You can count on real comfort and protection from the rain with Snickers Workwear’s AllroundWork and FlexiWork Jackets for professional tradesmen and women.
Stay dry, warm and comfortable by choosing from a range of water-repellent jackets that will keep you dry in light showers and deliver great breathability to ventilate your body when you’re active on site.
But if you need 100% waterproofness for long periods, check out the GORE-TEX® jackets and the PU garments with welded seams.
As part of Snickers Workwear’s ‘outer shell’ clothing layer, GORE-TEX® jackets are extremely durable.
With a waterproof membrane to keep you dry, they’re windproof to keep you warm and breathable to keep you comfortable all day long.
There’s a host of AllroundWork and FlexiWork jacket styles and extensive size options available so you can layer your working clothes properly to ensure that your energy and performance levels are as weatherproofed as you are.
Incorporating some of the most advanced technical features in safety boot design.
With a focus on comfort and S3 safety, Solid Gear’s new and athletic-looking Prime GTX boots are probably the most comfortable and robust footwear you can get for the winter.
This hi-tech safety footwear will keep your feet dry so you can work comfortably in the roughest conditions on site – with effective protection all day long.
Solid Gear has combined a Vibram® outsole with a full and lightweight EPTU mid-sole to prioritise top-line comfort and stability.
The sole combines excellent durability with oil-and slip-resistance and outstanding grip on snow and ice – even at low temperatures.
What’s more, the GTX combines ergonomics with a torsional rigidity for safety that is enhanced by the durable microfiber upper that has a waterproof and breathable GORE-TEX® membrane.
Comfort and fit are delivered to the highest standard with the GORE-TEX® Stretch Technology in the upper which, together with a high heel counter and the snug BOA® Fit System, make this boot truly a unique experience in safety footwear protection.
The next time you are considering buying a new power tool you are very likely to be going cordless..
That is not me reading your mind, it is what all those sales and marketing people have been drip-feeding us in our sleep. It may well be true that a cordless is the best choice but as I am about to explain it might not.
I am old enough to remember when cordless tools first came in. The first 7.2-volt battery drill was nothing more than a gutless toy. It was ok for driving in small screws, but it was certainly no match for this Yankee pump-action screwdriver. The fact that most of you have probably never seen one of these shows just how far cordless tools have come in those years.
Cordless tools were not invented for the moon landing, but this is where they first came to the attention of the world.
You may have seen the pictures of the first man on the Moon using a bloody great hammer drill. No wonder people thought the moon landings were fake. There were a couple of blokes bouncing around in helium-filled suits to make it look like they are in zero gravity and just look at that they haven’t even plugged their drill in.
It was just beyond people’s imagination. Landing on the moon and using a drill that you didn’t need to plug in. The pinnacle of man’s achievements. A lot of people think that the cordless drill was invented for moon landings, but it was around before that. you just couldn’t buy them from Home Depot or B&Q as it is in England.
So Nasa already knew there was such a thing as a battery-powered drill but they needed something special so they contacted Black and Decker to help them develop one that would work on the moon.
Now if you are taking one cordless drill to the moon and you choose a Black and Decker some might call that a brave decision because they were a bit DIY but for Black and Decker it was a result. Their marketing department must have been well…. over the moon ….. but just have a look at that picture of the astronauts using that drill. Try as I might I don’t see the Black and Decker logo on it.
Had these people never watched a James Bond film? Didn’t they understand the concept and value of unsubtle product placement at every opportunity. I mean a few well-placed logos on those pictures that were beamed into every television set on Earth. How much would a deal like that be worth? And why stop there?
Moon Boots by Nike, Space Suit by Pierre Cardin, they could have paid for the whole trip with the advertising revenue and that isn’t including the merch!
But what did the astronauts want a drill for anyway? Bye darling I’m off to the Moon. Have a good trip honey and don’t forget to take your drill.
Well, I can tell you that Neil Armstrong wasn’t going to put up any shelves, which is probably the first act of any colonisation after planting a flag, because he didn’t even take a spirit level. Anyway, the actual drill they took would have been no good for that. It was a core drill for extracting core samples of moon rock so they could take them home and sell ’em on eBay.
Going to the moon? Bring me back a stick of rock. Cut it and it says moon all the way through.
How did they do that?
Actually, while I am talking about NASA’s contribution to cordless technology, even more impressive was the impact wrench that Black and Decker designed with Nasa for the Gemini project. It needed to be able to spin nuts in zero gravity without actually spinning the astronauts around. And that good people is why you can now drive in huge screws one-handed without the impact driver breaking your wrist.
It is all down to kinetics. So, before I get too side-tracked by the wonders of space let’s get back down to Earth.
Houston, we have a problem.
And the problem is that the limitation of cordless tools has always been the battery. They have evolved through NiCad with all its memory issues to Nickel Metal Hydride which is still used on little rechargeable batteries but for other stuff and we have moved onto Li-Ion which gives you more power and a longer run time with less weight, but we are not there yet.
Dressing right and staying comfortable when it’s cold and wet demands the best in Climate Control working clothes.
Continuous work in cold weather produces body heat and sweat. But when your rate of work slows, the sweat cools and you’ll start to feel cold and damp.
The solution is Snickers Workwear’s body-mapping Mid-layer working clothes that deliver advanced ventilation to control and regulate the heat from your body.
Made to last from sustainable fabrics such as micro fleece and recycled polyester, they’re great for both work and leisure activities.
These garments insulate and keep heat around your body by effectively creating an air pocket inside your clothes.
They complement Snickers Workwear’s FlexiWork Base-layer undergarments that combine sustainable animal-friendly Merino Wool with polyamide for warmth and ventilation.
As well as the Top-layer or ‘outer shell’ AllroundWork and Flexiwork Weatherproof Jackets and Trousers that will keep you warm, dry and comfortable all day long.
For more information on Snickers Workwear’s sustainability philosophy and it’s Climate Control garments you can call the Helpline on 01484 854788; check out www.snickersworkwear.co.uk or email sales@hultaforsgroup.co.uk
Dressing for the cold is like building a house – start with a good foundation.
The Snickers Workwear Baselayer clothing for professional tradesmen and women uses high-tech breathable fabrics for ventilation and body moisture transport for sustainable warmth and comfort.
The Base-, Mid- and Toplayer clothing combines to keep you working dry, warm and comfortable wherever you are on site.
With sustainability at the forefront of Snickers Workwear’s clothing philosophy, garments are available in recycled polyester and merino wool as well as the 37.5® technology ventilating fabric to suit different types of work in a variety of cold and wet weather conditions.
The cutting-edge AllroundWork, FLEXIWork and LITEwork designs and fabrics will keep you warm and dry – so you won’t get cold, wet and shiver.
All the garments are made from quick-drying, fabrics that come with special ventilation features to control and regulate the heat from your body.
All in all, Snickers Workwear Baselayer clothing will give you the kind of warm, dry and fresh working comfort you wouldn’t have thought possible.
That’s why Snickers Workwear is the brand of choice for working outside in the winter.
So, to make sure you get the right protection, visibility, flexibility, durability and ventilation, check out the Climate Control garments from Snickers Workwear that work together to suit your workday.
For more information on Snickers Workwear’s sustainability philosophy and its Climate Control garments you can call the Helpline on 01484 854788; check out www.snickersworkwear.co.uk or email sales@hultaforsgroup.co.uk
Solid Gear’s fastest safety shoe is designed for performance and safety to keep you going for longer at work.
The GTX’s hi-tech, lightweight construction is a giant leap forward from the look and feel of ordinary safety shoes.
It combines a high-performance blend of ergonomic design, athletic comfort and S3 protection.
The waterproof GORE-TEX® upper delivers constant dryness while the locking drawstring ensures the shoe fits like a glove.
Combined with its E-TPU midsole and the ‘bounce back’ technology, foot and knee fatigue after a hard day’s work could be a thing of the past.
The New Revolution 2 GTX is more than just a market-leading safety trainer, it’s a workmate that will keep your feet fresh, safe and dry – all day long.
So get to know more about the quality, innovation and top-class safety functionality in every Solid Gear product – your feet will notice the difference.
A heat pump is a relatively new technology in the UK although they are widely used in Scandinavia and many parts of Europe where there is an abundance of renewably sourced electricity.
A heat pump takes energy from outside and transfers it into heat to be circulated around a heating and hot water system.
A heat pump uses electricity to run the components of a heat pump, principally a fan, compressor and circulating pumps to transfer the energy from the heat source into the heat sink or heating system.
Van theft has become a growing concern in many urban and rural areas, driven by the high demand for commercial vehicles and their valuable contents. Thieves often target vans for their cargo, which can include expensive tools, equipment, or goods, making these vehicles prime targets for criminal activity. The impact of van theft extends beyond the immediate financial loss; it can disrupt business operations, lead to increased insurance premiums, and cause significant inconvenience for the vehicle owners. Enhanced security measures, such as tracking systems, robust locking mechanisms, and vigilant awareness, are essential in mitigating the risks associated with van theft and protecting valuable assets.
Snickers Workwear and EMMA Safety Footwear lead sustainable business practices in their industries.
With COP26 and environmental responsibility all around us, the ‘The Circularity Gap’ is very much in focus for Protective Wear manufacturers and users alike.
It’s so important that by embracing the circular economy, global greenhouse gas emissions could shrink by 39%!*
That’s why Emma Safety footwear is a leader in sustainability having created the world’s very first ‘100% Circular’ safety footwear range and Snickers Workwear is at the forefront of sustainability in the workwear industry by sourcing the highest quality, most hard-wearing products with as little environmental impact as possible.
The combined result is environmentally-friendly, ergonomically designed working clothes and safety shoes that are not only designed to meet the physical demands that tradesmen and women face at work but will reduce your carbon footprint too!
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The Mica Action Group are concerned Donegal homeowners who have come together, following observation of unusual and severe cracking problems to their houses.
The group are seeking to secure a full government-funded, administered and implemented redress scheme for all owners of dwellings in County Donegal whose houses are affected by structural cracking caused by defective building materials.
Find out more about the crumbling homes of Donegal scandal.
Taking working comfort and layering systems to a whole new level.
The Snickers Workwear climate control system includes functional base layers, insulating mid layers and weather-protective outer layers.
These technically advanced working clothes allow craftsmen and craftswomen to adjust to changing weather conditions on-site so they’re always working effectively – with maximum comfort and protection.
Take the new FlexiWork Inverted Pile jacket for example. This warm and versatile pile jacket can be used both as a jacket in cooler conditions or a mid layer when the weather is more inclement.
Made of laminated polyester fabric with a furry pile lining for optimal warmth and comfort, its ergonomics also feature shaped shoulders for a great fit and optimum freedom of movement.
Hi-tech, advanced fabric technology like this is integral to all Snickers Workwear’s Base-, Mid- and Top-Layer garments for both men and women that always combine well with the Snickers Workwear hallmarks of best-in-class durability, comfort, ergonomics and fit.
If you’re serious about creating a truly sustainable build, the importance of understanding the entire supply chain when considering and making decisions about what materials, methods and products to use is critical. Bringing insight from Bradfords’ visibility of the entire supply chain we’re working with customers to help them tackle building sustainably from source to fit.
The whole carbon footprint of a new building or building project is split into that associated with the products and materials used, the construction process itself, and the through life use of the building.
What does that mean in real terms? As a rough guide, 60% of the carbon is embodied in the manufacture and logistics of materials and products. A further 10% is to the construction process itself, and 30% during the through-life operation of the building once you or the occupier is living in it.
The through-life use is obviously something that you live with every day for the duration of the time that you reside in the house. If you’re planning to build your dream home, or indeed a home that is built to last, then there’s no surprise that considerable thought is given to the efficiency and comfort of the home once it is built. It is totally understandable then that the upstream embodied carbon in the products through manufacture and transport to site – which represents the majority of the overall carbon embodied – is given less consideration when planning the build.. The choices you make on what materials to build with are made early in your project and represent a very short-term part of the overall journey you take.
If you want to get the fundamentals right from the start, know that all materials will have a history, and the positives and negatives will need to be weighed up for each. You also need to consider the design of your home, where you live and your lifestyle, all of which will have a big impact on determining what the most environmentally responsible products are.
Unfortunately, there isn’t always a clear answer as to whether or not something is a truly sustainable material. While it might be obvious that some materials cause more harm than good, there isn’t always one single product than stands head and shoulders above the rest, especially when you factor in cost and crucially that the products need to do the job.
These are the kind of factors you’ll need to take into account to establish what exactly constitutes a sustainable product:
Lifespan
How long before the product will need to be replaced? Don’t be obsolete – you don’t want to have to retrofit your dream home shortly after you complete it. And think whole house. There are lots of shiny products which have great credentials, but do they work together, and do they actually do what you want now and for the long term? Plan holistically and plan early.
Buy local
You may stumble across a product made from sustainably sourced raw materials, but if it’s being shipped from the ends of the earth, the embodied carbon created as a result of its journey to your build will tarnish the overall benefits.
Selecting a local product can have a huge bearing on the overall embodied carbon of your home both in terms of the build phase and it’s through life. Putting the right foot forward from the start and choosing a local manufacturer goes further than you think in terms reducing emissions that your materials create in their journey from the product line to your site.
There are plenty of options when it comes to UK manufacturers and many who create niche sustainable products with great performance for the job they’re intended.
Overall cost
Really think about whether or not you can afford a particular product. You need to be realistic. If you spend inordinate amounts of your budget on one green feature you might be cutting corners in the future that results in a detrimental green impact. Again, think whole house.
But look one step further. What’s the real overall cost? High-performance sustainable products often attract a higher initial cost on-shelf price, but you need to look at the cost saving for the life of the product when being used in your building. The benefits are often huge, and you should bear in mind the government incentives that either already exist or are in the pipeline when looking at the overall cost.
Recycled – and recyclable – materials
Purchasing products with recycled content obviously saves natural resources but purchasing products that are recyclable at the end of their – hopefully long – life will help save resources for the long term.
And what makes a sustainable material? Timber is usually cited as the ultimate sustainable material. At Bradfords we only source timber from suppliers who ensure that their forests are entirely sustainable; nothing is chopped down until it’s reached a certain maturity and there’s at least a like for like replacement growing. But take a look at those other products which come from natural sources and understand what the manufacturer does to mitigate the use of those resources, as well as the ancillaries like water and heat which go into the process of turning them into the products you want to use.
Giles Bradford
At Bradfords we’re working with our suppliers to ensure we understand the environmental impact of the products we offer and to explore more sustainable alternatives without compromising on quality. We’ll be making sure that our teams are given the information to be able to help you make informed choices, as well as launching our sustainability hub before the end of the year, which will be packed with information and guidance.
Being self-employed can be an incredibly liberating feeling, knowing that you set your limits and your working hours and don’t have to answer to anyone above you.
However, this freedom comes with its own set of worries too. The responsibility for any mistakes with your business lies with you, and that includes the mistakes of people you employ as well.
As well as this, it’s important to remember that you are indeed running a business and therefore need to treat it like one. This responsibility adds a significant increase to your workload and is a big trade off for the added flexibility of being your own boss. Here are some of the most important things to remember as a self-employed electrician so you don’t get caught out.
Qualifications And Licences There are plenty of tradespeople out there that operate without the right qualifications. This tends to be because they’ve learned the skills they need to do the job and then wonder why they should pay to earn a piece of paper to prove that they can do that job. However, when you take a step back and really think about this, it’s understandable that members of the public would want to know that they can trust you and your alleged skillset.
Getting electrical qualifications, however dull you might think they’ll be to acquire, is the only way to prove you’re able to complete a job safely.
It’s also important to note that it’s actually the law for you to have the correct licenses and qualifications to conduct major electrical work on a property. It’s not worth the risk of getting caught, so do things the right way.
Health And Safety Assurances Whenever you install electrical equipment, it’s important to remember the risks of doing so. Over time, electrical components will degrade, and regular checks are essential.
In rented properties, it’s recommended that these checks should be done every 5 years or whenever there’s a change of occupancy.
You’ll need to organise an EICR or Electrical Installation Condition Report to ensure plug sockets and light fittings, among other things, are safe for use by tenants.
When it comes to new build properties or if you’re completely rewiring the property, you’ll be required to generate an Electrical Installation Certificate or EIC for the property.
Business Plans And Budgets As a self-employed electrician, you should remember that you’re running a business, whether you have any employees or if it’s just you.
This means that a business plan, as well as a budget, are key to your success.
Of course, you may be able to get by without thinking about these things, but the chances are you’ll run into many more complications than usual if you don’t spend some time organising and planning your business.
Managing your money without a plan, whilst trying to complete your contracts is not going to be an easy task, so spend some time preparing your funds before you get inundated with jobs and have no time for business management.
