Thatcham BSI Kitemark® wins safety award
Development of low cost scheme is boosted with trade accolade
The positive impact of the Thatcham BSI Kitemark scheme for vehicle body repair has been recognised after it scooped the ‘best safety initiative of the year’ accolade at the Fleet News Awards.
The scheme is a result of a unique collaboration between the British Standards Institution (BSI) and Thatcham, the motor insurance repair research centre.
To earn the Thatcham BSI Kitemark, the vehicle body repair workshop must prove that it conforms to tough standards. These include skills, repair methods, equipment and materials. All these elements are assessed by independent BSI inspectors and must meet stringent benchmarks in order to achieve the valuable Kitemark status.
The Kitemark scheme costs less than £2,500 in the first year. For a typical body shop, that’s about £1 per repair job in terms of showing the customer it is serious about safety.
Scott Hanney, BSI’s key account sales manager said: “It’s about educating the market place and bringing standards up. There’s a huge amount of interest in this from insurers, work providers, fleet companies and manufacturers.
Jason Moseley, Thatcham’s director of quality and business systems emphasised: “This is not us saying body repairers don’t know what they’re doing. The majority do a very good job. However, the Kitemark proves they’re doing the right thing. If there are any unscrupulous traders, they will be excluded from the industry.”
For more details on how to achieve the Thatcham BSI Kitemark visit www.kitemark.com.
