Premier Guarantee will once again host expert speakers to discuss the key issues facing the construction industry this year, tickets for which you can get here.
Attendees at InSite: Building Safety and Standards will hear speakers debate and discuss the Building Safety Act, the 2025 Future Homes Standard as well as the industry codes of practice.
In this, the sixth interview in our series of articles introducing our speakers, we speak to Chief Engineer at HSB Gareth Bendelow who tells us about his experiences and plans for InSite.
Try to think and look for those links that can ultimately lead to a complimentary sharing of knowledge and experience.
I joined HSB in March 2000 having previously worked as a project engineer for an energy consultancy. I initially joined HSB as a principal engineer with a focus on pressure systems, having previous experience of power generation systems.
My introduction to the industry was by accident as it was through a mutual contact who knew the cofounder of HSB Haughton (HSB’s Original UK business title). When I enquired about the business and industry it seemed interesting and this was certainly confirmed to me when I started.
I quickly realised that the engineering inspection and insurance industry covers such a wide field of engineering equipment. When I was promoted to engineering manager in 2003, I needed to learn about these really diverse areas of engineering including pressure, lifting, general machinery and electrical power systems.
One of my proudest moments was being offered the position of Technical Director and appointed to the board of HSB EISL in 2014. Currently I am responsible for all engineering technical standards and services in the UK spanning across Inspection, Risk Managed Solutions, Loss Control Engineering and Technical Audit Team for MIDI (Machinery Inherent Defects Insurance).
One of the biggest challenges we face is keeping up to speed with the evolving technology which is coming onto the market especially those that are 'connected' devices and access to their performance data.
We are the UK’s only company solely focused on engineering and technology insurance and inspection services. We have extensive engineering and underwriting expertise that covers a broad range of technologies and industry sectors - including construction and manufacturing as well as leisure, retail, commercial and public sectors.
Also, being part of a larger global engineer group, we share knowledge and expertise that allows us to stay ahead of emerging risks in a complex world.
It’s the diversity of the technology we deal with within the HSB and Munich Re group, as well as working with a great group of like-minded engineers.
The presentation will take a look at the engineering services that HSB provide in the UK and Republic of Ireland. Taking a look back to explain how both insurance and inspection have been intrinsically linked since the mid 1800’s.
The presentation will then go on to show how this relationship looks today, especially showing how HSB’s engineering services have evolved for modern engineering technology and how this expertise is used to support Premier Guarantee.
Although at first sight subject areas can seems diverse try to think and look for those links that can ultimately lead to a complimentary sharing of knowledge and experience.
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Every care was taken to ensure the information in this article was correct at the time of publication (August 2023). Guidance provided does not replace the reader’s professional judgement and any construction project should comply with the relevant Building Regulations or applicable technical standards. For the most up to date Premier Guarantee technical guidance please refer to your Risk Management Surveyor and the latest version of the Premier Guarantee Technical Manual.
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