NEWS

GOING GREEN PUTS LOWE GROUP (ENGINEERING) IN THE LIMELIGHT

Lowe Group (Engineering) received a number of plaudits and an award at the recent NICEIC 50th Anniversary Electrical Industry Awards.

Nominated for the Best Practice in Energy Efficiency category, the company came out on top with an award for their work at the Moorgate Crofts Business Centre, a joint project with Rotherham Borough Council.

The centre is a modern, high-specification workspace with in-house business support services to encourage and nurture micro and start-up businesses. The aim was to create a 'green' building to improve the local environment and incorporate sustainable features.

Working alongside the council's design team, engineers from Lowe Group (Engineering) incorporated geothermal heating and cooling, passive and natural ventilation, rainwater recycling, recycling materials and topped it all with a 'green roof' with over 8,000 species of plants on it! Quite a feat. Certainly the judges were impressed, hence the award, and so too was the client. So impressed in fact that they have already commissioned the company to design the next 'green' building at the Magna Centre in Rotherham.

John Quick and Peter Fairclough (left and right of centre) collecting the award at the Electrical Industry Awards Gala Dinner at London's Grosvenor House Hotel.

 

MACHINE SAFETY BECOMES A BIGGER ISSUE

Legislation relating to machinery safety has evolved quickly over recent years. From the general requirements to ‘securely fence all dangerous parts of machinery’ as per the Factories Act 1961, there are now a number of more extensive duties and responsibilities of which employers should be aware. Section 6 of the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 places a duty on manufacturers, suppliers and importers to ensure ‘as far as reasonably practicable’ that work equipment is safe and without risk to health.

More recent legislation such as the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 1992 and The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1992 (PUWER) both lay down much more specifically the area of machine safety that employers should be addressing. The Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 1992 introduced an explicit requirement for manufacturers and suppliers to assess the risks arising during the lifetime of a machine and PUWER in particular emphasises the employer’s responsibility to ensure that safe work equipment is provided, enabling employees to carry out their duties safely.

This is not all however, indeed the introduction of new safety technology, together with frequent changes and additions to health and safety regulations and standards, make it difficult for companies looking to design new, or upgrade existing machinery, to choose a compliant and cost effective safety related control system. The main concerns will always be the need to ensure the design and use of machinery is inherently safe, that it is compliant with the relevant health and safety regulations and standards and that it meets the company’s production requirements.

Health and safety regulations place statutory obligations on machine users and suppliers to provide plant and machinery that is fit for its intended purpose and inherently safe to use. European and international standards enable users and suppliers to demonstrate compliance with the regulations by adopting best design practice. Standards cover such areas as safety related parts of control systems, use of programmable circuits, emergency stop circuits, guarding, interlocking systems, electronic sensitive protection devices etc.

Lowe Group (Engineering) Limited offer a complete machine safety service to help companies overcome exactly this type of problem. Our experienced engineers routinely design and manufacture safety systems for all types of industrial applications that protect personnel working with potentially dangerous machinery. Indeed, our safety systems ensure the maintenance of a safe working environment and are compliant with all current safety legislation and standards. From initial inspection of your current system through to the application of the appropriate safety solution, we can more than meet your requirements.