Blog

With colder spells becoming increasingly commonplace and winter looming ever closer, train operators and facilities managers across the UK will no doubt be thinking about how they can maintain safe, efficient operations for their rolling stock as the harsher weather sets in. David Gilmour, business manager for SOCOTEC’s Environment & Safety Services, answers a range of frequently asked questions on how to keep your railways operational this winter.…

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Tom Pratt has worked as a laboratory analyst for SOCOTEC for the last four years, being responsible for managing the workload within the lab and ensuring that agreed turnaround times are met by allocating appropriate resources to each particular work stream. In this piece, Tom outlines his key responsibilities of his varied role, which ranges from quality control checks to laboratory tours.…

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When undertaking any form of construction or upgrade works in proximity to the UK’s rail infrastructure, a range of surveys are first required. Neil Yakes, survey manager at SOCOTEC Monitoring – formerly ITM Monitoring explains why surveys are required for rail projects, what is involved in each type of survey and why they are important to the overall success of a rail project.…

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Anamaria Barsan joined SOCOTEC Monitoring – formerly ITM Monitoring - in 2016 as a project engineer. We spoke to her to find out what she loves about following in her parent’s footsteps, how she’s built her career to date and what it means to be a project engineer at SOCOTEC Monitoring.…

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Denis Morgan has worked as a divisional technical manager within SOCOTEC’s Asbestos team for the last 18 years. In this blog, he discusses the various challenges he faces in his role, as well as outlining some of the highest profile projects he has worked on during the course of his career.…

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Our annual event, the Railway Environmental Forum (REF), is around the corner once again, with only three weeks to go, we’re looking forward to welcoming delegates to discuss a range of health and safety-related topics, including legionella, asbestos, occupational air monitoring and the importance of health and safety-related training.…

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Managing the supply of sample testing instructions to the laboratory has developed over the years. SOCOTEC's new Assisted Testing Laboratory Schedule (ATLaS) provides an improved, more efficient way to communicate laboratory testing instructions.…

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The generic term ‘Occupational Exposure Limit’ refers to an established, acceptable maximum concentration of an airborne hazardous substance to which employees can be repeatedly exposed at work, and this serves as a valuable tool in assessing and managing risk.…

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The idea that involving specialist subcontractors early in a project makes for a more efficient delivery is nothing new. It is a topic that has been discussed in the construction industry for many years but, it is also a topic which remains incredibly relevant today. With the conversation about early engagement continuing, Stuart Fawcett - business development manager at SOCOTEC Monitoring, formerly ITM Monitoring - discusses why it is still something the industry should strive for.…

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Tim Brickell has worked as a site technician for SOCOTEC Monitoring – formerly ITM Monitoring - for the past six years. Below, Tim discusses what this varied role involves and highlights the essential traits required for anyone thinking about becoming a site technician.…

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