As home improvement window and door businesses return to work in response to the gradual lifting of lockdown restrictions FENSA, the UK’s largest government-authorised competent person scheme for replacement windows and doors, has issued a number of documents designed to assist FENSA Approved Installers as once again they prepare to enter homes and commercial premises to replace and install windows, doors, conservatories and related products.
Having maintained services for FENSA Approved Installers and homeowners throughout the Covid-19 lockdown, with key FENSA advisors operating in isolation from their homes, the publications now provide timely support for installers and, through them, for homeowners seeking guidance about engaging with installers as they undertake home improvements.
These include Practical safety precautions when installing windows & doors during the COVID-19 pandemic; Guidance on completing a risk assessment; and a guide specifically for homeowners Having windows and doors installed during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Practical safety precautions….
In the first of these, with the lengthy if unequivocal title Practical safety precautions when installing windows & doors during the COVID-19 pandemic, the information will often be regarded as common sense for skilled FENSA installers. However, as well as offering practical tips the guide serves as an excellent check list and one that may easily be circulated to every member of the team, to ensure consensus.
The document is organised into 11 easy to follow sections and that order, in itself, is useful to provide structure to the installation process. These are: Materials; Travelling to site; Communication with the occupant; Personal Protective Equipment (PPE); Arriving at site / pre-installation; Social distancing & minimising contact; Access equipment; Refreshment breaks; Packing up at the end of the day; Disposal of waste products; Returning home. Each section is concise and written in clear, jargon-free language.
Risk Assessments
Again, whilst many installers may have experience of producing Risk Assessments or indeed, have trained personnel to carry out such tasks, for many the FENSA Guidance on completing a risk assessment, including a template form, provides a check to ensure that such assessments are carried out and, actually, fulfilled. In fact, as well as providing guidance on correct procedures the completion of a Risk Assessment for each job is essential to protect the company and individuals in the case of any potential claims arising from work carried out on site.
Advice for homeowners
The guide for homeownersprovides similar information as provided in the Practical safety precautions….’ document but of course, as its title suggests, from the perspective of the homeowner. FENSA Approved Installers are now encouraged to pass a copy to their customers in advance of an installation to ensure that both sides are fully engaged in all processes, to ensure swift and safe installations.
All documents, which are written by experienced former installers, are available free of charge to FENSA Approved Installers, in addition to other benefits such as fast and efficient installation certification from the UK’s leading compliance body and TV, radio and social media promotion for the FENSA brand and its Approved Installer network.
Chris Beedel, FENSA Director of Membership, says it is important that FENSA Approved Installers operate to agreed and shared standards: “There are a number of documents around offering advice about how installers may return to people’s homes and all offer relevant if slightly differing information. Our publications, written by highly skilled former installers, bring all effective advice together for FENSA Approved companies so there is consistency throughout the FENSA network, with all operating to the same high standards.”
For more information on FENSA, including details of how to join, please visit: www.fensa.org.uk