Dec 4 2007
A long awaited nationwide Quality Mark accreditation scheme for the repair and maintenance of metal doors and shutters has now gone live. It is set to significantly raise standards throughout the industry, according to the Door and Hardware Federation.
The DHF Quality Mark can only be sported by companies offering high standards in door repair. Door companies from all over the country have now been accredited under the scheme.
Said DHF chief executive officer Ian Wood: “As an industry we have acted decisively by launching the DHF Quality Mark. There is widespread ignorance amongst building owners and occupiers, facilities managers and maintenance managers about their legal obligations to keep their doors and shutters in good working order and this needs to be addressed.
“We estimate more than 80 per cent of the owners and occupiers of the UK’s industrial premises are risking substantial losses and could be breaking the law because they do not have preventative maintenance programmes in place to protect their doors and shutters. As awareness grows of the need for regular maintenance, companies will be looking for door repair and service providers that hold the DHF Quality Mark.”
The new Quality Mark is only awarded to door companies that have demonstrated their ability to provide high quality repair and maintenance for industrial and commercial doors following rigorous checks carried out by the DHF.
End users can quickly and easily locate their nearest accredited repair and services providers by visiting the DHF website, www.dhfonline.org.uk.
Holders of the DHF Quality Mark for the Maintenance of Doors and Shutters must:
- Demonstrate their experience in repair and maintenance
- Have a fully documented quality management system in place
- Offer levels of training compliant with CSCS card qualification or have NVQ training procedures in place
- Keep repair and maintenance records for a minimum of seven years
- Offer high levels of maintenance which include maintenance contracts, 24 hour answering service and an emergency call out service that provides onsite visits within four hours of an emergency call
- Demonstrate full compliance with DHF Repair and Service Approved Standard TS004.
The creation of the Quality Mark follows recent changes in legislation covering certification. Fire Officers no longer certify industrial buildings, instead there is now a self certification obligation on the building owner/occupier to declare that correct maintenance procedures are in place. The Workplace (Health, Safety & Welfare) Regulations 1992 oblige employers to ensure that industrial doors in workplaces are regularly and competently maintained. Other legislation contains additional provisions requiring regular maintenance of powered doors and fire resisting doors.
DHF Repair and Service Approved Standard TS004 governs minimum maintenance standards for 11 categories of products including all types of manual and power operated industrial and commercial doors, shutters, gates and barriers and power operated domestic garage doors. The Standard is downloadable from the DHF website, www.dhfonline.org.uk.