Safety Standards / Best Practice
Link 51 places great emphasis on the safe design, installation and technical performance of all of the company’s storage products. To this end, Link 51 was one of the founder member companies of the Storage Equipment Manufacturer’s Association (SEMA), the national trade association for the storage equipment industry in the UK.
Wherever possible Link 51 conforms to SEMA’s industry standard codes of practice which cover aspects of design, installation and health and safety practice relating to the supply of shelving, racking and other storage equipment.
Link 51’s own method statements and procedures are based on the published SEMA guidelines.
Approved Installation Companies
Link 51 recommends that the installation of shelving, racking and storage equipment is only undertaken by experienced and trained personnel and preferably by installers who are SEIRS (Storage Equipment Installers Registration Scheme) registered. SEIRS is a qualification for individual installers who themselves undergo industry-specific training in best practice, legislation and safe working practice”
As from 1 March 2008, installation companies will be able to apply to become a SEMA Approved Installation Company (SAIC) to demonstrate their professionalism and dedication to safe working practices. All SEMA Approved Installation Companies must be following the SEIRS programme.
Chris Humphreys, SEMA President, states, “SEMA is constantly seeing to improve standards in all sectors of the storage industry. The SAIC initiative is a natural progression of our activities and has been introduced to recognise those installation companies who are committed to ‘raising the bar’”.
“As you can expect,” continues Chris Humphreys, “companies applying for SAIC status must meet the criteria and these criteria have their foundations in safe working practice”.
The SEMA President goes onto say, “installation companies will understand that they have a duty to their employees, their customers and indeed themselves. The industry has changed dramatically in the last 10 years. Many installation companies are now smaller, independent organisations. They are no longer tied to a particular manufacturer. They typically employ a core installation team or teams and many utilise temporary staff to supplement their teams for work which is essentially labour intensive”.
“Accordingly regulation is a necessity. This helps to ensure that standards are being met and also helps to meet the requirements of customers who are becoming increasingly demanding, particularly where safety is concerned”.
“The SAIC initiative ‘ticks all the boxes’ in this regard without being over bureaucratic as far as the company is concerned. It greatly assists in looking after the interests of employers, the employing company and their customers helping all to meet their duties.
Policing Storage Safety on Construction Sites
Link 51 is giving its full support to the latest step designed to maximise health and safety performance during installation of its products. The joint initiative between SEMA, the Storage Equipment Manufacturers Association (of which Link 51 are a founding member), and the CSCS, the Construction Skills Certification Scheme, will focus on improving safety standards on major construction sites.
Under this joint initiative, installers of storage equipment who need to carry out work on sites controlled by the MCG (Major Contractors Group), will have to demonstrate that they are operating to the Storage Equipment industry codes and guidelines, in addition to a knowledge of general site Health and Safety
This now means that installation team members will need to be in possession of a valid SEIRS qualification prior to applying for the relevant CSCS ID card.
“The SEIRS ID card, which must be renewed every three years, demonstrates a level of knowledge and a commitment on behalf of individuals operating in this labour intensive sector. SEIRS is both a training and an individual installers’ registration scheme which was first introduced in 2000 at the request of and in consultation with, the HSE”, and has been developing and improving ever since.
The training involves providing a clear understanding and the importance of working to industry best practice including safe system of work which are based on the SEMA Codes of Practice. These deal with the array of applicable legislation such as the Work at Height Regulations and correct use of appropriate PPE, but specifically focused on the installation of storage equipment. “Essentially”, continues Mike Tucker, “SEIRS is now a very comprehensive programme.
In parallel the CSCS have developed a system for the construction industry whereby site workers must be qualified in traditional construction industry skills.
However, when contractors from other industries work on construction sites they must now demonstrate relevant industry specific qualifications related to their own industry to supplement the general health and safety requirements of the CSCS in order to ensure that safety levels are maximised on site.
“Accordingly”, comments Gordon Jenkins of the CSCS, “it is now a pre-requisite that installers of storage equipment seeking to work on an MCG site must be in possession of a valid SEIRS ID card”.
Gordon Jenkins, goes on to say, “we are delighted to be working with SEMA and the SEIRS initiative to promote safe practice on our construction sites where storage equipment is being installed. SEMA is the organisation representing the interests of the UK storage equipment industry and, as a safety initiative regulating the installation process, all installers must now be in possession of a valid SEIRS ID card before being allowed to work on a MCG Site”.
“This system will be policed on MCG sites thus ensuring that subcontractors to the construction industry are appropriately qualified”.
Link 51, SEMA and the CSCS are jointly delighted to now see this initiative in place and are confident it will further improve safe systems of working on all sites.
Link 51 places great emphasis on the safe design, installation and technical performance of all company products.
As a founder member of the Storage Equipment manufactures’ Association (SEMA), the national trade association for storage equipment in the UK, Link 51 ensure that, wherever possible they conform to all applicable industry standards covering installation, including installation health and safety practice.
Link 51’s method statements and procedures are based on published SEMA guidelines, and Link 51 fully supports the Storage Equipment Installers Registration Scheme (SEIRS) operated by SEMA. This is a recent initiative endorsed by the HSE to promote and develop nationally recognised health and safety standards and training in the storage equipment installation industry.Link 51 also supports the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS). This scheme covers 220 occupations including trades, technical, supervisory and management.
The CSCS card lists the holder’s qualifications and is valid for either three or five years. It also demonstrates that they have health and safety awareness as all cardholders have to pass the appropriate CITB-Construction Skills Health and Safety Test.
Finally, Link 51’s quality assurance systems, assessed to ISO 9001:2008 cover not only manufacturing, but also installation, ensuring that all processes are formalised and regularly audited.
In practice, installation is undertaken towards the end of a structured “inception to completion” process, which ensures that all of the aspects of the project are in place to ensure successful completion.
Under the control of the Contracts Manager, the (3) Installation Co-ordinators arrange and confirm the various elements which need to come together, including the contracted Installation Team, materials (to the agreed programme) and hire equipment.
A skills matrix ensures that only suitably trained and qualified Installation Teams are selected for specific installation types, and a system of toolbox talks and on site quality auditing by Link 51’s Installation Quality Manager ensures that all training is up to date, and that Link 51’s high standards are always maintained on site.
It is also Link 51 policy to ensure that all installations are carried out under the supervision of a SEIRS registered installer.
The Installation Co-ordinators work closely with the client and all internal departments, including a dedicated and experienced team of 6 Project Managers and 4 Installation Supervisors (under the control of a Field Manager) to ensure that customer expectations are maintained, and that Link 51 are able to operate within site constraints and with other trades where required.
