SCOTTISH UPDATE
GET THE RIGHT COVER FOR YOUR BUSINESS
Scotland Roadshows Meet the NICEIC team Our technical team is visiting Scotland for a series of roadshow seminars in November. These half-day events have proved popular with electrical contractors keen to find out more about the industry – or how NICEIC can help boost their business. They are free to attend and open to all electricians, not just NICEIC registrants. The hot topic for the next series will be the upcoming 18th Edition of the Wiring Regulations, due to be released in July 2018. Host and industry expert Darren Staniforth will discuss what contractors can expect to see in the updated regulations and explain some of the reasons for the changes.
The roadshows take place on: November 7: Edinburgh International Climbing Arena November 8: Ayr, Western House Hotel, Ayr Racecourse November 9: Glasgow, Hampden Park Stadium For more information, and to book your place, go to www.niceic.com/events
Call for common electrical safety standard Jenny Gilruth MSP stands up for safety
Electrical Safety First has called for a common electrical safety standard in Scotland to remove disparities between standards in private and social rented housing. In its Inequality Street campaign, Electrical Safety First called for safety checks every five years in all social housing, mandatory electrical safety checks in owner-occupied properties or, as a first step, in owner-occupied flats, and RCDs to be fitted in all rented homes. The private rented sector has seen the introduction of mandatory five-yearly safety inspections, but there is no such requirement in
the social-rented or owner-occupied sectors, despite these tenures accounting for more than 80 per cent of Scotland’s housing. The organisation, backed by MSPs including Ruth Davidson and Jenny Gilruth, has also called for owners of flats to be required to meet higher safety standards than owner-occupiers.
NICEIC has appointed SME Insurance Services (SMEi) to ensure electrical contractors get the best deal for their business. Under the terms of the appointment, SMEi will manage the operation of NICEIC and ELECSA Insurance Services. SMEi is a specialist commercial insurance broker dedicated to arranging insurance for small and medium-sized businesses across the UK. SMEi holds a gold Feefo award in recognition of consistently delivering positive customer services over the last 12 months. Visit www.niceic-and-elecsainsurance.com to find out more, and see if you can benefit from a great deal for your business today.
ELECTRICAL INDUSTRIES CHARITY OFFERS RELIEF The Electrical Industries Charity (EIC) is the national charity for the electrical and energy industries. It offers free, confidential services to everyone in the industry, including immediate family members. The EIC website contains a host of useful videos and information on how to apply for funding. To find out more about how the charity could help you, please visit www.electricalcharity.org
TRAINEES TAKE SAFETY SERIOUSLY Electrical Safety First and the Scottish Electrical Charitable Training Trust got 555 apprentice electricians and adult trainees in Scotland off to a safe start in their careers with free lockout kits valued at £21 each. Trainee electricians studying at 20 approved centres across Scotland – from the Shetland Isles to the Borders – received the safe isolation kits, altogether worth almost £12,000, over the summer. “It’s vital that everyone in the industry adopts safe working practices and procedures, and it’s important that this is established right at the start of an electrician’s career,” says Phil Buckle, chief executive of Electrical Safety First.
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