10
SEPTEMBER 2016 PRO INSTALLER
PRO NEWS
www.proinstaller.co.uk
HEALTH & SAFETY NORTH 2016
Major developments in health and safety policy and practice will be debated at Health & Safety North 2016.
The two-day event, which
returns to Bolton Arena on
12th-13th October, is centred on an exhibition that
includes a free-to-attend
conference curated by the
British Safety Council. The
event also showcases leading trade bodies, manufacturers and distributors, training
providers and consultants in
the health and safety sector,
providing visitors with access to key industry speakers who will offer unique
insights into the health and
safety industry.
Opening the conference programme, Shaun Knott, manager
at Casella, will draw attention to
the growing issue of occupational
illnesses, which are a far bigger
killer than industrial accidents.
Shaun looks at the management
of occupational exposure to dust
and explains how businesses can
better protect the workforce.
In addition, Zoe Betts, criminal
regulatory lawyer from leading
UK legal firm Pinsent Masons LLP,
assesses the Sentencing Council
guidelines for health and safety
offences, which were introduced
in February, and the impact that
increased fines has had on the
industry. As Zoe will point out,
never before has there been such
intense scrutiny on the risk of
harm arising from business activities and the systems in place to
ensure regulatory compliance.
Safe businesses are reliant on
the entire workforce maintaining excellent standards of health
and safety. The presentation from
Nigel Bryson, director of Bryson
Consulting, references the Health
and Safety Executive’s new strategy for health and safety in Great
Britain and highlights how worker
involvement is vital for effective
health and safety management.
On 13th October, Kevin Fear,
health and safety strategy lead at
the Construction Industry Training
Board, explores the thinking behind the Construction Design and
Management Regulations 2015 and
the impact they have had on the
construction sector. As Kevin will
point out, the level of discussion
about the regulations since their
introduction has risked forgetting
their main purpose – to protect
workers.
Another topical issue of interest
to businesses is the thorny issue
of HSE’s fee for intervention (FFI).
Kevin Bridges and Gareth McManus, partner and associate at
legal firm Pinsent Masons LLP, offer some practical advice on what
businesses should expect and how
they can prepare from a visit from
an HSE inspector. Highlighting the
changes that have occurred as a
result of FFI, they will answer the
all-important question – when can
HSE inspectors charge a fee for
their engagement with businesses?
The event will also benefit from
a Safety Dialogue Theatre - a panel discussion during which experts
discuss the latest issues and open
up the floor to questions from the
audience.
The full seminar programme
for the event is online at: www.
healthandsafetyevents.co.uk
GEMINI CROWNED BEST EMPLOYER
Cold Feet actor John
Thomson presented a
PVCu company with an
Employer of the Year
award in Oldham.
PVCu system fabricator
Gemini UPVC Ltd, a VEKA
UK Group business, beat off
38 other companies to win
the category at the Oldham
Business Awards.
Gemini topped a shortlist of three finalists at
the Queen Elizabeth Hall
prize-giving and also
reached the final three in the
Business of the Year (£1m £5m turnover) category.
Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, Gemini is
one of two companies established by Robert Griffiths,
the first being AWC Windows. In the 1980s, Robert’s
Laura Smart, director at KPMG
who sponsored this award,
Paul Griffiths (centre) and Cold
Feet Actor John Thomson who
presented the awards.
Picture courtesy of the
Oldham Evening Chronicle.
sons Paul and Michael took
over the running of Gemini
and AWC, continuing the
successful partnership of
fabrication and installation
businesses started by their
father.
“The family tie is undoubtedly something that’s helped
both businesses to flourish
over the years,” said Paul
Griffiths, managing director
of Gemini UPVC Ltd. “The
whole organisation feels like
one big family.”
Besides championing
systems from The VEKA UK
Group, both companies actively engage with the PVCu
giant’s two-tiered installer
support offering. Paul said:
“VEKA’s Approved Installer Scheme and Network
VEKA definitely played a
part in Gemini winning this
award. Our Ap proved status
clearly demonstrates our
commitment to quality, and
has helped us to grow an
already loyal customer base.
And through Network VEKA
we’re able to provide regular
and easy access to training
for our staff, resulting in
NVQ qualifications and opportunities for further career
development.”
With customer satisfaction
scores averaging around 97%
compared to an industry
norm of 83%, Gemini’s
efforts are clearly well directed. Dave Jones, managing
director of The VEKA UK
Group commented: “Gemini,
along with ‘brother’ company AWC are fantastic ambassadors for VEKA.”