ADSA’s inclusion within the IfATE Employer Directory has also increased the visibility of our services and our ‘hands-on’ approach to initiating apprenticeships and meeting occupational needs. To gain our place, we had to meet a rigorous criterion and that in itself was a useful exercise. It helped to ensure that we continue to explore the best ways to develop a future workforce for the automatic door industry. Our involvement in the JCI is also a game changer. The steering group, which has brought together leading associations with responsibilities in establishing and maintaining competence levels within their individual sectors, will radically reform and improve quality and standards throughout the construction industry. By working together, we have been able to define what competence looks like, and how we measure and achieve it against specific roles and requirements. We have pledged to drive through change against a recognised set of standards that relate to different parts of the industry: subcontractors, specifiers, manufacturers etc., and identify the kind of training and continuous professional development that is required to prove competence. Closer to home, we have reached a key milestone in bringing forth a new generation of automatic door industry technicians. The fifth cohort of apprentices began their studies in May – making a total of 69 students who have embarked on the programme since it launched in 2021. At the other end of the process are seven members of the first cohort who are undertaking their end-point assessments upon completion of their studies. In the area of standards, we have seen the launch of a new training course for EN17352 which has been introduced to regulate power-operated pedestrian entrance control equipment such as powered turnstiles, swing lanes and retractable lanes. Many of ADSA’s manufacturer members include these types of products within their ranges and there is a natural correlation between them and other automatic entrance products. The standard has addressed industry concerns around safety in use requirements and test methods. It will ensure that systems are safe and ADSA’s training course will further enhance public confidence, through company accreditation and evidencing their competence. ADSA is also publishing a guide to Security Rated Powered Pedestrian Doors which will be available to download from our website: www.adsa.org.uk/news This defines the principal burglary resistance security standards used in the UK and the Republic of Ireland and provides an overview of the scope of each standard. The document is intended for developers, architects, specifiers and facility managers to provide routes to identify products within our marketplace that meet these stringent standards. It will also provide a useful source of information for others working directly in our industry. Our Technical and Training Manager, Darren Hyde, has been busy in collaboration with the Guild of Architectural Ironmongers’ Technical Committee and has produced a chapter on the service and maintenance of powered pedestrian doors for its Commercial and Residential End-User Guides. These highlight the importance of occupier safety checks and maintenance and can be found at www.gai.org.uk/GAI/Knowledge/User-Guides We have also been involved in the development of a new industry-approved Product Data Template (PDT) for doorsets. A PDT provides a uniform way of describing essential product characteristics against relevant standards. When a manufacturer produces a PDT, it summarises performance and other technical characteristics - making information more consistent and audience-specific for better-informed decision-making. Of course, our membership is at the heart of everything we do and we are always keen to add value to ADSA membership. This has been the focus for our new website which includes improved functionality with a brand-new look and feel. The site has been developed to maximise user experience, with slicker mechanisms for booking courses & events and a member search facility with postcode and mapping features for customers to find products and service providers. It also includes a shop – something requested directly by members which offers a range of branded and personalised workwear. We have several other projects in the pipeline including an update to Quartet, our online member services portal coving HR, legal, health and safety and tax service. Our provider is redeveloping the platform to make it easier to use, adding new resources to its online library. Finally, we have been working closely with the Health and Safety Executive concerning a fatality that occurred following an incident involving powered pedestrian doors. Initially, we were there to provide advice and guidance to the inspector regarding industry standards and training. This led to a report on the incident, around which we are producing a whitepaper. This will examine the report’s findings in detail, alongside a series of recommendations for those who all share a duty of responsibility in the specification, installation and maintenance of powered pedestrian doors. From this tragic incident, we hope to generate something positive that will reduce the chance of similar occurrences. So far, it’s been a productive year… there are six months to go and plenty of work still to do. Also online at: www.dijonline.co.uk 9 THE door industry journal summer 2023 Industry News
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