Eriks and Mitie engineers locked in bank vaults 10 August 2011

Twelve engineers from maintenance engineering specialist Eriks were recently locked into a major UK bank in Manchester over a weekend, to carry out maintenance and upgrades to the building services systems.

A spokesperson from facilities management firm Mitie explains that the project included working on both low and high voltage switchgear systems.

The switchgear upgrade was planned to ensure that the necessary standards of health and safety – OHSAS 18001 – were met, in this case covering switchgear from 415V up to 11,000V, including transformers, isolators and UPS systems.

Much of the equipment was housed on the top floor of the bank building, though some was also located in the basement. To add to the operational challenge, the equipment had been sourced from several manufacturers.

For the entire duration of the upgrade process the building was without power, with portable back up generators in use. This affected all of the bank's safety and security systems, including CCTV – which is why Eriks and Mitie engineers had to undergo security vetting.

"This was a highly successful and professionally executed operation," says a spokesperson from Mitie. "Both teams have to be commended for working so well together, ensuring that work was completed exactly within the deadline and with no hitches."

Brian Tinham

Related Companies
Eriks UK
MITIE Group plc

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