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BCC annual conference - details announced
The British Cleaning Council has announced plans for its 2012 annual conference, which will take place at Coin Street Conference Centre on London’s South Bank on 23 October 2012.
The day will be focused on ‘business efficiency and innovation’, as a distinguished and high-profile speaker line-up will offer the best and most creative solutions to the challenges arising during the age of austerity.
The event will be run in partnership with Kimberly-Clarke Professional, Selden Research, Diversey, C&M Magazine, South Thames College, and Norse, with further organisations to be added at a later date.
The BCC annual conference has established itself as a must-attend event for anyone concerned with creative solutions and commercial success in the cleaning industry. The previous two events have sold- out, with over 200 senior executives convening each year to discuss, debate and disseminate the latest economic trends and managerial thinking within the sector.
Mark Woodhead, chairman of the British Cleaning Council, said: “The conference is now one of the key dates on the industry calendar, and is a real showcase for the latest business thinking and innovation. We look forward to welcoming delegates to what is sure to be another engaging and stimulating day, in addition to its position as one of the best opportunities for networking with industry figures and sponsors. We expect tickets to sell out as quickly as before, and I urge those interested to take advantage of the early bird discount as soon as possible.”
Early bird tickets for the conference, priced at £99 plus vat, are available from the British Cleaning Council’s website: www.britishcleaningcouncil.org/cleaningconference.html.
Limited sponsorship berths are also available: please contact Peter Carrol by telephone: 020 7920 9640 or email: press@britishcleaningcouncil.org for further information.
LPM receives ISO9001 accreditation
LPM Cleaning & Support Services is celebrating the successful achievement of CCAS ISO9001 accreditation across its diverse organisation. The national award is confirmation that LPM, which comprises a number of specialist divisions to cater for specific market sectors including retail, office, transport, public sector, food hygiene and industrial, has successfully brought the whole of its cleaning business together and standardised its operating systems.
Joe Read, sales and operations director at LPM Cleaning, said: “LPM Cleaning was previously made up of three separate businesses, each with a different version of ISO9001 accreditation. These businesses have now been brought under the one LPM Cleaning umbrella and have been accredited with CCAS ISO9001 standard on a Group level. This backs up our ethos of operating nationally, but retaining the local pride of the pre-existing businesses.”
In order to unify the operating systems (quality and environment) of the three former operating divisions, LPM Cleaning based in Sidcup, LPM Dependable in Leeds and LPM Intercity (incorporating LPM Paragon) in Manchester, the UKAS accredited certification body CCAS was approached.
In September 2009, LPM Cleaning was awarded a group certificate of compliance to the ISO 14001 environmental standard. For the first time, LPM had one key certificate that demonstrated a single management system that delivered consistent compliance to the ISO 14001 standard across all of its operating offices and contracts.
In order to meet the even bigger challenge of gaining the ISO 9001 quality management standard from CCAS, LPM Cleaning had to demonstrate that its policies, procedures and all other documentation were consistent across the group, both at head office level and at all of its contracts. This was successfully achieved in September 2011, when LPM Cleaning was awarded a group certificate of compliance to ISO 9001.
With both the ISO 14001 and the ISO 9001 auditing regimes, LPM will be visited by CCAS twice each year to ensure ongoing compliance to these standards, as well as continuous improvement. Each of the visits will last two days, with one day spent at an LPM office, and the other day spent visiting LPM contracts.
www.lpmcleaning.co.uk
Planting day in The National Forest
Staffordshire based business PHS Direct recently held a ‘corporate day’, planting trees in a new National Forest woodland at Overseal, Derbyshire. Customers, suppliers and employees came together on a sunny, spring morning and got their hands dirty, planting over 400 trees as part of PHS Direct’s sponsorship of The National Forest. Over 12,000 trees have now been planted as a result of this scheme and the three separate planting events involving volunteers have contributed 1000 trees ready to grow and mature, completing one part of the site.
PHS Direct, a specialist suppler of workplace consumables such as hand towels and toilet tissue, is based near to The National Forest and is providing support through a three year project by planting 20,000 trees in a 10 hectare woodland. The scheme has been developed to demonstrate PHS Direct’s ethical approach to business and is part of the corporate and social responsibility programme, where a contribution is made to the forest with every box of paper and low energy hand dryer that is sold.
James Clark, managing director of PHS Direct, said: “It is always inspirational planting trees for The National Forest, and I am particularly pleased to see our employees, customers and suppliers working together for a great project. This genuinely supports the local community and environment so everyone can see that we aren’t only a commercially focused business as we care about our wider surroundings, making real differences for ourselves and future generations to enjoy.”
Sophie Churchill, chief executive of the National Forest Company, said: “PHS Direct is making a valued contribution to our work as we continue to create The National Forest. It has been particularly rewarding seeing families as well as staff members out planting trees - with their wellies and gloves they have worked hard through some wintry weather - and now they’ll be back enjoying the forest in its fair weather glory!”
www.phs.co.uk
BIFM Level 7 qualifications in FM
BIFM has announced the first of a number of new products which are due to come on stream in 2012. The BIFM Level 7 Certificate and Diploma in Facilities Management, which have been approved by Ofqual and are regulated qualifications on the Qualifications and Credit Framework, also form an integral pathway leading to a MSc in Applied Facilities Management which will be launched by Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) School of the Built Environment in September 2012.
An LJMU spokesperson said: “Close partnerships with industry and practice ensure the course - and our graduates - are responsive to the changing needs of industry, government, local communities and professional practice.”
LJMU is a BIFM recognised centre to deliver the Level 7 portfolio of qualifications. This provides an opportunity to not only obtain a professional qualification but to progress within the programme to graduate with a Master’s degree. The modules include: strategic facilities management; knowledge and information management; managing staff and customers; legislation, finance and risk; managing intelligent buildings; leadership for a sustainable environment; and research methods. A learner will also be expected to complete a dissertation.
www.bifm.org.uk
BCC calls for extra hygiene during Olympics
The London Olympics will greatly increase the risk of a flu pandemic in Britain, according to a new study of more than 200 countries by risk analysts Maplecroft.
The influx of tourists expected to arrive in London over the summer means that Britain is ranked second in the world by the group, in terms of the risk of an avian or swine flu outbreak.
In normal conditions, factors such as crowded cities, a growing population and the amount of travel in and out of the UK provide ideal conditions for avian or swine flu to spread if it makes it to the UK.
However, during the Olympics, it is estimated that the 800,000 people using London’s public transport system each day will vastly increase the risk of infection transfer amongst the British population.
Mark Woodhead, chairman of the British Cleaning Council, said: “This report claims that the surge in visitors expected over the summer will exacerbate the risk of flu spreading across the country, and it is vital that we all take measures to minimise the risk. To keep the population safe, the BCC urges increased hand washing by members of the public, alongside regular and thorough cleaning of areas with high levels of human traffic.”
www.britishcleaningcouncil.org
£7 million TFM contract awarded
Balfour Beatty Workplace has been awarded a contract worth £7 million a year to deliver total facilities management services across UK Power Networks property portfolio. The contract, which is for three years with the opportunity to extend for a further two, covers about 80 UK sites across London, the South East and East Anglia.
The TFM contract will be key to the successful delivery of the company’s network operations and will also provide support to its back office functions and its executive based at its headquarters in central London.
The award of this contract marks the entry of UK Power Networks into the TFM market and enables Balfour Beatty to demonstrate its flexible and innovative service delivery model while integrating and developing the services currently delivered by a range of local suppliers.
Balfour Beatty mobilised the contract and transferred more than 270 staff from the client and existing providers and services at the end of February.
Andy Hobart, MD of Balfour Beatty Workplace, said: “I am delighted that UK Power Networks has appointed Balfour Beatty Workplace to this significant role. Once again Balfour Beatty Workplace has shown that it has the flexibility to deliver a wide range of services and that these can be tailored very effectively to the specific requirements of a client with a large number of diverse sites across a large geographical area.”
www.bbworkplace.com
