To better serve its members and the wider healthcare estates industry, IHEEM has formed ‘alliances’ with two professional trade associations that share aims with the Institute.
The Combustion Engineering Association ‘seeks to promote the science of combustion engineering and best practice’. Its membership comprises the major fuel and energy producers and refiners covering oil, gas, and coal, the makers and suppliers of combustion engineering equipment, and academic institutions. IHEEM said: “With so much of the healthcare estates sector’s focus on the efficient production and distribution of heat and power, the initiation of this relationship is timely, and with the knowledge that can be shared and passed on by CEA members and contributors, the Institute’s members should find they are even better informed on this topic.” The first tangible example of this relationship is in the Institute’s support of the Steam & Hot Water Boiler Plant Conference and Biomass Health and Safety Workshop, to be held on 24 and 25 April respectively in Perth (HEJ – March 2013). For more details visit the IHEEM website. The second organisation forging closer links with IHEEM is the Building & Engineering Services Association (B&ES), which offers member companies legal and technical advice, health and safety guidance, employment resources, and access to education and training. Some HEJ readers may better know B&ES under its former HVCA name. The key topics and issues covered by B&ES – design, installation, commissioning, and maintenance, of heating, ventilating, air-conditioning, and refrigeration products and equipment – are high on the agenda of many IHEEM members, and, by working together on technical presentations, members of both organisations will benefit. B&ES is likely to play an important role in October’s Healthcare Estates event. Chris Parker, IHEEM’s recruitment/ membership manager, said: “By forming alliances with these well-respected institutions, we can increase the range of professional development opportunities for members. By supporting each other’s seminars and technical conferences, we can also add to the networking opportunities available.” More information may be found at www.cea.org.uk and www.b-es.org
