We would like to announce that Ogilvie Fire Protection Ltd, in partnership with North West Skills Academy, have developed a new course focusing on quality assurance in fire protection for the UK and Ireland. 

​

For years, much of our conducted work has involved making corrections to previous work undertaken within both PFI and private construction projects. We have witnessed a clear indication of poor workmanship through a lack of training and understanding of quality assurance. Following these experiences and the horrifying events of Grenfell Tower, we have focused our goals on becoming thought-leaders in the industry and push for change; thus we have developed a course focused on more efficient and effective methods of quality assurance in structural & passive fire protection using disruptive technologies. 

​

Course objectives 

​

The course will aim to train supervisors and fire protection personnel in the use of mobile technologies to better identify poor work practice, work to manufacturers specifications, create task lists & stages of application of materials, photographing and marking up errors and reporting on project progress. 

​

Course structure 

​

The course will take place over the course of one day and includes a combination of face-to-face and virtual training & support which will contribute to a professional digital portfolio that allows self, peer and manager evaluation - leading to a certified outcome.  

​

Assessment will also include an on-site visit for consolidation and completion. 

​

Course outcomes for business & personal 

​

The course will up-skill and certify a workforce in using innovative mobile technologies in order to: 

​

• Improve efficiency of workflow & completion of tasks 
   

• Negate the need for costly and impractical methods of reporting 
   

• Allow for remote and user-friendly quality assurance 
   

• Streamline collaboration between main/sub-contractors 
   

• Improve understanding and interpretation of drawings for the built environment 
   

• Show visible and trackable completion of tasks by individuals 
   

• Allow individuals to present learning, skills and experience in a professional portfolio
   

• Allow greater visibility to those managing new and existing projects in the built environment 
   

The Ogilvie Fire Protection/North West Skills Academy course is certified internally with both paper and Mozilla digital badges. We are currently looking to match these outcomes to vocational qualifications with an awarding body. 

​

Case study/pilot 

​

We have carried out a pilot of the course at Ogilvie Fire Protection. The pilot consisted of two remote teams; the teams used Fieldwire on two separate jobs where sub contractors had previously undertaken work. They had to survey all work on the go, recording any as complete/sub-standard/damaged by other trades/new works. These 4 stages also had to identify the most common items and processes for fixing each item when required.  

​

The team were working in poorly lit, enclosed spaces, where digital cameras, error A4 sheets, and sheer volume of works meant it wasn't practical to use paper-based reporting methods. Following the daily works on the site, a remote supervisor would QA all completed work, passing as complete, or referring back to a site operative to check where questions around quality were raised.  

​

On completion of the job, the client disputed the amount of new work that had been conducted, and was refusing to pay. Using Fieldwire, we were able to access all relevant drawings, the work undertaken, and categorise all works into 4 clear areas, as to liability for payment.  

​

The feedback from the trained group was that using innovative technologies such as Fieldwire proved a much better way of doing their records as far less time was required as well as providing a guarantee that they were paid for any and all work undertaken.  

​

The pilot also compared a range of technologies including Fieldwire, Bolster and SnagR. The feedback from the pilot found Fieldwire to be much more user-friendly and effective than Bolster and SnagR. All staff were capable of using the software with comfort within 1 to 2 days. Our remote quality assurance manager was impressed by the ease of conducting QA, and the workflow efficiencies that this in turn had created. Thus, the Ogilvie Fire Protection/North West Skills Academy Fire Protection course will focus closely on the use of Fieldwire software. 

​

Additional information 

​

The course relies on the use of smartphone technology for outside of classroom training utilising both Android and IOS platforms with some support available for Microsoft devices.