INDUSTRYNEWS
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
We all know that colour has
exploded in popularity over the last
few years, with a bigger selection of
finishing options than ever before.
For consumers, that’s great! It means
more choice and the ability to match
products to a specific project or
property. But is it possible that, as an
industry, we’ve become too prejudiced
against traditional white finishes
and are too fixated on colour?
»»WE HEAR A LOT
about the benefits of colour,
of which there are many. But
very rarely do we hear anything
about the potential pitfalls.
Colour for colour’s sake can
produce some unpleasant
results. We’ve all seen houses
with eye-wateringly garish
doors and windows that clash
with their surroundings and,
personally, I believe that one
unexpected effect of the colour
revolution will be a renewed
appreciation of traditional
white.
In order to work, colour
has to be used extremely
sensitively. Strong colours
can only be used in certain
contexts and look in-keeping.
The beauty of white lies in
its versatility, the attribute
that lies at the roots of its
widespread use for so many
years. It perfectly suits older,
traditional-style properties, it
suits contemporary-style newbuilds, it can fit with practically
any property or project and,
given that the majority of
homeowners still opt for white
windows, blends perfectly into
any residential area.
Of course, that’s not to argue
that homeowners shouldn’t
use colour at all. If you mix and
match colour with white, so opt
for a coloured bi-fold and white
windows for example, it can be
a hugely effective addition to a
property.
I think we could see more and
more homeowners starting to
realise the long-unappreciated
benefits of white PVCu as it
becomes less common and
coloured windows and doors
become more popular, and that
we could be on the cusp of a
white PVCu revival.
As an industry, I think we
need to watch the market
closely and be prepared for this
potential development before
we put all our eggs in the colour
basket. It’s not about doing
colour down, it’s vastly increased
consumer choice and has made
our towns and cities much more
interesting places to be. It’s
about appreciating white for the
versatile, timeless finish it is.
Yours sincerely,
Peter Dyer,
Managing Director,
Dempsey Dyer
Do you have something to say? Email [email protected]
8 » JUL 2016 » CL EARVI E W- U K . C O M
RECOGNISING THE
BEST HEALTH AND
SAFETY PERFORMERS
»»THE BRITISH SAFETY
Council has launched its
prestigious 2016 Sword of
Honour and Globe of Honour
awards, designed to recognise
and celebrate health, safety and
environmental management
excellence worldwide.
The 2016 awards mark the
37th year of the Sword of
Honour, awarded for health and
safety management excellence,
and the seventh year of the
Globe of Honour, awarded for
best practice in environmental
management.
These two awards are open to
business units and sites from all
countries and business sectors
who have achieved the maximum
five stars in the British Safety
Council’s independent Five Star
health, safety and environmental
management audits in the period
1st August 2015 – 31st July 2016.
To be awarded a Sword of
Honour or Globe of Honour,
an organisation must be able to
demonstrate to an independent
adjudication panel that it has
a proven track record and a
culture of best practice for
excellence in health and safety
or environmental management
that runs throughout the
business, from the shop floor to
the boardroom. The Sword of
Honour and Globe of Honour
are an important part of the
British Safety Council’s drive to
recognise and celebrate exemplary
health, safety and environmental
management in the workplace.
Mike Robinson, Chief
Executive of the British Safety
Council, said: “The British Safety
Council’s vision is that no one
should be injured or made ill at
work. Currently, 6,300 people die
every day globally as a result of
occupational accidents or workrelated diseases, contributing
to over 2.3 million deaths per
year. The economic cost of poor
occupational safety and health
practices is estimated at 4 per cent
of global Gross Domestic Product
each year (source: ILO). This
demonstrates that there is still
a great challenge ahead of us to
convince business leaders around
the world that investing in good
health, safety and environmental
management is a social imperative
that also makes business sense.”
The closing date for
applications is 2nd September
2016 and the results will be
announced on 7th October 2016.
The winning organisations will be
invited to a celebratory luncheon
on Friday 25th November 2016
at the historic Drapers’ Hall in
the City of London to receive
their awards.
www.britsafe.org/awards/swordand-globe-honour