Gary Friend (left) being thanked by Branch GM Mark Calvert.
The SAIMC Durban technology meeting in March drew a record attendance, with an old friend of the SAIMC, Gary Friend, presenting on the very topical subject of ‘Risks, rewards, advantages and disadvantages of new technologies and the impact of legislation’. Gary is the MD of Extech Safety Systems.
In the build-up to his presentation, Gary said, “We have all heard about the 4th Industrial Revolution (aka IIoT) and we all have it in our lives with phones, tablets, the internet and a whole lot more. It has already impacted industry, and more hazardous area products and applications are coming. The sky is the limit, or is it?“
Gary explained the differences between a standard and a code of practice, and gave examples. He demonstrated some of these differences and showed how they have evolved to cover developments in technology, sometimes causing difficulty in ensuring that a current standard or code of practice is legally enforceable. Legislation is not always in step with evolving codes or standards, and may refer to ones that are obsolete. This can result in confusion and possibly compromise investigations into liability should an accident occur.
Gary is a well-known and respected member of our community. He has a BSc Electrical Engineering and is registered as a Professional Engineer in South Africa and a Chartered Engineer in the UK. He worked in several technical and design jobs before joining MTL in 1995 as a design engineer. Here he had several roles over 11 years, finishing as programme manager for the MTL4500/5500 range of isolators.
In 2006, he returned to South Africa and joined Extech Safety Systems. He served on the SAIMC council from 2015 to 2018, and was instrumental in setting up SABS TC165 (IEC TC65 mirror). He sits on the Ex steering committee and IS sub-committee of the SA Flameproof Association. He also sits on SABS TC31 (IEC065 mirror). He moved back to the UK in 2018, still working remotely, but full time for Extech, with regular six-weekly visits to South Africa. In 2018 he set up HazExpertise to do business in sub-Saharan Africa. The interesting topic, together with Gary’s solid reputation for delivering relatable and interesting presentations, drew a record crowd. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the presentation, dinner and usual networking opportunities.
Any companies interested in presenting and sponsoring a technology evening at the Durban branch can complete this form www.instrumentation.co.za/*presentations or contact jane@technews.co.za
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