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I T has been a busy start to Kevin Taylors Presidency of LEIA. As he said last year in his interview for LEIA Focus maintenance matters are close to his heart and he has taken on the complex task of clarifying and streamlining equipment maintenance and warranty agreements. Understanding all the implications in terms of responsibility for the equipment is essential so LEIA is gathering legal and technical advice to ensure that the guidance proposed is robust. The list of issues is a long one particularly for a new installation when a third party is undertaking maintenance of equipment which is still under warranty and where the common practice is to respond to issues within a year following completion. The snagging list payment conditions and retention all need to be addressed says Kevin together with potential fit out moving in by new tenants or owners. Not to mention dealing with the final account agreements and payment retention MANAGEMENT Following discussion with the LEIA Board and Council the change was approved and drafting of the guidance paper undertaken with the assistance of Professor Rudi Klein of the SEC Group. See box. Ensuring that companies demonstrate required levels of competence and show that they are using original manufacturers components is important for all LEIA members regardless of size says Kevin. But I want to ensure that all members are fully aware that the maintenance contracts being devised in the market require close attention to legal responsibilities. Bigger companies have the resources to ensure that they are up to date with contract matters but everyone needs to be familiar with the complexities of terms and conditions for new lifts and for maintenance. The LEIA legal tips on contractual issues are excellent and we need to build on this work he continues. The LEIA seminar in 2015 was LEIAANNUALREVIEW2016PAGE2 KEVIN TAYLOR LEIA PRESIDENT POST HANDOVER MAINTENANCE a LEIA guide to managing warranties Key points from the forthcoming LEIA guidance on post handover maintenance where the installers warranty is still in place. Company X has installed and handed over a lift for ClientY. There now commences a 12 month warranty period. During the course of the 12 months ClientY approaches Company Za lift contractorto service the lift installed by Company X. This arrangement immediately gives rise to a number of legal contractual issues that require careful consideration by all three parties. The main issues are If Company Z has serviced the lift this may give rise to questions of responsibility in the event that the lift proves to be defective during or at the end of the warranty period. ClientY will be caught between Company X disclaiming responsibility on the ground that the defects was the result of inadequate servicing whilst Company Z willno doubt claim that the defect resulted from shortcomings in the installation. The above will also have similar implications for any warranties that Company X may have provided to third parties. Company X is likely to have contributed to the health and safety file which ClientY is required to have under the ConstructionDesign and Management CDM Regulations 2015. This is for the purpose of managing health and safety risks during maintenance and repair. Unless Company Z is completely familiar with the content of the fileboth Client Y and Company Z could be in breach of the CDM Regulations. In servicing the lift during the warranty period Company Z may be unaware of the potential liability. In some cases Company Z may not appreciatefor examplethat during the course of the warranty period there may be some movement in the building structure. If Company Z has not factored this into the maintenance agreementthen it may not be able to pass on all the resultant cost to ClientY. If Company Z has chosen to ignore this problemwhich is then discovered by ClientYit could face a claim for breach of contractnegligence having failed to warn of the problem. Servicing by Company Z could cut across warranties given by partscomponents manufacturers. These may be invalidated in the event that such partscomponents are servicedrepaired by a third party. More fundamentallyin enabling servicing by Company ZClientY may be in breach of the contract with Company X for the installation. The warranty period is generally for the purpose of providing the installer with exclusive access to the installed lifts for the purpose of testinginspection and carrying out any remedial work to ensure that the installation accords with the specification and contractual requirements relating to operational performance levels. Professor Rudi Klein SEC Group Talking with the President release and any collateral warranties in place. After detailed review the LEIA Board proposed that the Association rule relating to twelve month warranty would be better dealt with by providing a practical and robust guidance document dealing with the various issues. an extremely useful refresher led by Professor Rudi Klein and with industry speakers. The important thing now is to make sure that not only are such meetings attendedbut that they are attended by the right peopleincluding facilities managers and client representatives.The outcome from this were requests on specific topicsgenerating useful guidance for LEIA members. So a demanding task for LEIAs Presidentin addition to his role as Chairman ofThyssenKrupp UK. But in addition to the matter of clarifying PAGE3LEIAANNUALREVIEW2016 warrantiesKevin is also looking to finding effective ways of improving safetyparticularly around the issue of lone working. LEIA has produced information about the issueand it may be timely now to review the guidance. It is proving to be something of a challenge to balance the need to know where individuals are with respecting their privacy Kevin says. But I do strongly believe that responsible managers need to have knowledge of where engineers and technicians are working in order to respond quickly should the unexpected happen. After all logistics companies are able to tell us where their drivers are and when they are likely to arrive at our door. A human beings wellbeing is more important than a parcel. T HE phrase Personal Lifting Equipment conjures up a variety of images such as the challenge of finding resources in over-stretched local authority budgets for an urgent required home stairlift or installing a cost-effective yet unobtrusive platform lift in a public building to provide access demanded by legislation. The reality of mobility issues is familiar particularly for ageing and long lived populations often in high rise accommodation. But the other important factor in the demographic argument is that many older people particularly those known as Baby Boomers i.e. born between 1946 and 1964 are seen as the wealthiest most active and most physically fit generation wielding a significant economic power referred to as the Grey Pound. This is the group that John McSweeney of Terry Lifts a member of LEIAs Personal Lift Group has identified as an exciting and growing new market opportunity for the lift industry. As John says Many older people dont need or want to downsize they want to stay where they are happy. For example if youve got a valuable two or three storey property in a desirable area it makes sense to install a home lift that will accommodate one person seated or two people standing in effect you are future proofing your home. In response to this perceived demand Terry Lifts developed the Lifestyle Homelift four years ago and a model exclusively for Stannah called the Salise. Since then the market in the UK has steadily grown. The private homelift is an alternative to the stairlift for people who want to stay in their homes. And as John points out unlike a stair lift which is generally removed before a house is put on the market a home lift is regarded as an enhancement. Generally people who dont need a stairlift dont want one in their house. In contrast a stylish home lift is seen by many as a must have. The Lifestyle Homelift is a fully enclosed lift not a cabin or platform in an enclosed lift shaft taking up little more space than an armchair. Although a through floor lift it can be installed within a couple of days in the corner of a room or other appropriate place. This year Terry Lifts are planning to launch a similar home lift which can carry a wheelchair user. Future proof living MARKETS Ensuring that companies demonstrate required levels of competence.... is important for all LEIA members a stylish home lift is seen by many as a must have New lifts for old... MODERNISATION LEIAANNUALREVIEW2016PAGE4 T HE complex challenge of lift modernisation was clearly identified as a hot topic amongst delegates attending the LEIAAnnualTechnical Seminar in October 2014giving the Quality andTechnical Committee members the impetus to put together a seminar dedicated to this difficult area. As Nick MellorLEIAsTechnical Director saysIn recent yearswe have seen strong support for these seminars from our members who are encouraged after every event to give feedback to help us to develop the right programmes. The ModernisationTechnical seminar took place onTuesday 9 June at the Hilton Northampton. Since this was a special seminarit could be structured differently from the annual autumn eventfocusing on one specific topic and with plenty of time for discussion and question and answer sessions.Three areas were addressed 1. Standards dealing with what and why modernisation is needed. 2. Presentations dealing with how modernisation work should be done. 3. Conformity assessment and role of third parties and quality systems. As QTC Committee member Dave Searle of KONE saysThe industry is undergoing changes in standardswhich have implications for modernisation.There can be significant risks when mixing new and old components or technologyall equipment must be carefully interfaced with the existing systems to ensure no consequential risks are introduced. The seminar revealed some very valuable insights into using risk assessment as a basis for the design of modernisations. In connection with thisa whole suite of generic risk assessments for various common modernisations was uploaded on to the LEIA website. The obligations to ensure that replacement components are traceable and carry the same serial numbers as the original can present big logistical challenges for those companies who purchase rather than manufacture. Dave Searle observes Our industry has many technical roles from design and engineering to troubleshooting and testing.All these roles are of equal importance. Once the works are engineeredthe job of commissioningtesting and problem solving usually falls to the troubleshooters and testers. It is important that any problems found during commissioning are fed back to designalthough a tester is likely to find a solution while on siteit is important that all changes to initial design go through engineering for approval. Design and engineering will consider the proposed changes from a wider perspective reviewing the risk assessments to ensure new issues are introduced he continues. The feedback and comments received after the seminar made it clear that this had been one of the best received technical seminars run by LEIA in recent yearsas well as one of the best attended 67 delegates. Nick Mellor commentsThe quality of the presentations for this seminar was absolutely first class and was reflected in the feedback we received. What was especially gratifying was to have such positive and supportive comments made across all the presentations not just the ones you might think were the main attractions. Dave Searle echoes these views. It was a very successful seminarattracting a different audience with a mix of familiar faces and newmore technicalpeople. It is important to build communication and share knowledgeso participating in a committee and attending seminars provides a valuable sounding board and improves performance. It is clear that issues to do with modernisation of existing lifts continue to be important for members and this will be reflected in the content of the next LEIA AnnualTechnical Seminar onTuesday 11 October. Dave Searle againCustomers often approach lift companies wanting to upgrade their equipment. Common requests would be for new car interiorlighting or signalization.With little understanding of the lift mechanicscustomers may not know how best to spend funds upgrading their equipment . It is the responsibility of our members to best advise the owner on the current condition and risks associated with their equipment. This can be achieved by completing an EN81-80 site audit highlighting the items of most concernthis audit may identify other safety items considered a higher priority than the lighting for example. But rather than seeing this as a burdenthis should be regarded as an opportunity to improve the equipments level of safety as well as customers passengers experience he concludes. Standards affecting modernisation BS EN 81-80 on the improvement of safety of existing lifts BS EN 115-2 on the improvement of safety of existing escalators and BS EN 81-82 on the improvement of accessibility of lifts DD CEN TS 81-83 on the improvement of protection of lifts subject to vandalism BS 5655-11 and BS 5655-12 on modernisation of lifts. PAGE5LEIAANNUALREVIEW2016 PROFESSOR RUDI KLEIN. BARRISTER CEO SEC GROUP construction industry which resulted in a culture of lowest prices and lowest standards. This has not fundamentally changed in the 70 years since publication of this Report. The City regards construction as a business that is unpredictable competitive only on price not quality with too few barriers to entry for poor performers para.6Chap.1Rethinking Construction1998Sir John Egan. Reputable SMEs in the industry regularly complain that they do not compete on a level playing field. They are disincentivised to invest to any great extent in the drivers of productivity such as upskilling of staff innovation and technological advances because they are often out-bid by firms which offer lower pricessince such firms have little or no interest in investing in training or technology. Furthermore the general lack of enforcement of existing regulations governing standards across the industry only serves to encourage entry by businesses that often do not intend to comply with the relevant standards. The majority of the States in the United States where productivity levels are higher than in the UK have corporate licensing schemes. To obtain work a contractor must be licensed. This means that it is able to demonstrate that it possesses the requisite technical standardsits health and safety performance is satisfactory and it is appropriately resourced. Dysfunctional business models in the construction industry Finallythe largest companies in the construction industry are poorly capitalised. This can be evidenced by the merger talks which took place in 2014 between two of constructions largest companiesCarillion and Balfour Beatty. If they had mergedtheir joint balance sheet debt would have been minus 1billion The previous governments supply chain finance initiative has had the unintended consequence of shoring up the finances of the large companies at the expense of their supply chains. By far the greatest barrier to improving productivity in construction is the widespread abuse of the payment process lengthy payment periodslate payment and Improving competitiveness MANAGEMENT T HE Government is urging all sectors of UK industry to improve their productivity rates. There has always been a gap between productivity levels in UK construction and those in most other sectors. According to the Office for National Statistics this gap is growing.The prime reasons are there are major structural weaknesses in the process by which the industrys outputs are procured and delivered there are no barriers to entry to the industry business models in the industry are primarily driven by cash flow manipulation and the need to offload risk. Unless these reasons are adequately addressed the productivity levels in construction will remain below those of other sectors. Given the industrys critical importance to UK Plc this shouldnt be an option. Butunfortunately the Government seems to have relegated to the sidelines the previous coalition governments industry strategy for constructionConstruction2025. At present the Government doesnt have a plan for this sector. Process by which the industrys outputs are procured and delivered Unlike many other sectorsconstruction firms including lift companies deliver their outputs in conjunction with other firms as part of the process of delivering projects. Most firms have little influence on how projects are procuredon the design solutions and on the risk management processes. As part of a very disaggregated and fragmented supply chain they have to work around project practices and processes that are often inefficient and positively harmful to their businesses. For example the cost of re-design and re- work due to design shortcomings and poor or late information tends to fall on SMEs in the supply chain. Construction collaboration platform GenieBelt.com has estimated that 2billion is spent annually on re-workthis comes at a time when the industry is complaining of skills shortages. But this wasteful activity detracts from investment in the technologies and skills necessary to raise productivity levels. As far as government procurement is concerned an attempt was made to address this state of affairs by the Cabinet Office in 2011 when it published its Construction Strategy. The Strategy recommended the piloting of three model procurement routes. One of these was Integrated Project Insurance IPI. Much of the developmental work for IPI was resourced by the Specialist Engineering Contractors SEC Group LEIA is a leading member of SEC Group. IPI facilitates a far more efficient approach to procurement and delivery by allowing for early appointment of supply chain firms to buy into the key decisions on design planningrisk and cost. The emphasis is on collaborative working with the team coming under one insurance umbrella. The insurance policy underwrites the cost plan subject to an excess shared by team members. Whilst this initiative remains the best hope for improving construction procurement andthusthe productivity of the firms involvedthere has been little enthusiasm on the part of government to put forward pilot projects. However the first IPI pilot is now underway and it is hoped that others will follow. Lack of barriers to entry into the construction industry In 1944 the Simon Report The Placing and Management of Building Contracts lamented the lack of barriers to entry to the Continued overleaf Improving Competitiveness CONTINUED LEIAANNUALREVIEW2016PAGE6 MANAGEMENT spurious reasons for non-payment. The only initiative that is having an impact is project bank accounts but only a small number of government departments are using them regularly. Highways England is using them on all their projects with the result that sub-sub-contractors now receive their payments within 19 days of the assessment dates under the main contract. In its report in January 2015 Paying government suppliers on timethe NationalAudit Office recommended that the use of project bank accounts should be widened. In the lift sectorone of LEIAs members reports a positive experience of project bank accounts.AsAndrewTaylor Commercial Manager of Oronasays Naturallythe assurance of knowing the payments were forthcoming and ring- fenced was welcomed. However the additional value created by a PBA included assurances that the project would not be delayed due to delayed payments which ultimately created more positive relationships between our company and the other parties. The cashflow uncertainty in the industry presents a major obstacle to small firms when seeking to borrow from banks. Theevidenceshowsthatconstruction contractingSMEsfacemoredifficulties thanotherSMEsinaccessingfinancefrom banks.UK CONSTRUCTIONAn EconomicAnalysis of the Sector. Published in July 2013 by the Business Department. Unless the cash flow security in the industry is improved theres no reason to believe that the problems facing SMEs in accessing finance will reduce. This hasof courseadverse implications for productivity. Alongside other like-minded trade associations under the SEC Group umbrellaLEIA is constantly reminding clients that we can achieve an efficient delivery process by driving out bad practice. Achieving early supply chain engagementappointing reputable firms and providing cashflow security will all contribute to a significant improvement in productivity. Roll up roll up contributestoindustryandnationalfiresafety committeesandstandards. Orwhenitcomestountanglingthebuilding designimplicationsofBSEN81-20whobetter tohearthanIanJonesindustryguruand ChairmanoftheBSIcommitteeMHE4. Andwhenitcomestothatlifebloodofthe industryquestionimprovingpaymentandcash flowthenProfessorRudiKleinchampionofthe causewillentertainandenlighten. ThesearethethreeDay1speakerson25May. On26MayDavidBonnetofDBAwilldebunk somemythsaboutinclusiveaccessandlifts citingfromhisexperiencewaystoachievethe greatestgoodforthegreatestnumberofusers. ThiswillbefollowedbyJean-PierreJacobsofthe EuropeanLiftAssociationELAtalkingabout howLifeCycleAssessmentcanbeusedasatool fornewliftsandmodernisations.NickMellor willroundofftheseconddayseminar programmessharinghisindustryand AssociationexperiencewithalistofTenthingsa liftownerneedstoknow. For more information about LIFTEX 2016 click httpwww.liftex2016.com. JUST A FEW OF THE REASONS NOT TO MISS LIFTEX 2016 T HEUKsonlymeetingplacefortheliftand escalatorindustryLIFTEXfeaturesan exhibitionofover100leadingsuppliers andmanufacturers.Inadditionthefreeseminar programmerunsacrossbothdaysoftheevent offeringexpertinsightandadviceonleading issues.Thefocusisonmodernisationthetheme runningthroughthiseditionofLEIAFocus. LEIAseminarsareincreasinglyrecognisedasthe waytolearnabouttheimportantissuesfacingthe industryanditscustomers. AsNickMellor LEIAsTechnicalDirectorsaysNotonlyarethe seminarsfreetoattendifyoupre-registertheyare CPDcertified. Sotakesometimeoutfromtheexhibitionat LIFTEX2016tolistentotheexpertsonthe seminarplatformandposethemquestionstoo. Forexampledoyouwanttoknowabout modernisingaliftforfirefightersuseIfso Matt RyanofTheFireSurgeryLimitedisthepersonto ask.Hehasbeenworkinginthefiresafetysector for11yearsandisbothaqualifiedfireengineer andCharteredEngineer.Hehasjurisdiction experienceworkingforanauthorityhasworked onlandmarkprojectsincludingtheTowerof LondonandBatterseaPowerStationandactively LIFTEX LEIAANNUALREVIEW2016 T HE theme of this LEIA Focus is looking to the futurewith a particular emphasis on modernisation.This timely topic will also be addressed at LIFTEX 2016which this year looks to be the biggest ever.There is much to considerfrom the effect of regulation and standardseconomic pressures on clients both private and public sector and the expectations and demands of end users. But important though it is to look aheadit is also helpful to take a look back over the events of the past yearnot only to remember what has been achieved but also to remind ourselves of what remains to be done. LEIA Committee members have been very activeproviding a valuable forum through seminars and the production of guidance documents for the industry and its customers. The Contracts and Legal Committee works closely with the Specialist Engineering Contractors Group SEC Group and held a very successful event focusing on payment conditions and retentionsattended by 40 people. The Quality andTechnical Committee maintains its high workload in relation to the impact of standards and regulation on the lift and escalator industry. LEIA and its members are fortunate to have the commitment of a cross section of the industry working not only to interpret the effect of new regulation but also contributing to the debate. For example LEIA has produced a guidance document on the recast Lift Directive and has been involved with the drafting of the European guidance for the directive. LEIA staff also continue to represent the industry in a variety of waysfor example Technical Director Nick Mellor presented at a number of events over the past year including co-organising the Lift and Escalator Symposium last September with the University of Northampton and CIBSE in addition to the demands of delivering LIFTEX 2016. Safety andTraining Manager Lawrence Dooley has also been organizing and presenting a variety of eventsin addition to helping take forward the industrys response to theApprenticeshipTrailblazer scheme managing the increasingly popular Distance Learning Programme in which 170 - 200 people are engaged at any one time and now leading from the front on Occupational Health matters. The benefits to members from the work of theAssociation and those on the various Committees cannot be underestimated.The MODERNISATION From the Managing Director TERRY POTTER MANAGING DIRECTOR timely exchange of knowledge enables forward planning rather than reaction.The information available to LEIA members through our website is also unsurpassed with content covering all aspects of the lift industryfrom safety and technical matters through contractual and legal issues through to training and development.As part of this commitmentin autumn 2015 the Association launched a bi-monthly newsletterenabling us to share topical items and information. Clients of LEIA members benefit from well informed companies that are supported by a professional body that represents the industry. Looking forwardmembers are currently going that extra mile to demonstrate their commitment to Safetywith the aim that all members of theAssociation will be OHSAS 18001 Occupational Health Safety ManagementAccredited. This reflects the drive for continuous improvement LEIA is proud to hold ISO 9001 certification and unusually for a trade associationhas established such certification as a criterion for membership of theAssociation. As for economic indicatorsindustry statistics for 2015 reveal that there was a marked increase in the number of orders received for new work in 2015reflecting an increase in value compared with 2014. Although the industry statistics do not as yet reflect pre-recession levelsthey are nonetheless an encouraging indication that the industry is picking upwhich we hope will be maintained for members into 2016. ...important though it is to look ahead it is also helpful to take a look back Blazing a trail for apprenticeships TRAINING D ISTILLING the elements specific to the sector and simplifying the evidence required these are core objectives of theTrailblazer Group for the lift and escalator industry in responding to the Governments request for employer-led apprenticeship schemes.The commitment of LEIA members to education and training is reflected by the dedicated work of the Trailblazer Groupcomprising representatives of companies from across the sectorwhich is currently completing its consultation on the design of the Apprenticeship Standards. The consultation process calls for industry feedback on the draft standards representing two pathways Lift Escalator Electromechanic Level 3 StairliftPlatform Lift and Service Lift Electromechanic Level 2. A key element is to provide clear definitions of the essential knowledgeskills and behaviours that an electro-mechanic in the UK lift industry should display on completion of a vocational programme of learning or training explains DavidWarr of Titan ElevatorsChair of theTrailblazer Group. Simplifying the evidence required is Continued overleaf PAGE7 LEIAANNUALREVIEW2016PAGE8 include in their own recruitment processes. David Jackson has also found involvement with theTrailblazer Group worthwhile and indeedis encouraged that efforts to convince government of the specific characteristics of the industry seem to be making some ground and that the proposed standards are going to be suitable for the industry as a whole. His commitment to apprenticeships goes back more than 30 yearsto when Jackson Lifts was founded in 1979. I am Service Managing Director of the companybut retain a close role in trainingbecause it is an essential part of our family business. Lift and escalator engineering should not simply be lumped into electrical engineering.There is a requirement for electrical and mechanical engineeringan understanding of electronics for installing software with adjustment of parameters and for hydraulic engineering skills too David says. So my main concern in the development of the scheme is to ensure that lift and escalator engineering is seen as a craft apprenticeshiprequiring a two to four year time frame depending on the level of NVQ being completedrather than the one year that Government seems to think is the norm. Rachel echoes these sentiments. Duration of the apprenticeship generated much feedback from the consultation process. Clearlyit is an important topic for respondents. Another topic that generates lively debate is that of keeping apprentices after training themparticularly amongst those companies who see their investment benefiting others without the same level of commitment to the process. David acknowledges that companies that train are competing against companies that dont but do want the benefit of a Trailblazer Group Chairman David WarrTitan Elevators and immediate past President of LEIA Stuart Barron Otis Dave Boyers KONE Lawrence Dooley LEIA David Jackson Jackson Lifts Jim JohnsonApex Lifts Rachel Swales Pickerings Lifts particularly important the current engineering apprenticeship specification runs to a massive 200 plus pages according to LEIAs Lawrence Dooley. The consultation process is co-ordinated by Trailblazer Group member Rachel Swales of Pickerings Liftswho devised the survey using elements of examples from other sectors provided by the Department of BusinessIndustry and Skills BIS. It was important that this survey was not onerous to completeand would generate meaningful responses she saysso it was kept to ten questions and allowed individuals to respond in more detail if they wished. To encourage consultation the survey was promoted widelyusing workforce trained to common and recognized standards. Most senior people at our company have worked through a couple of recessions but we have always maintained our apprentice intake each year as we knew there would be a skills shortage when the recession ended. He continuesThe way to retain motivated apprentices is to provide regular appraisals with senior staff along with the support and guidance from the company workforce many of whom were apprentice trained themselves. Regular monitoring of NVQ progress is importantalso to make available college courses relevant to lift engineering. Monitoring of NVQ and college reports will help to identify where extra support may be required. This approach clearly works well for Jackson Lifts. Over the years we have lost fully trained apprentices to other companies but this is a minority.Apprentice trained staff make up the majority of our workforce and they are now moving into higher management of the company says David. Rachel at Pickerings also takes a pragmatic view. Realisticallyyou know that some apprentices will move onbut investing in training is an essential part of succession planning. She also sees apprenticeships as important throughout the businessand Pickerings prides itself on developing apprentices in the areas of accountsIT and business administration as well as in the engineering disciplines. TheTrailblazer Group is another example of how LEIA can assist industry to work together to raise standards and influence policy.As Rachel saysIt has given me valuable experiencemeeting with other people in the industryincluding competitorsbuilding contacts and collaborating on a common goalto develop a standard to future proof our industry. Blazing a trail for apprenticeships CONTINUED TRAINING industry websites and social media such as LinkedIn together with publications such as Elevation. Rachel has found being part of the Trailblazer Group both rewarding and enlightening. It has been very interesting to see how a standard developshow to capture training objectives and the skills and behaviour requirements for the role and then producing a concise standard document that on implementation will meet the needs of the employer and apprentice. I have enjoyed working as a groupsharing ideas to look at how to develop an apprentices employability she says. We dont want a standard that deters applicants Rachel continues. For examplewe considered whether having a driving licence should be included in the standard.We concluded that this was more appropriate as a nice to have which individual companies could choose to RACHEL SWALES DAVID JACKSON WITH APPRENTICE LEIAANNUALREVIEW2016PAGE9 Although a modern icon...refurbishment has to be carried out in the same way as for an historic building designboth inside and outside. There are logistical challenges when working on a building where business as usual is requiredbut when that building is situated in a densely populated part of the City of London an even greater level of planning is needed. Materials storage and vehicle access are limited. Lift cars were craned out of the building at weekends for example provided that there were no ceremonial events taking place in the City that closed roads.At the Lloyds Building scaffolding over 17 floors was required whichAccess Solutions of Greenwich took four weeks to install. Apex is replacing all main lift equipment such as bespoke door systemsmachine control equipmentsafety systemsglazing air conditioningsignalisation and electrification.The modernisation includes retaining the existing shaft structural elementscar structurepit material and counterweightrefurbishing them where applicable.The critical components that may affect performancesafety and reliability are being replaced with new includingsafety gearsbuffers weatherproof shaft switchingposition reference system and wiring. Apex is also improving the energy efficiency of the service through installing Kollmorgen Regenerative control systems. Other works include improving accessibility of the building for disabled peopleincluding braille signs in the lifts. I CONICavant-garde and the youngest building to be given Grade 1 listed status it can only be Lloyds of London in Lime Streetin the City of London. Designed by Richard now Lord Rogers who took the same inside out architectural approach developed for the Pompidou Centre in Paris with his then partner Renzo Pianothe building was opened in 1986 and quickly becameaccording to Historic Englanduniversally recognised as one of the key buildings of the modern epoch. Modernising a modern icon MODERNISATION The lift cars will be refreshed upgraded and fitted with new glazing. This raises interesting challenges about colour finishes are we matching to the original colour or the colour it has become since the building was first openedWarren says. For examplewhen reglazing the cars we needed to use material that complied with current standards but laminated to create the same aesthetic finish. New car operating panels are also being fittedincorporating reliable standard buttons installed to meet English Heritage requirements where required. This presented a challenge in achieving sufficiently accurate engraving of the lift buttons together with the colouring. Says WarrenWhilst high tech solutions can be used for many taskswe found that the quality and accuracy needed to match the original buttons could only be done by a traditionalcraft based approach the buttons are being produced by Dewhurst to generate the results required for this special project. The reference to craft recalls the comments made by the LEIA members on the ApprenticeTrailblazer see page 8 concerned to ensure that Government recognises that the skills required in lift manufacture and installation require more than a years training.AtApextraining is essential for everyonefrom an engineering apprenticeship through to support for an MSc in Project Management. Our experience tells us that education is key to building a highly skilled workforce commentsWarrena workforce that enables us to take on projects as exciting as the Lloyds Building. THE UNMISTAKABLE EXTERIOR OF LLOYDS OF LONDON SATURDAY IN THE CITY REMOVING THE LIFT CARS BY CRANE So winning the contract two years ago to modernise the lifts in this extraordinary building was very special forApex Lifts. After allthe 12 scenic glass lifts are themselves iconicclimbing the exterior walls of the 88m high building and the first of their kind to be installed in the UK.Apex Lifts are also renovating the three firemans lifts and the goods lift. As the companys Managing Director Warren Jenchner saysAlthough a modern iconas a Grade 1 listed building the refurbishment has to be carried out in the same way as for an historic building. In shorteverything must look as the original LEIAANNUALREVIEW2016PAGE10 I N March this year the focus of the LEIA Safety Forum was occupational healtha topic close to the heart of the Associations Safety andTraining Manager Lawrence Dooley. Believing that the culture of safe working is now well embedded in the lift and escalator industryLawrence has turned to health related matters. The issues around asbestos are known although we still need to be vigilant about where it can be found and how best to manage it he says. The surprise for me is other types of dust encountered on any construction site and in particular the dangers of Respirable Crystalline Silica RCS a risk for anyone involved in cutting masonry. Addressing this topic at the LEIA Safety Forumwhich took place at the Motorcycle Museum in Solihullwas Ian Baggelaar Group EnvironmentalHealth Safety Manager at Otis. Before joining Otis in 2014Ian spent nearly eight years with conglomerate Hanson UK so is well placed to talk about the risks associated with construction materials. RCS dust is created when working on silica containing materials like concretemortar and sandstone and more than 500 construction workers are believed to die from exposure to silica dust every year. Shockinglythe daily amounts needed to cause this damage are not largeas shown by the graphic image produced by the HSE. As Lawrence points outthere is as yet no legislation to cover safe working with these materialsit is simply a duty of care issue. Wearing the appropriate Personal Protection Equipment and minimising dust by using local exhaust ventilation or wet saws when cutting brickwork and masonry are some of the steps to be taken to minimise the risk of inhaling damaging dust. Another key speaker at the Safety Forum was Dr Simon Houghton of Bardon Environmentalwho talked about asbestos and the two types of survey required the Management Survey to locateas far as reasonably practicablethe presence and extent of any suspect materials in the buildingwhich could be damagedor disturbed during normal occupancy the Refurbishment and Demolition Surveyneeded before any refurbishment or demolition work is carried out.This is of particular importance with the current growth in modernisation of lifts and escalators. The LEIA Safety Forum topic was a timely one. In Januaryas Lawrence Dooley was confirming programme speakers and timingsrepresentatives from across the construction sector were being told that the industry is good at shouting about safetybut only whispers about health. The speaker was Crossrails Chief ExecutiveAndrewWolstenholmeone of several industry leaders gathering for the launch of Committing Construction to a Healthier Futureorganised by the Health in Construction Leadership Group established in 2015 after members of the HSEs Construction IndustryAdvisory Committee CONIAC were given a presentation on the scale of the ill health and premature deaths suffered by workers in the industry by Dr Lesley Rushton of Imperial CollegeLondon. For examplethe industrys toll of work-related cancer is three times higher than in any other employment sector. The first speaker was Simon Clarkwho formerly ran a small electrical contracting business but who was diagnosed with the fatal lung cancer mesothelioma in 2012 following exposure to asbestos as an apprentice electrician 35 years ago. His message was that the industry needed to reform its attitudes for the sake of the young apprentices entering the industry today. TidewaysAndy Mitchell commented that the summit delegates were hardly representative of a workforce that is often transient or far from homewith the stress of minimal security of employment. He described howTideway was setting up well-equipped health centres on its sites putting all workers through a five-day induction processand offering workers and their families trips on theThames to find out more about the project theyre working to deliver. Heather Bryantdirector of health and safety at contractor Balfour Beatty and one of the driving forces behind the Committing Construction to a Healthier Future campaignexplained that the summit event was designed to get the industry to the starting pointby raising SHOUT OUT ABOFit for life as well as purpose MANAGEMENT IAN BAGGELAAR GIVES THE SOBERING FACTS ABOUT RESPIRABLE CRYSTALLINE SILICA Simon gave a very entertaining explanation of the pervasiveness of asbestos in the UK relating it to the prevalence of the material in the Commonwealth countries and therefore the limited availability to continental industry during and after the SecondWorldWar. A new topic for the Forum was stress managementwith a talk by counsellor and psychotherapist Joan Kellywho has delivered workshops on managing stress in the workplace for a variety of organisations including the Institution of Civil Engineers Benevolent Society. In his presentationPhil Beresford Chair of the LEIA Safety and Environment Committee warned of the recent changes to the courts Sentencing Guidelineswhich may result in considerably higher fines applied to H S offences. Feedback for the speakers at the Forum was extremely positivewith an average 91 satisfaction rating from the delegates. PAGE11LEIAANNUALREVIEW2016 awareness and clarifying some of the mixed messages around occupational health. She said We are constructing the health or the ill healthof the future.We are still exposing people to asbestos and other hazardsand we have three times as many occupational cancers as in any other sector. The launch event culminated in 171 chief executives and senior leaders in the industry signing a pledge committing their organisations to eliminate occupational ill health and disease in my company and from the industry. OUT HEALTH DR SIMON HOUGHTON TALKS TOUGH ON ASBESTOS and 50 and the impact it has on virtually all other standards says John. John has worked for more than 20 years at Lift Engineering Services Limiteda company primarily concentrating on modernisationand it is here that he has honed the skills required to upgrade lifts in occupied premisesdealing with aspects ranging from access asbestos to structural implications of modernisation. Questions also arise when it comes to modernisation of the increasingly popular Machine Roomless lifts MRLsdeveloped when new designs of ropesand plastic belt drives resolved suspension issues. One of the unexpected consequences of modernisation of MRLs is that the control panels are concealed at the tops of buildings often in the lift door architrave. Owners of an exclusive penthouse suite in the most expensive accommodation are not always particularly welcoming to lift engineers needing access to the control panel says John with a wry smile. This leads on to the general issue of customer relations with the end user as well as the building owner or construction clientparticularly in residential property. John has seen a significant change in customer and user attitudes. Thirty years agoresidents would simply have been told that the work was going to be done and that they would simply have to put up with the inconvenience. But now residents expect councils to make appropriate arrangements. J OHNWilkinson is a veteran of the lift industrystarting as an apprentice draughtsman at Platt Schindler nearly fifty years agobecoming a member of the British Standards Institute and serving on the LEIA Quality andTechnical Committee QTC for close on twenty years. As a Director of a medium sized companyI was at first rather conscious that I was not able to fly around the world and gather information for the industry like my colleagues in the multi nationalsbut I then began to appreciate how much you can contribute to a committee through discussing the reasons behind technical decisions reality testingif you like he says. LEIAsTechnical Director Nick Mellor endorses the value of Johns contribution highlighting the very interesting presentation on improving the accessibility of lifts he gave at the modernisation seminar last year. See page 4. John sees great value in participating in committee workboth as an individual and also for the industry as a whole. Most recentlythe QTC has got to grips with the modernising of CE marked lifts and components particularly the requirement for Unintended Car Movement Protection UCMP and has sent out notification to members about the need to ensure that from 20April 2016 there will be a new directive requiring UCMP devices placed on to the market from that date to be CE marked. What are the other issues on the horizon for the Committee At present these centre around the introduction of BS EN 81-20 Listening to the customer MODERNISATION JOHN WILKINSON MODERNISATION UNDER WAY Continued overleaf The Chief Executive of the HSEDame Judith Hackittlinks improvements in workplace health to productivity gains and tackling skills shortages. She comments that the solution requires some different thinking but that ..the industry has a good track record on culture change in safety and now is the time to apply it to health. But its not just about reducing costs to businesses and employees.At a time of skills shortagespeople can choose who they work forand they will choose those who care. Cause for concern work-related cancers kill about 3500 construction workers a year the construction sector lost 0.5 million working days to injury in 201415but 1.2 million working days a year to work-related ill health the cost of work-related ill health to the UK economy was 9.4bn in 201415 and 1.3bn to the construction sector 20 tradespeople die from asbestos- induced diseases every week. LEIAANNUALREVIEW2016PAGE12 MODERNISATION Medium rise housing blocks with only one lift present challenges where families with young children have to cope with managing stairs with buggiespramsyoung children and shopping. What happens on my floor when I need a new fridge delivered is another familiar issue.The impact of Health and Safety constraints has had some unforeseen impact on resolving customer needs. For examplecontractors are no longer permitted to assist people by carrying them and are not encouraged to take shopping across a residents threshold. In the instances of families with young childrenWe try to resolve this by installing a temporary room in the lobby or a container outside to accommodate prams and buggies says John. In other circumstancesa concierge service is providedwith the lift company offering to assist with shopping and also arranging for some lift service at a pre-arranged time to deal with bulky itemsusing if possible the lift being modernised as a Goods Only Lift working on Pendant Control or CarTop Controlif fitted. to cannibalize the best elements from the lift out of service to help sustain the other whilst the work is being done. The lift and escalator industry is well accustomed to the need for method statementsrisk assessment and time scales for exampleno noisy work before 9.30 in the morning and after 4.00 in the afternoon. But there are other particular issues to take into accountwhich require a new management thread to be developed John says. LocalAuthorities and HousingAssociations are now obliged to undertake consultation some weeks ahead of planned work. Attending the consultation can be effective in finding ways to accommodate the practical needsas John saysIt helps to sit and listen to residents for an evening and try to come up with solutions. On one occasion John suggested putting a bench on each mezzanine floor of a council apartment block with a high number of elderly residentsso that people could sit and take their breath before embarking on the next flight of stairs.When visiting the block a few weeks laterhe found that the benches had become popular meeting placeswith residents bringing flasks of tea and coffee as they sat and chatted.The lift modernisation is now completed but the benches remain. We really enjoyed the opportunity to get to know each other instead of just disappearing behind our front doors said one resident. A refreshing example of unforeseen consequences being positive ones. Aswewenttopressnewscameofadelay. PleasecheckforupdatesontheLEIAwebsite. 3334 Devonshire Street London W1G 6PY Telephone 020 7935 3013 Fax 020 7935 3321 Email enquiriesleia.co.uk www.leia.co.uk Lift and Escalator Industry Association Listening to the customer CONTINUED THE CUSTOMER BRINGING LIFTS UP TO DATE In sheltered housingputting the only lift in the building out of action for six weeks whilst modernisation takes place can have very significant effect on residents and staff. There are various solutionsfor example installing a stair lift for the duration or moving disabled people to the ground floor. In some instances residents are moved out completely to temporary accommodation. Even when there are two lifts servicing a buildingproblems can arisewith the lift left in service beginning to creak under the strain of the additional use. One solution is