The Trade Association dhf, or the Door & Hardware Federation have drawn further attention to the importance of training and maintenance when it comes to the proper installation and maintenance of domestic garage doors.

The trade association has recently been called upon to provide their expert advice in the BBC show Watchdog, getting involved in the voice over commentary of the improper fitting garage door which then fell on and injured a person. The Technical Expert at dhf expressed that is was essential that the proper training is carried out for operative fitting domestic garage doors and also highlighted a number of safety issues that could occur with incorrect installation. The Chelmsford based operatives carrying out the installation were the same family who have in the past operated as Essati, Vecelli and Roman. The company changing names has meant that the Guarantees issued to the consumers are worthless if an incident occurred.

The dhf ensure that every single member of their garage door group must undertake their one day garage door safety diploma training course. This course forms a part of the association’s Code of Conduct in order to ensure the training and maintenance standards of their members. The Trade Association was first founded in 1897 in order to represent the leading UK manufacturers and installers of garage doors.

More recently, Essati made headlines on the 31st of July, after the story of Charlie Ricketts was published. The consumer, Charlie, spent £800 on a domestic roller garage door and the extended guarantee, only to find himself out of pocket and without a garage door when the door broke, and repairers removed the garage door and failed to return.

For consumers looking for more information about the proper installation and maintenance procedures for Automated Garage Doors, dhf have a consumer leaflet that is available for download on their website.