A team of West Coast Network Services (WCNS) staff has succeeded
in taking home first prize at the challenging Utility Skills
competition for the second year in a row, held at the annual
Arboricultural Association Conference at Bosworth Hall Hotel,
Warwickshire, on 12 July 2010.
The WCNS team, whose offices are based in Mold, Flintshire, won
the contest after completing a series of five demanding events
designed to test their skills, including carrying out a taxing tree
pruning simulation at height, an aerial tree and pole top rescue,
the use of insulated rods to perform an isolation on an overhead
line and a mystery event, which this year tested the teams' first
aid skills to the maximum, as they safely and correctly assisted a
colleague with a broken leg on site.
Working against the clock, each three-man team was judged on its
ability to demonstrate safety, accuracy and speed, with the WCNS
team carrying out the pole top rescue in a staggering 54 seconds.
The team maintained this exceptionally high standard throughout and
exceeded their performance last year by finishing first in four of
the five events and second in the remainder.
Terry Bennett leader of the WCNS Utility Skills team, comments:
"To win such a tough contest calls for good organisation, timing
and teamwork. The key to our success was our ability to communicate
effectively with one another and ensure that we all worked towards
the same common objective. We are just delighted to claim the top
prize again, for a second year running against stiff
opposition."
The day-long Utility Skills competition takes place at the
annual Utility Arboricultural Group (UAG) Conference, an event
designed to give the arboriculture industry the chance to meet and
discuss new regulations and standards affecting the trade.
West Coast Network Services, part of the West Coast Energy
Group, is a provider of innovative and specialist services to the
utility and infrastructure sectors. The Mold-based company
specialises in cost effective arboricultural solutions and
electrical overhead line support.
The WCNS team demonstrate exceptional safety skills.
