ETT’s Industry Innovation and Insight event provided electrical contractors with valuable information on the new 18th Edition, contract law and the forthcoming General Data Protection Regulation.
STAYING OUT OF CONTRACT TROUBLE
Adrian Kearney, of Kearney Consulting, provided an excellent lecture to a full house. Case law, adjudication, arbitration and the benefits of mediation featured during the in-depth session.
The assembled electrical contractors were also provided with five useful ‘watch out for’ tips, aimed at helping contractors manage risk, when navigating the complexities of commercial contract documents. Commenting, in particular, on the development and benefits of a local mediation service, Adrian said, “Support from the ETT for the CEF led initiative for more affordable mediation services was encouraging and very welcome. Accessibility to affordable dispute resolution options is essential.”
HEADS UP ON THE 18TH EDITION
A look into the history of the IET’s Wiring Requirements preceded a superb 18th Edition Impact and Opportunities lecture by Paul Meenan. The contractors were impressed by the Chartered Fellow of the IET’s insightful knowledge and plain speaking manner, as he illustrated and conveyed some of the significant and looming changes of the proposed 2018 blue book.
Paul believes in telling it like it is! In particular, he pointed contractors towards concerns around the creeping entry of ‘kit and product’ complexities into the regulations. During the presentation, Paul also touched on the statement of ethical principles published by the engineering council, known also as e5.
Paul said, “In my book, e5 is essentially about always doing the right thing! It’s about best practice, professional conduct and giving back.”
To find out more about e5, view Paul’s profile on LinkedIn.
AVOID A GDPR FINE
Charlotte Bamber and Amanda McCloskey from ETT presented a robust information session on the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The aim of the session was to increase awareness and help organisations prepare for the changes which are due to be implemented in May 2018.
The GDPR is the most important change to data protection and privacy law in the last two decades. It will overhaul how businesses process and handle data.
The GDPR marks a clear shift towards returning ‘ownership’ of personal data back to the individual. With fines up to €20m (£17.25m) or 4% of the previous year’s global annual turnover, dependent on which figure is greater, no business can afford to ignore the GDPR. Charlotte commented, “I don’t think any business could afford to be fined, not to mention the damage caused to reputation and customer confidence. Therefore, it’s vital that businesses now follow up on the 6 steps to compliance to ensure they are ready come May 2018.”
ETT can offer GDPR support to any business, including in-house training, policy development and data information audits. If you want to ensure compliance with the GDPR, contact the ETT team.
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