production world
First anniversary of HTEC as Haas extends European HQ
THE European HTEC (Haas Technical Education
Centre) programme is on target to achieve its
first-year goals with a total of 18 Centres planned
to open before the end of 2008 (including Russia,
Belarus, Sweden and Portugal) and another 35 in
2009 in countries including Ukraine, Spain,
Lithuania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary
and France. Each of which will be founded and
managed by local Haas distributors (known as
Haas Factory Outlets - HFOs).
‘The HTEC programme is like a snowball
gathering momentum,’ says Haas Europe
Managing Peter Hall. ‘When an HTEC opens in a
particular country it captures the imagination of
similar schools and colleges, inspiring those
institutions to follow the same path.’ The
programme was launched to counter what Haas
regards as one of the greatest threats to sustainable
economic development on the continent: the
shortage of talented and motivated young people
entering precision engineering industry with
CNC machining skills; skills that Hall personally
considers to be the cornerstone of advanced
manufacturing industry.
����
�����������������
��������������
‘I believe that one of the major reasons for the
shortage is that we fail to attract young people to
study and make a career in CNC technology -
we’ve found that many schools use antiquated
Tougher penalties for health and safety offences (report by Elizabeth Hyde)
THE Health and Safety (Offences) Act 2008 comes into force on 16 January 2009. The legislation, which embraces most sectors will significantly affect penalty
fines imposed - and imprisonment will be an option for a greater number of offences. The Act does not however alter businesses’ and individuals’ existing legal
duties. A review conducted by the Home Office, the HSE the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions prompted its introduction; and during its
second reading in the Lords, Lord Grocott explained that its purpose was ‘to punish the criminally negligent who put life and limb in danger in the workplace,
to deter those who are tempted to cut costs by breaking the health and safety law, and to render faster and more efficient justice’. The Act will:
■ raise the maximum fine which may be imposed in the Magistrates’ Courts for breaches of health and safety regulations from £5,000 to £20,000 (the Crown
Court’s ability to impose unlimited fines for such breaches remains unchanged);
■ make imprisonment an option for more health and safety offences in both Courts. This is a fundamental change. Company employees (including directors
and senior managers) will now face a greater risk of imprisonment when successfully convicted;
■ allow certain offences, currently only triable in the Magistrates’ Court, to be heard in either the Magistrates’ or Crown Court, where the fines and sentences
imposed could be much larger.
DWP Minister Lord McKenzie has said: ‘The level of fines for some health and safety offences is too low. These changes will ensure that sentences can now
be more easily set at a level to deter businesses that do not take their health and safety management responsibilities seriously, and further encourage
employers and others to comply with the law. Furthermore, by extending the £20,000 maximum fine to the lower courts and making imprisonment an option,
more cases will be resolved in the lower courts and justice will be faster, less costly and more efficient. Jail sentences for particularly blameworthy health and
safety offences committed by individuals, can now be imposed reflecting the severity of such crimes, whereas there were more limited options in the past.’
There are countless health and safety regulations in force under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 which will be affected by this legislation. Taking
one example, a failure to carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment (which would currently incur a maximum fine of £5,000 per breach) would, under
the proposed law, expose defendants to a fine of up to £20,000 in the Magistrates’ Court (or an unlimited fine in the Crown Court, which remains unchanged).
Businesses are advised to ensure that risk assessments regarding, in particular, ‘back of house’ activities are suitable and sufficient and that appropriate control
measures are in place to eliminate or reduce any risks identified. The Act is part of a general shift in the attitude taken by the government as to the level of
fines which should be imposed. The Sentencing Advisory Panel has recommended that under the new Corporate Manslaughter Act, for offences which result
in a fatality, fines amounting to 5% of the company's average turnover be imposed.
���� �������
��������������� ��������
�����������������������������������������
������������������� ��������������
12 MWP january 2009
Peter Hall
(second
right) with
fellow directors
at Haas
Automation
Europe’s
extended
Brussels HQ.
machine shops equipment and that as a result the
students do not learn the skills needed by their
local industry. We feel that without modern CNC
machines and modern CNC technology, and
without up-to-date continuous training, teachers
find it difficult to motivate young people to
choose a career in what is actually a very exciting,
very advanced sector.’ As well as providing CNC
machine tools and CNC simulators, Haas also
helps schools to renovate and modernise
classrooms and workshops.
To better support its network HFOs, the
company European headquarters in Brussels has
been extended. In total the new facility, opened at
the end of October, covers 5580 m 2 and
incorporates a larger parts inventory, improved
parts service logistics, a larger repair centre an
extended training area and new office space for
the marketing department, general management,
HFO business managers and IT. The 700 m 2
showroom continues to be the key area of the
facility with 20 CNC machine tools on display at
any one time.
www.HaasCNC.com
���������
�������
��������������������
����
To view a Ceros magazine you need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser and have the flash player 8 or higher installed. To install the latest flash player, click the icon above, install the flash plugin and then click here to refresh this page.