24
MARCH 2014 PRO INSTALLER
PRO NEWS
www.proinstaller.co.uk
GGF MEMBERS PUT
FORWARD CONCERNS ON
CONSUMER RIGHTS BILL
The first joint GGF Conservatory Association and Window and Door meeting of 2014
on 30th January at Solihull, saw an important debate gather real momentum regarding
the incoming Consumer Rights Bill – due to be enacted in Autumn 2014.
At the meeting, Adam
Gray and Laura Harbidge, Policy Leads for
Goods and Services
from BIS (Department
of Business Innovation
and Skills) presented
the Bill’s contents and
how the window, door
and conservatory industry will be affected.
The presentation was then
followed by a Q&A session
in which GGF Members
were invited to put forward
their concerns directly to
the Government officials.
The main aspects of this
Bill which will affect the
glazing industry are:• The Bill will introduce an
“early right to reject” for
goods – giving consumers the right to reject a
product for a fault within
30 days and have a full refund, or agree one repair
or replacement.
• Time stops until the repair
or replacement is given
– once given the consumer has the remainder of
the 30 days or at least 7
days to decide if the fault
has been resolved. If the
fault is not resolved then
the consumer can reject
then (known as the “final
right to reject” and have a
full refund or accept the
product with the fault and
have a price reduction.
The consumer cannot opt
for a further replacement
AND a price reduction – it
is one or the other.
‘The Bill will
introduce an
“early right to
reject” for goods’
• A fault which is a latent
defect can be complained
about within 6 years of
delivery (five years in
Scotland). The remedy is
repair or replacement – if
the fault is not resolved
then the consumer can
reject the product and
get a refund subject to
deduction for use, or keep
the product with the fault
and have a price reduction. The consumer can of
course opt for a further
repair or replacement to
fix the fault.
Among the key issues
raised by Members were as
follows;
• As the Bill is written, a
consumer can have an
installation of say 10
windows, reject them all
for a fault on one window, and get a full refund
so long as they make the
windows “available” to the
trader; debate ensued as
to whether a trader would
spend the cost and time
in removing windows
that could not be used
elsewhere.
• The Bill has not fully considered the implications
on the glazing industry.
Keeping Up With Health And Safety Changes
Having spent a long time in the
building and home improvement
industry, I am well aware of how
quickly new health and safety legislation can affect tradespeople and
businesses.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
was set up to help people keep on top of
these changes as they occur. In this column,
I will talk about some of the changes that
have recently come in that may affect you.
KEY DATES
The key dates to remember are 6th April
(the start of the tax year) and 1st October
which are the ‘common commencement
dates’ when new regulations take effect.
First Aid regulations have recently been updated to remove the requirement for HSE to
approve first aid training and qualifications.
This change has been designed to reduce
the burden on businesses and put common
sense back in to health and safety, while
maintaining standards.
There were also a few changes to the
Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR).
Changes include the classification of ‘major
injuries’ to workers has been replaced with
a shorter list of ‘specified injuries’, and fewer types of ‘dangerous occurrence’ require
reporting.
RISK ASSESSMENTS
As a result of injuries occurring, the HSE
has issued guidance about vertically opening powered rolling doors. Where a door
could be powerful enough to lift an adult
or child, installers should review their risk
assessment to evaluate this hazard and ensure suitable measures are provided. Before
installing any new door a design risk assessment should be undertaken.
The risk increases with the degree of
automation of the roller shutter door and is
highest where an automatically controlled
door is easily accessible by members of
public, though any accessible powered door
needs to be assessed.
New changes come in all the time and it
is important to keep up-to-date with them –
the HSE website is a good resource to keep
on top of everything.
Craig Phillips is ambassador for Swedish
workwear manufacturer, Blaklader.
www.blakader.com/gb/
For example, the depreciation/value (and use) of
custom made windows
once they have been removed as part of a refund
has not been calculated.
• The new Bill is supposed
to makes things clear and
simple for consumers and
traders, however there
is no chapter for mixed
contracts only separate
chapters each for goods
and services. This makes
the Bill confusing which
leaves much of its content
down to interpretation.
• As windows, doors and
conservatories are fixed to
the building Members felt
there should be a separate
chapter for building and
home improvement work
within the Bill, to distinguish these goods from
simple goods like TV’s
and toasters.
www.ggf.org.uK