Editorial

It just goes to show how much interest from installers there is in this – understandable, of course, as its installers’ futures that are at stake here. There are many areas, however, that need to be addressed as the new standards and processes become effective,not least of which is the installer’s need to tackle risk assessment and the subsequent selection of security grades. As it stands, the sole responsibility for this currently lies with the installer ... so there is a perceptible, and understandable, nervousness coming from within the installer community.

For installation companies to avoid any potential liability claims, it is imperative that any conflict between the installation and the insurance company’s risk assessment is removed right at the beginning. The problem is that, in order to ensure adequate cover, customers tend to over-specify to insurance companies ... but, because they don’t want to reveal full details of valuables, tend to under-specify to installers. So there is the potential for discrepancy. Installers will be looking for guidance on grading from insurance companies. They need assurance that when they are designing and quoting for a job they are competing with companies that are designing and quoting for the same job at the same grading.

If installers don’t get this assurance they could be tempted to quote at a lower grade to give a more competitive price. The grading for a premises should remain the same no matter who surveys it. Insurers must give a clear indication of the expected grading for each premises. This will remove the potential for under-specifying. So I will put two open questions to insurers: Do you intend to give any official guidance to installers regarding the grading of systems and, if so, how do you intend to get agreement with installers, in advance, about the particular level of protection?

We, like all installers, will be looking for answers to these questions well before October 1. Until, and unless they get these guidelines, installers should consider shifting the responsibility to the end user by getting a signed agreement stating they have provided fully accurate information about all their valuables in order for the installer to secure the building at the correct grade.

Finally ... would you like to win an iPod? At the time of writing, the reader survey forms sent out with last month’s issue are coming back to us. We want to make Security Installer, even more, the magazine you want to read, and we want your opinions. An easy way to fill in our readership form – and have an automatic chance to win an iPod – is to go to our website www.security-installer.co.uk and click our readership survey button. Go on, it’s fun!

Alan Hyder, editor