PHAM FEB21:Layout 1 01/02/2021 16:01 Page 1
FEBRUARY 2021 | VOLUME 59 | ISSUE 1
phamnews.co.uk
Call to prioritise professional tradespeople for the Covid jab Charlie Mullins, the outspoken chairman of Pimlico Plumbers, argues that giving tradespeople the vaccine should be considered a vital step in preventing the further spread of Covid-˚ˢ Pimlico Plumbers founder and chairman Charlie Mullins OBE has called on the government to add professions that rely on workers entering homes and business premises to the Covid-˚ˢ vaccine priority list. ̵Nā ÖũėŽāŭ ŶĞÖŶ ŶĞŋŭā āĿťķŋƘāù in essential services, which come
£˚˞˙ training reward for recognised courses A hundred training rewards, each worth £˚˞˙ each, are available to plumbing and heating companies, thanks to APHC (Training) Ltd, a registered educational charity and sister company to the Association of Plumbing & Heating Contractors.
into contact with people in their households or places of work, should follow teachers and the emergency services in receiving a vaccine after the elderly, vulnerable and healthcare workers. ̵¦ũÖùāŭťāŋťķā ťũŋƑĢùĢłė ŭāũƑĢóāŭ such as emergency heating and plumbing repairs have continued
to work throughout the pandemic, which involves, even with social distancing and hygiene measures, the potential to come into contact with people in their homes. Pimlico has completed more than ˚˙˙̇˙˙˙ jobs since the start of the first national lockdown without incident and also introduced lateral flow testing for its workforce as part of additional safety measures. !ĞÖũķĢā mŽķķĢłŭ ŭÖƘŭ̆ ̦Rĕ ŶĞā ÖĢĿ is to stop the spread of this ruthless killer-virus, then vaccinating vital occupations and trades who have contact with the most people has to be as much of a complete no-brainer as prioritising the elderly and vulnerable. ̦Rł ĕÖóŶ̇ ėāŶŶĢłė ŶĞā ıÖð ĢłŶŋ people who must continue to move around a lot and come into contact
with others is another very good way of protecting the vulnerable. The less chance an at-risk person has of coming into contact with an infected person, the safer they are.” While acknowledging that the elderly and other vulnerable members of society should be first in line for the vaccine, Mullins argues that it’s important to ensure that staff and customers are as safe as they can be. ̦RŶ̪ŭ łŋŶ āłŋŽėĞ Ŷŋ ŋłķƘ concentrate on those most likely to suffer severe symptoms or even die from Covid, while ignoring those whose essential work takes them into contact with large numbers of people and households. That means certain occupations should also be included sooner rather than later, irrespective of individual ƒŋũĴāũ̪ Öėā ŋũ ĿāùĢóÖķ ĞĢŭŶŋũƘ̵̧̍
APHC (Training) administers the reward scheme every year to help safeguard the long-term professional development of the industry by incentivising plumbing and heating engineers to refresh their knowledge and gain new skills. The £˚˞˙ reward can be used for a certificated course with a recognised training provider such as APHC, BPEC, City & Guilds and all UKAS-approved ACS providers. One challenge for many businesses has been the need to access training and assessment in a safe, Covid-secure environment.
To meet this head on, APHC has worked closely with BPEC to ensure that training and assessment can be delivered remotely. Using Microsoft Teams, delegates can undertake training via a PC or laptop and can then take an online assessment using a blend of long answer and multiple-choice questions and visual exercises. The ˛˙˛˚ ťũŋėũÖĿĿā ŋĕ̵óŋŽũŭāŭ includes Legionella Cold Water Risk Assessment & Disinfection, Domestic Hot Water Storage Systems (Unvented), and Sanitary and Above Ground Drainage.
The £˚˞˙̵ ŶũÖĢłĢłė̵ ũāƒÖũù Ģŭ available to all plumbing and heating companies in England and ÂÖķāŭ̵ũāėÖũùķāŭŭ ŋĕ ƒĞāŶĞāũ ŶĞāƘ Öũā̵ ĿāĿðāũŭ̵ ŋĕ N!̵̍ Rł ŋũùāũ to receive the reward companies Öũā ũāŨŽĢũāù̵ Ŷŋ ŭāłù Ö óŋťƘ ŋĕ the training course invoice, along with the successful course completion certificate, to APHC who will then pay for the cost of the course, up to £˚˞˙, straight into the employer’s business bank account. Further information on the Training Reward can be found at www.aphc.co.uk/training-reward
Inside this issue Energy Matters Guide to Future Homes Standard See page ˚˝
Training Update See page ˚ˡ
COMPETITION WIN Makita tools accessories! See page ˝˚