Door Industry Journal - Spring 2012

Also online at: www.doorindustryjournal.co.uk industry news 11 R+T 2012 CLOSES WITH ANOTHER RECORD RESULT R+T 2012, the leading world trade fair for roller shutters, doors, gates and sun protection systems, closed on 3rd March in Stuttgart after five days of overwhelming success. Around 60,000 specialist visitors from 110 countries, one in two of them from abroad, and 817 exhibitors from 42 countries, 66 percent of which were from abroad, led to fully booked hotels up to 75 kilometres from Stuttgart. Visitors and exhibitors are talking about the “best R+T of all time”. Mel Lovatt, Managing Director, Sommer UK commented: “This year’s R&T show was very busy - we presented a number of new products and this drew the crowds to the Sommer stand. The SP900 concealed gate motor and our ENTRAsys GD biometric finger recognition system were particularly popular with visitors, as were our new industrial door operators and improvements to our garage door operator range. All in all, R&T was a show well worth attending.” R+T 2015 will be held from 24th to 28th February 2015 once again in Stuttgart, when it will be celebrating its 50th anniversary. THE DOOR INDUSTRY JOURNAL GOES GREEN In order to produce a fully recyclable publication, we have moved away from our usual high gloss laminated cover in favour of part recycled silk finish paper throughout the magazine. The change was prompted by ecologically minded DHF member, Ron Stagg of Up and Over Doors (Bristol), at a DHF meeting a few months ago. Ron pointed out that whilst the laminated cover looked good, it was not recyclable and thus rendered the whole magazine unrecyclable. We listened to the advice given by Ron and the change was approved at the DHF Marketing Committee meeting last month. The Door Industry Journal is printed by Sussex based, FSC Certified printers, Evonprint who print the magazine using vegetable based inks on part recycled (15%) paper. Read more about their green credentials on their website www.evonprint.co.uk/downloads.php GLOBAL STEEL FIRM PROSECUTED AFTER WORKERS WERE CRUSHED A global steel firm has been sentenced after two workers suffered major injuries when a warehouse door, weighing over 300 kilograms, collapsed on them. The employees at Corus, which has since been renamed Tata Steel UK Ltd, were trying to repair a roller shutter door at its plant in Workington when the door and a supporting pillar gave way. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the company had failed to make sure a suitable risk assessment was carried out for the work, putting the lives of its staff in danger. Both the workers, who were maintenance fitters from Workington, suffered badly broken legs in the incident at the Curwen Road site on 20 April 2009. Part of the falling structure also struck one of the workers, 51 year old Anthony Ryecroft, on the head, splitting his hard hat and cutting his head and shoulder. He was unable to work for 15 months as a result of his injuries. The other work er, 59 year old Geoff Anderson, never returned to work for the company and has now taken voluntary redundancy. Workington Magistrates’ Court heard the firm did not have a robust system in place for making sure its maintenance staff were planning and carrying out work safely. The court was told the two workers had been sent to repair the door after it was hit by a forklift truck, causing it to become stuck. They were removing some of nuts from the supporting pillar when it came loose and collapsed. Tata Steel UK Ltd admitted breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 by failing to ensure the safety of the two workers. The company, of Millbank in London, was fined £13,300 and ordered to pay £11,631 in prosecution costs on 22 December 2011. The collapsed warehouse door which injured the two workers