems, detection is accomplished by 

mechanical or electrical means. 

Mechanical detection uses fusible-link or thermo-bulb 

detectors. These detectors are designed to separate at 

a specific temperature and release tension on a release 

mechanism. 

Electrical detection can be achieved by a number of 

solutions including but not limited to heat, optical, ASD and 

video detection. 

Remote and local manual operation is also possible. 

Actuation usually involves either a pressurized fluid and a 

release valve, or in some cases an electric pump. Delivery is 

accomplished by means of piping and nozzles. Nozzle design 

is specific to the agent used and coverage desired. 

FACILITIES 47

SECOM & Phosters (FM): 

An FM Security Case Study 

As one of the UK’s leading security providers, SECOM 

are used to working across a wide range of industries. 

Naturally, every one of these sectors comes with its own 

unique requirements and challenges, and none more so 

than facilities management. Tight deadlines and the need to 

maintain key relationships render it crucial to stay flexible, 

efficient and reliable. Recently facilities management firm 

Phosters (FM), who are known for providing maintenance 

and support services to both the public and private sectors, 

approached SECOM to help them protect the property of 

one of their clients. Having worked with SECOM previously 

Phosters (FM) knew SECOM had a solid understanding 

of how best to support them in protecting their client’s 

premises. 

A personalised security package 

After SECOM surveyed the building, a key landmark in the 

local area, it was clear that a personalised server based 

system was needed. 

New CCTV systems, access controls, intruder and fire 

alarms formed the basis of the new package, although 

an important part of the project was also working with 

the equipment already in place. Assessing this allowed 

SECOM to identify what additional products were needed, 

as well as those which no longer held any value. 

Recognising the need for a more connected approach 

to their security, the team made the decision to install an 

in-built safe communications room to hold all electrical 

equipment and data. This would work to reduce the risk of 

sensitive information being lost or stolen. 

Building for the future 

Something that became apparent very early on, 

was the need to upgrade the technology currently 

in place – not only to improve the quality of the 

systems implemented, but to make the best use of 

the client’s budget. As the project so much more 

than simply CCTV, it was SECOM’s mission to 

deliver a sub network of IT infrastructure. 

Thanks to the new infrastructure in place, they 

have since been able to install new cameras 

with HD display, providing greater clarity and 

further safeguarding the property. The safe 

communications room was also vital in adding in 

an extra layer of security. 

These actions proved worthwhile a week later 

when a break-in saw trespassers steal cameras 

along with the viewing platform. Fortunately, an 

oversight from the criminals meant they hadn’t 

realised that the footage was stored on the server, 

the addition of which enabled the client to recover 

the lost products and proceed with police inquiries. 

In an industry that doesn’t allow for teething 

problems, it pays to foresee problems that could 

come back to bite you. 

Fast and reliable installation 

In order for Phosters (FM) to maintain the strong 

relationship they enjoyed with their client, SECOM would 

need to work to tight timeframes, all whilst juggling last 

minute requests. 

From initial survey, through to installation and sign-off, 

the security experts were able to deliver the new server 

based system within five days. Beginning by removing 

old equipment no longer required, several engineers then 

worked intensely over the next few days to install the new 

systems; efforts that paid off when the new system was 

securely in place by the end of the week. 

SECOM’s multi-tasking abilities were put to the test, with 

some additional requests that demanded a fast turnaround. 

Orders for concrete blocks, a made-to-order product, were 

received, processed, delivered and fitted within 24 hours. 

In an industry that is often defined by over-complicated 

processes, keeping the procedure as swift and simple as 

possible was a priority. 

Cost-effective security 

When it comes to reducing costs and improving efficiency, 

Phosters (FM) has a reputation for providing measurable 

results. To ensure they retained this status, SECOM’s priority 

was to offer security solutions that were not only watertight, 

but as cost-effective as possible. 

As well as making the best use of the security equipment 

already in place, the team were keen to future-proof their 

new system, ensuring it delivered not only now but for 

years to come.

“Our Intelligent Camera Solution provides 

a proactive, cost effective alternative to 

traditional ‘after the event has happened’ 

reactive CCTV. Our Remote Video 

Response Centre (RVRC) operators have 

responded to numerous activations from 

Intelligent Camera systems installed, some 

of which has resulted in Police attendance 

and the apprehension of intruders.” 

Alan Blake, Sales and Marketign Director, Secom Plc 

• CCTV Retail Analytics • Video Management Systems/Integrated Systems 

• Retail Intelligence • Remote Managed Services • Lone Worker Protection 

03332 226 315

Technology 

Anti-fraud data controls 

will secure company profits 

By Anthony Pearlgood, 

Managing Director of 

Restore Datashred 

I 

s a lack of responsibility over 

information security putting 

UK businesses, large and small, 

at risk of fraud? Globally an estimated 

five percent of organisations’ annual 

revenue, amounting to billions of pounds 

each year, is lost to fraud, according 

to a recent study conducted by the 

Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. 

The fraudsters can take hold where 

a lack of data security exists due to 

either a firm’s casual approach to 

its responsibilities for protecting 

information or weak, ineffective antifraud 

controls that are already in place. 

In the UK, the central government bears 

the majority of public sector fraud costs. 

These are estimated at £30 billion per 

year while the private sector, including 

SMEs and large businesses, are hardest hit 

losing an estimated £144 billion a year 1 . 

Data security breaches expose 

organisations to employee fraud, 

management fraud, and fraud emanating 

from outside the organisation. Such 

breaches have a negative effect on 

the economy, cause financial loss to 

businesses, organisations and individuals, 

as well as causing distress amongst 

victims. 

Bearing in mind that the loss of revenue 

can also be compounded by heavy legal 

fines from the Information Commissioner’s 

Office (ICO), as well as other regulatory 

bodies, and add to this the fact that 

revenues may fall due to the loss of key 

customers and business partners, the 

need for firms to make data security a top 

priority becomes glaringly obvious. There 

is no point in businesses working hard 

to bring in sales if they are undermined 

by weak data security systems. 

Educating employees in good 

computer practices can play a critical 

role in a business’s overall cyber security 

strategy. However, a key danger point 

in the business information life-cycle 

is the disposal of brand identifiable 

items such as old documents, computer 

files, ID cards and uniforms. 

This type of information could 

potentially be used for fraudulent 

purposes if allowed into the wrong 

hands. It is imperative that data 

destruction is given as much gravitas 

in a company’s psyche as the 

management of operational data. 

Confidential data shredding on a 

professional scale offers an excellent 

solution for any business wishing to 

strengthen its anti-fraud controls. 

When choosing an appropriate 

provider it is advisable to source a 

business which meets with ISO 9001 

(Quality Management), ISO 14001 

(Environmental Management) and ISO 

27001(Information Security) standards, 

whilst having a data destruction process 

which is accredited to BS EN 15713. 

The Data Protection Act requires 

businesses and organisations to ensure 

that their data is secure at all times, 

including when it is no longer required. 

However, with identity theft and fraud 

on the rise it is clear that there are 

loopholes still being exploited. 

Fraudsters are keenly aware that UK 

businesses spend millions of pounds 

building and maintaining a brand. 

50 FACILITIES

Technology 

Uniforms, business cards, ID cards, 

letterhead and product samples are 

examples of items that attract their 

attention. A business identity is easy to 

steal once company assets, client lists and 

financial information has been obtained. 

Businesses need to take a fresh look at 

their systems and review them to see if 

they are physically and digitally secure 

enough to thwart any criminal plans. 

Firms are currently working with 

companies to offer secure services 

that capture, process, manage, retrieve, 

share and destroy when necessary, 

critical documents and information. 

Evidence shows that organisations which 

lacked anti-fraud controls suffered 

greater median losses – in fact they 

lost twice as much as those with robust 

controls and measures in place 2 . 

Employing a professional data 

management business is a reliable way 

of making sure that your data security 

is air-tight and ready to combat the 

fraudsters. It means that businesses have 

a bespoke, responsive service to take 

full care of their data protection issues. 

With the ICO being able to impose fines 

on businesses of up to £500,000 for 

serious breaches of the Data Protection 

Act, working with a data solutions 

organisation to improve anti-fraud 

controls makes total economic sense. 

Anything that identifies a person, 

or could be of interest to competitors 

or criminals, should be protected and 

securely disposed of when no longer 

required. Such confidential data comes 

in many forms including files, documents, 

forms, invoices, databases, employee 

records, letters and plans. With the 

advent of the digital age, many of these 

sources can be either physical or digital 

or both but all require safe management. 

Taking into account that more than 23% 

of occupational fraud cases resulted in 

a loss of at least half a million pounds 3 , 

then it makes good business sense to 

consider outsourcing the responsibility 

for information security to a specialist, 

professional organisation such as a data 

management company. The investment 

is likely to be an astute use of company 

funds and will not only provide support 

and guidance for management but allow 

them to focus on day-to-day issues, 

safe in the knowledge that key business 

information systems are secure. 

For example, a professional document 

destruction services should provide: 

n accreditation to EN15713 

security shredding standard 

n uniformed and security 

checked operatives 

n total Data Protection Act compliance 

n on-site shredding or off-site 

shredding at secure purposebuilt 

destruction centres 

n lockable cabinets to keep 

documents safe when still on-site 

n support for environmental targets such 

as recycling all paper once shredded 

n destruction of products, e-media, 

ID cards and uniforms 

Ensuring data protection controls 

are at an optimal level for current and 

future business purposes is essential 

to improving company profitability. 

Much is at stake, as under current GDPR 

legislation, all company directors are 

personally liable for the safekeeping and 

secure destruction of all documents and 

data which identify living individuals. 

When confidential material reaches 

the end of its life-cycle, large or small, 

public or private, business owners are 

particularly vulnerable to breaches 

in data security and risk financial 

damages and reputational losses as a 

result. Acting sooner rather than later 

to tighten information security and 

destruction in your organisation will pay 

dividends, of that there is no doubt. 

Sources 

1. Experian report – www.experian.co.uk 

2,3 AFCE’s Report the Nations on 

Occupational Fraud and Abuse 


For further information visit: 

www.restore.co.uk 

FACILITIES 51

FM in Action 

Professionalising 

facilities management 

By Dr Paul Wyton, 

Sheffield Hallam University 

T 

he rate at which an organisation must adapt 

to ensure it remains competitive is rapid 

and shows no signs of slowing down. 

Whether it is the development of technology, cloud 

computing, globalisation, climate change, diminishing 

resources or the competition for skills and talent, the 

demands on management are constantly changing. 

Adapting the estate and services to enable an 

organisation to be agile, connected and desirable, able 

to meet the demands of customers and stakeholders, 

while being compliant, is incredibly challenging. 

But it also presents a great opportunity for 

those responsible, the facilities managers, to 

demonstrate real value to the organisation. 

Facilities management as a business 

function is more important than ever. 

Facilities managers are increasingly being asked to 

take strategic decisions about estates management, 

supporting the introduction of new ways of working, 

and providing workspaces that are highly functional 

and motivating, as well as safe and compliant. 

In many organisations they also take responsibility 

for the delivery of many aspects of the sustainability 

agenda and organisational change. 

These are all strategic decisions that require great 

skill in the design and delivery, are often high risk 

and require significant resources. They are about 

meeting the fundamental needs of the organisation 

to be able to successfully achieve its purpose. 

To be successful in such an environment, facilities 

managers must possess a good understanding of 

their organisation’s objectives, understand what 

success looks like, and the facilities and services 

that enable those who work there to be effective. 

They should be able to communicate and listen, lead 

and respond, manage and accept change, and be able to 

operate in highly demanding commercial environments. 

On top of all of this, facilities managers need 

to be capable, well qualified, and respected as 

professional managers within the organisation. 

In order to produce facilities managers of 

this calibre there must be a professionalisation 

of the industry to help address a significant 

skills shortage in facilities management. 

The 2015 British Institute of Facilities Management 

(BIFM) business confidence monitor found that 47 per cent 

of those questioned cited skills shortages and 43 per cent 

cited recruiting and retaining staff as barriers to success. 

Simply put, there are insufficient managers with the 

right skills to meet the growing demands organisations 

will place on their facilities management functions. 

This skills shortage coupled with an ageing 

workforce presents a great challenge to the 

profession but also a great opportunity. 

Facilities management is a fantastic profession; 

it attracts bright and capable professionals from a 

diversity of backgrounds who often fall into facilities 

management roles by ‘accident’ via a range of routes. 

This perceived lack of a defined route for professional 

development provides great opportunities for rapid 

advancement within facilities management. 

The facilities manager can take responsibility for a 

huge range of activities, and will be constantly challenged 

to address novel problems. It is these characteristics 

of novelty, challenge and opportunity that attracts 

such enthusiastic and talented people to the role. 

Conversely, this lack of a clear definition of what 

facilities management is and the lack of presence of 

facilities managers at senior levels has compromised 

the understanding and recognition of the contribution 

facilities managers make to an organisation. 

This can be addressed, in part, through professionalisation 

of the role and the training route into facilities management. 

The term professional can have many connotations, 

52 FACILITIES

FM in Action 

but most often it implies a range of attributes such 

as competency, reliability, accountability, honesty 

and integrity, flexibility and a respect for others. 

Within facilities management competency is an 

interesting concept – as facilities managers must have 

knowledge of almost all areas of the business. 

There is a requirement to understand the physical 

estate including its maintenance and development, 

the use of energy, management of waste and 

the delivery of services to list but a few. 

Yet competence in these activities should 

be seen as the minimum threshold. 

Facilities managers should also be highly competent 

in managing people, understanding organisational 

purpose, be able to cope with uncertainty and change 

and be proactive in responding to that environment. 

They should also be able to develop a wide range 

of relationships and communicate effectively 

inside and outside the organisation. 

For years facilities managers have complained that they 

are not part of senior decision-making within organisations. 

This can only come about through managers presenting 

themselves as highly competent, respected, and resilient 

individuals who can demonstrate how they add value to 

the business through their participation at all levels. 

It takes time and a great deal of effort to become 

professional within facilities management and increasingly 

professionalisation is associated with qualifications. 

Traditionally progression within facilities management 

has not been reliant upon qualifications, yet that is 

changing as more and more facilities managers gain 

a range of recognised professional and academic 

qualifications that validate and demonstrate 

their knowledge and skills in the industry. 

The professional bodies representing facilities 

management, in particular BIFM and the Royal 

Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), fully 

support this trend with their active promotion 

of qualifications in facilities management. 

BIFM has developed and introduced a range of 

professional qualifications and as an awarding body support 

and manage the quality provision of a range of training 

providers operating across the UK and internationally. 

This has proved incredibly successful in attracting many 

hundreds of facilities managers to gain qualifications. 

In addition, a number of universities provide part-time 

undergraduate qualifications (in the form of foundation 

degrees and honours degrees) and postgraduate 

qualifications (in the form of MBAs and MScs) that 

are both work-based and academic, and provide more 

widely recognised evidence of professionalisation. 

Until now, participation within degree programmes 

has been limited, but this may be about to change. 

The introduction of higher and degree level 

apprenticeships changes what is on offer to 

facilities managers for their development. 

Higher and degree apprenticeships are designed 

to help employers tailor the skills of fresh, emerging 

talent to their business needs – whilst offering young 

people and existing staff opportunities to pursue study 

at university alongside real-life work experience. 

Whereas a traditional degree route sees people fund 

their courses through state-backed loans, apprenticeships 

are paid for by the employer and the government. 

Government funding is currently available to cover up 

to two-thirds of the cost of training a higher or degree 

apprentice (up to £18,000 per apprentice). But from April 

2017 the introduction of the apprenticeship levy for 

the UK’s largest employers (those with a pay bill of over 

£3m) means there is an even bigger driver to consider 

apprenticeships as a way of addressing skills gaps. 

The latest government consultation on 

apprenticeship funding reforms also shows a planned 

increase in the funding available to smaller, nonlevy 

paying organisations, where up to 90 per cent 

of training costs could be borne by government. 

There is a significant amount of evidence that shows that 

supporting the development of staff can help to retain key 

employees and improve both productivity and morale. 

It now makes financial as well as operational 

sense to develop your own talent. 

Employers can develop their staff and utilise 

government funding to do so – it’s a no brainer. 

Organisations require many more highly competent 

and better qualified facilities managers. 

The supply and finance is in place to meet this demand 

and there are a variety of education programmes and routes 

to enable this to happen. So what are you waiting for? 


Dr Paul Wyton 

Paul is Principal Lecturer and Subject Group Leader for facilities 

management at Sheffield Business School, part of Sheffield Hallam 

University. He lectures on the MBA and undergraduate programmes in 

facilities management, bespoke corporate and management education 

programmes. With a strong belief in the need to keep educational 

delivery current, Paul is involved in applied research and consultancy 

that informs the curriculum. Research interests include critical systems 

thinking, change management and management development. Paul 

holds a first degree in Sport, an MBA and is a fellow of the higher 

education academy. For more information visit shu.ac.uk/FM 

FACILITIES 53

Could you be earning more 

with a facilities management 

qualification? 

Whatever the stage 

of your career, 

from your first 

step into facilities 

management to rapid 

career progression 

as a senior leader in 

your organisation, 

Sheffield Hallam 

University can help 

you boost your 

career and earning 

potential. 

All our qualifications are designed for 

both experienced and aspiring facilities 

managers already working in the 

industry. 

Our work-based qualifications are 

delivered on a part-time, blended 

learning basis to minimise time away 

from work. 

Our courses include 

• Certificate of Higher Education in 

Facilities Management 

• Foundation Degree in Facilities 

Management 

• Bachelor’s Degree in Facilities 

Management 

•Executive MBA in Facilities 

Management 

What’s more, our foundation and 

Bachelor’s degrees in facilities 

management meet the requirements for 

the higher and degree apprenticeships 

in facilities management, which means 

you could be eligible for funding to 

cover up to 100 per cent of the course 

fees under the new government funding 

arrangements for apprenticeships 

(eligibility rules apply). 

We are also a recognised centre for 

the British Institute of Facilities 

Management (BIFM), so all our courses 

include the respective level BIFM 

qualifications as part of your course. 

For more information contact 

Paul Wyton 

0114 225 4565 

p.g.wyton@shu.ac.uk 

shu.ac.uk/FM 

National Student Survey Results 2016: overall satisfaction 100% 

and teaching on facilities management courses 100% 

Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey results 2016: EMBA in FM 

overall satisfaction 100% and teaching and learning 98%

‘Over the last four and a half years since graduation 

I’ve been promoted from roving facilities manager to 

senior facilities manager, then onto regional facilities 

manager and I am now associate director. 

‘I’ve progressed from a very operational role 

managing 25 mixed-use investment properties to 

managing teams, clients, business generation and 

the profit and loss account for my business unit, 

team and region. I’m also responsible for an annual 

income of £800,000 for my region and growing these 

revenues. 

‘Since I finished the 

course, I have achieved 

a 58% pay increase.’ 

‘I am now part of a senior facilities management 

team disseminating the strategic direction of the 

organisation to the teams on the ground, whilst 

growing the business and achieving tough financial 

targets. 

‘Achieving the BA in Facilities Management from 

Sheffield Hallam University has definitely allowed 

me to increase my earning potential. I have achieved 

a 58% pay increase since my graduation.’ 

Matthew Walker, associate director of facilities 

management, Cushman & Wakefield

FM in Action 

Facilities management 

in the modern era 

By Giedre Chesson, Adrem Contracts 

T 

he late 80’s saw a growing awareness and 

increased appreciation for facilities management 

(FM), both in public and private sectors. 

Corporate strategies for competitiveness have caused 

businesses to review all their processes and restructure 

them in a way that decreases costs and improves 

efficiency. What the future now holds for the FM is 

uncertainty unless certain practices are broached. 

Facilities management defined 

There are varying perceptions of facilities management: 

The British Institute of Facilities Management describes it 

as “the integration of processes within an organisation to 

maintain and develop the agreed services which support 

and improve the effectiveness of its primary activities”. 

Whilst Price explains it as an integrated approach to 

‘operating, maintaining, improving and adapting the 

buildings and infrastructure of an organisation in order 

to create an environment that strongly supports the 

primary objectives of that organisation’. The facilities 

management movement can be summarized as the potential 

to improve processes by which workplaces can be managed 

to inspire people to work to their optimum, to support 

their effectiveness and ultimately, to make a positive 

contribution to economic growth and organizational success. 

The future of facilities management 

The role of facilities management is gaining recognition 

within the economy. Government policies in a market 

economy such as competitive policies, deregulation 

and privatisation have each had an influence on the 

growth of facilities management over the years. In the 

Japanese economy, facilities management is already 

considered a key element for economic success. They 

place a greater importance on office productivity, 

consequently facilities management is seen as a way 

of improving the efficiency of office workers in Japan 

which is inherent in their skills of employment. 

It has been said that the role of facilities management 

should be defined by its relationship with an organisation’s 

core business in which success is measured by the quality 

of support they provide in helping achieve key objectives. 

The role and responsibility of facilities management will 

vary in different organisations. Selecting the correct 

role of facilities management is critical to the success 

and effectiveness of an organisation whilst creating an 

accurate profile based on a case specific basis should 

lead to successful facilities management practice. 

The growing competitiveness of the business world 

have forced industry to realise that they must gain some 

form of competitive advantage in every section of their 

organisation. This must also include the costs of running 

the working environment. In these organisations, facilities 

are no longer dismissed as inconvenient and instead, the 

strategic role of facilities management is widely recognised 

as well as that of effective management. In the past, 

businesses were operating within a fairly stable economic 

environment however the evolution of technology, cost 

of space, global competition and the exacerbation of any 

mistake has forced organisations to manage resources 

effectively. This issue has placed more importance on 

the concept of facilities management whilst the biggest 

challenge facilities managers’ face is the management of 

resources in a rapid and constantly changing environment. 

As previous industry experts have emphasised, the 

role that facilities management plays in its contribution 

to the success of the organisation has gained increasing 

importance since inception. At the outset, facilities 

management was managed as an isolated activity and 

considered an expense similar to any other cost within a 

business. Now however, facilities management is regarded 

as an integrated activity, with commercial, manufacturing 

and marketing function of the organisation. In turn, FM 

has created many opportunities to gain a competitive 

advantage over an organisation’s competitors. Therefore, 

it seeks organisational effectiveness to help organisations 

allocate resources in a way that allows them to flourish 

in the increasingly competitive markets. Consequently, 

this has allowed management and business owners to 

appreciate that for organisations to benefit from their 

huge investment in facilities, they have to manage them 

effectively and with a commitment to a broader vision. 

The Centre for Facilities Management (CFM) describes 

FM as “the process by which an organisation delivers 

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FM in Action 

and sustains a quality working environment and delivers 

quality support services to meet the organisation’s 

objectives at best cost.” It is accepted that FM covers 

a wide range of services and the success or partial 

failure of an organisations business is dependent on 

the management of this. Such services can include 

property management, financial management, change 

management, human resources and health and safety 

in conjunction with building maintenance, domestic 

services (cleaning and security) and utilities supplies. 

Essentially, FM stems from practices which adjust to 

business needs and the effectiveness of systems to 

ensure non-core activities deliver value for money. 

At national level, the strategic objective of FM is to 

provide better infrastructure and logistic support to 

businesses of all kinds and across all sectors. At local 

level, its objective is the effective management of facility 

resources and services in the provision of support to an 

organisation’s operations, their working groups, project 

teams and individuals. Subsequently according to this, 

the primary function of facilities management is resource 

management at strategic and operational levels. 

It has been said that ‘FM provides an opportunity 

for businesses and large conglomerates to focus on 

their “core business”, leaving the secondary services of 

security, mailing and cleaning in the hands of the FM 

experts”. If implemented correctly, facilities management 

can benefit companies in the following ways: 

n Reduce risk and increased productivity 

n Reduce operating costs by focusing 

on core business structures 

n Encourages and sustains a healthy 

and safe corporate culture 

n Delivers sustainable resource utilisation 

n Optimise asset utilisation 

Subdivisions of facilities management 

Facilities management can be divided into two sectors: 

operational facilities management and strategic facilities 

management. Operational facilities management is 

the interaction within the facilities department itself 

(facilities manager and various functional units such as 

maintenance, interior planning, architecture and the like). 

The various functional units can be in-house or outsourced. 

Each unit should be aware of current techniques and 

regulations within their specific area of work whilst the 

facilities manager is expected to communicate with 

the core business to identify current requirements. The 

facilities manager will then benchmark facilities service 

currently in practice against other facilities management 

organisations and see where an improvement can be 

made. It can be said that the primary function of facilities 

management is the operational side as this is most visible. 

Strategic facilities management looks to the future. The 

facilities manager will interact with the core business to 

establish future changes that might occur to the business 

due to external factors such as competitors, market trends 

etc. The facilities manager will also need to identify possible 

developments within the facilities management arena. 

Interaction between strategic and operational facilities 

management must occur and the aim is to synergistically 

balance current operations with the needs of the future. 

This theory is a generic facilities management 

model developed by Barrett. It highlights the different 

relationships and communication lines as well as the 

difference between operational and strategic facilities 

management. The separation of the core business 

and facilities management is emphasises the fact 

that FM is only beneficial if it supports the primary 

business objectives. It also distinguishes between the 

current and future environment making it easier to 

understand how facilities management is conducted. 

Barrett also suggests that facility managers should 

not just select service items from the standard list 

at random, but provide only those services that are 

required by their organisation. It is also recognised 

that effective FM practice requires adapting to the 

organisation’s position and market conditions. 

Facilities managers are involved in strategic 

planning as well as daily operations, particularly in 

relation to buildings and premises. Responsibilities 

and duties may vary depending on the type of 

corporation but will most likely include; 

n Contract management 

n Procurement management 

n Maintenance of buildings and grounds 

n General cleaning and refuse disposal 

n Catering and vending 

n Health and safety 

n Security 

n Utilities and communications infrastructure 

Facilities management is an extremely important concept 

in this increasingly competitive world and if this subject is 

not managed efficiently, it will be to the detriment of an 

organisation. In the past, businesses were operating in a 

stable economic environment and as a result the setting of 

goals were not reviewed for extended periods. In the current 

economic climate however, the goals of organisations 

often change as the economic environment presents 

new challenges. The increase in competition, employee 

expectations and the changes in technology forces 

businesses to manage their resources effectively to stay 

ahead of the game and to ensure profits are maintained. 

References 

Baldry, D. (2008), Knowledge management practices in facilities organisations: 

a case study, Journal of Facilities Management 

British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM). (2010), 

Alexander, K. (1996), Facilities Management Theory and Practice 

Centre for Facilities Management (CFM), (1992). An Overview of the FM 

Industry Part 1 

Nuttt, B. (2000), Four competing futures for facility management Journal of 

Facilities 

Barrett, P. (1998), Facilities management. Towards Best Practice. 

Price, I. (2000), FM and Research, Journal of Facilities. 

FACILITIES 59

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