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NAME: |
John Barrie Sheard |
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D.O.B: |
NA |
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EMAIL: |
jbhygiene@supanet.com
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The
Interview: |
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Please
describe your professional background. |
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Qualified as an Environmental Health Officer in 1955 (known then as a Public Health Inspector) and after two years National Service in the RAMC started working with local authorities at Derby City, Belper RDC and finally Amber Valley Borough Council. Here I became Deputy Director of Environmental Health at the major reorganisation of local government in 1974 with a population of 107,000 and a post I remained at until my early retirement at the end of 1993. |
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How
did you first come to be involved in pest control? |
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As a Sergeant Hygiene Assistant in the RAMC, I was responsible for both food hygiene and food safety and also pest control at all the army barracks and units in the western part of Lancashire, in those days called Western Command. My base was at Chester Military Hospital from where I was out stationed to Seaforth Barracks in Liverpool. |
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What
is your favourite aspect of the pest control industry? |
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Being involved in a relatively small industry and particularly since 1993 with the creation of the National Pest Technician's Association and being their Promotions Officer and seeing the Association grow. Secondly, having through the NPTA met such a great bunch of people. |
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Least
favourite aspect of the pest control industry? |
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The fact that so many smaller businesses are getting bought out by a few big boys and in many instances that the standards of service and professionalism appear to be going down! |
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What
is the biggest challenge you have faced in your career? |
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Leaving a very steady 9 till 5 job with local government in 1993 and starting up as an Environmental Health Consultant and forming my own food safety and health and safety training company, known as J. B. Hygiene Enterprises. However, it was certainly worth it! |
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What
advice would you give to anyone thinking of a career in pest
control? |
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Start with the “hands on” part of being a technician, get that very necessary bit of paper early-on and with experience take the plunge and go either self employed, or form a small servicing company. However, when you start choose a good company or good local authority – sad to say there are some unhelpful businesses and councils out there! |
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What
motivates and drives you? |
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To see and meet our NPTA members at the annual PEST TECH exhibition each year and also hear from them on the telephone or by e.mail or letter that they appreciate what we are providing for them. |
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Do
you have any remaining or unfulfilled ambitions? What are
they? |
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To see the government of the day (whoever they are) taking pest control / pest management more seriously and making registration of technicians compulsory and a legal duty. (If the countries of Australia and New Zealand feel the necessity for this why not the UK?) |
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Has
the industry changed much during your career? How? |
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Yes, some for the better and sadly some for the worse! The better in that health and safety matters for technicians, their clients and the environment is taken far more seriously and during my career seeing the demise of the use of acute poisons.
For the worse I have two matters to mention – firstly when the county pest liaison committees lost being organised by the then so helpful and interested MAFF pest control link staff and the fact that in many areas these county committees have disappeared and secondly that the vital public health preventative measures undertaken by local authorities since the beginning of the 20th century are now being watered down and in a proportion of cases charges are now being levied.
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Describe
an amusing pest control anecdote. |
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Not amusing but embarrassing for me! In 1957 in Liverpool in a Sergeants mess kitchen (where they had a huge cockroach infestation) after they had closed the kitchens for the night at about 11 o’clock in the evening, I entered with my tin of “DETHLAC” plus a 1” paint brush and proceeded to paint the skirting boards and door frames with this very sticky material. No overalls, no gloves, no face mask of any type, no ventilation as all the windows were fastened shut, no one working with me (think about it - health and safety and the lone worker!) and I almost passed out. I’m lucky to be here telling this story! |
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