SEMA, the British Trade Association of the Storage Equipment Industry is proud of its three 2013 achievements, pushing back boundaries on safety once again.

JV-Head-shotSafe design and distribution

In 2011, we created the SEMA Distributor Group to complete the quality circle of manufacture, design and distribution, trained installers and inspection procedures in occupied buildings. Now, each SEMA Distributor Company (SDC) is being rigorously audited by an external company against 26 measureable checkpoints as part of a bespoke quality assurance scheme. When the process is completed in Q2 2014, buyers will be able to benchmark an SDG company against other suppliers in the market place. To support this independent verification of quality, a generic video is being created and will be available through the web and from each SDC member to explain that ‘unique SDC difference’.

Leadership and education

Our contributions in defining new British Standards in partnership with statutory, regulatory authorities such as the HSE and CSCS continue and we’re well on the way to launching two new codes of practice in 2014.

The SEMA Code on Rack Protection is to clearly define design and testing requirements and allocate specific responsibilities to suppliers, installers and end users.

The Code for the Installation of Storage Equipment will enable the enforcement process to be more effective and provide definitive advice on how to develop a method statement for building all manner of racking and shelving installations from 30m high to as low as 2m high.

SEMA manufactured products are independently assessed and our interface with the University of Strathclyde has been continued by the University of Salford. The first product design assessments pilot is complete and it’s our goal to complete the process for all SEMA manufacturers soonest.

This November’s Annual Safety Conference saw two HSE inspectors cover critical aspects of workplace safety. Dr Sarah Haynes reviewed Noise and Hand Arm Vibration, how to control risk and what measures should be adopted. In Asbestos: Is that Still Around? Michael Bone discussed what to do if this hazardous material is encountered, both practically and in terms of legislation. SEMA’s Annual Standards Seminar was held back in June.

DSC_0015

SEIRS installer training updated

Anyone installing storage equipment needs a SEIRS card in order to renew their CSCS status and unlike one-off qualifications, it’s mandatory to attend a SEIRS refresher course every three years to keep up to speed on new requirements such as encountered when working with MEWPS.

SEMA is the leading authority on the safe design, installation and use of storage equipment manufactured and supplied by our members.

SEMA-Logo-SEMA

Tel: 0121 601 6359

www.sema.org.uk

Comments are closed.