Safety Critical Fixings - What happens when it goes wrong?
As one of only six manufacturers to be accepted as full members of the Construction Fixings Association, EJOT UK is helping to promote the work of the CFA by alerting those involved in the specification and installation of safety critical fixings, to the serious consequences of "getting it wrong". The reality is that in such scenarios, life and limb are the potential casualties when either the correct specification or installation process fails. The selection, installation and certification of construction fixings on any construction project is comparatively small in terms of time and resource, when taking the overall project into consideration. Yet we constantly see the consequences of wrongly specified fixings and mistakes that have presented a serious threat to life. It is vital that the correct anchoring system is chosen and that it is installed to the manufacturers recommendations; that includes drilling and preparation of the installation hole through to insertion and setting of the anchor.
Established in 1979, the CFA is non-profit making industry-wide body. Its work in actively promoting best practice guidance through a range of resources, makes it the leading authority on construction fixings in the UK. The CFA has been instrumental in the development and publishing of BS8539 – a British Standard Code of Practice designed to assist the specification to installation chain, with a thoroughly comprehensive guide to the roles and responsibilities in providing a high quality and safe fixing installation. Brian Mack is technical business development manager for EJOT in the UK:
“As a trade association, the CFA is providing education, advice, training and technical support to all functions involved in the provision of safety critical fixings in the industry. Here at EJOT UK, we are delighted to be involved with this process”.
