26
OCTOBER 2016 PRO INSTALLER
PRO NEWS
www.proinstaller.co.uk
SALES UP AFTER £25K
SHOWROOM REFURB
An installer of PatioMaster has recently completed a £25k showroom refurb, with modern sliding door displays.
Northern Ireland’s
Budget Windows &
Conservatories has
been a customer of PatioMaster Northern Ireland since 2010, when
it was recommended
to PatioMaster from
another customer.
Managing director David
Evans explained: “Since we
started installing PatioMaster sliding doors, we’ve
had none of the issues that
we have experienced with
other manufacturers. In
fact, once they are installed
we can almost forget about
them. They are virtually
indestructible.
“Since we started trading 22 years ago we have
changed fabricator four
times, but four years ago
we made the decision to
use PatioMaster Northern
Ireland for 100%, and we
really believe that no other
PVCu manufacturer can
offer the reliability that
PatioMaster does.”
Initially the company was
going to build a display
of aluminium bi-folding
doors in the 10,000 sq
ft showroom, but after a
consultation with PatioMaster, it decided to go for
grey on grey four pane slid-
ers, which fit in with the
modern flat roof extension
that was built in place of a
large, old conservatory.
“Customer feedback told
us that people are moving
away from bi-folds and
towards patio sliders and
since the refurb sales have
increased over 400%, with
special order colours up
6%. We used to shy away
from sliders but they are
the preferred choice of
door now for customers, as
opposed to being a product
they end up getting talked
into. We are installing four
a week now, from two,
three and four pane options,” David continued.
The company is already
at four times the amount
it was trading at last year,
and David believes this is
attributed to the ease and
popularity of the PatioMaster sliding doors. “Across
the board the whole
package is appealing. You
can find cheaper doors
sure, but the quality and
reliability of PatioMaster
is unbeatable. Our association with the brand and
the choice of products
has given us a competitive
edge, and allowed us to offer something a little more
exciting and unique. The
refurbishment has resulted
in a huge increase, not just
in the amount of orders we
receive but also the order
value.”
www.patiomaster.co.uk
CONTRACTOR SERIOUSLY INJURED
IN FRAGILE SKYLIGHT FALL
London exhibition venue firm,
The Business Design Centre
Ltd, and a building contractor
have been fined for safety
failings after a specialist contractor fell through a fragile
skylight.
Westminster Magistrates’ Court
heard how the Business Design
Centre allowed workers to cross an
unsafe roof, which contained three
fragile skylights and open edges,
and failed to prevent contractors
crossing the same unsafe roof on a
number of occasions.
The court also heard that James
Murphy, 64, from Chigwell in
Essex, who had been appointed by
The Business Design Centre Ltd to
undertake repair work at the site,
had led a specialist lead contrac-
tor over the unsafe roof on 14
May 2015. As he walked over the
unsafe roof the lead contractor fell
through a skylight, falling 5.5m. He
suffered serious injuries including a
shattered pelvis, broken wrist, and
a broken elbow.
An investigation by the Health
and Safety Executive (HSE) into the
incident found that the Business
Design Centre failed to ensure that
access to and from the areas of the
roof which required repair was
suitable and safe, and that sufficient measures were in place to
protect against the risks of falling
from height.
James Murphy failed to ensure
that the job of accessing and then
inspecting the auditorium roof was
properly planned.
The Business Design Centre
Limited, of Upper Street, Islington,
pleaded guilty to breaching Sections 2(1) and 3(1) of the Health
and Safety at Work Act 1974, was
fined £300,000 and ordered to pay
costs of £2,925.56
James Murphy, of High Road,
Chigwell, Essex, pleaded guilty to
breaching Regulation 4(1)(a) of the
Work at Height Regulations 2005,
and was fined £4,000 and also ordered to pay costs of £2,925.56
For further information on safe
working on roofs visit: http://
www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/geis5.
htm ; http://www.hse.gov.uk/
pubns/indg284.pdf ; http://
www.hse.gov.uk/construction/
safetytopics/roofwork.htm