Soft FM Services

TowerBM has a wide-ranging experience in delivering soft facilities management services. Our area of operation whilst not exclusive includes London & The Home Counties.

With years of experience in this area, we can provide a full range of soft services, which can be delivered as part of an integrated solution, or you may choose to just to receive one or two services. Regardless of your requirements Towers’ approach is completely professional with a “Customer is King” attitude.

Our services include:

• Security Services
• Electronic Security
• Grounds Maintenance
• Pest Control
• Waste Removal Services
• Washroom Cleaning
• Kitchen Cleaning
• Water Services

Compliance and Governance

Statutory and Mandatory compliance of FM related services, particularly around mechanical and electrical systems, are essential to any organisation, ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all employees and the general public.

Changes in the Corporate Manslaughter law have highlighted the importance in managing this activity. TowerBM offer a professional service to conduct compliance audits, and then produce a set of recommended maintenance routines to ensure that the compliance activities are prioritised and executed.

Examples of compliance are:

• Fixed Wire Testing
• Water Hygiene
• Emergency Lighting
• PAT testing
• Kitchen Extract
• Fire Alarm
• Air Quality TR/19
• Accreditations
  • Gas Safe
  • F-Gas

Electrical

Electrical Installation Condition Reporting (EICR) Testing

(Electrical Engineers 17th Edition Wiring Regulations (BS7671) Guidance Note 3)

• Electrical installations can deteriorate with use and age. Periodic fixed wire testing is vital to ensure the safety of users and the safety and serviceability of equipment.
• This is an important element in any business Health & Safety system. In addition, many insurance companies require their clients to carry out periodic electrical testing. Frequency of testing is determined by the use of any given building (to remain compliant 100% of circuits must be tested within a 5 year period – can be split across each year if necessary)

Portable Appliance Testing (PAT Testing)

(The Health & Safety at Work Act 1974, The Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994)

• Institutions and landlords have a statutory responsibility to ensure that all portable appliances on their premises are safe for use, and regular PAT testing plays an essential part in documenting this duty of care.
• PAT testing is cost effective – many employers and landlords have seen real reductions in their insurance premiums by adopting a regular PAT testing regime.

Emergency Light Testing

(Emergency Lighting Regulations BS5266)

• There are a range of requirements on regular visual checks for emergency lighting systems. However, on completion of the third year after installation, emergency lighting units must be assessed by a qualified electrician. Thereafter, this check should be carried out annually.

Fire Alarm & Extinguisher Maintenance

(BS 5839, BS 5306 Part 3)

• Fire Alarm Testing is an absolutely essential component of Health & Safety for any employer. Ensuring that a company’s Fire Alarm Systems are tested should be a matter of routine.
• The British Standard Code of Practice (BS 5306 Part 3) states that fire extinguisher servicing needs to be carried out at least annually to ensure that the extinguishers are safe and will always function in an emergency.

Lightning Protection

(BS EN 62305-1:2006 Protection against Lightning: General Principles)

• British and European Standard require that all lightning protection systems are tested and inspected annually.
• All structures over five metres should install a compliant lightning conductor, providing electrical earthing and protecting against damage from lightning strike.

Water

Legionella Risk Assessment

(L8 Approved Code of Practice)

• The HSE Approved Code of Practice “The Control of Legionella Bacteria in Water Systems” known as L8 has placed responsibility on employers to carry out a Risk Assessment to identify and minimise the risk to the health of employees or the general public.
• All businesses and organisations with public access to their water have a legal duty of care to ensure that a risk assessment is in place to monitor for Legionella, a deadly waterborne bacterium. In the event of an outbreak of Legionnaires ’ disease, the authorities will require evidence of risk assessment, monitoring and maintenance, without this in place organisations will be dealt with most severely by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Failure to meet with the required compliance requirements may result in prosecution and litigation.

Air

Ductwork Compliance

(TR/19 Code of Good Practice)

To ensure compliance with the Regulations and associated Approved Code of Practice from the Health and Safety Commission which states that all mechanical ventilation systems should be regularly and properly cleaned, tested and maintained to ensure that they are kept clean and free from anything which may contaminate the air.

To remain compliant you must consider:

Kitchen Extract Fire Risk Assessment

• If you operate a commercial kitchen you will have duties under health and safety law to assess fire risks in the operation of extract ventilation.
• The Risk Assessment should be conducted by a responsible person and will help you identify potential hazards associated with kitchen extract ventilation, principally those created by the excessive build-up of cooking oil deposits.

Local Exhaust Ventilation Systems (LEV Systems)

• Regular testing should meet the requirements of both the COSHH regulations and the recently issued Health and Safety Executives (HSE) guidance document HS(G)258 “Controlling airborne contaminants at work; a guide to LEV”.
• LEV is a generic term to describe powered extraction systems removing hazardous airborne substances from localised areas generated from operations such as welding, paint spraying or soldering for example. LEV systems are one of the commonest means of limiting and controlling employee exposure to chemicals and hazardous substances thus protecting their health and welfare.

Fire Damper Testing

(In accordance with BS 9999:2008)

• This gives guidance for the two main types of fire damper: spring operated fire dampers should be drop tested, cleaned and maintained at intervals of no greater than 12 months; while all other models should be drop tested, cleaned and maintained at least every two years.
• Fire dampers are crucial passive fire protection products used in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning ducts to prevent the spread of fire inside the ductwork through fire-resistance rated walls and floors.

Gas

Landlord requirements

• An annual gas safety check must be carried out on every gas appliance/flue. A gas safety check will make sure gas fittings and appliances are safe to use.
• You must ensure that a gas safety check is done every year on each gas appliance/flue. Before any new lease starts, you must make sure that these checks have been done within one year before the start of the lease date.

Annual Gas safety checks are required annually by:

• Landlords
• Housing associations
• Local authorities
• Hotels and B&Bs
• Colleges
• Boarding schools
• Hostels

Many insurers require proof of a commercial gas certificate for properties to continue with cover and Local Authorities and Environmental Health (EHO) are also now implementing the law for restaurants, fast-food takeaways, hotels, clubs and similar, ensuring that all properties are in possession of commercial gas safety certificates to enable them to continue trading and staying legally compliant.

Air Conditioning Refrigerant

• Equipment operators have a legal obligation to keep a record of the amount of refrigerant that their systems contain.
• The ban on the use of virgin HCFC gases represents a very real business threat to any company which uses refrigerants like R22 or R408A in their processes or air conditioning systems. R22 remains one of the most commonly used refrigerants in the UK so many organisations are going to be affected by the ban.
• This means that it is permissible to carry on using equipment that contains HCFCs beyond the phase-out dates, but there must be no maintenance or servicing undertaken on the equipment that involves breaking into the refrigerant circuits.
• Given that most RAC systems leak to a certain degree, in practical terms this implies that any equipment that is of strategic importance to a business should not be using HCFCs by January 2015 so all current users of HCFC systems must develop a plan to manage their operations without HCFCs. Doing nothing, is not a sustainable option.