Fastener health checks

Specialist fastener advice from Rapierstar on choosing the correct fabrication screws, and applying them in the right way, is helping window and door fabricators to maintain and improve their health and safety performance and eliminate accident risks, the company has reported.

The fastener supplier’s health check audits, which offer a comprehensive review of and advice on the usage of fabrication screws throughout the manufacturing process, provide insights into where production operatives could be risking serious injuries as a result of poor component choice.

It is a service that Rapierstar customers are increasingly using as part of their health and safety strategy, to help address issues such as screws slipping during insertion because the drill point is poorly formed, and fasteners excessively wobbling or breaking during insertion.

The latest data from the HSE (2017-18) estimates that workplace injuries cost businesses in Great Britain around £5.2 billion annually, 20% of which is picked up by employers and more than 57% by employees. The costs to employers go well beyond personal injury claims by employees, with the HSE estimating that the hidden cost of accidents can be up to 10 times greater than the insured costs, including lost time, sick pay, extra wages, overtime working and production delays. More serious reputational damage could also result if a prosecution case results and this is reported in the media.

David Furness, MD of Rapierstar, said: “While we don’t have current data on the extent of injuries in the UK door and window industry, we know from experience that some horrific injuries are caused because fabrication screws are not fit for purpose. Making a few small changes in respect of the fasteners used for specific applications, supported by training for operatives, is something that we know can have a massive impact on safety.”

www.rapierstar.com