As the electrical industry, as all others, continues to adjust the new ‘normal’ of life during lockdown, Bureau Veritas is keen to remind any homebound electricians, duty holders and property managers on how they can use the extra time at home to their advantage by upskilling.
Inherently, by the nature of electrical work which typically involves working in people’s homes or commercial, industrial and building sites, the majority of which are now temporarily closed, many electrical firms have had to either limit work or place it on hold altogether for the duration of the lockdown.
In response, leading electrical safety expert, Bureau Veritas is keen to remind those electricians, duty holders and property managers who are homebound, either in working at home or having been furloughed for the present time, of the opportunity to use the extra time to invest in their own professional development.
Michael Kenyon, Technical Lead at Bureau Veritas says, “These are certainly testing times as we continue to try to navigate our way through this unchartered territory – and our sympathies remain wholly with those workers who have been affected.
“While we eagerly await further details from the Government, our priority remains on helping support the electrical industry in whatever way we can. With this in mind, we are actively encouraging electricians and other industry professionals to make the most of the vast learning resources available to them.
“From free training courses, webinars, podcasts and live Q&As, there is currently a plethora of great online content emerging due to the lockdown. Many industry experts are creating digital content, easily available on social media and other platforms, which has been designed to help those at home to enhance their knowledge base at this time.
“At Bureau Veritas, for example, we are holding a free webinar on the 20th May specifically designed for electricians, supervisors, managers and business owners on the complex world of electrical compliance, including duty holder responsibilities. Plus, we recently launched a new electrical guide designed to support duty holders in understanding how to reduce risks within an organisation – a great tool for electricians to have in their armoury when making compliance recommendations.”
This latest activity comes as the electrical industry continues to adapt to a fast changing climate, such as with the ongoing introduction of new renewable, low carbon technologies and the movement towards electrification, particularly Electrical Vehicle (EV) adoption.
Kenyon adds, “The modern electrician’s task is a complex one. Not only do they need to manage the complexities of electrical installations but they must also have a thorough grasp of new technologies, the different offerings and benefits of each, as well as an understanding of the impact of new legislation on both them and the customer.
“With this comes greater onus on investing in upskilling to ensure they remain fully informed. As such, we would urge all those electricians that remain at home to use any extra downtime to their advantage by taking stock of the wealth of support out there – in that way they can ensure they are one step ahead of the competition and ready to take the lead when works recommence in a post-coronavirus UK.”
Details of Bureau Veritas’ upcoming Understand Electrical Duty Holder Responsibilities webinar, due to take place on 22 May at 12pm can be found here.
Meanwhile, the new Electrical Safety Guide is available to download here.