Clearview National October 2019 - Issue 215 | Page 29

INDUSTRYASSOCIATIONS
TRAINING: THE
HEARTBEAT OF DHF:
One of the areas for which DHF has become
most known, is its exceptional training offering.
In the past year alone, 787 people have been
trained by DHF, with 563 candidates attending
the two-day safety diploma courses and 224
trainees opting for the one-day safety training
certificate. 84 fire door courses were held
with BRE Academy. In all, more than 2500
individuals have now completed at least one
of DHF’s safety training courses, whether a
diploma or certificate course, and in October
2018, it announced the launch of a new one-
day automated gate safety certificate course.
There is little doubt that the organisation’s
move to state-of-the-art training facilities in
September 2018, has resulted in a significant
swell in numbers, demonstrating the
federation’s continuing dedication to training.
In fact, in 2018, DHF beat its training target
by a healthy 9%. The launch of a new online
booking and payment system last October, for
would-be delegates of their training courses,
has undeniably contributed to this increase;
it has provided ‘speed’ and ‘ease’ for both
members and non-members and reduced
the administrative booking and payment
procedure from days to mere minutes.
‘We are already
widely renowned as
experts in technical
knowledge and
training; now, we
can add accredited
courses to our
ever-expanding
list of benefits’
This summer, DHF continued to ‘set
the standard’ by offering Ofqual-regulation
training, and in doing so, became the
UK’s very first organisation to offer an
official theory-based qualification for three
of the industries it serves: the automated
gate, industrial door and domestic garage
door sectors. The formal qualifications are
recognised by employers and are vital in
demonstrating a competent workforce. It is
another feather in DHF’s cap, so to speak,
and is described by Bob as ‘a game changer’,
bringing the federation “one step closer to
our objective: to offer a ‘one stop shop’ for
our members and respond effectively to their
needs. We are already widely renowned as
experts in technical knowledge and training;
now, we can add accredited courses to our
ever-expanding list of benefits.”
‘GATE SAFETY WEEK’ BECOMES
‘GATE SAFETY MONTH’:
Of course, DHF and ‘Gate Safety Week’
have become synonymous with one another.
The now-national campaign to ‘make gates
safe’ is a DHF initiative and was started six
years ago. It has become a crusade supported
by some of the most influential organisations
in the security, enforcement, inspection,
education and safety sectors, with The British
Safety Council, the British Safety Industry
Federation, (BSIF), the Federation of Private
Residents’ Landlords (FPRA), the Institute of
Residential Property Management (IRPM),
Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents
(RoSPA) and Health and Safety Executive
(HSE) choosing to support its objectives.
The federation’s continuing crusade has
been credited with bringing the issue of unsafe
automated gates ‘from the margin to the
mainstream’, and in September 2019, it was
announced that ‘Gate Safety Week’ would, in
fact, become ‘Gate Safety Month’.
“Essentially, ‘Gate Safety Week’ is a year-long
campaign; we never stop lobbying for safer
standards in the installation and maintenance of
powered gates,” says Bob. “By using the month
of October to highlight the issues around the
dangers of unsafe gates, we are shining an even
greater spotlight on what can go wrong, and how
to prevent accidents, and worse, fatalities.”
And in July of this year, and in an effort
to extend its training offering to a wider
audience, DHF held its very first one-day
public Automated Gate Group Certificate
Course in Dublin, Ireland.
“Another successful year for DHF has set
the scene to continue our good work, both for
the industry and the public,” concludes Bob,
“and we have much to look forward to. This
year will also see the launch of CSCS cards,
an NVQ Assessment Centre, a new training
website and further additions to our workforce.
We continue to expand our training offering
and welcome new members, with their needs
up-front-and-centre. Moreover, DHF remains
an acknowledged and pioneering ‘Centre of
Excellence’. We are always looking forward.”
www.dhfonline.org.uk
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