How safe is your racking installation?

If Health & Safety appears high on the Agenda you may want to read on

In today's society most of us would not dream of allowing a professional builder/ gas contractor to carry out alterations to our homes or businesses without them belonging to the relevant professional safety body.

So why would you allow those involved in the installation of industrial Pallet Racking & Shelving (usually structural steel work to take very heavy loads at high levels) to be built by an unqualified, untrained person.

The answer is, you would not hire such a person intentionally - If they are not carrying a SEIRS registration card it's a bit of a Lottery!

Unfortunately right now the market is not regulated by a mandatory body to ensure all installations are carried out by properly trained individuals. Most of our clients would not contemplate the consequences of a structure designed to take heavy loads being installed incorrectly nor do we which is why STS installers are SEIRS registered.

SEMA is the voice of the storage equipment industry in the UK. One of SEMA's primary roles is to publish technical information in the form of Codes of Practice and Guidelines.

These are continuously reviewed and are recognised as industry standards. SEMA's publications are many including the SEMA Guide to Installation of Racking and Shelving which is integral to the Seirs programme. Please see the website, www.sema.org.uk for further information.

What is Seirs?

Seirs stands for The Storage Equipment Installers Registration Scheme. it is an initiative of SEMA, The Storage Equipment Manufacturers' Association to raise standards of health and safety in the industry, and is offered in association with Metcom Training, a major engineering industry training provider.

As a national scheme it works in a similar way to that of the 'CORGl' scheme of the gas industry. Individual installers can become Seirs approved by successfully completing an appropriate Seirs health and safety course.

Seirs is unique in that it is the only national programme for installers, which addresses the health and safety needs of the industry to constitute a storage industry 'safety passport'.

Revitalising Health and Safety

Seirs came about further to discussions with the Health and Safety Executive who are keen for the industry to regulate itself and adopt a proactive approach. Under the HSE's Revitalising Health and Safety programme legislation such as the Work at Height Regulations, appropriate industry training and, particularly in the storage industry, correct use of Personal Protective Equipment all take on increased significance.

Within the HSE's strategic plan for improving health and safety is the priority programme of reducing the number of falls from height, of which there are over 5000 recorded each year. Common causes include failure to recognise a problem, failure to ensure that safe systems of work are followed, failure to provide safe systems of work, inadequate information, lack of training or instruction, poor supervision, failure to use appropriate equipment and failure to provide safe plant/equipment.

Seirs addresses all of these issues and more. Seirs instruction delivers industry-specific training and has been developed by experts who know the storage industry, its potential hazards and how to implement safe systems of work. Seirs training is based around the SEMA codes of practice and guidelines which address health and safety issues from design through to installation and use. SEMA has also produced a storage industry guide to the CDM regulations together with generic principles for incorporating this legislation into storage projects.

The storage industry has a good health and safety track record to date. Our aim with Seirs is to both maintain and surpass this record.

SEMA GUIDELINE TO INSTALLATION

This guideline sets out generic method statements for the installation of racking and shelving products. Manufacturers and installers can use the guideline as a basis to prepare detailed method statements tailored to the specific needs of the particular contract or project.

Installation method statements set out the safe way to assemble the storage equipment. Installers must adhere to this safe way of working and is a process which facilitates an integral part of the Seirs training courses. From erecting a structure through to working safely at height, from utilisation of appropriate site plant to supervising and managing teams the Seirs courses build into a complete safety training programme based on the SEMA installation guideline and SEMA codes of practice.

Benefits to the Customer:

	Monitors trained installers.
	National installer safety standard.
	Training to SEMA Codes and guidelines.

In addition the customer or end user has in Seirs a quick way to check the validity of an installer's credentials.

Benefits to the Installer:

	Recognised Training Course.
	Storage Industry Qualification.
	Regular news updates.

Seirs extends beyond its remit of being a health and safety initiative. It encourages installers and their companies to be proactive in their approach to their work, their record keeping and in their professionalism.

The Seirs ID Card

Unique Identification:

In addition to the individual installer's name and photograph, the Seirs identification card carries an ID number unique to that person. Site managers, health and safety inspectors, customers and other officials may verify card details with SEMA.

"Already we have seen a vast improvement in the on-site safety awareness of our installers. Seirs has honed the safety skills of team members and encouraged them to adopt a responsible and pro-active approach towards health and safety."

Nick Betteley, Managing Director, MANUFACTURER

"We support the SEIRS initiative which both safeguards the well being of installers and promotes good working practice in accordance with SEMA codes and guidelines"

Bob Handley, Managing Director,
Storage Engineering Service: INSTALLER

As an organisation representing a key end user market for storage equipment it is both encouraging and reassuring to know that SEMA has taken significant steps with the SEIRS initiative to promote safe working practice during the installation process"

Roger Williams, Director General, UKWA: END USER ORGANISATION

"The Health and Safety Executive welcomes Seirs and the initiatives taken by the Storage Equipment Manufacturers' Association(SEMA) to improve safety standards. It demonstrates that SEMA is committed to raising both standards and awareness of health and safety issues associated with storage equipment". A Maitra: H M Principal Specialist Inspector of Health and Safety

Expiry Date:

The expiry date of the Seirs ID card is clearly shown. Always check for a valid, in-date ID card.

Seirs ID Card Holders:

An installer is issued with a Seirs ID card upon satisfactorily completing a Seirs (Category A) health and safety course. These courses include Seirs Skills, Advanced, Supervisor and Site Manager programmes which successively build a solid foundation of storage industry specific health and safety training. A full Seirs ID Card is normally valid for 3 years.

Qualifications:

The Seirs ID card identifies the Seirs qualifications obtained by the individual installer and the Seirs database also records other relevant qualifications making up the installers' 'record of achievement'.

Policing Seirs:

All installers of storage equipment should possess a Seirs qualification, i.e. either a full Seirs ID card as above, or if they are a temporary worker assisting an installation team, a Seirs temporary pass. Each Seirs card or temporary pass is uniquely numbered and can be verified by contacting - SEMA.