Kerfoot Monthly Tool Box Talk

Written by Kerfoot’s Admin – News – No Comments

Screen%20Shot%202015-09-02%20at%2011.03.28%20am[1]

The Team at Kerfoot would like to thank HPM Legrand for hosting our recent toolbox talk breakfast.

They did an outstanding job in providing us a cooked breakfast from their brand new box trailer / BBQ complete with hot plates and eskies.

It wasn’t an easy task as they had to be at our premises at 5am in preparation to serve 50 people at 6 am.

They had a great product display set up and donated the Employee of the month prize to Andy Stewart

Well Done HPM Legrand!

Screen%20Shot%202015-09-02%20at%2011.04.23%20am[1]

Kerfoot Exceed Expectations with Kennards Hire Upgrades

Written by Kerfoot’s Admin – News – 1 Comments

Screen%20Shot%202015-09-02%20at%2010.55.29%20am[1]

In response to changes to the Work Health & Safety (Residual Current Devices) Act in 2011, the Kennards Hire family and senior management identified the need for an audit of existing electrical switchboards in the almost 150 branches across Australia and New Zealand, some branches located in buildings up to 30 or 40 years old.

The results from the audit were somewhat alarming and identified the need for urgent upgrades or replacement of existing electrical switchboards, not only to ensure compliance with the updated regulations, but most importantly to help ensure the safety of all of our team members, as our people are our greatest asset.“

It’s great to be able to report to the business the full upgrade of almost 140 branches and over 200 electrical switchboards across the country in less than 18 months with almost 50% of these upgrades completed by Kerfoot” said Damian Lorenzutta, the National Property Construction Manager for Kennards Hire.

Without hesitation, the business requested cost estimates to complete the likely upgrade works to bring all switchboards up to the required standard, and approved funding to enable these works to commence without delay.

“Pleasingly, these upgrades have also been substantially completed within original budget estimates at the outset for this project, despite significant uncertainty as to the extent of work required in many branches and in a number of branches, additional “hidden” switchboards identified along the way !”

In response to work completed previously, Kerfoot were asked to come on board to assist with the audits and upgrade works for the NSW / ACT branches with Kerfoot’ Service Manager Vicki McDowell tasked with inspecting almost every branch throughout NSW and the ACT and later preparing detailed scopes of work and quotations for each site.

Later, when the Electrical Contractors initially appointed to undertake the upgrades for our branches in Queensland and Victoria were no longer able to do so, Kerfoot again exceeded expectation, confidently and willingly taking on some 12 upgrades in Queensland and a further 16 upgrades in Victoria including complex upgrades at South Melbourne and the Richmond ( Lift & Shift ) branches requiring engagement of supply authorities to shut down power from outside the premises due to the complex installations at these branches.

“Despite some significant challenges, Kerfoot committed to working with the Kennards Hire Property Team and our branches to complete all upgrades in accord with agreed schedules whilst working hard to minimise disruption and impact on branch operations.”

“Under Vicki’s leadership, the teams from Kerfoot worked with our Branch Managers and their teams to ensure that branches were operational on generator power prior to commencing upgrade works and this should be both acknowledged and commended.” said Damian Lorenzutta

Kerfoots Toolbox Meeting

6am Morning Tool Box Talk was very busy this morning – Awards for 10 years service and employee of the month were presented as well all our team enthusiastically contributed to the Saves our Sons Charity organised by Intrec Management- Happy Friday!!

10 Years Service – Rod Giddings

Hearty congratulations goes to Rod Giddings receiving his 10 Years Service Award Rod is not only a valued employee & well respected by both clients & peers he has always been a great mentor to our up & coming apprentices.

Employee of the Month – James Selleck

Employee of the month goes to one of our newer employees James Selleck for his great team approach & dedication to getting the job done.

Kerfoot light up the National Maritime Museum

Kerfoot was recently featured in ‘Connected Magazine’ issue 42 for their delivery of a lighting control solution the National Maritime Museum.

Article courtesy of Connected Magazine

With a roofline evoking waves and sails, Australia’s National Maritime Museum at Darling Harbour, NSW, is one of the state’s leading tourism attractions.

The museum houses exhibitions that explore Australia’s links with the sea, and showcases how maritime activities and issues have shaped the lives of people in Australia.

Looking to expand and update their exhibition areas, Kerfoot, a Club Clipsal
member, was engaged to provide a lighting control solution for their exhibition space.

“The museum had an existing Clipsal C-Bus system in place, so it made sense to continue
with the same backward compatible C-Bus technology in this new area,” Kris McMillan,
Estimator at Kerfoot said.

ERCO LED track lighting has been installed in the area, and a C-Bus lighting control
dimming system has been configured for this new space.

“Management at the museum wanted some simple programming of the lights done so
that they could easily dim the lights up and down depending on the display,” Kris said.

“As the fittings are frequently moved around to accommodate new exhibitions in the area,
it would have been a difficult task to set scene control that would suit all displays.”

Eight lighting zones have been established, each with on/off and dimming options. TheseSydney Electrical - Museum Lighting
settings can be controlled via one of the two Clipsal C-Bus touch screens at the site. The
touch screens have also been customised to include the National Maritime Museum’s logo
and each has an access code to restrict use to employees only.

The install included Clipsal C-Bus Architectural dimmers to allow museum management to set the LED track lighting levels to best emphasise the exhibitions. The flexibility of the C-Bus Architectural dimmers interchangeable modular cards allowed a combination of ballast cards and universal dimmer cards to be used in the project.

The C-Bus system installed allows for future changes and expansion to suit the Museum’s
requirements.

 This was the first major project that Kerfoot Electrics had completed at the National Maritime Museum, having previously done some communication work for them.

Stage two of the works will soon be underway and Kerfoot is also hoping to win this part of the project.

Kerfoot featured in NECA Magazine

Kerfoot is very proud to be featured in the latest NECA magazine on pages 34-35.
Snippets of the article included below. To read the full article visit: NECA

“Over 40 years of consistent growth and business expansion (as well as NECA membership) makes Kerfoot Pty Ltd a perfect example of how meeting
market needs with quality service really pays off.”

“Kerfoot, based Seven Hills, Sydney, serves the NSW market in Industrial and Commercial Installations, Maintenance and Service for a broad range of public and private sector clients.”

“Having a long-term clients is important. Our focus has always been to look at the immediate needs of customers with an eye on what’s likely to happen in the future, both technically and for their business.”

“Kerfoot Electric’s Project Manager Joshua Kerfoot said: To be recognised as NECA Excellence Award winner highlights the commitment and outstanding work of our staff and their ability to embrace the challenges faced during what was a complex and varied electrical installation. I dedicate this award to our loyal and dedicated team.”

“Congratulations on your win, Kerfoot Electronics – from all of us at NECA NSW.”

Article courtesy of NECA

Media: Apprentice Gorrie feels the buzz

Kerfoot Apprentice Tom Gorrie was recently featured in The Daily Telegraph. Well done Tom!

Article:
TOM Gorrie is one of a growing number of electrical apprentices coming into the trade after experimenting with other careers.

Figures from Energy Skills Australia (E-OZ) show only 52 per cent of commencing electrical apprentices are under 19 years of age, compared with 68 per cent of that group a decade ago.

The proportion of 25 to 44-year-olds, meanwhile, has increased from 12 per cent in 2001 to 22 per cent in 2010.

Gorrie, 24, spent more than three years in the outdoor recreation industry before becoming a labourer.

The Baulkham Hills resident began as an electrical apprentice with Kerfoot Electronics 18 months ago and hopes to work in industrial construction when qualified.

‘‘By doing labouring I tried a few different trades and then decided to do the one that I liked the best,’’ he says. ‘‘ Right now I’m doing commercial fitouts and construction as well as data, industrial automation jobs and working with airconditioning systems.
‘‘When I finish I want to specialise more in the industrial construction sector.’’

Article and image courtesy of The Daily Telegraph

Maximising your Lighting efficiency

A recent report released by the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage states

Lighting contributes significantly to business energy use and operating costs. Increasing energy prices highlight the need to reduce the cost of lighting. Energy use associated with lighting systems can be reduced by up to 82% if energy efficient lighting practices are adopted.

As an EcoSmart electrical contractor Kerfoot can advise on a range of lighting technologies and solutions to reduce your business lighting costs. But did you know, an regular lighting maintenance is a vital element of your overall lighting starategy.

 

Why conduct regular lighting maintenance

Proper maintenance is the most overlooked, yet cost-effective way to reduce the overall cost of lighting. Light levels decrease over time because of aging light fixtures, as well as dust collecting on lamps. Together these factors can reduce total illumination by up to 50 percent or more, while light fixtures continue to draw full power. Often facilities try to compensate for this light loss by adding more fixtures, increasing energy costs. The following are some Kerfoot maintenance strategies to help maximize lighting efficiency:

  • Clean fixtures, lamps and lenses every six months.
  • Replace lenses if they appear yellow.
  • Consider group replacement. Replacing all the lamps in a lighting system at the same time—rather than spot relamping—saves labor, keeps illumination high and avoids stressing ballasts with dying lamps.

Kerfoot Lighting maintenance and recommendations<

Our lighting maintenance and recommendations are designed to serve as a guideline, not only for day-to-day maintenance practices, but also to optimise lighting system performance year-round. The following are some basic included in our standard maintenance and recommendations report:

  • Facility audit
  • Fixture and lighting controls schedule
  • Specifications for all lighting equipment
  • Equipment and service provider sources and contacts (including utility contacts)
  • Fixture cleaning and relamping schedule with service tracking log
  • Procedures for the adjustment of controls and occupancy sensors

As an EcoSmart electrical contractor, Kerfoot will maximise potential energy savings through our lighting maintenance programs in line with overall energy management strategies for the site.

Spot versus group replacement

Spot replacement (replacing lamps as they burn out) is the most commonly used technique in traditional maintenance programs. Studies have shown group replacement increases lamp costs, while spot replacement requires higher labor costs. Group replacement has a number of advantages over spot replacement that make it beneficial in many circumstances.

  • Easy to schedule: Our service team can plan purchase and install planned group replacements, potentially reducing the size and cost of in-house maintenance staff.
  • Group replacement provides increased control and ensures that the most efficient fixtures are used.
  • Relamping can be combined with other Kerfoot maintenance activities, such as ballast inspection and lens cleaning.
  • Group replacement also presents an opportunity for our service technicinas to test light levels to make sure they are adequate to the space and tasks performed. When relamping, our technicians will test the new lamps in a small area to check illumination.
  • Lamp and fixture compatibility is another factor we consider. Matching replacement lamps to existing fixtures and ballasts can be difficult, especially with older fixtures. If necessary we will recommend installing new fixtures made for new lamps producing superior energy savings, reliability and longevity when compared with spot relamping.

In summary

  • Lighting systems deteriorate over time, while continuing to use the same amount of energy.
  • Reduce utility bills and improve lighting efficiency through proper lighting maintenance.
  • Group lighting replacement saves on labour costs and improves overall maintenance practices.

To arrange an audit, or for further information, contact our Customer Service team on (02) 9838 7744 or email Kerfoot’ Customer Service Online.

Yours sincerely

Vicki McDowell
Service Manager, Kerfoot
Phone: 02 9838 7744

Is your workplace compliant with New workplace electrical safety regulations?

On behalf of all at Kerfoot we trust you and your staff had a safe Xmas and New Year break.

In July last year we informed our clients of changes in workplace legislation requiring businesses to implement electrical safety measures such as programmed Tag and Testing of all electrical appliances and the installation and routine testing of Residual Current Devices (RCDs).

 

As WorkCover Authority of NSW states:

“Electricity is a constant hazard in the workplace with the risk to potentially injure or kill a person.

A person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU – the new term that includes employers) has a duty to ensure that any risk of injury from electricity at a place of work is eliminated or, if this is not reasonably practicable, controlled.”

These requirements became mandatory on the 1st January 2013, with significant penalties enacted for non-compliance.

With this in mind, we have sought the advice of WorkCover Authority of NSW and our industry association, NECA, in preparing the following document, which provides a general overview of electrical testing and inspection requirements in NSW.

I encourage you to take the time to read the guide and take the necessary steps to meet your obligations.

Kerfoot are specialists in this area, and the document outlines how we can assist you in meeting your obligations. We can conduct a audit of your workplace and provide a report including recommendations on how your organisation can best meet the legislative requirements in relation to electrical testing and inspection.

Did You Know?

Kerfoot is a certified EcoSmart electrical contractor. Our accredited electricians can help you save money, become more energy efficient, reduce your carbon footprint and play your part in helping the environment.

Our EcoSmart specialists will recommend and implement a range of measures to maximise your energy efficiency throughout your business including:

  • General Energy management systems
  • Lighting controls
  • Pumps, fans and motors
  • Solar generation systems, Heating and Cooling

The government is offering rebates for businesses who are committed to these energy efficient and environmental initiatives. We would be pleased to discuss these incentives further.

To arrange an audit, or for further information, contact our Customer Service team on (02) 9838 7744 or email Kerfoot’ Customer Service Online.

Yours sincerely

Vicki McDowell
Service Manager, Kerfoot
Phone: 02 9838 7744

Click here to open/download the Electrical Testing and Inspection – NSW Requirements

Kerfoot wins Neca Award

Category – Commercial – Medium Project

A commercial project where the applicant’s contract value is more than $500,000 and less than $2 million

Winner: Kerfoot

Project: St Vincent’s Private Hospital Mental Health Unit

Why: The project involved relocation of the existing 24 hour manned call centre and creation of a 20 bed private hospital room with highly efficient control features including artificial lighting to mimic outside environments, nurse call facilities, staff duress assist systems, the latest cat 6a and fibre optic cabling network and critical back-up emergency supplies.

Kerfoot Electric’s Project Manager Joshua Kerfoot said, “To be recognised as a winner highlights the commitment and outstanding work of our staff and their ability to embrace the challenges faced during what was a complex and varied electrical installation. I dedicate this award to our loyal and dedicated team”.