Bagnalls has worked for National Grid for many years. The work is specialised and requires a high commitment and in depth understanding of the complex and specific safety issues prevalent when working in this environment. Our customers in the utility sector gain comfort from our UVDB Verify registration, which focuses on Safety, Health, the Environment and Quality (SHEQUAL). Over 30 Utilities and more than 35 of their contracting partners use the system to qualify their supply chain through a standard assessment of their management systems and site performance. This can lead to a significant reduction in the time and effort required to pre-qualify competent contractors for contracts.

We employ teams of people who have received the specialist training to meet National Grid's stringent safety requirements including painters who are designated a "Competent Person", as well as being trained in BESC (Basic Electrical Safety Competency). BESC training ensures our directly employed teams are aware of how the permit to work operates, the safety distances, and what access the different colours for zoning allow.

We paint a range of equipment including 132Kv - 275Kv - 400Kv transformers, isolators, coolers and auxiliary equipment.

The pre-planning phase of projects in this sector is particularly important so that productivity is maximised in the limited 'outages' where equipment is shut down to render it safe to work on. Strict programmes are second nature to us and must be achieved on every project.

Roy Halifax of National Grid puts it this way, "We need to know we can rely on the expertise of companies such as Bagnalls to work safely and reliably. We can only allow certain time slots for contractors to undertake work and they need to be able to work within these confines."