Events
Our upcoming events and conferences for BESA members.
Read MoreBESA specialist groups set the standards that shape building engineering services and to contribute to the strategic development of the Association.
Read MoreFrom commercial insurance to employee benefits, or training requirements to the latest legislative updates, we’ve got you covered – and all at preferential member rates.
Read MoreMembership means more services to add value to your business and to help you make the most of the opportunities in the marketplace.
Read MoreAs a BESA member, you automatically qualify to apply for FREE Trustmark status, helping you to win domestic work.
Read MoreThe BESA Competence Assessment Scheme provides independent accreditation of our members’ technical competence and commercial capability.
Read MoreFrom commercial insurance to employee benefits, or training requirements to the latest legislative updates, we’ve got you covered – and all at preferential member rates.
Read MoreThe BESA provides practical assistance to its members in managing, developing and training their workforce and in establishing terms and conditions of employment.
Read MoreIn its role as an employers’ organisation, the BESA is responsible for ensuring the relevance to members’ needs of collective agreements with the sector’s recognised trade union.
Read MoreThe BESA is committed to ensuring that its members are fully compliant with all relevant health and safety legislation, and that they remain up-to-date with current industry best practice.
Read MoreBESA has been providing best-in-class technical guidance and standards to the building engineering services sector for over 100 years.
Read MoreThe BESA technical team is on-hand to give expert advice, guidance and practical support that address key technical issues as well as deliver access to standards, specifications and guides to good practice.
Read MoreTechnical bulletins provide the most up-to-date and relevant industry information and technical advice, ensuring that our members continue to operate as leaders within the industry.
Read MoreCertification and registration enable the demonstration of best practice to end users, as well as enabling you to remain compliant.
Read MoreAs a BESA member you have access to expert support from our experienced and knowledgeable legal & commercial team.
Read MoreIt is crucial that employers understand and manage the wide range of regulatory requirements and obligations they must comply with.
Read MoreContracts can be a minefield. Ensuring your company's contracts are managed efficiently can save your business not just time, but money too.
Read MoreDebts, disputes and payment issues can cause a real impact on your business' cash flow meaning the right advice and guidance can be essential.
Read MoreAs a business owner, protecting and de-risking your business from threats is essential and having plans and processes in place along with a support network is key.
Read MoreBESA has been providing best-in-class technical guidance and standards to the building engineering services sector for over 100 years.
Read MoreLatest news on the initiatives and activities being undertaken by the BESA in support of its members and the building engineering services sector.
Read MoreBESA Training has provided training and apprenticeships for the building engineering services sector and its employers for over 25 years.
Read MoreAs a BESA member you have access to expert support from our experienced and knowledgeable legal & commercial team.
Read MoreIt is crucial that employers understand and manage the wide range of regulatory requirements and obligations they must comply with.
Read MoreContracts can be a minefield. Ensuring your company's contracts are managed efficiently can save your business not just time, but money too.
Read MoreIt is crucial that employers understand and manage the wide range of regulatory requirements and obligations they must comply with.
Read MoreBESA Connect is a scheme helping those who don't have the digital equipment at home to assist them in completing their training or apprenticeship.
Read MoreUse our interactive Find A BESA Member facility to take advantage of the high competence and health and safety standards to which our members adhere.
Read MoreConstruction is a complex process. It therefore requires significant expertise to deliver the building engineering services that buildings demand.
Read MoreThe BESA Book is an annual industry directory published on behalf of the Building Engineering Services Association by Open Box Publishing.
Read MoreBringing together early career technical personnel working in our sector to learn about the industry and new technology, collaborate
Read MoreBrowse the organisations which are members of the BESA affiliation scheme.
Read MoreLatest news on the initiatives and activities being undertaken by the BESA in support of its members and the building engineering services sector.
Read MoreUp-to-date comment and thought leadership on key industry issues from our expert team.
Read MoreUp-to-date information on a range of events of interest and relevance to building engineering services contractors, attendance at many of which are free of charge.
Read MoreIt is crucial that employers understand and manage the wide range of regulatory requirements and obligations they must comply with.
Read MoreIt is crucial that employers understand and manage the wide range of regulatory requirements and obligations they must comply with.
Read MoreIt is crucial that employers understand and manage the wide range of regulatory requirements and obligations they must comply with.
Read MoreIt is crucial that employers understand and manage the wide range of regulatory requirements and obligations they must comply with.
Read MoreJoin us for a full programme of technical content, including an exhibition featuring innovative technical solutions.
Read MoreYour BESA magazine is an exciting new member's magazine offering valuable guidance and updates on technical, training, skills and education along with other association and industry related news.
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Read MoreThe podcast that delves deeper into the unique challenges faced by the construction and building engineering services industry.
Read MoreThe BESA helps shape the building engineering services industry, progressing key issues and keeping on top of consultations
Read MoreA dedicated area to help raise awareness on the key issues surrounding the current lack of diversity, promoting the business benefits of a diverse workforce and sharing best practice case studies and actionable resources.
Read MoreA dedicated area to help raise awareness of mental health wellbeing in the building engineering services sector, providing practical resources and tools to help companies address this important issue in their workplace
Read MoreA dedicated area to help raise awareness of the importance of indoor air quality, the conditions of air inside buildings and how our sector can work together to make buildings safe havens.
Read MoreA dedicated area to focus on how we in the building engineering services sector can learn from and improve following the Grenfell Tower tragedy.
Read MoreA dedicated area highlighting BESA's efforts to address the issue of retentions in the built environment.
Read MoreA dedicated area with resources and guidance for members affected by the Carillion collapse, as well as information on late payment reform.
Read MoreMonday, January 18, 2021
The UK’s departure from the EU creates an opportunity to finally deal with the rogue operatives who continue to plague the refrigeration and air conditioning sector, according to the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA).
The UK will continue to mirror the rules set by the European F-Gas regulations to drive reductions in harmful emissions from refrigeration and air conditioning equipment, but Brexit gives it the freedom to go further by setting up a national register of individual operatives.
This has long been regarded as a way to tackle the problem of unqualified people carrying out sub-standard work by making it harder for them to buy equipment and refrigerant gas. However, it was never a priority for the EU and was dropped from the original plans for the F-Gas regulations.
“Our European partners never saw the need for such a register,” said BESA’s head of technical Graeme Fox. “We lobbied for it in the early days, but most European countries don’t have the same problem we have because they have much stricter rules about who can set up a business.
“Here the barriers to entry into technical professions are very low, which means pretty much anyone can set up a contracting business. Not being able to do a job has not stopped people winning a job in this country,” he told a recent BESA webinar.
Some individual engineers can be traced through the mandatory REFCOM register of companies, but the industry has a very transient workforce and operatives change employers frequently.
Revisions
The UK will continue to follow the step-down programme established by the F-Gas regulation to reduce the amount of global warming gas on the market and is expected to adopt further revisions that are likely to come into force at the start of 2023.
The market for HFC gases, such as 410A, has shrunk to just 45% of what was available in 2015, which represents massive progress in the campaign to reduce the industry’s impact on the environment, but there is growing concern about the widening use of ‘alternative’ gases including a number that are flammable.
“Some of the new gases being used to replace HFCs are only very mildly flammable, but we are seeing greater use of propane (R290) in systems, for example, and this needs careful handling,” said Fox. “None of the new lower GWP (global warming potential) substances represent a serious challenge to experienced and qualified engineers who have updated their skills, but the risk posed by untrained and uncertified installers is a real cause for concern.”
Many of the small units used in residential applications come pre-charged with flammable refrigerant gas and BESA is concerned that these remain too easy for DIYers and unqualified installers to buy – particularly online. A mandatory certification scheme would help because suppliers could only sell to those on the register.
BESA also manages the REFCOM Elite Supplier scheme – a voluntary register of responsible suppliers who will only sell to properly certified people. “This is about enforcing the spirit of the regulation not just the letter of the law,” said Fox. “It is a voluntary code of practice that makes the system work better for the whole supply chain.
“Regulations must be workable and be seen to be working. Clients can see how professional a contractor is if they can see they are audited to a required standard; politicians can also see that our sector is being responsible and trying to do the right thing. That will mean we are not over-regulated and have tough legislation imposed on us,” he told the webinar.
Online forums have helped the Environment Agency identify several instances of poor standard work and prosecute offenders, but currently the only register of operatives is a voluntary one run by the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Industry Board (ACRIB). Creating a mandatory scheme would also underpin the push for higher professional standards and improved training across the sector.
Retraining
However, it is not just the rogue installers who present a problem, according to Fox. Many qualified installers also need retraining and upskilling. This problem is shared by the rest of Europe with former EU partners equally concerned that the lack of skills will hinder the uptake of new lower GWP gases.
“Although City & Guilds qualifications do not require renewal on a regular basis in the same way that other types of qualification do, the underpinning knowledge and requirements of certification that drive the standards change over time. Without re-assessment and renewal courses there is the very real possibility of working practices becoming obsolete and outdated,” said Fox.
Many engineers have upskilled already by taking the BESA ACRIB Flammables training course, but there remain many thousands of engineers without the basic skills needed to transition safely.
The BESA Academy also offers an easy to access F-Gas Renewal course (six modules) online. The Association speeded up its availability during the last Covid-19 lockdown as all the physical test centres were forced to close.
“A good engineer will be able to do the whole course in five hours; take the test and get a new certificate – and all now without even having to leave the comfort of their own home,” said Fox.
Thursday, March 4, 2021
The Chancellor deserves credit for increasing investment in apprentices,...
Wednesday, March 3, 2021
The return of thousands of children to schools in England next week has...
Monday, March 1, 2021
With public interest in the quality of the air we breathe at an all-time high,...
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