GUEST BLOG: 5 changes to Fire Extinguisher regulations that could affect your insurance cover

5 changes to Fire Extinguisher regulations that could affect your insurance cover

We hope you have been notified by your current supplier of changes to BS5306:8. If not please take a minute to read this to check you still meet with the British Standards, as failure to do so can invalidate your insurance.

1. Outside Extinguishers

Extinguishers that are stored outside and require Freezol antifreeze must have the contents replaced annually. At the same time the canisters must be flushed out and checked for corrosion. This is due to the corrosive effect of the antifreeze on the inside of the extinguisher canister.

2. No powder extinguishers indoors

BS 5306-8 Clause 5.4.3 states that powder extinguishers should not be used indoors unless specified by a health & safety risk assessment.

Powder extinguisher have many problems. They are messy and reduce visibility within a confined area so they can jeopardise escape and rescues. They can contaminate stock and cause damage to expensive equipment. They do not prevent re-ignition of flammable liquids and are not suitable for chip pan fires.

If you have a powder extinguisher inside your premises then you need to ask why; if it is there for a specific risk then you are not complying with the British Standards, which can invalidate your insurance.

Ask your current provider or call us for a free, no obligation survey to check these things for you.

3. ONLY Class F fire extinguishers for cooking fat or oil risk areas

Class F fire extinguishers are designed specifically for cooking fats and oils; BS5306:8 states that ONLY Class F fire extinguishers are permitted inside areas that have a cooking fat or oil risk. This means that if you have a chip pan of any type or size then only class F extinguishers are permitted failure to comply may invalidate your insurance and more importantly endanger your staff. The size and quantity of extinguishers can be worked out from the surface area of the fryer. Your maintenance company should be advising you on the requirements for your kitchen. If not please call us.

4. Change in the number of extinguishers required

A small, single-storey office was rated 13A and required a single extinguisher, but this has now been changed to 26A which requires two extinguishers. This change will affect a large number of businesses, and if it is not followed could affect the insurance cover.

5. Change in fire point distances

There are changes to the distance between fire points, which also means an assessment of your fire extinguishers and their positioning is highly recommended.
If a fire extinguisher fails an inspection and requires a replacement then it must be replaced at the time of service, so please don’t leave any thing to chance.

If you’re unsure about your extinguishers please get in touch. We don’t work on commission so will never sell you anything you don’t need.

Give us a call for a free, no obligation survey to put your mind at rest. 01993 841660 
www.monarchfire.co.uk
First published October 2013

GUEST BLOG: Fitness Trends for 2014, getting you fit without injury using intelligent excercise

Fitness Trends...we got it!

It’s New Year and every year the fitness industry loves to announce what they feel the trends will be for the coming 12 months. Many gyms and trainers will then jump on the trends bandwagon to appeal to the public.

What’s great this year is that we have been doing many trends already:

1. Small Group training,
2. Functional fitness
3. Body weight exercises
4. High intensity interval training
5. ‘Gentler’ intelligent exercise with pilates and gentle keep fit classes.

In fact we are already doing 14/20 of the trends in our current programs and in a fun and varied way to still excite our current clients!

Infusing Pilates for better stability

Even though pilates is not a ‘trend’ this year we know and understand that without good posture and deep stability the trends like bootcamp, HIIT, and circuit training would be less effective and damaging to the body.

The way we infuse pilates into our classes is adopting it as a way to move better not a way to look better. The pilates of the past was about "look at me" moves and elaborate choreography done primarily on a mat. Although it may not be exciting, pilates in it’s true form on equipment is here to stay and should be a way of life for anyone wanting to be fitter, stronger, more powerful, pain free and more athletic.

Correct and functional exercise should be what clients look for in a fitness program not "what’s hot now!"

It’s interesting that Andy Murray won Wimbledon the same year he became more serious about Pilates and body weight training. Athletes don't win with boot camp training or Zumba! More on that next time!

20 Trends for 2014 ( courtesy of Huffington Post)

Body Fit Solutions (previously Witney Personal Trainers & Balance Studios)
Bridge Street Mill, Bridge Street
Witney
Oxon
OX28 1YH

Call Stuart 0758 4249443 or Kelly 07724010664

How Twitter made the phone ring, 3 quick examples

1. Me and my story

I had a call from a complete stranger the other day who left me a message.

"Hi Lucy, my name is (let's just say Bob). You followed me on Twitter, I followed you back and had a look at your website. From what I saw I think you are just the person I am looking for to look at my marketing, so I am phoning you now to see if we can meet up in the New Year and discuss what needs to be done, my website is blar blar blar Bob.com.." 

I was thrilled. Twitter made my phone ring, he has passed the de-selection hurdle of liking my website and been moved to pick up the phone.

2. New Client in less than a week, just watching

Sophie Carson www.sophiecarson.co.uk

Sophie signed up for twitter a couple of years ago and hated it.
She felt is was just people saying "I have had a cup of coffee and a biscuit" and couldn't see the point of it. So she neglected it for two years.

Then she was working for a client who was active on twitter and had 1000s of followers, including local food producers, and she realised she could be among those conversations.

He was tweeting all day, was very active and had 1000s of followers, people weren't being horrible or saying boring stuff

So she reactivated, her account and just looked.

Literally a few days later she saw a retweet asking if anyone did 360 virtual tours. Sophie replied to it, the phone rang and within a week she had new client.

3. Kidz Party Solutions, targeting the right people

I worked with a client for the day, and advised her on many things including how to increase her effectiveness on Twitter. It started with following the right people, searching the type of companies nationally she wanted to do business with. She did.

Low-and-behold they followed her back and got in touch for her party bags that she puts together especially for them. 

Another win for Twitter. 

Let's make your phone ring

Funnily enough, I am running a seminar on Twitter in January in Witney.

Does Twitter really work for businesses? What do I say? Am I using it correctly? What is this hashtag# thingy?

If so, please join me for two hours to find out how to approach social media strategically and go through the hows, and the whys, of using Twitter effectively for your business. Book here now

New logo, new website, new year!

So, you know who you are, and you are the ones commenting on my old website looking like a start up website, ok so it did, but it was. So now it's all new.

Also, you know who you are too, you hated my logo, the font, the slanting text. So that had to go too.

My business is 7 months old, it's evolved, I have plans, I want it to grow and I need a logo and website that is more polished and can support a company that eventually will be more than just me.

Here were my options (thanks to Vicki at www.blumangocreative.co.uk)

So we finally got the finished article 

and with a clean new logo, I needed a clean new website. So I created one. Keeping my copy, my tone of voice but hopefully improving what was there before. 

Go have a look at it www.pushstartmarketing.co.uk, if you like it, could you please 'like' it for me so those counter numbers look good! Advocacy is what 2014 is all about, but that's another blog entirely!

Happy New Year everyone.