Manchester City Council has become the first local authority in Europe to achieve CEPA certified status and prove that they are meeting the European standard (EN 16636) in pest management service.
Mike Fowler, pest control services manager at Manchester City Council, said: “The EN16636 Standard is a mark of quality, so the fact we’re the first local authority in Europe to gain accreditation demonstrates our high standards and the continued development of our staff.
| “The City Council is the first port of call for most people unlucky enough to be affected by pest problems, so it is very important for us to show that we provide a professional service.
“This accreditation provides independent proof that our team conforms to the highest standards, operates best practice and delivers the best service possible. “It should also give added confidence to domestic residents and commercial customers that our technicians are fully trained and up to date with the latest products, techniques and developments in a fast-changing sector.” The City Council introduced charges for pest control in 2012 but retains a department, made up of nine technicians and three senior supervisors, which delivers a cut-price service. Mike added regarding the service offered at Manchester: “All treatments are provided at cost, so there’s no profit to the council, and rat control is heavily subsidised. “Residents and commercial customers are getting fantastic value for money and this accreditation is proof of that,” concluded Mike. Since acquiring the CEPA certified status, Mike Fowler has now left Manchester City Council to take up a teaching post abroad – as reported in Pest issue 45: June & July 2016. |
Mike Fowler
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The EN16636 Standard, and its accompanying certification scheme, was launched earlier this year by the Confederation of European Pest Management Associations (CEPA).
Commenting on the relevance of the CEPA certified status post Brexit Simon Forrester, chief executive of the British Pest Control Association (BPCA) said: “Before we embarked on the project to have all BPCA members audited against EN16636 by Bureau Veritas, the BPCA Executive Board had already considered what a Brexit vote would mean to CEPA Certified, and to the EN standard itself. CEPA Certified is based on EN16636, a European standard that is also a British Standard.
“The 36 UK companies who already have CEPA Certified can confirm their certificate states the standard to be BS EN 16636:2015,” explains Simon.
