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the column Certass is the UK’s leading Competent Person Scheme TRR –isthe easiest way tocomply with Part Lofthe Building Regulations Certass Highlights – an Overviewof2012 December has arrived again and it’s that time of year when we consider achievements over the last year and look forward tothe next,writes Mike Billington Chairman of Certass T his has probably been our busiest year since Certass was established in April 2006 –our membership base now exceeds 2,500. In fact, even though the country has been through the toughest trading period since the 1930s, we are still recruiting new members, many of whom have never been in aCompetent Person Scheme before. So it is clear that the message about the benefits of our scheme over the alternatives continues to be received. Being amember of Certass entitles you to self certify that your work complies with current Building Regulations. As a Certass member this means that your profile is boosted and ensures that your clients are protected from accusations that their installation is illegal. <strong>Installer</strong>s who do not belong to ascheme like Certassmust register every job with the local authority and pay asubstantial fee for each one. Inevitably,this leads to widespread avoidance of the legal requirement to get Building Regulation approval. This puts your client at risk of local authority enforcement action which can lead to aconviction and fine. Our accreditations When you join Certass we are required to assess your capability to deliver aquality installation for your customers that complies with the Building Regulations. This duty to check your company and its work is placed on us by central government and we are subject to very stringent conditions. After a 16 |CertassColumn |theinstaller gestation period of over three years, the terms and conditions under which we operate as a Competent Person Scheme were completely rewritten and came into force in June this year. This meant we have had to substantially revise the way we operate and the way we assess our members. As partofthis revision it was necessary for us to apply to the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) to be accredited under EN 45011. We achieved this in May of this year and at the same time achieved accreditation to certify the installation of energy efficient glazing and doors under the GreenDeal. This means, effectively, that our members will be able to apply to Certass to carry out Green Deal work when the scheme comes into operation in 2013, subject to them satisfying certain competence requirements. Green Deal Green Deal is ahot topic at the moment about which installers have alot of questions. Itisthe Government initiative that will provide both homeowners and commercial customers with the opportunity to make energy efficient improvements withouthaving to pay for the installation costs upfront. We have been publishing details of this on our website, so for more information go to www.certass.co.uk/news Qualifications Another way in which our new terms and conditions of operation and the GreenDeal initiative have affected the way we operate is in the area of glazing sector qualifications. Both these initiatives will require installing companies to demonstrate that they employ a competentworkforce.This can be achieved by either: •Having arecognised national qualification such as Level 2 NVQ/QCF in Fenestration Installation; or •AMinimum Technical Competence assessment (MTC assessment). In order to assist its members to satisfy these requirements Certass has partnered with 4GE Academy to provide funded NVQ/QCF training and apprenticeship places for glazing sector qualifications. 4GE Academy specialisesin the development and management of apprenticeships and national qualifications across many industrysectors, helping to deliver our commitment to continually improve industry standards all round. More details are avail -able from www.certass.co.uk/ contractors/training Commercial extension Finally, Certass has applied to the Government to extend the scope if its current glazing scheme to commercial buildings (at present it only covers domestic dwellings) and we have also submitted anapplication to run aCompetent Person Scheme for building fabric insulation which will be important when the Green Dealstarts up next year. The Government is due to announce the results of these applications in the next few weeks. i
Certass is the UK’s leading Competent Person Scheme TRR –isthe easiest way tocomply with Part Lofthe Building Regulations the coverstory Here’stoaHappy, Prosperous NewYear! Certass has been working hard throughout 2012 to ensure that wecontinue to improve the experience for our members, writes Barrie Smith-Wright joint MD of Certass Even though Competent Person Schemes were introduced over 10 years ago, some organisations still see them as a negative but many home improvement companies have embraced them and have benefitted greatly from being in such ascheme. There are many benefits to being aCertass member but in the spirit of the holiday season, we want to highlight three which we believe are true stars: •FREE TrustMark registration; •FREE industry qualifications; and a •FREE manual based on the requirements of Document L and other regulations that will affect installers. ‘ by joining the scheme. Due to Certass’s strict vetting procedures, all companies who join us will be registered withTrustMark. Recently, ahome improvement company lost alarge contract to acompetitor due it not having TrustMark status. The managers looked in to applying for Trust- Mark status and once they knew they could have this as part of their Certass membership at no extra cost, they contacted our office for an application pack and joined immediately. We would like tonow take this opportunity to wish you all avery Happy Christmas and splendid NewYear from everyone at Certass and we look forward toworking with you in2013 TrustMark TrustMark has gone from strength to strength since its launch in 2005, with over 22,000 registered companies now listed on its website. It is licensed by the government and is supported by consumer protection groups. There are strict criteria to gain TrustMark status but firms have gained extra business Industry qualifications Changes to Competent Person Scheme operator licenses in June 2012 highlighted the need for glazing sector qualifications. The new operatorlicensesrequire in- ’ stallers to demonstrate evidence of the competence of employees against National Occupational Standards (NOS), achieved either through recognised qualifications (Level 2/3 NVQ Fenestration Installation) or an MTC (Minimum Technical Competence) assessment. Where training is required, the installer is normally required to cover the cost. However, Certass in partnership with 4GE Academy, is now able to provide fully funded qualifications at no cost to its members, which brings anew level of assistance to Certass members. Manual based on the requirements of Document L Many home improvement firms know the building regulations requirements for their industry but there are quite afew regulations that installers may be unsure about. Therefore, to ensure our members are always up to date with requirements, we provide a free manual. This document is offered through our members’ area on our website, so it’s easy to access. Our Chairman, Mike Billington, authors this manual and as he has over 40 years’ experience in building control. We think he has everything covered to help our installers. Here’s toahappy 2013 In summary, 2012 has been a challenging year for many contractors but we at Certass hope that FREE TrustMark registration, FREE industry qualifications and aFREE manual based on the requirements of Document Land other regulations will help our members get off to abright start in 2013. Here’s toahappy, prosperous New Year! i For more information Tel: 08450 948025 www.certass.co.uk theinstaller |CoverStory |17
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