Code Of Conduct
Code of conduct consists of:
1. Customers will be treated with courtesy and spoken to politely at all times.
2. All Chimney Sweep Academy approved sweeps will carry evidence of adequate and current insurance cover to a minimum of £2.500.000.
3. Before entering premises a visual inspection will be made of the chimney stack/pipe and any caps or cowls as part of the risk assessment. The Chimney sweep will make a judgement as to the safety of sweeping the aforementioned so as to limit the chances of breakages and/or falls from height.
4. All sweeps will use adequate ground sheets and fire fronts to limit any chances of soiling to premises.
5. Any trailing wires, for example, from vacuum to mains socket will be shown to customer as part of a risk assessment to limit chances of trips and falls. No tools to be stored on unprotected surfaces in customers homes.
6. The point of contact at the given premises will be asked if there is any ongoing problems with the appliance/fireplace before commencing sweeping.
7. All Chimney Academy Sweeps inform the customer where necessary, the hazards of burning fires and the dangers to health/life where faulty appliances or fireplaces are used.
8. All Chimney Sweeps will use a suitably sized brush with bristles/nylons in good condition with appropriate sized rods to clean the flue way. A sufficiently filtered vacuum will also be utilised (HEPA) at all times. Any faults found during the cleaning process will be reported to the home-owner/tenant,landlord. All flue ways will be deemed cleared of any obstructions by suitable draft and smoke testing.
9. Any flue that is deemed unable to be swept will result in verbal explanation and a notice sticker placed on the given appliance as out of order. Reason/s for this will be recorded on the job record/certification sheets.
10. Adequate sealing of the appliance is paramount. Every effort shall be made to extract all soot deposits from the premises without soiling any surfaces. It must be stated here that the customer should also take sensible precautions to the protection of soiling to interior surfaces.
11. All observations of flue condition will be passed on the customer, any negative observations will be recorded in the job completion certificate, with a copy given to the customer.
12. Members must conduct themselves in a professional standard, in all cases of mail and social media, the Academy name or its members must not be taken in disrepute. If such action should take place then your membership may be revoked without warning.
PROTECTIVE SAFTEY
In order to protect their health, all Sweeps will carry respiratory protection and use it at all times whilst carrying out work. Also needed, protective overall, protective gloves, site helmet and eye protection. The sweep must take all steps possible to limit airborne particles within his/her vehicle. A van with bulkhead is ideal but in other cases all soot, sheets and brushes must be bagged or kept within a sealed container for your their protection.
CERTIFICATION
After a chimney has been swept, the Chimney Sweep shall issue a Chimney Sweep Academy Certificate to the householder or property owner stating that a chimney has been swept in accordance with the Code of Practice issued by the Chimney Sweep Academy. A date for subsequent re-sweeping should be recommended. Any known defects will be recorded on the job completion certificate.
By being a Chimney Sweep Academy approved chimney sweep, you are bound by these terms and conditions. You agree and will follow all the above. You are fully responsible to for adequate insurance during your membership. Failure to comply may lead to suspension of membership.
TOOLS
Minimum working requirement and tools list for Academy members.
You must be working from a van of any size, preferably with a steel bulkhead for safety. This vehicle must display the Academy logo’s as supplied by us.
If working from a van without bulkhead or even a car or MPV etc., paying very careful attention to the retention of dust particles from used ground and fire front sheets. These should be kept in separate containers.
Academy member vehicles should have the appropriate Academy sticker displayed.
ID badge and Academy certified job sheets.
Adequate selection of sweeping rods, these vary by manufacturer but allow for flues from 4” up to full size Inglenooks
(3 different diameters of rods and ten of each minimum).
Adequate selection of brush sizes for differing flue sizes, power sweeping requires fewer brush head sizes.
Suitable industrial vacuum with adequate filtration, HEPA is the general standard but it is recommended to have extra filtration added. It is not recommended to use a “Henry” type vacuum as filtration is very poor and also readily available to purchase by normal households can look unprofessional. Bigger does not mean better, consider the weight of the vacuum for handling purposes both empty and laden with soot.
Suitable face mask worn during sweeping duties.
Small powder type fire extinguisher available in your vehicle.
Various ground sheets/floor covering
Various fire front cloths
Sponges for sealing (optional)
Assorted spring clamps
Magnets
Masking tape
Duct tape
Tape measure
Torch
Dustpan and brush
Bin bags
Soft and hard hand brushes
Scraper
Screwdrivers
Various spanners
Small socket set
Moisture meter
Allen key set
Fire clay/cement
Fire rope
Rope adhesive
Scissors/Stanley type knife
CCTV unit (recommended)
Binoculars
Smoke pellets
First Aid kit
*This list is not exhaustive.