Cadent engineers and support staff work 24-7 to keep people connected to safe and reliable gas supplies.
This can present unique challenges where multiple occupancy buildings (MOBs) are involved, which involve work to the vertical pipes supplying flats.
Even at the best of times there can be issues in gaining access, securing the required permissions and sourcing the specialist equipment sometimes needed, such as scaffolding.
Factor in the coronavirus pandemic and requirements on social distancing and these challenges can become even more acute.
Nevertheless, Cadent has achieved some real successes in regard to multiple occupancy buildings during these difficult times.
In Birmingham engineers worked to swiftly restore gas supplies to a number of flats in Langwood Court, Overgreen Drive and Hurst Lane.
Ordinarily the job at Langwood Court would have taken weeks if not months as over 200m of digging would have been needed by engineers to lay new pipework, putting them and residents in close proximity for a long period of time.
To minimise social contact engineers designed an interim solution which involved placing temporary piping on the exterior of the building.
Cadent Flex Resource Management Specialist, Mo Abdullah, said: “This was a great piece of work by engineers Malcolm Hodson and Jim Campbell working with colleagues from our gas mains replacement contractors.
“Getting the residents back on gas as soon as possible while also maintaining social distancing was a challenge but the team did it with flying colours.” Meanwhile in London engineers also achieved some engineering triumphs in Ilford.
At the Twelve Acre House flats engineers identified a gas escape at a High Rise Building in Twelve Acre House in Hackney where they were able to fix the leak through installing a new gas supply pipe to the building and commission it by doing a ‘live transfer’ from the existing riser pipework, all the while maintaining gas supplies to the 22 flats involved throughout the process.
Mary Ryan, MOB manager for Cadent’s North London network said: “Not so long ago this kind of job would have involved shutting off the gas to all the flats and then weeks of work to install new pipework.
“However, by using innovative techniques and equipment we were able to install the new pipes while still keeping the gas flowing.”
She added: “This was an exemplary job and showed how far our skills and techniques have progressed in a short space of time.”
How we’ve kept gas flowing, supported the UK Government Covid-19 emergency response, looked after our customers, looked after ourselves, and focussed on our future energy needs – this is #OurLockdownStory. Follow our social media channels and this page of our website www.cadentgas.com/ourlockdownstory for more in this special series showcasing the amazing achievements of Cadent’s #keyworkers