Knowledge Racking & Shelving SEIRS & SAIC in synch
Mike Tucker, SEMA Chairman of the SEIRS Management Committee, talks about the nationwide registration and training scheme first launched in 2000 and how it dovetails neatly with the new SEMA membership category – a SAIC or SEMA Approved Installation Company.
Calling card: This typical SEIRS ID Card is now mandatory under the CSCS scheme.
R
egulating the industry started for- mally in 2000 when SEIRS was launched as a way of both regis- tering installers and of providing some basic training on installing storage equipment (mainly racking) in a safe manner. More than 3,000 installers have received structured knowledge and skills since then. This important milestone is a huge achievement, but to us it marks only the beginning. Education and development are life-long processes and we are evaluat- ing the possibility of a Log Book approach which charts the professional training and experience of every installer as part and parcel of their working career. There are now six courses from basic skills through to installation manager, but it’s always been very clear that SEIRS is only part of a company’s responsibility to its workforce as they should benefit from further specialised training (e.g. operat- ing fork lift trucks, manual handling and working at height) as well as ‘on-the-job’ skills improvement and development.
40 June 2012 Storage Handling Distribution
So far SEMA has developed over 300 Tool Box Talks (TBT), which comprise short briefing documents for the site supervisor to deliver where relevant. Take asbestos as an exam- ple; it’s a problem which stems back to the 70s and has not gone away. Many ware- houses and commercial buildings still contain the deadly material. A newly-developed TBT gives sound advice, based on HSE guid- ance, on what do if asbestos is discovered.
GROWING MOMENTUM
SEMA’s ground-breaking scheme has taken a while to gain national recognition, but today, to meet construction industry legisla- tion, anyone installing storage equipment needs a SEIRS card in order to renew their CSCS status. Momentum is growing. In parallel, SEMA felt there was also the need to deliver standards at a storage installation company level. Three years ago, a new membership category within SEMA was launched called SAICs, or SEMA Ap- proved Installation Companies. Today there are 18 SAICs nationwide and each has to submit to an annual audit – the equivalent of an OFSTED inspection for schools. To be a SAIC, a company must meet the entry-level standards set to ensure their compliance, the audit carried out by SEMA involves evaluating the SAICs comprehensive operating procedure and recording system which takes into account all the aspects of safe working on site. We are also seeking evidence of a strong commitment to indi- vidual installer training and development. SEMA recognises that business life is also a process of continual improvement, so,
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following an audit, we give feedback and set targets, where needed, to make improve- ments or develop new systems. And there’s member feedback through the national loop via the annual conference. Each SAIC can send two representatives to the conference to discuss and agree how to improve the whole process and ways of working. SAIC acts as a forum where emphasis is on sharing, as far as possible, best practices and good ideas to improve both the the SAIC network and the industry as a whole. A past example of this interaction resulted in the sharing of an excellent accident reporting procedure. SEMA already publishes annually the standards it sets for SAIC membership, but we aim to steadily raise the bar so that being a SAIC will attract the highest level of recognition. This process may ultimately result in a grading system for SAICs, indicat- ing clearly the company’s capabilities. SEMA takes a holistic view to improv- ing standards industry-wide, ranging from manufacturing the best products in the market place to individual professional development of the installer. We’ve been defining standards for over 40 years and we’ve notched up many, many achieve- ments. We don’t think we’ve reached a tipping point quite yet but our aim is for SEMA standards to become the benchmark for custom and practice across the industry. We’d like to get there by the time we’re 50, and we’re well on the way! n
www.seirs.org.uk www.sema.org.uk
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