15
PRO INSTALLER SEPTEMBER 2016
PRO NEWS
@proinstaller1
INSTALLER PAYS
TRIBUTE TO TRAINING
Essex-based installation
business Barker and Cresswell Glass says it is ‘saving
time and money’ due to
Astraseal’s staff training.
Barker and Cresswell Glass, in
Naezing, Waltham Abbey, has
been a regular Astraseal customer for 25 years. Gary Barker, its
managing director, said: “Every
time we take on a new fitter, Astraseal takes them in for a week
of intensive on-the-job training.
They spend time working at
all the different stations in the
factory, and at all points in the
production process, giving them
an in-depth knowledge of how all
the Astraseal products we use are
put together.
“They’re also sent out with
Astraseal’s in-house fitting team
to learn exactly how the prod-
‘With Astraseal’s
support, we’ve been
able to take on much
more complex jobs’
ucts are installed – and they even
spend time in the offices, to see
how the product ordering process
works. It’s been an invaluable
help to us over the years – saving
us time and money, and letting us
very quickly bring new starters
up to speed.”
Barker and Cresswell Glass
also takes advantage of Astraseal’s in-house surveying team
and installation support service.
Gary said: “Whenever Astraseal
launches a new product, they offer
to send a fitter to oversee our
first installation. With Astraseal’s
support, we’ve been able to take
on much more complex jobs than
we would’ve been able to manage on our own. It’s opened up
a lot of opportunities for us, and
helped us grow and continue to
go from strength to strength as a
business.”
Astraseal recently launched its
AstraSEAL of Approval initiative, designed to draw attention
to the comprehensive range of
value-added services it makes
available to its customers.
Zac Nedimovic, Astraseal marketing manager, commented:
“We know that the market can
be tough for installers – consumers are getting more demanding,
there’s more competition than
ever, and as such, we want to do
our utmost to help our customers
not just survive but thrive in that
commercial environment.”
For more information call
Astraseal on 01933 227233 or
visit www.astraseal.co.uk
STRESS AT WORK CAN BE FATAL
A new film from the British Safety Council shows how stress can lead to injury and fatalities at work. In any
activity where concentration is vital for safety, such as working in construc-tion or driving, stress can be fatal.
Stress is often discussed in relation to
sickness absence. However, it’s less reported
how it can endanger
lives. Some research
shows that up to 80%
of accidents are related to stress at work.
Whether it is work-related stress or stress
that people bring to
work, stress can put at
risk the safety of both
employees and members of the public.
Matthew Holder, head of
campaigns and engagement
at the British Safety Council, com-mented: “It is well
documented that stress is a
significant cause of sickness
absence, under-mining both
productivity and profitability. What is less discussed
is how stress can endanger
lives. Evidence shows that
stress significantly contributes to injuries in sectors
such as con-struction, transport and agriculture.
“We made ‘The Last Word’
to warn people that being
tired, distracted and unable
to fully con-centrate can
make simple tasks like
climbing a ladder more dangerous. Aimed at employees,
it contains a warning that
being stressed can endanger their lives. However,
the film is also directed at
employers, showing how
important it is that managers and supervisors identify
the symptoms of stress and
help their staff to deal with
it.”
Information accompanying
the film describes common
symptoms of stress and
actions that employees can
take to reduce stress. The
film is part of the British
Safety Council campaign
‘Speak Up, Stay Safe,’ targeted at younger employees
to raise their awareness of
risks at work. It’s the first
time the campaign has tackled stress.
There is a lot of statistical
evidence demonstrating the
consequences of stress at
work:
• In 2014/15, 440,000 people in the UK reported
work-related stress at a
level they be-lieved was
making them ill. That’s
40% of all work-related
illness (source: HSE).
• Stress is believed to be a
major cause of accidents
in the workplace, with
evidence showing that 6080% of accidents are related to workplace stress.
• A survey of 2,500 doctors
found that job stress fatigue in particular - was
a major pre-dictor of
work-related accidents.
On 5th October 2016, the
British Safety Council will
hold its Annual Confer-
ence ‘Health and work in
a changing world’ at The
King’s Fund, 11-13 Cavendish Square, London W1G
0AN.
In 2017, the British Safety
Council will also be celebrating its 60th anniversary.
A programme of special
events and projects planned
for the diamond jubilee will
be unveiled at the Annual
Conference.
www.britsafe.org