ASBESTOS FEATURE

DON’T IGNORE ASBESTOS, IT CAN BE SERIOUSLY DAMAGING TO THE HEALTH OF WORKERS AND BUSINESSES!

We all know the risks of working with asbestos. Decades of awareness has thankfully resulted in a decline in asbestos related deaths but few realise that there are still currently over five thousand deaths in the UK each year that are attributable to asbestos related illnesses!

Subsequently there are strong penalties in place for non-compliance of safety standards or initiating adequate training of employees; put simply, employers have a legal duty to assess the risk associated with all work activities, tools and equipment.

In an ideal world, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom installers would be able to undertake a project without the stress of considering legal issues but understanding the intricacies of asbestos law is quite literally a matter of life and death!

So how can installers avoid the pitfalls of asbestos law? We have spoken to the team at Central Compliance UK (CCUK) who have supplied us with details of a programme they have tailored to KBB installers and have issued us with the following guide lines:

UKATA Accreditation

In January 2008 the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) passed the responsibility for managing the list of training providers for licensed asbestos work to UKATA; it is the single organisation to monitor training standards amongst its members. UKATA’s remit is to set standards, audit and manage the list of asbestos training providers.

There are different training options, as follows:

CCUK Courses Category A – Asbestos Awareness

Face-to-Face

A typical half-day course for up to 15 delegates involves a 4-hour presentation and discussion followed by a 40-minute exam.

Online

After a simple registration process, the course can either be completed in one sitting, or finished at your own pace, in your own time.

• Online and Face-to-Face • High quality online content • Automatic annual training renewal reminder • Convenient and accessible; available 24/7 • Relationships with charitable partners • UKATA-approved, bespoke branded certification • Category A is only aimed at making entrants understand the dangers involved with unknowingly coming into contact with asbestos

• Category A does not train you to work with asbestos or asbestos containing materials (ACM)

• This includes work such as drilling holes in textured coating, removing asbestos cement, lifting asbestos containing floor tiles or any work that involves the disturbance, removal or repair of asbestos containing materials

• Even after completing this course, if you come across something you suspect of being asbestos you must stop work immediately and contact your supervisor/employer who will refer this to specialist contractors

• As an employer you have a mandatory requirement to demonstrably protect yourself, your employees and your customers from the exposure of Asbestos in your work place

• You must ensure you and those you employ can demonstrate annual training via a certified listed Asbestos provider

• Responsible contract businesses will seek evidence of training as part of any tendering process

• Property built before 2000 is highly likely to contain asbestos (commercial, residential, industrial)

• Asbestos containing materials are likely to be found at many retail premises and warehouses • Risk of exposure present in wall coatings, cladding, to roofs, ceilings and floors and even windowsills and work surfaces

• If you are responsible for or directly conduct any work at these properties they become "your place of work“

So who is CCUK?

CCUK offers UKATA-approved and accredited, Category A Asbestos Awareness training. It collaborates with leading organisations and brands in the UK to raise awareness of, and where possible, to mitigate the risks of asbestos.

To find out more about our UKATAcertified training visit our website, send us an email or give us a call.

www.centralcompliance.uk

Q&A

WITH CLAIRE WALTERS

BiKBBI Operations Manager, Claire Walters, is the most senior member and longest serving of the BiKBBI support team.

Claire has recently been bestowed the honour of Corporate Liveryman of the Worshipful Furniture Makers Company.

How long have you worked for the BiKBBI?

5 years now, its flown!

Define your role in the BiKBBI in no more than 12 words?

I oversee the running of the office and manage new member accreditations.

What’s made you most proud in business?

Being a part of the amazing growth in the BiKBBI and perhaps more importantly, the market acceptance that we are now a credible organization that actually helps the industry and installers in particular.

And personally?

I am very proud of my wider family but my 3 children especially; its so lovely to share their achievements as they grow both at school and at home.

What makes you happy and sad?

My Family makes me happy and sad? Dare I say the state of the world (at times), the news is really hard to watch currently.

What makes you laugh?

Watching Mickey Flannigan, I’d like to go ’out-out’ with him for an evening for a good laugh. 

Name your 3 top desert Island discs?

Dancing on the ceiling (Lionel Ritchie), One Sweet Day (Mariah Carey/Boyz II Men), Faith (George Michael).

Who would you most and least like to be stuck in a lift with?

Most - Lionel Ritchie and Least would definitely be Katie Hopkins.

What would your death row meal be?

Beef Wellington, roast potatoes and veg – yummy!

Three words that you would like to hear said about you?

Fun, helpful, proactive.

Three words that you would least like to be said about you?

Lazy, dishonest, unfriendly.

Animal you most resemble at work and at home?

A gazelle as I am fast and efficient!

If you competed in the Olympics and were good enough to win a medal, what event would you be competing in and what one would you definitely not be competing in?

I would compete in Badminton but I definitely wouldn’t compete in the swimming event, its not my strongest sport!

AFFORDABLE LUXURY BY XEY UK

Leaders in the design and manufacture of quality Spanish furniture, Xey, brandishes a new era for home furniture design and interiors with its exclusive UK debut.

Designed to be a highly flexible furniture portfolio for the end user, Xey delivers a tailor-made selection of interior solutions for every room in the home, all covered by a 12 year manufacturer’s warranty and expertly made in Spain.

Epitomising the markets need for affordable luxury, Xey UK is pleased to present a new display at its luxury London Showroom, displaying the S1 Handleless Kitchen. Pictured, is the new S1 display showcasing the quality and authenticity that can be achieved when using the Xey H.P. Laminate range, available to view in the UK showroom.

Designed to feed the senses, Xey employs a cook, feel, live philosophy that helps create interior spaces that work on the principles of quality, design and functionality.

Catered to the individual, Xey also presents a range of furniture storage solutions and accessories to optimise the performance of any space. From systems which organise drawers, to pull-out sink units, clever spacesaving corner solutions, rack and pull-out larders and also a selection of wooden and stainless steel inserts to arrange cutlery and utensils, Xey provides interior solutions that ultimately benefits modern lifestyle.

For example, innovative side hooks help divide your storage into an organised, easyto-manage space by adapting to different sized cookware, condiments and even cleaning agents anytime you want. Xey UK proudly offers: kitchen furniture, bedroom furniture, bathroom furniture and flooring. colours and wood effects with ABS edging, Gloss, Textured, Matt and Silk Lacquers in standard or RAL colour options, plus wood veneers available in a mix of different tones. Xey uses highly innovative H.P. technology which creates a seamless soft matt finish for extreme durability in the kitchen, along with metal framed accent doors, Opaque, Transparent and Mirrored Glass elements as well as Ceramic inserts.

In light of “a new era for the Xey brand and product”, Xey UK aspires to furnish the KBB sector through its rapidly growing network of dealers spanning the UK. Demonstrating a wide-ranging and highly commercial collection of furniture solutions for the kitchen, bedroom and bathroom, Xey invites UK retailers to take advantage of its amazing display terms and competitive package for the retailer.

With a comprehensive range of dynamic finishes, Xey offers a selection of laminate www.xeyuk.com

Daval launches its ‘Langham Kitchen Furniture Collection’ in New Slate Stone finish

Daval, leaders in the design and manufacture of quality fitted furniture launch a brand new contemporary kitchen furniture collection, Langham, which is also available in a range of two new stone effect finishes from 1st June 2017.

With a host of interior solutions available, Langham features Daval’s new contemporary larder stainless steel drawers with innovative glass front and side elements.

Showing how different furniture collections, materials and colours can come together to create one cohesive look, the Langham Collection is built from sustainable materials and precision engineered in the UK.

www.daval-furniture.co.uk

A Design Statement from Aestus with its New EXPRESSION Contemporary Radiator

Aestus, a leading manufacturer and supplier of designer radiators and towel warmers introduces its new EXPRESSION radiator: a contemporary heating design with a distinctive asymmetrical motif and monochrome styling.

Shown with exclusive Roscoe Angled Valves (straight valves also available), EXPRESSION is manufactured from highquality mild steel (pictured), measures 1790mm high by 570mm wide and has a depth of 66-96mm.

Suitable for closed heating systems, EXPRESSION produces a high heat output of 3279 Btu/hr or 961 Watts and has a 15 year Manufacturer’s Guarantee.

www.aestus.co.uk

Contrasting angles with BLANCO’s new Panera-S tap

The first tap to be released in 2017 by BLANCO is the striking, stainless steel Panera-S mixer tap.

Designed with contrasting curves and angles, the new Panera-S is the perfect statement for the modern kitchen scheme.

The Panera-S features a pull-out spray with an innovative control button at the top of the handle for convenience. The spray can be easily directed into the sink bowl and, with a simple click of a button, it can be changed from a clear or a spray jet of water, perfect for washing large pots and pans.

www.blanco.co.uk.

Coming Soon to the UK - Artificial Intelligence with Liebherr’s New SmartDevice Liebherr, renowned manufacturer of innovative cooling appliances is proud to announce its new and exclusive SmartDevice. This state-of-the-art automated technology will be available across Liebherr’s pioneering BluPerformance Premium Range and allows simple home-integration via WLAN to facilitate convenient remote control of your appliances from mobile devices: in or outside of the home! By using the SmartDevice box, it is possible for the KBbs 4350 Fridge to receive status alerts and alarm notifications from the appliance itself! Creating an astute way to effectively track the performance of your home appliance, Liebherr provides the best performance and service for end-user.

www.myliebherr.co.uk

Bauhaus opt for Svelte and Sleek

The Svelte basin furniture collection from Bauhaus focuses on the key principles of practicality, simplicity and beauty to create stunning furniture for the bathroom. Top-quality, pioneering materials are incorporated into the design to ensure the Svelte range is extremely current.

An innovative Durocoat® finish is applied to the cast mineral marble basins for a highly durable and hygienic finish that, when paired with the striking wood-finish cabinets, creates a strong, sleek and luxurious design.

With five washbasin sizes available, ranging from a statement curved vanity unit, to the compact proportions of the corner design, this is a range set to match the demands of modern living, whatever the size of your bathroom project.

www.bauhaus-bathrooms.co.uk

‘Smooth Move’ with NEW Multi-slider Gas Hob by V-ZUG Traditional cooking methods paired with a cutting-edge slider control has now been realised thanks to V-ZUG’s new glass gas hob, available to UK retailers and installers from 1st May 2017. V-ZUG is the only company on the market to offer a new hob with state-of-theart multi-slider control: a simple, direct and ergonomic solution for controlling individual cooking zones with high-grade performance. Impressively powerful, this new gas hob is equipped with a range of four technologically advanced gas burners. All V-ZUG gas hobs are stand-alone, eliminating the need for additional cooker units. Plus being DualDesign, the homeowner is able to choose between a top-mounted or flush fit hob installation for the height of design and flexibility.

www.vzug.com

www.vitra.co.uk

Bathroom Retailer

www.bathstore.com

Building Supplies

www.trade-point.co.uk

Cabinet Fitters

www.blum.com

Domestic Appliances

www.liebherr.co.uk

www.vzug.com