INDUSTRY UPDATE
Giving back this Christmas with The IPG and the Royal Voluntary Service
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t’s never too early to spread some festive cheer! With less than two weeks until Christmas Day, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the true spirit of the season – giving back to the communities we live and work in.
This year, The IPG is proud to partner with the Royal Voluntary Service (RVS) for a heartwarming campaign to make a difference. Santa himself (aka Mark Millar), will be delivering sacks of presents for all the family to participating IPG member stores and showrooms. But this isn’t just about gifts; it’s about giving. Members will be raffling tickets to raise funds for the RVS, a charity dedicated to supporting individuals and communities across the UK. The winners will be announced on December 20th, just in time to spread some Christmas magic!
This campaign is more than festive fun; it’s a reminder of the power of collective effort. Communities are at the heart of everything The IPG does and this initiative shows how a small act, such as buying a raffle ticket, making a donation, or sharing the campaign – can contribute to something meaningful.
The initiative wouldn’t be possible without the support of Wavin, Bristan, and Monument Tools, who have joined The IPG in sponsoring this effort. And to add to the excitement, Santa’s journey will be shared across social media throughout December, spreading joy and laughter along the way.
The RVS embodies community care, just like The IPG’s members. This Christmas let’s make giving back a priority – creating happiness not just for ourselves but for those around us.
After all, the best way to celebrate the season is by spreading kindness, building connections, and making a real difference.
Nike Lovell Marketing Director – The IPG
Worktop Fabricators Federation – Silica-risk specialists get their heads together
mportant new documents in the fight against poor-quality manufacturing practice got their first airing at the WFF’s Glasgow meeting last month.
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Some 20 WFF Members, Potential Members and Sponsors from both sides of the border got the first opportunity to comment and reflect on draft do-and-don’t safety guidelines from the Health & Safety Executive. The previewed guidance is designed to help keep workers safe by – especially – flagging up the need for proper risk management against the dangers of dry-cutting.
Senior HSE occupational hygiene expert Sue Hambling and stone industry lead Natalie Tinsley shared the thinking behind the new guidelines, and the HSE’s determination to address the industry’s fears that the actions of a few unprincipled manufacturers might compromise the whole market for engineered stone worktops.
“There is no appetite in Westminster for Australian-style product-bans,” said WFF consultant Chris Pateman. “If the Australian industry had been subject to the kind of regulatory environment we enjoy in the UK, the ban would probably never have come about in the first place. “All of the UK cases of occupationally-acquired silicosis so far have been among young men who have contracted the disease over a very short time frame, because they have been routinely exposed to many times the Workplace Exposure Limit. The WFF and the HSE are working closely on this, because we have a mutual interest in ensuring good practice is recognised.”
WFF Members are all being invited to review and share comments on the draft guidelines, before HSE takes a view on how and when to publish a final version.
The aim is to deliver something that will be suitable not only for professional fabricators, but for building site managers, for point-of-sale display next to stone worktop blanks in joinery wholesalers, and for kitchen showroom managers. A simple, impactful document to remind showrooms that with the decision to sub-contract fabrication of a stone worktop comes a legal responsibility as the lead contractor to ensure that fabrication is undertaken against a properly risk-assessed procedure.
07591 339 144
office@worktopfabricators.org
www.worktopfabricators.org
BKU DECEMBER 2024 35
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