BSGA Comment

 

 

Just assuming that everything will be alright because ‘we’ve always done it that way’ or ‘that looks alright from here’ has never been acceptable and companies that do not wish to fall foul of existing and incoming legislation need to be fully aware of their obligations and compliance. BSGA Members receive updates as well as having access to the BSGA Technical Guidelines for support and guidance in order that they can be fully prepared and justify why clients should be buying signs from them.

 

Just as an example, how many sign companies reading this are aware of and abide by the conditions of section 4 (Service Life) contained in BS559:2009? The wording is as follows:-

 

 

a)    As specified by the purchaser on the order; or

 

b)    As agreed between the purchaser and the manufacturer; or

 

c)    As specified by the manufacturer to the purchaser; or

 

d)      If not specified or agreed in accordance with a), b) or c), 10 years

What this means therefore is that if you don’t specify the expected lifetime of a sign at the time of quote and order, if the sign fails, the expected lifetime of that sign is considered as 10 years. Just think of the implications of this on your business.

 

Just as vitally important as all the above is the question of maintenance of signs once they are in place. Are you aware that both you and your customer have a legal responsibility to arrange for the maintenance and upkeep of signs that come under Planning Regulations? The Authorities and the BSGA are looking at ways of including standards of maintenance practices and procedures within the BS and EN standards codes. The point is that a sign company’s responsibilities for a sign does not necessarily end upon payment of the invoice by the customer as proven in recent HSE cases and we now have the opportunity of putting that right and giving BSGA Members a ‘knowledgeable edge’ over their less informed competition.

 

Then there is the Construction Products Regulations (CPR) for which the implementation date is now set for 2014. However, by virtue of Building Regulations much of EN1090‐1 is already a requirement. When CE marking is ratified for EN1090‐1 then manufacturers require their Factory Production Control system (FPC) to be independently assessed and certified by a national notified body. Finally, these new codes will come under criminal law rather than civil law and will carry greater penalties (custodial sentences not just fines) for non-compliance.

 

“So what?” you may say. “My business model is just applying vinyl to white vans for £35 a time and I go nowhere near 5 metre tall monoliths at shopping centres”.

 

 Well, consider this. Ten years ago, anyone could work on a building site. Today, you cannot set foot on a building site unless you have a valid CSCS card and the only way you can get one is by proving you are qualified to do your job.

 

The more astute sign businesses already aware of this and constantly work towards keeping up or being ahead of the game. Those who think these sorts of things are more red tape and are to be ignored will fall by the wayside – as they should.

 

The world is changing for the better. As customers become more aware of regulations and start demanding professionalism and support from their suppliers rather than “as cheap as possible please”, Sign Companies who want to stand above those that cut corners and get by the skin of their teeth, will raise their standards, quality, professionalism and competency and continue to apply these practices in all aspects of their work. Which when you think about it is always what we should set out to do in the first place.