28
SEPTEMBER 2014 PRO INSTALLER
PRO NEWS
www.proinstaller.co.uk
THE
EYES
HAVE IT!
It might seem like a bit
of a cliché but the old
adage of ‘look after
your eyes as you only
get one pair’ is about as
spot on as you’ll get.
UK Window
Systems move
to impressive
new premises
A customer ‘Open Day’ and ribbon cutting
event carried out by a representative from its
chosen charity marked the official opening
of UK Window Systems impressive new
premises in Cobridge, Stoke on Trent.
The 30,000 sq ft premises, which
was previously the site of a DIY
superstore has been completely
transformed and now houses not
only the company’s factory but
also its brand new trade counter,
fully equipped showroom and
refurbished offices.
Previously, UK Window Systems occupied four separate locations around
Stoke but it has now consolidated
these into one, much larger central
location which will improve efficiency and give lots of opportunities for
further growth.
The Open Day attracted representatives from UK Window Systems key
suppliers, including REHAU and Ultraframe, and was attended by existing
and potential customers keen to see
how they will benefit from the changes and investments.
There was lots of positive feedback
about the new trade counter, known
as the Plastic Depot, which is now
larger and better equipped and about
the stylish showroom which features window, door and conservatory
displays including a number of brand
new products direct from the FIT
show where UK Window Systems had
its own stand.
Local youngster, 11 year old Dylan
Kelsall carried out the ribbon cutting
ceremony, representing the Stoke
based children’s charity Caudwell Children which is UK Window Systems’
nominated charity partner for 2014.
Football fan Dylan, who has ‘Ullrich
congenital muscular dystrophy’, has
previously received a power chair
from the charity to enable him to take
part in football matches at weekends.
To thank him for coming along to the
Open Day, UK Window Systems also
presented Dylan with a Stoke City
football shirt for the new season.
During the course of 2014, the team
at UK Window Systems will be focusing all of their f undraising efforts on
raising money for Caudwell Children.
Trade counter manager Rob Horton
has already begun by taking part in
both the Potters ‘Arf and the Killer
Mile runs.
UK Window Systems is a leading REHAU fabricator supplying trade, retail
and commercial customers throughout
the Midlands and North of England. It
currently employs around 50 people
and expects to increase both manufacturing volumes and staff numbers at
the new factory.
Further details on the new premises
are available at: www.ukwindowsltd.
co.uk or via: 01782 213270.
In my line of work, myself
and my staff are forever
engaged in tasks that pose a
threat to our eyes, so I insist
that we all wear the correct
protective eye equipment
wherever it is needed. It’s
such a simple thing to get
right and such a terrible
thing to get wrong. But we
could also all do with getting
our eyes checked regularly to ensure any problems
are identified as early as
possible.
Figures from 2011-12 show
that more than 1,800 workers sought medical attention,
after work- related incidents
which affected their eyes.
That’s a massive number
in this day and age and
when you think that in 124
of those cases, the worker
involved actually lost the
sight in at least one of their
eyes, you realise the impact.
Injuries of that nature are
so, so preventable but when
they occur the loss of sight
is difficult enough to deal
with - without the added
peril of a loss of livelihood.
These types of incidents and
accidents really do change
people’s lives for the worse.
Many of you will think I’m
preaching to the converted
but I know there are plenty
of you who, like myself,
regularly see people taking
enormous risks with their
eyes on site. Our eyes are
vulnerable at all times but
on site there are literally
hundreds of tasks that could
potentially cause us problems. Many of the greatest
risks come from impacts.
Wood and paint chips pose
a threat, particles of brick or
concrete, sparks and even
nails – these things get you
when you least expect it,
and that is more often than
not when you’re being complacent!
ZERO TOLERANCE
IS A MUST
My advice would be to take
a zero tolerance attitude. It’s
not difficult to spot the types
of task that are likely to either generate dust or throw
out material in a dangerous
way. It’s even easier to take
steps to eliminate the risk.
Eye protection is now
mandatory in certain scenarios thanks to the Personal
Protective Equipment at
Work Regulations but there
are many other situations
where you can identify a
level of risk. The correct
equipment is seen by some
as an unnecessary expense
but if you compare it to the
time and money that can be
lost on the other side of the
equation, it’s a small price
to pay.
Another active approach to
eye health is simply visiting your optician regularly. They’ll not only look
at whether your eyesight
is deteriorated with age,
important in itself, but also
they’ll be on the lookout for
anything more serious. Looking after your sight is critical
for drivers, both in the trades
and in ordinary life, for
the obvious safety reasons.
It’s also important that we
maintain the quality of our
work and often enough that
requires good eyesight.
While it seems a no-brainer, I can’t stress it enough
– we must look after the
health of our eyes! If we
don’t, we risk losing time,
money and, most importantly, our quality of life!
Craig Phillips is the brand
ambassador for leading
Swedish workwear manufacturer Blåkläder. Visit the
website: www.blaklader.
com/gb