In the now seemingly distant days before the COVID-19 curbs were enacted across the nation, the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering’s (CIPHE) ‘Dinner with the President’ was held on World Plumbing Day, 11 March.
43 guests joined National President, Christopher Northey, at the Innholders' Hall, London, for a special dinner celebrating his year in the Institute’s most coveted position.
The theme of the Dinner
Industry collaboration, public health, and the CIPHE’s Manifesto were the central themes of this year’s dinner, which was attended by prominent figures from organizations serving the plumbing and heating industry.
Handshakes were swapped for elbow taps, as Alasdair Coates, Chief Executive Officer of The Engineering Council stepped into the role of guest speaker.
Collaborative working
Christopher opened his speech by touching on the strength brought to the industry through working in collaboration
Christopher opened his speech by touching on the strength brought to the industry through working in collaboration, before tackling the key issues he’s championed through his presidency.
With a background in the design of public health engineering services, Christopher highlighted the issues surrounding Legionella.
Legionella warning
Warning of a ‘ticking time bomb’ if people do not recognize the risk associated with both hot and cold systems:
“Often the perception associated with Legionella is that this will not affect me. The seriousness of this issue is not fully understood, as often the symptoms of Legionella are attributed to something else.”
“In essence, the good design, installation, and maintenance of hot and cold water systems are essential in order to manage and maintain the risk to an acceptable level. We within the plumbing industry need to continue to raise the profile of this potential ‘ticking time bomb’ scenario.”
CIPHE’s strategies and commitments
On the CIPHE’s Manifesto, Christopher said, “The CIPHE has set out its own Manifesto, identifying key strategies and commitments for the organization now and in the future. It reinforces a large number of key policy areas of this new Government, these being health, housing, energy, education, and the environment.”
He continued, “Our industry faces many challenges and it is clear that we are all entering a phase of significant change ahead of us. As a result of this, the UK will need even more skilled, qualified, and competent engineers in all of the disciplines, in order to meet with its domestic and international objectives.”
Emphasis on education, learning, and CPD
Before finishing his speech, Christopher discussed the importance of education, learning, and Continuing Professional Development (CPD), before turning his sights onto Grenfell and the importance of setting benchmarks in the industry, “The tragedy of Grenfell showed us all of the importance of good standards within the building, particularly relating to fire safety issues and the requirement for domestic sprinkler systems as part of a fire safety plan.”
“Therefore, it is satisfying to know that the CIPHE has been playing a vital role in adding our industry’s professional input, through the Construction Industry Council (CIC) and the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng), as part of the Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety, which is being led by Dame Judith Hackitt.”
Christopher finished his speech by emphasizing the need to be of one voice at a time of big change. He encouraged everyone to help strengthen the industry by becoming a CIPHE member.
