Industry NewsGRO MAKES MOVE TOTRADE ASSOCIATIONAt a recent Board meeting it wasannounced that GRO, The Green RoofOrganisation, is in the final stages of itstransition to a Trade Association.At the first meeting of the recently elected 12person GRO Board, Mark Harris was electedChairman, with Chris Bridgman Vice Chairand Chris Roddick Secretary/Treasurer.This is an exciting time for GRO, and whilstthe process has taken longer thananticipated, the newly elected Board say theyare fully behind proactively driving GROforward and making up for lost time.Chairman Mark Harris explained: “This is anexciting time for the green roof sector and werecognise that as a Trade Association we arein a stronger position to further progress theneeds of the sector, our members and thesupply chain.“Phase one of Green Roof training iscurrently available with Phase two to belaunched this month. Combined these twophases facilitate the achievement of a CSCScard in green roofing.”“To further strengthen the green roof industrywe are working on an update to the GROCode which will include Blue Roofs and BioSolar Roofs, with an ambition to launcharound World Green Roof Day on 6th June2020.GRO are inviting applications formembership in their Manufacturer,Contractor, Supplier and Associatecategories. For more information e-mailDusty Gedge of Livingroofs.org(dusty@dustygedge.co.uk).More news, updates and interviews at www.total-contractor.co.ukNFRC JOINS CALLS FOR THERMAL IMAGINGAlongside leading insurer Zurich, thesafety and within this guidance weNFRC is calling on contractors torecommend the use of thermaladopt thermal imagingcameras, which are relativelycameras to help cut thecheap compared to the costnumber of fires sparked by hotassociated with fire, and thework.dangers posed to contractorsand the general public.”Hot work – such as grinding,welding and torching – is a majorHome Office data obtained bycause of blazes on constructionZurich under Freedom ofand refurbishment sites, leadingInformation shows that betweento millions of pounds worth ofJanuary 2015 and March 2019,damage each year.fire crews in England attended1,587 construction fires – ofBut the insurer says handheldAbove top: Gary Walpole NFRC: Above which 28%** were caused bythermal imaging devices, costingand below: Images courtesy of FLIR . hot work, or other sources ofas little as £400, could helpheat.tackle the problem and is urging contractors on allnon-domestic construction, refurbishment andZurich’s own claims data shows that 15%maintenance projects involving hotof the total cost of all UK fires inwork to consider adopting them ascommercial and industrial propertiesstandard.involve hot work. The last threeyears has seen the cost of damageKumu Kumar, Director of Riskspike to £250m.Engineering for Zurich UK, said:“Fires caused by hot work have aZurich is also calling for contractorsdevastating impact on lives,to adopt a voluntary licensing systembusinesses and communities. Thethat would see contractors completeconstruction industry already hasa training course before carrying outrobust hot work controls in place butor supervising hot work.with fires continuing to break out,A similar ‘passporting’ approach hasadditional measures are urgentlybeen in place in Scandinavian countriesneeded. Thermal cameras could furthersince the 1980s, where it has significantlystrengthen the industry’s existing safeguards andreduced hot work fires to less than 5% of firehelp to detect more hot spots before they ignite.losses over the last decade. Contractors completeThe devices can also be used to take timestampedphotos to demonstrate fire watches havea one-day training course giving them a licencevalid for five years.been carried out. Although there is no singlesolution for preventing hot work fires, this is a Kumu continued: “As lessons from Scandinaviarelatively cheap and simple measure that could show, better training and awareness around preworkassessments and post-work fire watchhave a far-reaching impact, especially if thecameras are adopted as standard.”periods could help to dramatically reduce thefrequency of fires sparked by hot work. AGary Walpole, Safety, Health & Environmentalpassporting scheme also encourages bestOfficer, for the National Federation of Roofingpractice and provides peace of mind toContractors, said: “The NFRC encourages the usebusinesses when choosing contractors.”of any technology that improves health and8 TC MARCH 2020
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