Elite Maintenance Property Services News

Elite Branch out in Brighton

We are pleased to announce that Elite have successfully won a large contract!

Elite faced stiff competition from local contractors in securing the £100,000 contract to complete remedial works to the apartment block on Brighton sea front; illustrating the companies growth across the UK.

Scaffold was erected on 13th January 2012 and we forecast completion of the contract by the end of February 2012.

Well done to all involved!

Andrew Orme

Managing Director

Health & Safety Updates

Elite's Health & Safety Manager, Peter Goodwin provides a H&S update

Two construction companies have been fined following the death of a worker who fell from a cherry picker on a dual carriageway in Liverpool. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted following the incident on the A5036 Princess Way in Seaforth on 20 August 2006.

The 61-year-old, who was married with three children and three grandchildren, fell nearly eight metres and landed on the back of the vehicle. He died from his injuries in hospital later that day. Last year (2010/11), 38 people are killed in Great Britain as a result of a fall and more than 4,000 suffered major injuries.

Remember when using the cherry picker out and about it may be tedious and seem irrelevant to check all your equipment and PPE but these systems are put in place to try and eradicate hazards and proactively stop accidents like the above.

Thanks

Peter Goodwin

December 12th 2011

Staff Training & Development Update

Elite Invests in Training & Development

In order to continually improve the quality of service that we provide at Elite we recognise the importance of continued staff training and development!

Asbestos Awareness

An Asbestos Awareness course was held at our Head Office on Saturday 5th, November 2011.

The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) require that Asbestos Awareness training is provided to all employees whose work activities could foreseeably expose them to asbestos. This is particularly critical for workers involved in refurbishment, maintenance, demolition and allied trades.

Andrew Orme, Managing Director would like to pass on his congratulations to the following personnel who successfully completed the course.

Luke Bradley, Carl Burgess, Lee Cooper, Samantha Durber, Mark Elkin, Anthony Gibbons, Iain Millward, Mark Seaton, Vincent Smith, Lee Tunstall & Colin Woodall

Well done to you all!

CSCS

As part of our on-going staff development and training plan, three of our Maintenance Operatives have renewed their CSCS cards during September 2012.

The CSCS Card, which is issued by Construction Skills Certification Scheme, is increasingly being demanded as proof of competence by major organizations and employers in the Construction Industry.

First Aid at Work

A further operative has attended St. Johns Ambulance and completed a course in Emergency First Aid at Work, demonstrating competence in accordance with the Health & Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981Health & Safety Executive Approval No. 447/82

Guide Dogs for the Blind - Eli's Sixth Month Update

On August 4th 2011 Elite's sponsored puppy Eli was born!

Eli is a black Labrador from a large litter of puppies, his mother and father are Cookie and Mason, his ten siblings are Buddy, Ernie, Eric, Spencer, Ron, Edward, Elliot, Gracie, Tasha and Evie.

How does Eli become a Guide Dog?

0 to 6 weeks

Eli will be living with his mum and siblings in a Guide Dog volunteer's home. As well as playing, exploring and napping, he will go to a state of the art breeding centre where he will receive health checks and at six weeks his immunisations.

6 weeks to 4 months

Eli will move to his Puppy Walker's home. During these crucial months, he will start learning good manners and basic commands, such as 'sit' and 'down' - as well as how to walk on the lead.

12 Week Update

Now that Eli is twelve weeks old we have had news on his progress from his puppy walker.

"From the day that Eli arrived he has been sleeping through the night and is already feeling at home. He has made a good start with his training and seems to enjoy being out and about exploring the world around him. He has visited shops, supermarkets and garden centres and has even been to the town centre, he shows no concern about the crowds or loud sounds.

Eli is doing very well with his basic command work. Having mastered 'sit' and 'down' we are now working on 'wait' this is a big ask of a little puppy and it is something that he will learn in time. He has only just started lead work but this is going well. He was happy to have his collar and lead on and will stride out in front, if anything he is too enthusiastic! Again this is age related and something that will come with maturity and practice.

At home Eli's favourite toy is a bear that he loves to take everywhere and curls up with to sleep at night, he is adorable and I love having him"!

6 Month Update

Now that Eli is six months old we have had more news on his progress from his puppy walker.

"Eli is a cheeky, playful, loving and social boy who is beginning to hit the teenage stage and push the boundaries.

Like most dogs, Eli loves his free runs and his recall is generally good, although sometimes other dogs can distract him from coming back to me as soon as he is called. The rest of his general obedience is good and he understands 'sit', 'wait' and 'stay'. He also knows 'down', but is not too keen to actually perform the command!

Eli does struggle when walking on the lead, he either pulls or he will sit and refuse to move. This is typical puppy behavior: he is easily distracted and needs to learn to focus on the task in hand.

In busy situations Eli can show some anxiety, he is not an overly confident puppy, however he is getting better with traffic and with perseverance I hope that his confidence will increase.

Eli is very good when travelling by car and okay when travelling on the bus, over the next few weeks I intend to take him on busses regularly. I have taken him to the train station to experience the sights, sounds and smells associated with trains. He wasn't too sure at first, but didn't show anxiety and after a few more visits he should be ready to try getting on and off a stationary train, before finally taking his first journey.

Stairs and lifts have been problematic for Eli, but he is starting to show great improvement with walking up and down stairs on the lead. The first time he travelled in a lift he was sick, but with lots of encouragement and a few treats he is now relaxed in lifts and is doing well.

I take Eli to the vets regularly to be weighed. He loves going to the vets, he pulls me in and much to the amusement of the other customers, he refuses to leave!

At home, Eli is quite a cheeky puppy, he follows me upstairs and steals my husband's slippers, then runs back downstairs with them. Another naughty habit is to go outside and pick up a pebble in his mouth. He comes back inside, lies down and chews on it. If I look at him he stares back innocently until I look away and then happily goes back to chewing his pebble.

Eli seems to enjoy all aspects of his training, especially anything that gets him a reward? Everything seems to slowly be clicking into place."

4 to 14 months

Eli should now be starting to get used to the area he lives in. He will learn how to negotiate flights of stairs, busy shopping areas and various means of transport. Eli should also get used to being around people and other dogs.

14 to 17 months

It's time for guide dog training school. A professional guide dog trainer will introduce Eli to a special brown training harness. It's also time to start learning guiding skills such as dealing with kerbs and avoiding obstacles.

17 to 20 months

At this stage, a Guide Dog Mobility Instructor will start to pull all Eli's training together, so that he learns to use guiding skills in everyday situations. They will also start the matching process, finding a blind or partially sighted person who is just right for Eli.

20 to 22 months

Eli will now be matched with a person with sight loss so they can get to know each other and start their partnership training.

22 to 24 months

Hopefully Eli will have begun to change a blind or partially sighted person's life forever! He should have now settled into his new home and be practicing his regular routes. A Guide Dog Mobility Instructor will keep visiting to check how it's all going.

Over the course of the next 24 months, we will be updating our news with Eli's progress.

Large Claim Win With Merlin

Elite are pleased to announce our largest new contract win from Merlin Claims this week.

The project is an completely devastated four Bedroom detached property in Stoke - on -Trent which was severely damaged by fire last month.

Managing Director Andy Orme said "This really shows that our customer focused service is getting Elite noticed. This particular project needs to be turned around in 12 weeks and Merlin obviously have confidence in Elite completing the project within time scales and budget - they have faith in us because we deliver on their promises to their customers."

Thermal Imaging Cameras Solve Problem

Elite have now taken delivery of a thermal imaging camera to aid investigation of building defects ranging from missing insulation, cold bridging or leaking pipes.

While thermal imaging technology has long been in use in specialised law enforcement and military applications, its availability in the commercial sector has been limited due to high cost. Over recent years thermal imaging units have fallen in price making them more commercially viable and as such some companies have found innovative applications for their use.

Elite have already used thermal imaging cameras over twenty separate projects, in one project alone the technology helped pin point three individual defects where conventional investigation techniques would have caused intrusive damage.

Managing Director Andy Orme said today "If there's a technology that will help either minimise the disruption caused to our client's homes or that allows us to find potential defects that if gone unnoticed will go on to create damage then we're always keen."

Elite invest in access platform!

Elite have recently taken delivery of a Teupen Leo 23GT otherwise known as a spider lift, with the main benefit of this machine being its weight to reach ratio.

It weighs 3T with a reach of some 23m, this allows it to be used in places like shopping centers, churches as well as for projects such as roof inspections, window cleaning etc.

The purchase of the spider lift will help us become more cost effective as it will eliminate the need for hiring expensive scaffolds and also broaden our scope of works.

Guide Dog Sponsorship

We're helping The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association keep their lifetime promise to every guide dog owner "Guide Dogs promises to supply every guide dog owner with a dog for as long as they need one."

The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association provide mobility and freedom to blind and partially sighted people. They also campaign for the rights of people with visual impairment, educate the public about eye care and fund eye disease research.

Some people may need six or seven dogs in a lifetime! Each year, The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association need to raise over £40 million to maintain our services and develop new ways to improve the lives of blind and partially-sighted people and Elite have chosen to contribute to this very worthwhile organisation by sponsoring a Guide Dog puppy through their 'Name a Puppy programme'..

Naming a puppy is a unique and great way of getting involved with a worthwhile charity.

The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association breeds and trains over 1,200 puppies a year - and needs to increase this number in the future. It costs over £5,000 to breed and puppy-walk each guide dog puppy. The guide dog service receives no government funding so they need donations to survive. By naming a puppy, companies such as Elite can make a huge difference to the future of this organisation.

We will be keeping you updated on the progress of our Elite puppy, Eli!

Better Efficiency Better Service

As part of Elite's continued commitment to Customer Service we are in the process of implementing an improved management system that will help us enhance our customer experience even further.

Recently deployed, our new management system is streamlining our operations allowing us for an even greater consistency than ever before.

This August marks an evolution in our offering to our private customers and corporate clients alike.