Door Industry Journal - Summer 2017

Also online at: www.dijonline.co.uk industry news 7 THE door industry journal summer 2017 dhf continues to raise standards with its new ‘Best Practice Guide’ dhf (Door & Hardware Federation) has published a new ‘Best Practice Guide’, which has been deemed an industry ‘must-read’. Developed following detailed consultations with the Health & Safety Executive (HSE), and using simple terms, the document is entitled Management of Maintenance, Modification and Repair of Industrial Doors, Domestic Garage Doors, Automated Gates & Traffic Barriers. The comprehensive, yet easy- to-read guide is currently available to download from the dhf website - www.dhfonline.org.uk It is anticipated that maintenance contractors, owners, workplace managers, landlords, managing agents and facilities managers will benefit from dhf ’s new publication, which offers a step-by-step guide to managing the maintenance, repair and modification process. The guide also includes an example of an ‘unsafe system warning notice’. Concerns were initially expressed by dhf members (particularly those in the Automated Gate Group) that section 3 of the ‘Health and Safety at Work Act 1974’ requires that all maintenance work must result in a safe outcome. When owners refused safety upgrade work, maintainers were facing an impossible situation. The new publication identifies very accurately where the legal responsibilities lie and has been described as ‘one of the most significant documents since the introduction of the dhf Code of Practice TS 011:2016 last year’. “In many cases maintainers have been unable to work - as required by their client - within the law. This has potentially resulted in dhf members losing out to unscrupulous providers willing to work illegally and leave systems in an unsafe condition,” explains dhf ’s Marketing Manager, Patricia Sowsbery-Stevens. “The owners were satisfied as their provider was in effect (unsuspectingly in many cases) taking on the owners’ responsibilities and liabilities.” The best practice guide is designed to limit confusion and aid accuracy and a greater understanding of the legal requirements. Contained within the document is an easy-to-read colour coded table listing the most common hazards; these are classified either safety critical and do not return to service (Red) or requires improvement and could remain in service (amber). As a result, the user is confident as to what is needed to be compliant, the potential hazards, legal ramifications and solutions. “It ensures that in each case where it is applied, the only reason an unsafe system is in service is because the owner is unwilling to act and not because the maintainer has put the unsafe and defective system into place themselves,” she continues. Under the guidance, an unsafe system can remain in service only when the owner actively returns it to service against the advice of a competent maintenance contractor. With meticulous application of the guidance the maintenance contractor can in many cases remain involved, continue to advise, and be ready to make the system safe once the owner becomes willing to act. “We are very pleased to have launched dhf ’s new, simplified ‘Best Practice Guide’, which offers information on the processes and legal requirements pertinent to the maintenance, modification and repair process for these systems,” concludes Patricia. “This publication is a concise and factual summary which we hope will lead to a better understanding of compliance – and ultimately - better standards across the industry. It also demonstrates dhf ’s on-going commitment to driving those standards and the importance of regular maintenance.”