The ability to listen and learn from one another has always been vital in parliament, in business and in most aspects of daily life. But at this particular moment in time, as national and global events continue to reiterate, it is uncommonly crucial that we forge new channels of communication and reinforce existing ones. The following article from Pyrotect is an attempt to do just that. We would welcome your thoughts on this or any other Parliamentary Review article.
Pyrotect
BEST PRACTICE REPRESENTATIVE 2019
THE PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW
Highlighting best practice
40 | PORTAL SECURITY
We do not use subcontractors and
every one of our employees is on the
payroll. This spans the engineers,
managers and all staff. For larger
projects, such as Murrayfield on
match days, we will work with other
companies, and we also subcontract
for G4S, supplying safety stewards.
All of these elements contribute to
our high rate of repeat business.
Many customers who I worked with
before establishing the company have
since come and worked with us. They
know who we are and the quality of
our service and so repeatedly engage
with us. We always strive to remain
understanding and flexible, as there
are always issues in any business, and
we will go and immediately rectify any
problem that arises.
The need for increased
standardisation
The major challenge we face is
competing in such a price-driven
industry. One of our key tenets is
ensuring that we treat our staff fairly
and with a high level of care, so paying
the London Living Wage can often
be difficult to balance with ensuring
a competitive price for contracts.
Margins can be stifling. We find
this particularly challenging in the
construction sector, with companies
refusing to pay higher rates for bank
holidays, for instance.
Beyond this, there is often a significant
lack of uniformity across different
contracts, especially in terms of the
paperwork that needs to be completed.
For instance, we completed a project
for a major infrastructure company,
and to secure this contract we had to
complete a substantial pre-qualification
questionnaire. When working for their
subcontractors, however, they had an
entirely different set of paperwork, and
always having to go through this time-
consuming process is both inefficient
and expensive. We currently hold a
variety of construction accreditations
and all of the relevant ISOs and this
should negate the need for these PQQs.
More universal standards are needed.
We are planning to expand further into
property management and to develop
the technology side of the business.
Having said this, however, we are very
conscious not to overstretch ourselves,
and we always ensure we can complete
jobs correctly before expanding while
also ensuring our staff are matched to
the building’s personality, something
that lends itself to a successful
partnership. In terms of technology,
we are looking at new ways to provide
solutions to customers, including early
heat detection to deliver warnings before
any fire becomes too destructive. We
have trialled this system over the last six
months and it has performed well. This
type of innovation will drive us forward.
We ensure our
staff are
matched to
the building’s
personality
“
“
Protecting property and
people across the UK
41PYROTECT |
AEROSPACE, DEFENCE & SECURITY
Managing Director
ChrisGoodison
Pyrotect share their knowledge of correct installation
with both employees and external clients
Pyrotect ensure clients’ complete security with their
accredited passive fire protection solutions. From their head
office and two warehouses in the Midlands, their work
with major construction and key supply chain partners has given
them the ability to provide nationwide complete supply and
installation systems for fire protection and fire stopping, as well
as both air and acoustic sealing for new and existing buildings.
David Harris founded the company in 1998, and in recent years
Managing Director Chris Goodison has taken the company to
reach a turnover of over £7 million. He tells
The Parliamentary
Review
more about their work.
Through the endeavours of our employees we have built an excellent reputation
for passive fire protection within the construction industry. When assessed against
service delivery, health and safety records and financial capability, our performance
is envied by competitors.
We offer a UK-wide passive fire protection service. This includes:
»Intumescent paint protection to steel: a protective coating that expands in the
event of a fire to protect the steel
»Fire stopping to mechanical and electrical service penetration through fire
compartment walls: restraining a fire to the area in which it starts
»Cavity barriers: for both the slab edge perimeters and roof or ceiling voids
»Acoustic and air sealing
FACTS ABOUT
PYROTECT
»Managing Director:
ChrisGoodison
»Established in 1998
»Based in Ashby-de-la-Zouch,
Leicestershire
»Services: Fire protection in
the form of intumescent
paint to steel, fire stopping to
service penetrations and cavity
barrier installation; all FIRAS-
accredited
»No. of employees: 42 directly,
with 25 to 35 selected
subcontractors
»Some of Pyrotect’s original
employees from 1998 are still
with the company today
Pyrotect
THE PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW
Highlighting best practice
THE PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW
Highlighting best practice
42 | PYROTECT
Enhancing our reputation
Accreditation is something we feel
passionately about at Pyrotect;
we are certified with FIRAS, ISO
9001, Constructionline Gold and
Achilles, consequently meeting all
the requirements that the UK’s top
contractors have and giving peace of
mind to clients and end-users.
In addition to individuals carrying
certificates, we ensure that our
team are fully qualified to carry out
works on site; we work closely with
registered training providers to deliver
an advanced training scheme. Our
in-house “training wall” serves as an
outstanding in-house reference point
and helps to ensure that all staff are
fully qualified, confident and able to
do the best job possible.
Each Pyrotect operative works
to stringent industry standards,
referencing the wall for each individual
system we use on site. This ensures
that everyone has the same, consistent
level of training across the board,
meaning there’s no difference from
site to site. Every contract we deliver
on is completed with the same high
level of quality as the last – something
further substantiated by our ISO
9001:2015 certification.
We recognise that we are only as good
as our worst-performing individual,
and that sentiment drives us to try
to prove that we are the best in the
business at what we do. Our own
quality manager regularly checks out
site installations both visually and
intrusively to ensure full compliance.
We want to be the industry standard –
the first stop for anyone who needs a
passive fire protection system installed.
Working with contractors to
ensure end-user benefit
When it comes to working with
both main and smaller contractors,
our knowledge and expertise is
extensive and proven over time. Even
before beginning on site, we try to
establish where there might be gaps
in knowledge surrounding passive fire
protection and proactively work to
help teams plug those gaps.
In a sector where end-users are
increasingly asking more questions
– people are more aware of building
fires than ever in this day and age –
we make it our mission to collaborate
and share knowledge. As we engage
and work to add value at every level
of the supply chain, we can share and
develop knowledge not just for a client
or contractor, but the entire industry.
Rather than just beginning this process
of collaboration when we arrive
and begin working on site with a
contractor, we try to offer established
details and project packs four or
five weeks before we start on site.
We’re a proactive company, and one
that recognises the importance of
education across the industry.
Apprenticeships for passive
fire protection
Two years ago, I spoke to CITB – a
body we respect and partner with on a
regular basis – and asked them if there
had been any developments towards
Intumescent paint
applied to correct
thickness ensures
structural stability of
the steel is maintained
during a fire
We offer a
UK-wide
passive fire
protection
service
“
“
43PYROTECT |
AEROSPACE, DEFENCE & SECURITY
a passive fire protection-specific
apprenticeship. The answer was,
unfortunately, no.
Given the resurgence of apprenticeship
programmes, the impending skills
shortage that the construction sector
faces and the renewed investment
from larger contractors and developers
in fire protection, we feel this is an
important cause.
We do run our own internal programme
for upskilling young workers and are
conscious that we’re helping buck the
trend in that regard, but we recognise
that further support would certainly be
welcome. Commitment from all large
manufacturers and the opportunity
to run fire protection apprenticeships
under the government’s apprenticeship
levy further down the line could
be two areas where we could see
improvement.
There needs to be something viable
and tangible that we can promise to
the young people who are invested in
our sector. This is a much simpler ask
now than it was, say, ten years ago as
the industry is more closely scrutinised
than ever, and policy could certainly be
of assistance.
A gap between testing and
on-site products
This is another challenge we have
encountered. When we travel up to
Warringtonfire – the testing facility for
the Exova fire industry scheme, which
awards industry-specific accreditation –
there is something of a gap.
While many manufacturers conduct
the standard tests that we would
expect of individual products, their
teams seem not to be able to link to
site-specific scenarios. There are still
significant gaps between testing in a
controlled environment and working
with products on site – the increased
spotlight on our sector is pushing
manufacturers to extend their testing
portfolio, and this is a move that can
only benefit all involved.
As such, general, non-specific tests
are not satisfactory in an industry
that requires such intense scrutiny. As
stated, this is by no means a shortfall
that isn’t getting better – the gap is
certainly closing – but we do need
specific product testing and warranties
to ensure that teams can consistently
deliver on site.
A household name for passive
fire protection
While these are certainly issues that
need to be tackled going forward,
things very much are improving and
fire protection systems are becoming
a higher priority with every day
that passes for main and smaller
contractorsalike.
To support this trend, we will retain
our position in the industry and
continually strive to share our expertise
and knowledge with all of our
partners. We will also push to become
the first port of call for passive fire
protection across the country as we
doso.
We’re a proactive
company, and
one that
recognises the
importance of
education across
the industry
“
“
Breaches through fire
walls by maintenance
and electrical services
are correctly fire
stopped to ensure
compartmentation is
maintained
BEST PRACTICE REPRESENTATIVE 2019
THE PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW
Highlighting best practice
42 | PYROTECT
Enhancing our reputation
Accreditation is something we feel
passionately about at Pyrotect;
we are certified with FIRAS, ISO
9001, Constructionline Gold and
Achilles, consequently meeting all
the requirements that the UK’s top
contractors have and giving peace of
mind to clients and end-users.
In addition to individuals carrying
certificates, we ensure that our
team are fully qualified to carry out
works on site; we work closely with
registered training providers to deliver
an advanced training scheme. Our
in-house “training wall” serves as an
outstanding in-house reference point
and helps to ensure that all staff are
fully qualified, confident and able to
do the best job possible.
Each Pyrotect operative works
to stringent industry standards,
referencing the wall for each individual
system we use on site. This ensures
that everyone has the same, consistent
level of training across the board,
meaning there’s no difference from
site to site. Every contract we deliver
on is completed with the same high
level of quality as the last – something
further substantiated by our ISO
9001:2015 certification.
We recognise that we are only as good
as our worst-performing individual,
and that sentiment drives us to try
to prove that we are the best in the
business at what we do. Our own
quality manager regularly checks out
site installations both visually and
intrusively to ensure full compliance.
We want to be the industry standard –
the first stop for anyone who needs a
passive fire protection system installed.
Working with contractors to
ensure end-user benefit
When it comes to working with
both main and smaller contractors,
our knowledge and expertise is
extensive and proven over time. Even
before beginning on site, we try to
establish where there might be gaps
in knowledge surrounding passive fire
protection and proactively work to
help teams plug those gaps.
In a sector where end-users are
increasingly asking more questions
– people are more aware of building
fires than ever in this day and age –
we make it our mission to collaborate
and share knowledge. As we engage
and work to add value at every level
of the supply chain, we can share and
develop knowledge not just for a client
or contractor, but the entire industry.
Rather than just beginning this process
of collaboration when we arrive
and begin working on site with a
contractor, we try to offer established
details and project packs four or
five weeks before we start on site.
We’re a proactive company, and one
that recognises the importance of
education across the industry.
Apprenticeships for passive
fire protection
Two years ago, I spoke to CITB – a
body we respect and partner with on a
regular basis – and asked them if there
had been any developments towards
Intumescent paint
applied to correct
thickness ensures
structural stability of
the steel is maintained
during a fire
We offer a
UK-wide
passive fire
protection
service
“
“
43PYROTECT |
AEROSPACE, DEFENCE & SECURITY
a passive fire protection-specific
apprenticeship. The answer was,
unfortunately, no.
Given the resurgence of apprenticeship
programmes, the impending skills
shortage that the construction sector
faces and the renewed investment
from larger contractors and developers
in fire protection, we feel this is an
important cause.
We do run our own internal programme
for upskilling young workers and are
conscious that we’re helping buck the
trend in that regard, but we recognise
that further support would certainly be
welcome. Commitment from all large
manufacturers and the opportunity
to run fire protection apprenticeships
under the government’s apprenticeship
levy further down the line could
be two areas where we could see
improvement.
There needs to be something viable
and tangible that we can promise to
the young people who are invested in
our sector. This is a much simpler ask
now than it was, say, ten years ago as
the industry is more closely scrutinised
than ever, and policy could certainly be
of assistance.
A gap between testing and
on-site products
This is another challenge we have
encountered. When we travel up to
Warringtonfire – the testing facility for
the Exova fire industry scheme, which
awards industry-specific accreditation –
there is something of a gap.
While many manufacturers conduct
the standard tests that we would
expect of individual products, their
teams seem not to be able to link to
site-specific scenarios. There are still
significant gaps between testing in a
controlled environment and working
with products on site – the increased
spotlight on our sector is pushing
manufacturers to extend their testing
portfolio, and this is a move that can
only benefit all involved.
As such, general, non-specific tests
are not satisfactory in an industry
that requires such intense scrutiny. As
stated, this is by no means a shortfall
that isn’t getting better – the gap is
certainly closing – but we do need
specific product testing and warranties
to ensure that teams can consistently
deliver on site.
A household name for passive
fire protection
While these are certainly issues that
need to be tackled going forward,
things very much are improving and
fire protection systems are becoming
a higher priority with every day
that passes for main and smaller
contractorsalike.
To support this trend, we will retain
our position in the industry and
continually strive to share our expertise
and knowledge with all of our
partners. We will also push to become
the first port of call for passive fire
protection across the country as we
doso.
We’re a proactive
company, and
one that
recognises the
importance of
education across
the industry
“
“
Breaches through fire
walls by maintenance
and electrical services
are correctly fire
stopped to ensure
compartmentation is
maintained