News
28 | MAY 2023
News
Read online at www . proinstaller . co . uk
First showroom gets total refurb
Chigwell Window Centre , the window and door replacement specialist servicing London , Essex and the South East is delighted to announce that the total refurbishment of the company ’ s first showroom in Collier Row is now complete .
Collier Row opened in 2016 and was followed by Loughton in 2021 and a few weeks ago the company ’ s third showroom in Brentwood .
The decision was taken that Collier Row was in need of a revamp to bring it up to the high standards of the other two premises , and over the past three months has been dramatically transformed into a stunning , modern and airy space full of some of the industry ’ s best window and door products .
85 % OF UK TRADESPEOPLE WOULDN ’ T KNOW WHAT TO DO IN EVENT OF A FIRE
Chigwell Window Centre manufactures , supplies and installs a wide range of aluminium and uPVC windows and doors from their factories and a new distribution centre in Essex and have continued to see significant growth both in the residential and commercial sectors over the past few years .
Collier Row , like Chigwell Window Centre ’ s other showrooms is not only full of quality home improvement products , but also includes features such as a bar ensuring that all customers have an enjoyable , helpful , informative , engaging and inspiring visit .
Sunny Attlas , Managing Director of Chigwell Window Centre says : “ Our Collier Row showroom has been incredibly successful for us but was looking a little tired compared with Loughton and Brentwood . Following its major refurbishment , it now looks and feels like new , and has already attracted a lot of compliments from the customers that have visited it .”
www . chigwellwindowcentre . co . uk
Almost nine in ten ( 85 %) UK tradespeople would not know how to react if they encountered a fire at work , according to new research .
• Just one in eight ( 12 %) workers say they always carry a fire extinguisher
• This is despite a third ( 33 %) having witnessed a fire at work
• Fire safety expert shares advice for tradespeople on reducing risk and handling workplace fires
The study , conducted by IronmongeryDirect , the UK ’ s largest supplier of specialist ironmongery , surveyed 500 UK tradespeople to reveal how prepared workers are for emergencies .
Despite a third ( 33 %) of respondents having witnessed a fire while on a job , fewer than one in eight ( 12 %) say they always have access to an extinguisher , and 85 % say they don ’ t have one in their vehicle . It appears that some trades are more likely to come across fires than others . Locksmiths encounter incidents the most often ( 56 %), followed by joiners and plasterers ( both 50 %). The UK trades most likely to encounter fires at work are : 1 . Locksmith ( 56 %) 2 . Joiner ( 50 %) 3 . Plasterer ( 50 %) 4 . Building Surveyor ( 48 %) 5 . Electrician ( 39 %) 6 . Builder ( 34 %) 7 . Plumber ( 28 %) 8 . Carpenter ( 28 %) 9 . Window Fabricator ( 27 %) 10 . Landscaper ( 23 %)
The level of fire safety knowledge also varies by trade , with landscapers and joiners the least prepared for such emergencies . More than nine in ten ( 94 % and 92 % respectively ) admit that they wouldn ’ t know how to respond .
The correct way to handle a situation depends on whether the fire is electrical , gas or chemical . However , almost seven in eight ( 86 %) tradespeople say they are unaware of the differences between them .
With this in mind , IronmongeryDirect has partnered with Edgaras Zilinskas , Director at Fire Immunity , to share the safest ways to treat each type of fire .
1 ) Electrical fires
“ Electrical fires should be dealt with by cutting the power , and then spraying the area with a dry powder or water mist fire extinguisher .”
2 ) Gas fires
“ For gas fires , turn off the gas supply , cover the flames using a fire blanket and utilise the appropriate fire extinguisher , such as dry powder .”
3 ) Chemical fires
“ Chemical fires can be dangerous to tackle , but try to remove any sources of
[ 1 ] Survey of 500 UK tradespeople conducted by The Leadership Factor on behalf of IronmongeryDirect in 2023 .
fuel , heat and oxygen by using carbon dioxide , foam or dry powder fire extinguishers .”
Dominick Sandford , Managing Director at IronmongeryDirect , said : “ It ’ s clear from our research that many tradespeople are unprepared when it comes to fire safety , with worrying numbers not knowing what to do in the event of a fire or how to advise their customers on fire safety .
“ We hope that by highlighting these issues , we can help to raise awareness and encourage tradespeople to take steps to improve their fire safety knowledge and preparedness .”
For more expert advice on how to make your work environment firesafe , and how to react in different situations , visit : https :// www . ironmongerydirect . co . uk / blog / expert-fire-safetyadvice-for-tradespeople