28 February 2023
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The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) won the Best Use of Technology category at the Trade Association Awards 2023. It was also shortlisted in two other categories: Campaign of the Year and Association Executive of the Year.
The awards, which showcase the innovation and best practice of trade bodies from across the UK economy, celebrated their 20th anniversary with a glittering ceremony at The Brewery in London attended by over 300 people.
BESA’s Ventilation Hygiene Elite register (VHE) was picked out by the judges as the most impressive use of technology. Its success in creating and then rapidly expanding a database for notifying ventilation system cleaning in compliance with the industry standard TR19® has been widely praised. It plays a key role in reducing fire risks posed by poorly maintained building ventilation systems.
In April last year, VHE implemented a new SMS messaging service that accelerated the notification of compliant works by 78% and this month the scheme hit the milestone of 20,000 notified cleans in a year.
BESA’s technical director Graeme Fox made the shortlist for Association Executive of the Year in recognition of his efforts to help the global building services industry raise standards of technical excellence and safety across a wide range of disciplines from refrigeration and air conditioning to indoor air quality and heating.
He also played a key role in the launch of World Ventilation Day (#WorldVentil8Day), which was shortlisted for Campaign of the Year. BESA organised the campaign and worked with 21 organisations, including professional bodies, universities, and environmental groups from across the UK, Europe, North America, and Australia to raise public awareness of the vital role played by ventilation in tackling poor air quality and supporting people’s health, well-being, and productivity.
