BESA Wins Best Use of Technology Award

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28 February 2023

The Building Engineering Services Association has won the Best Use of Technology Award at the Trade Association Awards 2023 for its Ventilation Hygiene Elite Register.

What is The Ventilation Hygiene Elite Register?

This scheme allows businesses to self-certify their specialist hygiene works to the required industry TR19® Specification, the industry standard for ventilation hygiene.

The Ventilation Hygiene Elite Register’s (VHE) success in creating and then rapidly expanding a database for notifying ventilation system cleaning in compliance with the industry standard TR19® has been widely praised. It plays a key role in reducing fire risks posed by poorly maintained building ventilation systems.

In April last year, VHE implemented a new SMS messaging service that accelerated the notification of compliant works by a 78 per cent and this month (February 2023) the scheme hit the milestone of 20,000 notified cleans in a year.

“Digital technology has helped us make rapid progress in providing a much-needed way for responsible firms to demonstrate to clients, insurers and the general public that they are working hard to keep people safe in buildings,” said BESA’s Head of Certification Duncan Sibbald.

“We have gone from a largely unregulated sector to one that can now demonstrate professionalism and compliance in a clear and easy to access way, but we are far from finished,” he added. “With the Building Safety Act raising the stakes for fire safety right across the built environment, digital systems that support compliance will become ever more important.”

Campaign of the Year and Association Executive of the Year

The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) was also shortlisted in two other categories. Campaign of the Year and Association Executive of the Year at the ceremony at The Brewery in London.

BESA’s Technical Director Graeme Fox made the shortlist for Association Executive of the Year in recognition of his efforts to help the global building services industry raise standards of technical excellence and safety across a wide range of disciplines from refrigeration and air conditioning to indoor air quality and heating.

He also played a key role in the launch of World Ventilation Day (#WorldVentil8Day), which was shortlisted for Campaign of the Year. BESA organised the campaign and worked with 21 organisations, including professional bodies, universities, and environmental groups from across the UK, Europe, North America, and Australia to raise public awareness of the vital role played by ventilation in tackling poor air quality and supporting people’s health, well-being, and productivity.

Picture: a photograph of a group of BESA team members on the stage at the awards ceremony. Image Credit: BESA

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 28 February 2023

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