We have a large list of forms we have for the gas industry. All forms can be completed using your engineer’s mobile device and produce a .pdf form output that is stored against both the job and the site. It’s possible to look at all mobile forms related to a single site where you can then print or send the forms by email. Another option is to search for a job and after opening it, you will be able to see all attachments associated with it.

Commercial Gas Safety Certificate
Domestic Gas Safety Certificate
Gas Service / Maintenance Check List
Gas Breakdown/ Repair sheet
Gas Warning Notice
Plumbing Audit Form
Testing/Purging (non-domestic)
Gas Installation Safety (non-domestic)

For oil fired appliances:

OFTEC – CD10
OFTEC – CD11

Book a free demo and our dedicated sales team will show you how to complete gas safety forms on your mobile device.

Today, the team at JobLogic met Gas Safe super hero Doug outside the Bullring in Birmingham. We just missed the man himself as he was probably out attending to a Gas Safety emergency somewhere in the UK, or Birmingham, which was found to be one of the most unsafe cities in the UK.

On hand were Gas Safe registered engineers who gave valuable advice to gas consumers about staying Gas Safe. This included making sure the engineer that turns up to fix your appliance is actually qualified to carry out the work you require and that carbon monoxide alarms are fitted at an appropriate distance from every gas appliance.

Doug is a regular guy just like us and uses a yellow phone box to change before flying off to save lives. Inside his phone box, there was a tablet where you could input your postcode to see how safe/ unsafe it is.

Today, the tour was in Birmingham and Nottingham, but Doug will also be visiting:

18th Norwich – Chapelfield
19th Bristol – Cabot Circus
20th Portsmouth – Arundel Street

Check out the event in your local area and don’t forget to follow Doug on Twitter.

Gas Safety Week 2014 gets underway today. It’s the United Kingdom’s national gas safety campaign which aims to raise awareness of gas safety across the nation. As autumn creeps up on us, now is the moment to ensure that you deliver the safest solutions to consumers. Protect your workers, your equipment and your customers by ensuring everything runs safely and smoothly.

As an installer and maintainer of gas equipment, you’ll realise the importance of remaining compliant with gas safety regulations. There are many solutions available to make compliance easier. We’ve developed gas installer software which has been specifically designed to help Gas Safe registered companies both minimise paperwork and make safety documentation easier to access. Reduce the amount of paperwork you need to deal with and free up time to make your business even more productive.
With JobLogic, you can:

• Produce electronic gas safety certificates
• Minimise time spent in the office scheduling tasks and assigning jobs
• Reduce invoicing time
• Receive gas safety forms in the office instantly
• Improve organisation by implementing smart solutions to common problems
• Eliminate the risk of misplacing important documents

The instant a job is completed the invoices can be printed in the office or sent directly to the customer. Engineers do not have to be physically present at the office several times per day for paperwork related issues such as picking up job sheets or returning safety documents at the end of the day so that the customer can be invoiced. Forms will be available in the office instantly; they will not be lost, can be searched for instantly and will be easy to read.

JobLogic specialises in offering important solutions that help service providers stay gas safe, including maintenance scheduling, annual gas service reminders, digital safety forms and many more. Our job management & scheduling software helps you to be gas safe compliant for a low monthly subscription fee.

Why not see how we can help you to stay gas safe by booking a free demo? Our helpful staff would be more than happy to answer any questions you might have about service management and our software.

Smartphones have become almost lifesaving tools for so many students, entrepreneurs and businessmen. With mobile phones getting more and more complex each day, these little tools help you run your life and business with much ease. According to the IDC (International Data Corporation), Android based systems occupy the largest market share with 78.1%, while the iOS platforms are in charge for 17.5% of the market share. Windows Phone, Blackberry and other systems are currently holding below 5% of the general market share. Android’s hold on the market might decrease over the coming years if the launch of Samsung’s Tizen operating system is a success. Samsung produce some of the most popular Android phones and should they move away from Android, this could prove to be a big blow for the American software giant.

Smartphones to Look out For

Almost every month there is a new upgrade available to this or that mobile platform or system. In the beginning, smartphones could be likened to small handheld computers, but nowadays you can use your gadget for everything from booking your trip online, accessing your important documents on the Cloud or access and managing your bank account.

With millions of downloadable apps being available, people can just configure their smartphone according to their exact needs and requirements. Check out some of the most promising upcoming releases:

–          Maximized privacy oriented Blackphone - Android based platform, promising to protect people from ‘sneaky’ Government and companies looking to access personal info. Other great features include encrypted calling and an inbuilt OS security center which lets you handle sensitive application permissions with the most privacy possible. The Blackphone is currently selling at about £450

–          Samsung Galaxy S5 - a highly promising, versatile mobile gadget incorporating features such as a fingerprint reader to protect personal and business data, an extremely fast  and high quality camera that’s great for taking photos in the field (16mp), and a screen that is highly sensitive in adapting to strong ambient light. It’s price is approximately £580

–          BlackBerry Classic (Q20) - a more retro style Blackberry carrying plenty of improvements, the gadget is speaking mainly to professionals in the military, medicine, engineering and other fields. The device promises great ease of use thanks to the full hardware keyboard including a track pad, and a new OS platform which allows users to download any Android applications they want to use (not limited to Google Apps). Pricing and launch date to be determined.

User friendliness for field service operators

Thanks to the introduction of such versatile and user friendly phones, field service operators can customize their gadget according to their specific needs. There are many important web based applications and modules which allow engineers to perform a more organised and accurate job, saving important resources such as time and money. For example, you can take pictures or make important voice recordings and attach them to jobs.

You can access these features through the internet, without having to download or install anything on your phone. The system is basically split between the back office and the mobile device, and the back office is responsible for all the technical tasks of a job such as reporting or the service desk.

The staff in the office will create the jobs and then send these jobs to the engineer in the field through the mobile device. Next, the field operator will accept the job and can make modifications such as attaching pictures, videos, voice recordings, notes, etc.

JobLogic’s service management software for gas installers helps you both save precious time and also eliminate paperwork hassles or communication problems. Top highlights include:

• Maintain customer database and access it quickly and easily with the touch of a button
• Access to a unified service desk which allows you to find important data and log jobs within seconds
• Create service reminders so that you will never forget to complete a job- fill in contracts, schedule service visits, keep track of preventative maintenance jobs, etc.
• Log into your service desk and keep an eye on the forms and risk assessments filled in by your engineers. Perform searches based on certain criteria and find exactly what you are looking for quickly
• Stay in full control over every aspect of a job: match invoices, assign workers to jobs, make changes within job requirements, and many more.

For more information about JobLogic, request a free demo or cal 0800 326 5561

A recent report by accountants Deloitte confirmed what many within the UK oil and gas industry have long believed – that retention of high potential and critical staff within the sector remains a critical concern. The January 2012 report entitled “Talent Edge 2020”, confirmed that staff need to be effectively utilised and valued in order for them to remain with their current employers.

40% of the “Millennial” generation group – those who are aged 31 and under – who responded to the survey confirmed that they were looking to leave their employer in the next year. This lack of loyalty is confirmed when comparing staff on length of service in their current roles, with 60% of people surveyed who have been in a role less than two years looking to move on compared to less than 20% of the people who had been in a role for more than two years. Evidently to retain high performing staff with good potential it is critical to gain their loyalty in the first two years or there is a very real prospect of losing them to a competitor.

Leadership is also valuable. 62% of those surveyed who intend to stay with their current employer reported high levels of trust in their corporate leadership against 27% of those who plan to leave. These results reflect that to retain the best staff it is imperative to identify the best performing assets of an organisation and to provide leadership development programmes, competency and skills identification along with mentoring programmes to ensure that the industry gets the best they can from these people.

Gavin Sutherland, UK Country Manager of KCA Deutag was quoted as saying in the keynote sessions of the Offshore Europe 2013 conference; “UK platform drilling is perceived as a declining industry…experienced personnel are moving to international operations”, a view backed up by Mark Burns, CEO of Ensco who said at the same conference that “competition for experienced personnel remains a challenge….you should know and maintain your employees….focus on training & development programmes…”

Clearly there is a feeling among senior executives within the oil and gas industry that if the UK industry is to meet the challenge of maximising economic recovery of hydrocarbons then it must find ways to sustain the flow of talent into the sector and retain it – and the same themes of ensuring potential is developed to its fullest come to the fore.

There is an employment and skills seminar being held in Aberdeen on April 23 with the full-day programme aimed at people with responsibility for leading people and those in a HR function highlighting these topical issues of recognising, rewarding and retaining staff critical to companies.

Guilford College

www.guildford.ac.uk

This reasonably priced self-study course is great for those looking for value for money and to complete it in their own home. The course is fast-paced and all assessments are done online, at your own pace. You will only need to be onsite 4 times during your training, to prove your competency for the NVQ 2. If you feel like you would prefer some tuition, then you can pay £52 per hour for a theory session at the college. There are no practical sessions at the college.

The exam board for this course is the City and Guilds London Institute, and covers the following modules:

1. Understand and carry out safe working practices in Building Services Engineering (BSE)
2. Understand how to communicate with others within BSE
3. Understand how to apply environmental protection measures within BSE
4. Understand how to apply scientific principles within mechanical services engineering
5. Understand and carry out site preparation, and pipework fabrication techniques for domestic plumbing and heating systems
6. Understand and apply domestic cold water system installation and maintenance techniques
7. Understand and apply domestic hot water system installation and maintenance techniques
8. Understand and apply domestic central heating system installation and maintenance techniques
9. Understand and apply domestic rainwater system installation and maintenance techniques
10. Understand and apply domestic above ground drainage system installation and maintenance techniques
11. Apply safe working practices in building services engineering working environment
12. Install and maintain domestic plumbing and heating systems
13. Install and maintain domestic heating systems

Options Skills

www.rftraining.co.uk

The next available 3-day practical training session in Bristol begins Wednesday 28th May. You can however attend a later session when feel you are ready to study.

This City and Guilds Plumbing and Heating diploma is a brilliant one for beginners, and for those who wish to learn at their own pace. The qualification enables you to learn how to install plumbing and heating systems, but does not allow you to work with gas (there is also a level 3 diploma available that can teach you this). Whether you choose the flexible or intensive route, at the end of the course you will be awarded with City and Guilds Level 2 Diploma in Plumbing Studies/NVQ Level 2 Diploma in Plumbing and Heating. You will also receive the Rainwater Harvesting and Grey Water Recycling Certificate. All assessments are done onsite, which even means you can be assessed on installing your own bathroom suite.

The theory modules covered are:
– Health and Safety
– Electrical Principles and Processes in BSE
– Scientific Principles
– Common Plumbing Processes
– Domestic Cold Water
– Domestic Hot Water
– Sanitation
– Domestic Central Heating
– Drainage Systems
– Understand how to communicate with others in BSE
– Environmental Awareness

The practical training modules are:

1. Basic pipework
2. Steel pipework
3. Bathroom installation
4. Airing cupboard and guttering
5. Safety and pipework assessment
6. Steel pipework and central heating assessment
7. Bathroom installation and maintenance assessment
8. Airing cupboard and guttering assessment

The U.K.’s offshore oil and gas industry is tackling its “biggest challenge in 50 years” due to the decline of exploratory drilling, possibly endangering a lucrative industry for the British government. But assistance might very well be on the way.

As stated in the annual report published by the trade association Oil & Gas UK, only 15 exploration wells were drilled last year, marking a precipitous drop from 2008, when 44 exploration wells were drilled. The past three years have witnessed exploration reach its lowest levels in history — perhaps resulting in the decline of  oil and gas production by 40% in the last three years while the efficiency with which oil and gas is produced has decreased to 60% of its highest level, costing the UK economy £6 billion. It is expected that British taxes from oil and gas will decrease by £1.5 billion in the 2013/14 financial year. Oil & Gas UK has also said that the rate of exploration is too low to recover even a small portion of the roughly 6 to 9 billion barrels yet to be discovered.  Last year, an estimated 300 million barrels of oil equivalent were unexploited to the high cost of recovering the fuel.

Furthermore, the annual activity survey by Oil & Gas UK revealed production costs have increased by 15% over last year. In addition, the average cost of extracting a barrel of oil increased 27% in the last year to reach £17.

Oil & Gas UK’s report was published as Prime Minister David Cameron has been working to convince Scotland to remain in the United Kingdom, vowing to support efforts to increase oil and gas extraction in the North Sea (which the UK relies on for more than half of the country’s oil and gas used). Offshore oil and gas development is considered an important factor in the minds of Scottish voters as they decide whether to become an independent country in a referendum in September.

Despite the decrease in exploration drilling, capital expenditure in the U.K. offshore oil and gas sector is projected to reach around £13 billion, a figure that would represent the second highest year for investment. However, investment is projected to decrease by nearly half within three years, according to Oil & Gas UK.

Meanwhile, the production in 2013 was 1.43 million barrels of oil equivalent a day as a result of new developments and an emphasis on production efficiency. Fortunately, production is expected to increase further this year as 25 new fields are projected to come on-stream over the next two years while production will probably reach around 1.7 million barrels of oil equivalent a day by 2018. However, 40% of production by that year will come from new field developments.

As for assistance that might be on the way, the U.K. government has announced that it would facilitate the implementation of Sir Ian Wood’s recommendations for maximizing the UK’s remaining offshore oil and gas resources. Wood, a retired businessman who served as the chairman of Wood Group from 1982 to 2012, has recommended—among other things—revitalizing exploration to ensure recoverable oil and gas resources in the UK are fully explored and exploited in addition to investing in extending the life of the existing infrastructure to process oil and gas resources. According to Wood, the changes would bring at least £200 to the economy over the next 20 years while the UK government said that changes would result in the production of three to four billion additional barrels of oil (UK oil and gas, 2014).  Maximizing domestic oil and gas production would strengthen Britain’s domestic energy security while reducing the country’s reliance on imports.

Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing is the process of extracting natural gas from shale rock layers deep within the earth by drilling down and directing a high pressure water mixture at the rocks. The process has helped to develop America’s oil and natural gas resources for nearly 60 years. However, fracking has barely been used in the United Kingdom. Recent estimates suggest that there are enormous reserves of shale gas underneath Britain. Extracting the gas could potentially solve the UK’s future energy needs, reduce energy bills, bring in massive amounts of foreign investment and create thousands of jobs.

Fracking Process

Preliminary research suggests that fracking of shale gas could contribute significantly to the future energy needs of Britain. In the US, domestic oil production has been greatly increased and gas prices have been driven down, all thanks to fracking. There is speculation the UK could enjoy the same benefits if it were to use the technique.  Large deposits of shale gas have been discovered and if extracted, can help secure energy supplies and reduce energy costs. This presents a massive opportunity to help families struggling with their bills. Shale gas is also more environmentally friendly. According to the Committee on Climate Change, shale gas can have lower emissions than imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) provided that the production is well regulated. It also presents an opportunity to generate electricity at half the CO2 emissions of coal.

Cheaper energy is not the only benefit of fracking. Major companies such as Total and Centrica are pouring in hundreds of millions of investment into UK shale projects.  According to British Prime Minister David Cameroon, fracking could bring in £3bn of investment and deliver a large economic boost. The industry will require more people such as geologists, engineers, construction workers, business analysts, truck drivers, public relations staff, etc. Demand for cement and steel manufacturers, equipment manufacturers and drilling service companies will also increase. This will result in an increased number of jobs in related sectors. All in all fracking could create 74,000 jobs according to the Institute of Directors.

Every coin has two sides and shale gas exploration is no exception. Fracking is a rather controversial technique which is strongly opposed by environmentalists. They worry that the fracking process can result in small tremors. However, these tremors are unlikely to cause any damage. The other major concern is that potential carcinogenic materials may escape and contaminate ground water near the fracking site. The industry tries to alleviate this fear by stating that pollution incidents are not inherent risks of the technique but rather the result of bad practices. Environmentalist also argue that fracking is encouraging energy firms and governments to rely on non-renewable fossil fuel, and distracting them from researching renewable energy sources.

Taking the risks and benefits into consideration, in the short term, shale gas exploration can provide a much needed boost to economy by creating jobs, bringing in investment and reducing energy bills. The questions is; what if any, cost will there be to the environment.

You can read more about ‘truths and myths’ of shale gas on the Channel 4 website: http://www.channel4.com/news/fracking-shale-gas-hydraulic-fracturing-truth-myth-facts-uk