If you are responsible for a business premises and your staff within that premises, fire alarms are one of the best ways to keep people safe, and are a vital part of your health and safety strategy.  This includes almost all buildings, places and structures other than individual private homes. In fact, property and business owners are required by law to make sure premises reach required standards of fire safety.

Current UK fire alarm regulations state that all business premises must have ‘an appropriate fire detection system’. That means that if there’s a fire, there needs to be a way for that fire to be easily detected and for anyone in the building to be warned easily.

Here are our 5 top tips to consider when installing and maintaining a fire system in your business premises:

1. Make sure you have the correct type of fire alarm system. It sounds obvious, but you need to ensure it is the best fit for your premises anyone in the building. Not all areas will require the same level of protection.
2. Make sure you use a “competent person” to design, install, test and maintain your fire alarm system.
3. Keep maintenance a top priority. It’s extremely important that the system is maintained regularly and thoroughly to keep it in full working order.
4. Make sure your Fire Risk Assessment is current and fit for purpose, and you have an Emergency Plan in place.
5. Regularly review and refresh the fire alarm system, procedures and staff training.

There is also a complex system of grades and categories that state how your fire alarm should be constructed, installed, tested and which areas it should cover.  The best way for you to know what’s right for your property is to get advice from registered and Approved Electricians in St Albans and London.

Now Autumn is upon us and the evenings are drawing in, customer enquiries for security lighting in St. Albans has certainly gone up a notch.

Sometimes an area seems to be unlucky at certain times and you constantly keep hearing reports of break-in’s or attempted ones to peoples properties or vehicles. Unfortunately our lovely village Bricket Wood where we are based, is being targeted a fair bit at the moment with our  local facebook pages alerting people to these crimes. Though it’s unsettling, it is of course better to know so you can try to prevent it happening where possible.

A customer contacted us after being concerned and wanted us to advise and suggest some security lighting that would hopefully prevent their house being a target. Following a site visit by our estimator Michael to discuss their requirements and to give advice on what we would recommend, we emailed some photos of security lights we would recommend to see if this was what they had in mind. Once we knew what style was liked, a quotation was sent for our clients consideration.

The client kindly instructed us to carry out the works which we did this week, thankfully on one of the few ‘no rain’ days! We replaced some existing outside lighting and installed security lights with PIR sensors to the back and side of the house which worked nicely with the already existing front of house lighting.

A neighbour noticed our electrician carrying out the install and expressed how equally concerned with security they were also as their car had been broken into only the week before. Our estimator Michael will be meeting with them next week to discuss their requirements which may also involve CCTV.

Whatever your concerns, budget or type of property you have, Fulcher Edwards can discuss your requirements and offer advise to help you feel like your property is less of a target for potential burglars. We cover St. Albans and all most of Hertfordshire and London so why not get in touch for an no-obligation quotation. Contact us here via our website or on 01923 616985.

When looking for an electrician in St. Albans, people look for good reviews, recommendations, costs and sometimes check they are registered, but do you consider using a Company that is SafeContractor accredited?

SafeContractor is an accreditation which demonstrates to potential customers that your Company meets specific standards of health and safety. SafeContractor reviews and audits health and safety policies, procedures and documentation and only when they are satisfied do you received your accreditation.

Fulcher Edwards Ltd has been SafeContractor accredited for many years and prides its self on being health and safety compliant in all of our works, big or small. Each year we are audited and have to prove our competence by showing all our Health and Safety documents such as our Policies, our Method Statements and Risk Assessments and proving our electricians are fully qualified and trained on things such as step ladder use and access equipment.

Customers usually expect Health and Safety to come as standard but unfortunately there are many electricians out there that are not carrying out safe working practises and putting you and your property at risk. The horror stories you read about tradespeople are usually companies or sole traders that don’t follow simple Health and Safety guidelines or believe in qualifications. Both of these are fundamental in providing a safe working environment for staff and customers as well as providing a job well done.

This accreditation isn’t just for electricians but for all trades and covers all sectors and industries, so it is worth checking the electricians or builders you are considering have the SafeContractor badge on their website, letterheads or vans. We have our Certificate on the office on our wall to show that we are accredited and often forward a copy to prospective customers to give them peace of mind when giving us electrical or maintenance works.

Next time you are looking for a electrician then why not ask the question if they are SafeContractor approved as well as all the other questions you have when making a decision on which Company to use.

Safe Contractor Approved Electrician in St Albans, London and Hertfordshire

If you have any queries about our SafeContractor accreditation or would like to discuss any electrical works you are considering, then feel free to call us on 01923 616985, email us at info@fulcheredwards.coSC Certificate – 18102018SC Certificate – 18102018.uk or you can use our Contact Us Form via our website.

With electric cars becoming more and more popular, we have noticed that a lot more businesses are now considering having electric car chargers installed on their premises.

This week one of our fully qualified electricians in St albans installed an electric car charger at a commercial premises in Wimbledon that we carry out planned preventative maintenance for.  We installed a Rolec SecuriCharge:EV Wall Unit as this unit is robust, heavy duty, vandal resistant EV charging unit specifically manufactured for exposed locations. Ideal locations include hotels, car parks, offices, factories, warehouses, restaurants, stadiums, leisure centres and retail and commercial premises.

The Government offers Grant Schemes for businesses so if this something you are considering it may be good to take a look at GOV.UK website to see if your Company could benefit at all.

If you would like to discuss your requirements or any queries you have on electric car chargers with one of our electricians then please do not hesitate to contact us on 01923 616985 or info@fulcheredwards.co.uk.

Though we are St. Albans based electricians, we install car chargers all over London, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire so please let us know if you would like a free quotation.

Fulcher Edwards is proud to have a few accreditations against our name and one logo you may have noticed on our website is for TrustMark, but do you know what this logo stands for exactly?

TrustMark is a Government Endorsed Quality Scheme which covers work that consumers choose to have carried out in their home. This can be any trade but in our case it is electrical services.

TrustMark approved electricians like us have been thoroughly vetted to meet required standards set by the Government. This includes good customer service, technical competence and trading practices.

As a consumer you are always at risk of not getting what you asked for with trades people unfortunately and this scheme gives consumers increased confidence and choice. Also in the event that a problem did arise, you can get in touch with TrustMark who offers a range of remedies to give consumers further protection.

As an additional bonus you can find local TrustMark approved tradespeople on their website. You can find Fulcher Edwards on there to just by putting in our name and if you are based in St. Albans for example, you would put that in the address search.

If you are a St. Albans consumer looking for an approved electrician in St Albans, then why not get in touch today for a free quotation. We are not only TrustMark approved but also NICEIC and SafeContractor for added peace of mind.

Claire Fulcher-Powell

Fulcher Edwards Ltd prides itself on being a family business. Our director Michael Fulcher, operates the company alongside his wife and 2 daughters. His eldest daughter, Claire Fulcher-Powell celebrated her 10 years of service with the company on the 1st June! Therefore, in celebration of Claire’s long service with Fulcher Edwards Ltd we thought we would ask Claire a few questions about her time in the company:

Amy: ‘Congratulations on working at Fulcher Edwards for 10 years! What does your role entail?
Claire: ‘Thank you! I am the Operations Manager for the company. Therefore, I am in charge of booking in works, client liaison, ordering materials, and office management. However I am also responsible for all aspects of HR, Health and Safety, and audit management. Its a busy role for sure!’

Amy: ‘Wow it sounds it! What would you say the biggest challenge is of working for the family business?’
Claire: ‘One of the biggest challenge is trying to keep a healthy balance between family and work life. Its important to not always talk about work when spending time as a family! Also, there are higher expectations of you. I also find it difficult not to get emotionally involved with the company. As a family business, you have a personal attachment to it and therefore its hard not to take it personally if things go wrong which are sometimes out of your control.’

Amy: ‘That’s completely understandable. What would you say your greatest achievement has been in the last 10 years?’
Claire: ‘Due to the economic climate, there has been a lot of difficult changes which have happened over the past 10 years. We have lost big clients due to a change in their circumstances, which then massively impacted us! I’m proud to say though that we have always managed to pull through and keep the company running. Also, when I first joined the company I very much created the marketing role. I got Fulcher Edwards onto social media and started looking at ways to further advertise the business. We also got featured in a couple of magazine articles which I was pretty proud of!’

Amy: ‘Yes that is certainly something to be proud of! What is your favourite aspect of your role?’
Claire: ‘Most definitely winning a job and getting new clients! Also receiving positive feedback is really great. It makes all the hard work worthwhile.’

Amy: ‘Okay great. Finally, what’s next for Fulcher Edwards?’
Claire: ‘We’re not 100% sure what lies ahead at the moment, especially with Brexit on the horizon. We have already noticed a slight decline in work due to people being cautious with their money. For this year, I think we have to just batten down the hatches and see what the outcome of Brexit is. I would also like to keep slowly growing the business and gaining more clients in the Hertfordshire area.’

For all your electrical needs, please do not hesitate to contact us HERE.

Electrical apprenticeship in London, Herfordshire and St Albans

Research conducted by the Electrical Contractors Association (ECA) shows that only 8% of school leavers are being advised to seek apprenticeships! Due to this, employers feel that schools are not preparing students with the correct skill set to pursue an electrotechnical/engineering career.

At Fulcher Edwards Ltd we fully support apprenticeships and have hired a number of apprentices throughout our 38 years of service. Our Managing Director completed a City & Guilds apprenticeship back in 1975 and has been the owner of his own company since 1981. Therefore, it goes to show how far an apprenticeship can take you! Unfortunately, apprenticeships are often perceived as the ‘easy’ and ‘low-paying’ career route.

According to the Electrotechnical Skills Partnership (TESP) over half of employers said that apprentices often had unsatisfactory attitudes, a lack of knowledge, and qualifications. Employers also expressed concerns that schools are not teaching students basic electrical principles within their physics lessons. Furthermore, this lack of electrical theory and knowledge could be discouraging students to pursue a career within the electrical field.

School leavers also appear to be lacking in basic maths skills, oral and written English communication, and having a decent work ethic. Therefore they show a lack of respect to employers through poor timekeeping.

The ECA and TESP are aiming to encourage students into the electrotechnical sector by launching a series of programmes. This will include enhancing the electrical careers website, promoting work experience opportunities, and encouraging industry experts to become part-time lecturers. They aim to close the gap between education and the electrical industry through engagement with employers and local schools.

There is a lack of good candidates applying to train within the sector, therefore its important to start eliminating this stigma surrounding apprenticeships. University is not the route for everyone, and working as an electrician can be a rewarding, fulfilling, and well-paying career. Furthermore, apprenticeships give young people the opportunity to gain work experience, recognised qualifications, and even more importantly to earn some money!

What are your thoughts on apprenticeships? Do you think electrotechnical should be recognised as an academic subject?

If you require any electrical assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us HERE.

Did you know the Fire Safety Order 2005 (FSO) requires all employers to ensure their staff have received adequate fire safety training? Employees should receive fire safety training during their workplace induction. It is also a requirement that a sufficient amount of staff are trained to carry out an effective evacuation in the event of a fire.

At Fulcher Edwards Ltd we offer a workplace fire training course to all businesses.  This course is ideal for nominated employees to act as fire wardens in their workplace. The two hour course covers both emergency and non-emergency aspects of the role. All attendees will come away with an appropriate level of knowledge to carry out this role safely and effectively.

The workplace fire training course is ideal for those appointed as fire wardens, or for those who are responsible for implementing and developing a fire evacuation procedure.

What Does The Course Cover?

Please see the course programme outlined below:

Aims & Objectives
Legal Obligations
Understanding Fire
Means of Escape
Fire Protection in the Workplace
Fire Routines, Powerpoint and DVD Presentation
Short Comfort
Break
Emergency Role of a Fire Warden
Non-emergency Role of a Fire Warden
The Emergency Plan
Fire Fighting Equipment
Practical Fire Equipment Demonstration
Q&A

As you can see from the course programme, the course is highly detailed and will provide a sufficient level of knowledge to all attendees. On completion of the course we will issue certification within 7 days of our visit.

We allow up to 15 attendees per 2 hour session. However, if you are a larger company we can conduct two sessions within the same day.

It is important to take fire safety seriously, as a fire can have serious and deadly consequences. Furthermore, if the ‘responsible person’ within your business doesnt follow fire safety regulations, they could be fined or imprisoned.

If you would like to find out further information with regards to our Workplace Fire Training Course in London, Hertfordshire and St Albans, please do not hesitate to contact us HERE.

Electrical mistakes can happen easily and it’s every day mistakes that quickly land homeowners in deep water.

According to recent research, more than 80 million accidents happen in British homes each year causing injury or property damage due to unnecessarily risky behaviour.

Simple Electrical Mistakes That Endanger The Lives Of Homeowners

As electricians in Hertfordshire we come across these problems on an almost daily basis in peoples homes. If you are making any of these mistakes you are putting yourself at risk of electrical danger. Take a look at the list below to see what mistakes you could be making in your home. Any of these things could quickly land you in deep water and put you at serious risk of electric shock or injury:

1. Drying clothes on an electrical heater
2. Repairing an appliance while it is still plugged in
3. Leaving a hair straightener on unattended
4. Taking batteries out of smoke alarms to silence them
5. Drilling through wires in the wall to hang pictures
6. Trailing cables under a rug or carpet to keep them out of the way
7. Trying to dry objects that aren’t food in the microwave
8. Overloading electrical sockets and adapters
9. Using damaged electrical sockets that have burn marks on them
10. Using unregistered tradesmen

For further electrical safety advice within the home, check out one of our recent blog posts HERE.

Please do not hesitate to contact us HERE for all your electrical needs or for further electrical advice.