- Coming up on this week's news, the Blackpool Hotel
where a 10 year old boy was electrocuted
stays closed this week
as a probe into the accident gets underway.
Electricians strike in a dispute
that could shut down the nation's nuclear stations,
and figures reveal that the UK is an astonishing 12 years
behind its EV charger target.
Welcome to Electrical News Weekly
in association with the Electric Heating Company.
Whether you're listening in the van, on site
or down at the wholesale counter,
I'm Joe Robinson and I've been through the best
of the electrical industry news so you don't have to.
And as always, if you think you've spotted the two words
that I've been challenged to slip into this week's show,
comment with them below for the chance to win a prize.
The Blackpool Hotel where a 10 year old boy was electrocuted
remains closed this week
as an investigation into the accident gets underway.
Tiffany's, known locally as the Pink Hotel,
shuts its doors on the promenade after the youngster
who was named last week as Jack Piper-Sheach
received a fatal electrical shock.
Like many tourists, the family was in town
for the first week of the famous illuminations.
Jack was found unresponsive at about 11 o'clock at night
in the lounge area of the building.
Lancashire Police said that his injuries were consistent
with him having received a high voltage of electricity.
In a statement, Tiffany's says
that it is continuing to provide the relevant authorities
with any assistance they need
to carry out their investigations.
A file is being prepared for the coroner.
Such absolutely tragic news.
The team here at eFIXX would like to send
their sincerest condolences to Jack's family and friends.
Our hearts go out to you all.
In other news, electricians at Altrad Babcock
in the West Midlands are to walk out
in a dispute over their pay.
The row has the potential to shut down
some of the UK's most critical facilities.
That's because the workers test and certify tools
for use in nuclear power stations.
The Unite Union describes the latest pay offer
from the employer as "dismal".
It says that the safety critical role
is not valued by Altrad Babcock
with some members earning just 13 pound 62 per hour.
A series of planned strikes are due to begin this week.
The union urged the company to come back
to the negotiating table with a better pay offer.
Looking to the brighter side of the industry,
this weekend, its Screwfix Live,
taking place at Farnborough International Exhibition
and Conference Center,
and the Luceco Group are exhibiting across all three days
from Friday to Sunday.
On Friday the 22nd, we at eFIXX
will be joining them on their stand.
So if you'd like to come down and meet the team,
then please head over.
Gary usually likes to shower gifts on people
like they're confetti at these events,
so make sure you get there early before he runs out.
You'll also have the chance
to meet our new presenter, Joe Hammond.
As he's our third Joe to join the team,
last week we asked you to suggest a suitable nickname
to help us avoid confusion.
And you delivered.
from the prosaic Joe 3 to the mathematical Joe Cubed
to the electrical Three-Phase Joe, GI Joe
Joe C, Tri-Joe, Cotton-eyed Joe.
My personal favorite was a Simpson's reference,
Joey Jo-Jo Junior Shabadoo,
as that's how my broheim answers the phone
whenever I call him.
And there were many more.
However, the one that we all liked here at eFIXX,
including the man himself, was Joe-3PO,
as he is indeed a Star Wars fan.
So get yourself down to Screwfix Live
on the 22nd of September.
Find us on the Luceco Group stand.
Check out their great product offering
and have a catch up and a chinwag
with Gary, Rick, OG Joe, Joe 2.0 and Joe-3PO.
Now, figures out this week reveal that the UK
is an astonishing 12 years behind its EV charger target.
The goal set out by the government in 2022
is to install 300,000 charge points by 2030,
but as of July this year, only 44,000 have been installed.
If it continues at the same pace,
the nation is set to be over a decade late.
The renewable specialist, Make My House Green,
is now calling on the government
to work with DNOs to ensure they have the capacity needed
to supply EV chargers with power.
For its part, the government says
that it has allocated unprecedented funds for EV charging.
This week, it's giving some 40 million pounds
to 13 local authorities in the West Midlands.
The move should lead to 17,500
new public charging points by the end of 2025.
Areas covered include Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire,
Staffordshire, Lincolnshire, and Leicestershire.
Proving that effective EV infrastructure
isn't the utopian dream of a surrealist artist,
the National Exhibition Center in Birmingham
has just shown what can be achieved
when funding and grid capacity is available.
It has just opened the UK's largest
electric vehicle charging hub.
The site can charge up to 180 vehicles at a time
in as little as 15 minutes.
The multimillion pound site offers motorists
150 seven-kilowatt AC charging bays,
and a further 30 super fast 300 kilowatt DC charging bays.
Dubbed the Giga Hub, it was developed by EV Network
and BP Pulse which operates the site.
Not to be outdone, Leeds City Council has just unveiled
the UK's first solar powered park and ride site.
The site in Stourton is serviced by electric buses
that link it to Leeds city center.
At peak sunshine, the photovoltaic panels can deliver
1.2 megawatts of power.
This is used for the depot's lighting, CCTV
and the electric heating in the waiting room.
And a 950 kilowatt hour battery allows the solar panels
to power the site outside of daylight hours.
Around 12% of the energy produced by the site
will be exported to the grid.
In product news this week, LEDVANCE has announced
that it's to offer its professional range
of LED lamps under its own name.
The company was formally part of Osram,
but in the last seven years has established itself
as a leading independent brand in the LED lighting.
It will offer the light sources in three classes:
Superior, Performance, and the budget conscious Value Range.
Although the names are new,
they are linked to previous products
making them easy to find in the online product catalog.
The company's commitment to sustainability
was recognized recently with the award
of a silver medal from EcoVadis,
one of the world's top rating agencies.
Martindale has unveiled four new proving units
for checking voltage meters are accurate.
The products instantly supply the test voltage
for both high and low impedance voltage indicators,
test lamps and meters.
They have both AC and DC output
selectable by a push button switch
and stepped voltage output
matched to two pole tester thresholds
with three maximum output voltages across the range,
230 volts, 440 volts and 690 volts.
Scolmore has added an RCD double socket
to its popular Mode range.
This unit has a built-in residual current device
designed to trip if it detects a fault current.
The company says that the plastic used in the device
has special antimicrobial properties
which means it will kill any bacteria
that comes into contact with it, such as MRSA, E. Coli,
salmonella and other similar little ragamuffins.
This makes the socket especially suitable
for healthcare applications such as care homes,
hospitals, and doctors surgeries.
And finally, the widow of a former electrician
has appealed to eFIXX viewers
for information following his death
from contact with asbestos.
Reg Woodley of Welwyn Garden City died from mesothelioma,
a cancer of the lining of the lung
caused by exposure to the building material.
Reggie's wife, Joyce is appealing
to any former workmates for information.
Following Reggie's diagnosis,
he instructed lawyers to investigate
if his illness was linked to his work history.
But the 77 year old sadly passed away
before the case was concluded.
Joyce and her family are now asking that anyone who worked
with Reg while he was a maintenance electrician
at Rank Xerox to come forward.
Reg worked at the company in Bessemer Road,
Welwyn Garden City from 1969 until 1984.
He recalled removing false ceilings at the site
as well as lagging in the boiler room,
both of which may have contained asbestos.
If you can help, I'll pop the contact details
in the show notes.
Now, just before we get to your favorite bit of the show
where I reveal last week's challenge words and winners,
we want to thank our premium partners.
We couldn't make the news without you.
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And finally, celebrating their 100th anniversary
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Big thanks to you all.
We really appreciate your ongoing support for the news.
If you think you know the words that I've smuggled
into this week's show, pop your guess into the comments
and we'll dig out a goodie bag prize
to the first to get the right answers.
Last week's words were "chihuahua" and "diarrhea".
Never sure how reflective of our
script writer's week these words are,
but they sound like he had an interesting one that week.
Anyway, the first person to get both right
was simonwilliams7154.
And bonus points for getting the spelling spot on as well.
Top work there, Simon.
Click the link in the description to claim your prize.
Thanks for listening to this episode
of Electrical News Weekly
in association with the Electric Heating Company.
Make sure you subscribe to receive the next update.
Thanks for listening, and until next time,
have a great week.
Stay safe out there.
And remember, there's no such thing
as a torque calibrated arm.