Pro Installer September 2024 - Issue 138 | Page 52

Skills
52 | SEPTEMBER 2024

Skills

Read online at www . proinstaller . co . uk

Specialist Supply Chain Support Crucial to Meeting New Housing Targets and Alleviating Acute Skills Shortages

Following the upwards revision of the UK ’ s annual housing construction targets , a leading polymer solutions supplier is warning that the supply chain must address existing skilled construction worker shortages exacerbated by growing demand .
As announced by Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing , Communities and Local Government Angela Rayner , the Government is increasing the annual housing construction target from 300,000 built per year to 370,000 . Yet with housing associations and the wider housing facing pronounced worker shortfalls , REHAU is highlighting how supply chains must be reconfigured to meet expected increases in demand .
“ The labour crisis is already biting hard in London , with housing associations facing shortages of up to 2,600 skilled people to construct , maintain and retrofit social housing stock ,” explained Martin Hitchin , CEO at REHAU . “ Additionally , the London Homes Coalition has expressed an urgent need for 10,000 workers annually and 31,000 over the next five years , even before this latest announcement . A house
needs foundations to stand , and our construction sector requires support to best bridge these eye-opening shortfalls .
“ This London problem is also a UK problem , as workers are spread too thinly to build specialist knowledge in crucial areas such as windows specification . However , with the Future Homes Standard ( FHS ) coming into force in 2025 , an awareness of how these components and others impact
crucial areas such as a property ’ s energy efficiency and ventilation will be vital . As such , the sector must seek to leverage supply chain expertise to best negate potential knowledge gaps as project workloads increase alongside housing demand .” Issues around FHS awareness were previously identified in REHAU ’ s recent whitepaper , Future Homes Standard : Preparing UK Housing for 2025 . Surveying 200 local
authority , housing association , social housing and housebuilding decisionmakers in June 2023 , it found that two-thirds of respondents were not prepared for the FHS ’ s introduction .
Following the change in government and recent consultations allowing greater interpretation around FHS requirements under the new Home Energy Model , this new policy announcement highlights the need for greater supply chain support , says Martin .
“ It is a time of seismic change across the social housing and housing sectors ,” he concludes . “ While this latest announcement and ongoing updates to the FHS are undoubtedly welcome , they may further exacerbate the difficult situation we previously identified in our whitepaper .
“ If the industry is to meet these demanding new housing construction targets , it is clear it will require third-party assistance to streamline specification processes . By engaging the supply chain , an under-strain workforce may be able to alleviate some of the pressure caused by skill shortages , both now and into the future .”
window . rehau . com

DHF ISSUES CAUTION FOLLOWING SECTIONAL DOOR FATALITY AND SUBSEQUENT FINE

Door & Hardware Federation ( DHF ) has urged caution with improper installation , maintenance and specification following the tragic death of thirty-threeyear-old Mark Mathers who was strangled by his hoodie when it became hooked and wrapped around the balancing system of a sectional door he was working on at Specialist Cars Volkswagen in Aberdeen .
The incident , which took place on 15 September 2018 , resulted whilst Mr Mathers was replacing a broken sectional door spring . The court case earlier this month resulted in a £ 165,000 fine for the door company concerned . Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard that Patrick Forman Industrial Doors had neglected to make a sufficient assessment of the safety risks faced by its employees , such
as those associated with door springs . The company also pleaded guilty to failing to implement and maintain a safe system of work for staff while repairing and maintaining doors . It also failed to provide the necessary information , instruction , training and supervision to ensure the safety of its personnel when working with the door springs in question . Sheriff Christine Mc- Crossan told the court that it is the ‘ duty of every employer to ensure the health and safety of all its employees ’, adding that ‘ it is an offence to fail to discharge that duty ’.
“ This tragedy could very well have been avoided had a safe system been put in place ,” explains DHF ’ s Senior Training & Compliance Officer , Nick Perkins . “ The court heard that Mr Mathers had been replacing a sectional door spring with a colleague when his hooded top
got caught and wound around the spring , choking him . The work was being carried out while one of two springs was still under tension ; the tension was inadvertently released and this resulted in fatal injuries .
“ To avoid a repetition of such an incident , we strongly urge installation and maintenance companies that , in all circumstances , all of the tension on all of the springs must be removed carefully and methodically , using the correct specification properly fitting tensioning bars or other task specific tools and methodology as a first step before any further work is undertaken . Appropriate clothing , personal protective equipment , and safe access equipment are also vital to ensure the safe execution of door maintenance tasks . Companies are reminded that adequate risk assessment
and creation of corresponding method statements ( RAMS ) are necessary for most tasks on site under management of health and safety law .”
For installation and maintenance companies in the field of industrial & garage doors , DHF provides safety and legislation training , for further guidance visit : https :// bit . ly / 2Xbb7ZY
www . dhfonline . org . uk