When it comes to industrial door maintenance, properly trained site supervisors and installers are a must!
The Door & Hardware Federation reinforce the importance of appropriate training for industrial door maintenance after another avoidable death involving an industrial door.
In a recent article by Bob Perry, CEO of the Door and Hardware Federation (dhf), he offered a recent tragedy involving a poorly maintained industrial door as a stark warning to installation companies.
Following on from the tragic death in August 2016 when a woman was killed in an industrial door accident. A Cambridgeshire based electrical company, who carried out the maintenance, has recently been fined £25,000 and ordered to pay costs of £6500. Sadly, it was another death that could have been avoided if the safety devices had been working correctly and had been properly checked when the door was inspected a month before the accident.
Cherwell Doors is a member of the Door & Hardware Federation (dhf). A not-for-profit trade association for companies associated with Locks & Building Hardware; Doorsets; Industrial Doors & Shutters; Domestic Garage Doors and Automated Gates.
So, what should industrial door installers and maintenance companies learn from this tragedy? Clearly the starting point is that the products themselves must be manufactured to the right standards and the installation companies should employ properly trained site supervisors and installers.
But if it goes further than that, it is vital that industrial and garage doors (and automatic gates) are routinely serviced and inspected to ensure not only are the safety devices are fitted but importantly they are functioning correctly.
The Health and Safety Executive Inspector, Graeme Warden, described the accident as “one that could have been avoided” and highlighted the lack of appropriate training at the electrical company as being a major contributory factor.
Yes, we would all like industrial door installers and maintenance companies to be dhf members. Realistically that is not likely to happen. But we will continue to bang on the drum that those with ownership and management responsibilities should insist that their installation and maintenance contractors employ professionally trained staff. And of course, all dhf training courses in doors and gates are open to non-members and members.
If you are concerned about an industrial door on your premises or need help with industrial door services or maintenance, contact us today.