News From the Coalface

Congratulations to one of our experienced technicians for successfully completing a Level 3 Food Safety and Hygiene in Manufacturing course.

It adds another layer of expertise which will help our BRC customers in particular.

We actively encourage and support all of our technicians to gain formal qualifications, as everything that helps our customers is good for business.

This latest qualification adds to an ever-growing list, to include:

• A Master Technician – one of a handful in the UK
• A qualified Field Biologist
• Level 4 Food Safety Management for Manufacturing
• Certified Advance Technicians

We also conduct monthly training sessions, with last month focussing on a new process to treat squirrels, which can be a major nuisance in winter as they seek shelter inside roofs.

Each monthly session has a set agenda, to include:

• Health & Safety observations and any lessons learned in the last month
• Changes to legislation
• Safeguarding
• News from the BPCA and industry
• Skills and techniques to include practical demonstrations using the experience in the room

Learning never stops!

This week saw our specialists complete bird-proofing surveys on three substantial buildings in a coastal North East location. The findings revealed significant issues with a bird-proofing job completed by another contractor four years ago.

The original bird-proofing, intended to deter seagulls from nesting, had failed. Problems included the use of incorrectly sized netting (50mm instead of the required 75mm), leading to trapped seagulls and potential legal issues for the property owners.

The previous contractor made critical mistakes, including drilling through a waterproof roof membrane, which voided the manufacturer's guarantee. They also cut the membrane, inserted concrete slabs without a counterbalance system, and used subpar fixings connected to lightning conductors, creating safety risks. Overall, their work was inadequate, illegal, and hazardous bird-proofing.

The recommended solution involved our specialist bird team removing all existing bird-proofing, using the correct netting size, implementing a counterbalance system, working in sections, and alongside a specialist contractor repairing the roof membrane.

Although this approach incurred significant costs, it emphasised the importance of seeking professional advice for bird control and bird proofing matters.

This week, a residential property faced a pigeon infestation on their solar panels, causing issues like blocked gutters, noise, and property damage. The homeowner initially underestimated the accessibility of pigeons under the panels.

To address the problem, a bird-proofing solution was implemented using durable plastic strips with adhesive to prevent pigeon access. Accessing the roof was challenging due to steep pitches and the presence of solar panels, requiring scaffolding for a safe working platform.

The solar panels are now effectively bird-proofed, with nesting materials removed and the area sanitised. The gutters are clean, and the scaffolding has been removed. Although pigeons may initially attempt to regain access, the issue is ultimately resolved.

This week, we tackled the largest single infestation of cluster flies we have ever seen in a large stately home. We estimate many millions of cluster flies were present, pretty much in every single one of the 70 rooms in the house.

Although not an immediate health risk, the sheer scale was making life extremely uncomfortable.

We used a fogger to knock down the immediate numbers in most rooms, and carefully applied an oil based insecticide to all low level windows on the ground floor. This protected the customer's personal possessions, many of which are of historical importance.

We removed the dead flies using our industrial vacuum - a job of truly biblical proportions.

Our trained technicians offer effective, fly control. Including the removal of any potential breeding sites to guarantee a long-term solution to keep you, your home and your business free from flies in the future.

This is an example to show you how it would work