Skill Builder Guides & reviews for building and construction

An unregistered gas fitter has been sentenced for illegally installing a gas boiler and undertaking landlord’s gas safety checks at a tenanted property. The boiler he installed was later classed as dangerous. Christian Winter, 35, trading as CJS Winter Plumbing & Heating Services of Ashburton, Devon installed the gas boiler at a property on Park Road, Kingskerswell. He then undertook …

Roger Bisby believes that impact drivers are way too powerful for most jobs and many  lack the intelligence to know when less is more. Has Milwaukee got the answer in its M18 FID-0? I never thought I would say this but impact drivers have become a little too good at their job. As each respective manufacturer seeks to leapfrog the competition …

A plumber in Essex has been sentenced to a community order after installing gas boilers while not being Gas Safe registered. Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court heard how Martin Law, installed three gas boilers and associated pipework at three premises in Faraday Close, Braintree, and at Sycamore Grove Braintree. A Gas-Safe investigation into the work undertaken at the premises found defects in …

These days we tend to turn to diamonds whenever we need a large holes in concrete, brick or tiles. Personally I would not want to be without my diamond core bits but there are some jobs where I hesitate to get them out. If for example there is a possibility of hitting a wall tie I would rather get this …

The inventor of a small and simple water-saving device was the winner of  Ecobuild’s Big Innovation Pitch, organised in association with Marks & Spencer. The Waterblade fitting turns a small trickle of water into a thin sheet of high-pressure water as wide as your hand. It operates at a flow of just 2.5 litres per minute, significantly lower than the …

JSP, the PPE specialist, has added the HardCap AeroLite to its range of bump caps designed for work environments where there is a risk of impact between the head and stationary objects. The new bump cap, designed by JSP’s in-house Research & Development team, features a full high-density polyethylene (HDPE) shell, so the wearer is protected not only from impact …

Four different duty holders have been fined after a worker was injured while replacing a window at Leeds prison. Leeds Magistrates’ Court heard how a window on the third floor at Leeds Prison was in need of replacing. Four parties were involved with the installation and all were charged with safety breaches for their part in the incident. Stuart Tombs …

A construction company in Derbyshire has been fined after a worker fell thirteen metres down a service riser shaft. Leicester Magistrates’ Court heard how a 36-year-old worker, who was from Romania, was dismantling falsework (a form of temporary structure) in a building that was under construction at Fletcher Development, De Montfort University, Leicester. An investigation by the Health and Safety …

From Monday (April 4th), all government-funded construction work must be undertaken using Building information Modelling (BIM). The BIM mandate is the first in a series of major developments in the government’s Construction 2025 strategy. A key strand of which is to have an industry in the UK that is efficient and technologically advanced to meet the growing demands of a …

This month sees the launch of two new site fire alarms from Bull Products, the specialists in safety and security for construction sites. The Bull Site Siren systems are designed as stand-alone temporary fire alarms on construction sites.  These affordable alarms are fully self-contained and can be used separately as a stand-alone device, linked by cable or linked with a …

A new protective glove, the Showa 381, offers increased comfort as well as protection for workers carrying out a variety of tasks.

Over 45,000 new homebuilding workers will be trained by 2019 to help tackle the nation’s housing shortage through a £2.7 million initiative announced by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and Home Builders Federation (HBF). The first of its kind, the Home Building Skills Partnership – working with research on their needs from some 40 UK home builders – will …

Bathroom designer Twyford has donated ceramic products for a toilet block in the Rainbow Foundation Pre-School, a new school in Faala in The Gambia, for 60 local children. Faala is a new settlement near to Sanyang and the school has been constructed for younger children who can’t safely travel to Sanyang, due to the long and dangerous route on foot. …

Builders could soon receive personalised sun-exposure text message warnings direct to their smartphones as part of a new project by Heriot-Watt University. Construction companies including BAM Nuttall, Laing O’Rourke and Bovis Homes are working with researchers at the University’s School of Life Sciences and the Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM) to change the behaviour of construction workers, minimising the risk …

Falcon Crane Hire, a national crane hire company has been sentenced for failings that led to the death of two men as a crane collapsed in London. Southwark Crown Court heard crane operator Jonathan Cloke, 37, died after falling from the crane as it collapsed. It fell onto Michael Alexa, 23, a member of the public, and also killed him. …

A few weeks ago we featured the new Gorilla brooms from Faulk’s, the makers of Gorilla Tub Trugs. The brooms have screw on heads with nylon bristles so losing your head while you are sweeping could be a thing of the past. But what is a broom without a shovel? So often builders use steel shovels to sweep up with …

A gas engineer's asbestos removal during a gas boiler replacement has put himself and others at risk from exposure to lethal asbestos fibres.