Industry Standards, Health and Safety

VCRS is commited to Industry Standards.

VCRS is a member of the NCCA.

VCRS is a certified IICRC firm working to the following NCCA endorsed IICRC standards:

• S100 Carpet Cleaning Standard
• S300 Upholstery Cleaning Standard
• S500 Water Damage Restoration Standard (where it does not conflict with the BSI PAS 64)
• S520 Mould Remediation Standard

VCRS is a Woolsafe Certified Operator complying with:

• Woolsafe WS1000 Standard, “The Maintenance and Cleaning of Wool Floor Coverings”
• Woolsafe WS2000 Standard, “Code of Practice for Professional Carpet Cleaning Companies"

» Click here for Health and Safety Information

The National Carpet Cleaners Association (NCCA)

THE NATIONAL CARPET CLEANERS ASSOCIATION was established in 1968. It is the only independent UK trade body solely dedicated to the craft of carpet, upholstery, curtain, and other soft furnishing cleaning. As such the Association is now widely recognised, not just by the homemakers but also by government, media, industry, and commerce, as being the authoritative source of information and advice on all aspects of the industry.

The NCCA is a non profit making body, governed by a President and a Board of Directors drawn from, and elected annually, by the membership.

The NCCA
62c LondonRoad
Oadby
Leicester
LE2 5DH
Tel: 0116 271 9550
Fax: 0116 271 9588
info@ncca.co.uk

www.ncca.co.uk

All members are required to provide a high quality service to their customers, summed up by the associations motto: "Service with Integrity". Only fully accredited members of the Association are eligible to use the NCCA name and logo, and thus able to extend to their customers the assurance this offers.

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Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC)

The IICRC was formed in 1972 to serve as an independent, non-profit certification body, to set and promote high standards and ethics and to advance communication and technical proficiency within the inspection, cleaning and restoration service industry. Based in the United States of America, the IICRC is represented across much of the western world.

The IICRC is a standards and certification body and not a trade association. It consequently has no members. It does however have “registrants”. Registrants are individuals who have taken and passed IICRC courses and exams.

The IICRC have recently opened a UK office (website to be launched soon).

There are currently seventeen certifications including:

• Applied Structural Drying Technician
• Applied Microbial Remediation Technician
• Carpet Cleaning Technician
• Commercial Carpet Maintenance Technician
• Upholstery & Fabric Cleaning Technician
• Water Damage Restoration Technician
• Odour Control Technician
• Carpet Colour Repair Technician
• Carpet Repair & Reinstallation Technician
• Fire & Smoke Damage Restoration Technician
• Floor Care Technician (Hard Surfaces)
• Health and Safety Technician
• Substrate Subfloor Introduction
• Marble and Stone Inspector
• Resilient Flooring Inspector
• Ceramic Tile Inspector

www.iicrc.co.uk

The IICRC are owned by regional, national and international trade associations including the (UK’s) National Carpet Cleaners Association. Each entity owns a block of 500 shares and has one vote on the Board of Directors. No one has controlling interest. Through its shareholding, the NCCA is able to influence international standards in the cleaning and restoration industry.

The NCCA is an approved IICRC school.

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Woolsafe

The WOOLSAFE Organisation is a world-wide organisation dedicated to the promotion of quality care for wool carpets and rugs through the testing and approval of carpet maintenance products and the training and accreditation of carpet cleaning companies. It is a resource for information about carpets and carpet care, based in the UK and with offices in North America, Europe and Australia.

The NCCA supports the aims and objectives of The Woolsafe Organisation. It frequently co-operates with the Woolsafe organisation in mutually beneficial programmes. NCCA members are encouraged to participate and join in the Woolsafe programme.

The British Wool Marketing Board’s website features the WOOLSAFE product approval and accredited cleaning companies programme and recommends:

"To get a really expert job done, entrust the work to a WOOLSAFE accredited carpet cleaning company. For information on certified products and operators, on how best to care for your wool carpets and rugs, or spot cleaning advice, go to the WOOLSAFE website: www.britishwool.org.uk"

To become a Woolsafe certified technician, candidates must be fully trained in all carpet cleaning techniques, have been in business continuously for a period of at least 5 years and industry.

They must attend a WOOLSAFE training course, pass the exit exam and meet other requirements relating to their business and professional associations.

Woolsafe approved technicians are able to display this logo.

www.woolsafe.org

Products laboratory tested by Woolsafe and approved as suitable for use on wool fibres display this logo on the packaging:

The British Institute of Cleaning Science

The Institute, which is headquartered in Northampton, is the largest independent, professional and educational body within the cleaning industry. Founded in 1961, its mission is ‘the raising of status and standards of the cleaning industry, through education’. The BICSc, as it is known, is not a Trade Association but an independent body with members in all areas of the cleaning industry, including Local Authorities, Contract Cleaners, Manufacturers, Suppliers, Trainers and by no means least, cleaning operatives themselves.

BICSc is a member of The British Cleaning Council as is the NCCA.

www.bics.org.uk

The Federation of Small Businesses

VCRS’s association with the Federation of Small Businesses is gained through the individual membership held by Adam Jankowski, Technical Consultant.
www.fsb.org.uk

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Health and Safety

VCRS is committed to complying with Health & Safety Law.

Company

• VCRS has a comprehensive Health & Safety Policy
• All VCRS Technicians have Personal Protective Equipment and are instructed in its use.
• All VCRS Technicians have had training in Manual Handling and Lifting.

Personnel Working on a mould contaminated site

Equipment

• All electrical equipment is subjected to an electrical safety testing at least once per year
• Truck mounted petrol driven compressors are maintained periodically in line with manufacturer specifications

Vehicles

• All vehicles are serviced in accordance with manufacturers specifications
• All vehicles are properly insured and MOT’d
• All vehicles are regularly checked for tyre wear
• Each van carries:
  • Safety equipmentSafety equipment
  • Method Statements
  • Manual Handling and Lifting Training and Documentation
  • Risk Assessments
  • COSHH (MSDS) sheets for each chemical solution carried

Health and Safety Policy

Customers

• Our customers benefit from our code of conduct as laid out in our Health & Safety Policy
• At the end of each job, our customers are left with a “Duty of Care Leaflet”.

We consider that our comprehensive Duty of Care attitude to ourselves and our vehicles and equipment, ensures that our customers benefit from a similar attitude.