The Electrical Show

Paul Meenan is joined by electrician and site agent Mark Pink and his 16-year-old son Teddy, who is beginning his apprenticeship journey and following the family into the electrical trade.

From the traditional methods and experiences of Teddy’s grandad, through Mark’s career in the industry and working around the world, to Teddy taking his first steps into the trade.

Mark reflects on how much the electrical industry has changed, what has improved and what may have become unnecessarily complicated, while Teddy explains why he has chosen the trade, what he’s looking forward to and what makes him nervous about starting out.

Paul also looks ahead to the next 20 years and considers how technology, automation, renewables, battery storage, smart technology and AI could transform the work of electricians — and what Teddy’s career might eventually look like as a result of all of that.

Thomas Nagy and Paul Meenan are joined once again by fire safety consultant Dan Jackson to discuss one of the most important responsibilities for electrical contractors: understanding and maintaining the fire integrity of the buildings they work in.

Paul asks Dan for his thoughts on the fire safety guidance within the 18th Edition Wiring Regulations, what could change in future editions and the key things electricians need to understand when working on buildings where fire integrity could be compromised.

The conversation also looks ahead to the impact of plug-in solar, battery storage and emerging technologies, and asks where fire safety standards could be heading in the future.

Thomas Nagy and Paul Meenan are joined by fire safety expert Dan Jackson to debate whether the way standards are applied on construction projects can sometimes create unnecessary costs, delays and setbacks.

They’re also joined by Dan Rossiter, Head of Standards, Built Environment at the British Standards Institution, to get BSI’s perspective on how standards are developed, how much they listen to the industry, when contractors can deviate from them, and how standards need to evolve alongside new technology.

Are British Standards keeping construction safe — or sometimes holding it back?

Thomas Nagy and Paul Meenan talk about how to handle setbacks and challenges from other people letting you down and when to pick your battles... to problems with deliveries and also some hypothetical situations that many in the trade encounter.

Thomas Nagy and Paul Meenan talk about how to manage time as a contractor and the art of delegation. Danny Webb joins the chat to explain why he thinks this could be his greatest attribute and shares some insight into how he's mastered it.

Callum Biscoe from C&B Electrical explains how he's able to oversee a successful business while working reasonable hours/days and also how he's learnt to delegate effectively. 

Thomas and Paul then discuss their experiences and how there's still a lot to learn from their perspective and Paul shares a plug-in solar update.