National Reactive Maintenance: Youth Hostels
JCW offer our contract customers a 24/7 rapid response service for their gas, mechanical and electrical equipment that have broken down or developed a fault unexpectedly. We focus on restoring the equipment back to operating condition, as quick as possible and with the minimum of fuss.
Our 150 mobile engineers are directly employed and managed by our regional offices across the UK and are strategically located to be no more than 15 miles from any major town or city. This means we can successfully achieve the variety of emergency response times which are set and tailored to suit each client's requirements.
Our service desk provides a 24/7, 365 days per year, rapid response service and handle circa 130,000 calls a year, are professional and experienced when an emergency call is placed. A recent example of this was when a client called us to inform us that not only was their roof leaking, the water was dangerously collecting in a lamp fitting on the stairs. Read on to find out more…
The client
YHA opened its first Youth Hostel in 1909 in Germany, twenty years later, following a trip to this hostel, a small group of pioneers then opened the first hostel in Britain and the national organization was established a year later. By Easter 1931, there were 11 hostels around the country.
YHA offered affordable accommodation to the growing urban population and enabled them to spend leisure time in fresh air and open countryside.
By the 1980’s the needs of the modern traveler had changed and YHA underwent significant restructuring, introducing smaller, more private rooms and improving facilities.
Today YHA still provide great value accommodation, not just in the countryside but in towns and cities and on the coast. There are now premium and family rooms available, you can even have a whole hostel to yourself!
As times have changed, YHA have changed with them, this is also true when it comes to the maintenance of their sites, regulations have changed and YHA take the safety of their staff and their guests very seriously.
The service we provide
YHA are a relatively new customer of ours and we have worked with them since July 2016. Initially we provided them reactive services on their Gas, Plumbing, Electrical and HVAC equipment. Impressed with the service we could provide nationally to the YHA portfolio, we now look after a several hostels maintaining their gas, oil, LPG heating and providing catering compliance services.
We provide YHA with a dedicated Account Manager who works closely with their property team, ensuring that their portfolio is well maintained and remains compliant.
Not an ordinary leak!
When the call came in to our service desk that water from the roof was collecting in a lamp fitting our team sent an urgent request for an engineer to attend as an emergency call out. Within 2 hours our engineer had attended site and isolated the fitting to ensure there was no danger to occupants. While our engineer was inspecting the cause and subsequent damage of the leak, he also noted that the cable being utilized for the light fitting, was not of the correct width and he sent a message back to the office to raise a quotation for the necessary work.
Before our engineer left site, he made sure that the responsible person for the premises was aware and understood the action he had taken and asked for this to be confirmed by way of a signature on his work sheet. He also asked the manager to ensure the correct contractor attends to rectify the water leak before the light fitting and cable are replaced
Words from the Account Manager
Due to the strategic locations of our mobile engineering workforce we were able to dispatch an engineer to site and arrive on site within 2 hours of receiving the call out. Due to the danger caused by the mix of water and electrics it was imperative that the electrics were isolated as soon as possible to prevent potential harm to members of the public and staff. Also, due to the highly skilled nature of our workforce we were also able to identify an issue with the cabling for the lighting being not to standard. A quotation for the works was then sent over to YHA for their consideration the following work day.
Conclusion
Water and electricity are a dangerous combination. No matter how well you plan your electrical testing schedule, emergencies will arise, and employees should be educated on the possible health risks in these situations and explained the necessary course of action.
Ensuring the safety of your staff and customers will always be our main priority and we are delighted to be able to offer YHA planned maintenance services to ensure they remain compliant paired with a 24/7 reactive response service in those times of unexpected, possibly dangerous emergencies.
For more information regarding the services we can provide to the leisure industry, click here.
If you would like to know more about your Building Compliance responsibilities, download our eBook – A Guide to Workplace Compliance.
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