Adherence to best health and safety practice is crucial to all reputable businesses – and represents a key element in the independent competence assessment regime with which all existing and aspiring BESA members must comply.

The BEST team should be proud to have secured independent evidence of its excellence in this important regard.

Recognising the symptoms of CO poisoning is not easy as it can be similar to other conditions such as flu and food poisoning.

The first line of defence and the most important thing you can do is to ensure that all fuel burning appliances and any connected flues or extraction systems in your home are regularly maintained to keep them operating in safe working order and subject to annual safety checks by a qualified engineer.

By choice Lord and Lady Rotherwick host a very limited number of events at Cornbury Park such as their award winning Wilderness Festival; we are therefore absolutely delighted that they have agreed to host the Field & Country Fair and feel sure that visitors will be captivated by this stunning venue.

I am confident that Tim’s excellent academic qualifications and broad practical and managerial experience will prove an invaluable asset to the association, and that – with Jack’s expert and enthusiastic assistance – he will further establish our commitment to the creation of the low-carbon economy and a genuinely sustainable built environment.

Rudi’s fearless and determined approach to bringing about change and improvement in construction has brought more benefit to the industry than many appreciate or recognise.

As LiveSaver floats free when the jacket inflates its triangular end provides the rescuer with a much easier target for the boathook, as well as the ability to attach the victim to the boat whilst setting up the retrieval system; simple yet highly effective.

Around 250,000 illegal gas jobs are carried out each year but homeowners must remember that dangerous gas work can be deadly.

Following an independent audit by Assure UK, Welplan Pensions is proud to have its exceptionally high standards confirmed by qualifying for a place on The Pensions Regulator’s list of approved Master Trusts.

It is a real coup for our sector to be leading the way as the first specialist CSCS scheme to go digital.

Households can start saving straightaway by adding controls to their existing system; heating controls can be fitted at any time – not just when replacing the boiler.

Internet based smart heating systems may grab the headlines but with so many households lacking even the most basic of controls let’s not run before we can walk.

Our members were unanimous in their praise for the many impressive initiatives being taken forward, and by the willingness of our Heathrow hosts to share their expertise, their knowledge and their achievements.

SOS Dan Buoy is suitable for all vessels but really comes into its own on short-handed craft such as those typically crewed by just the husband and wife. Being highly compact, it takes up very little room and the optional storage bracket means it can be kept ready-to-hand in the cockpit area.

Dan Buoy is just one of the many MOB systems we now offer that include other highly innovative products such as our brand new QUIKSLING and Hypo Hoist, which has recently been adopted by the RNLI. We’d like to think we really are the ‘go to’ company – a one stop shop – for an unrivalled range of MOB recovery products.

It is a real coup for our sector to be leading the way in the modernisation of this crucial competence and health and safety measure.

I welcome the move by SKILLcard to adopt smartcard technology. This contributes to the modernisation of the industry and is part of a wider strategy to validate professional and vocational standards and contribute to the health and well-being of operatives and the general public.

While it is fitting that our most skilled people are getting the recognition and financial rewards they deserve; we do need to focus heavily on increasing the numbers of skilled people available and also on equipping our workforce with the new skills required by the modern construction market.

A building should be a haven from harmful outside air, but many building managers haven’t taken the necessary steps to protect occupants from the effects of outdoor air pollutants entering the building.

Poorly maintained ventilation systems, clogged or missing filters, dirty ductwork and aging air conditioning systems are all contributing to a huge health and wellbeing problem.

We are calling on the government to take indoor air quality seriously and do much more to help educate and assist building managers in combating the problem, and to provide funding where necessary to do so, for example in public buildings such as hospitals and schools.

It’s vital to remember that a lifejacket is only that if it works so why take a chance? Be safe and not sorry; let us service your lifejackets and then store them for you in dry controlled conditions until you next need them.

I am delighted to be joining B&ES at this time. My years with BEST have made me well aware of the challenges facing the industry today, and I welcome the opportunity to work with the membership and my colleagues across B&ES and the sector in order to address them.

Working alongside Bob Dyer has involved me in many aspects of the Association’s activities in Scotland and Northern Ireland – and I look forward to continuing to collaborate with colleagues, members and other organisations for the benefit of the sector as a whole.

Poorly maintained ventilation systems, clogged or missing filters, dirty ductwork and ageing and inefficient air conditioning systems are all contributing to a huge health and wellbeing problem.

Poorly maintained ventilation systems, clogged or missing filters, dirty ductwork and ageing and inefficient air conditioning systems are all contributing to a huge health and wellbeing problem.

Students need to be aware that landlords and lettings agencies renting out student digs have a legal duty to ensure that all gas appliances in the property have been checked and serviced on an annual basis.

As you cannot see or smell carbon monoxide fitting a CO alarm can be a potentially life-saving defence, not just from a faulty gas boiler but any fuel burning appliance.

I am well aware of the key position B&ES occupies in delivering services of genuine commercial benefit and in representing the interests of its members, and am delighted to have this opportunity further to enhance and develop the value of membership in the context of today’s competitive marketplace.

Membership decline is a key issue for the Association at this time, and I am delighted that Richard will be tackling this key challenge head on.

You cannot see, taste or smell carbon monoxide and that’s why it can kill quickly with no warning. It is the most common cause of fatal poisoning in the UK, with 40 people each year being killed by it and thousands more made ill.

A building should be a haven from harmful outside air, but many building managers haven’t taken the necessary steps to protect occupants from the effects of outdoor air pollutants entering the building.

Poorly maintained ventilation systems, clogged or missing filters, dirty ductwork and aging air conditioning systems are all contributing to a huge health and wellbeing problem.

We are calling on the government to take indoor air quality seriously and do much more to help educate and assist building managers in combating the problem, and to provide funding where necessary to do so, for example in public buildings such as hospitals and schools.

We remain absolute in our own commitment to the development of sustainable building services, to the integration of renewable and environmental technologies in buildings – and to the achievement of emission reduction targets that will place the UK in the vanguard of the environmental revolution.

The Building & Engineering Services Association is able, willing and determined to manage the changes that the future will inevitably bring – so that neither its members, nor the industry at large, will miss out on the opportunities they will present.

I am pleased that firms are responding to the challenge posed by skills and labour shortages by stepping up their training activity so as to take full advantage of the commercial opportunities that are available to them.

I am pleased that firms are responding to the challenge posed by skills and labour shortages by stepping up their training activity so as to take full advantage of the commercial opportunities that are available to them.

By designing apprenticeships, organisations like the Building & Engineering Services Association and their employer groups are ensuring that talented young people develop the skills needed to progress up the career ladder and help drive businesses forward.

This positive development follows similar approval granted in respect of apprenticeships in the pipefitting trades in the spring of this year, and represents another significant step towards ensuring competence and professionalism across building engineering services.

If your boiler is 10 or more years old it really is worth considering replacing it with a modern condensing boiler.

There is a big cross over between sailing and field sports in that many shooting enthusiasts are also sailing and boating enthusiasts. So we felt a lifejacket with a tweed cover would find favour with shooting and sailing enthusiasts many of whom are yacht owners.

Take advantage of our bespoke service – choose your own fabric, even an off-cut from a jacket or coat that’s no longer worn, send the cloth to us and we’ll make the cover. Any fabric can be made into an I-Zip lifejacket cover.

The first line of defence against CO poisoning and the most important thing you can do to keep you and your family out of harm’s way is to ensure that all fuel burning household appliances such as the boiler, cooker or fire and any connected flues or extraction systems in the home are regularly maintained to keep them operating in safe working order and subject to annual safety checks by a qualified engineer.

It has been a privilege to serve the Association's members, both collectively and individually, through the work I have led in connection with developing our National Agreement with Unite the union, and I look forward to continuing to engage with the increasingly important skills agenda over the coming years.

Of the many committed individuals I have met during my involvement with B&ES, I can safely claim that none has demonstrated more dedication than Brian to the interests of the Association and the sector, nor provided us with more leadership and wise counsel.

We must address the skills shortages which, at every level of the workforce, are threatening to limit the extent to which members can take advantage of the economic recovery.

We must continue to fight for the introduction of a fairer and more equitable payment culture that will allow businesses in the sector to operate profitably and to invest in skills, resources and technology.

B&ES has a long and distinguished history, and I am determined to work with its members and staff to ensure that it remains entirely relevant to needs of the membership and the building engineering services sector.