Travis Perkins plc, which is the UK’s largest supplier of building materials and owner of the Travis Perkins builders’ merchants, Toolstation and many specialist trade businesses, today formally announced its commitment to disability inclusion after joining The Valuable 500 last year.

Building a great place to work for people with disabilities is an integral part of the Group’s broader Equality, Diversity and Inclusion agenda, and this targeted disability inclusion commitment has been developed as part of the wider strategy to build a fully inclusive workplace for the 20,000 colleagues who work across the Group. It also extends to the Group’s customers and suppliers:

1) Build our partnership with the Business Disability Forum to become disability confident and ensuring that our colleagues, especially our leaders, have the skills and knowledge they need to be inclusive of people with disabilities.

2) Establish a colleague Ability network which brings together colleagues from across the business to give our colleagues with disabilities a stronger voice in shaping an inclusive working environment and ways of working for themselves and our customers.

3) Work together across our business to develop a consistent process for making adjustments for colleagues with disabilities and to enable them to thrive with us.

“We acknowledge that creating a more inclusive environment which celebrates and nurtures diversity will be crucial to our future success as a business and as an industry.

Signing up to The Valuable 500 initiative was an important first step for us in articulating our aspirations and putting disability on our leadership agenda.

“Today’s formal commitment will help us realise our ambition through some practical steps, so we continue to change mindsets and make our business fully accessible to colleagues with disabilities, both seen and unseen, over time.

We look forward to working with our colleagues to deliver on these objectives and to build a thriving workplace for everyone,” explained James Mackenzie, who is Managing Director for Toolstation and Ability sponsor for Travis Perkins plc.

EmpiricAI has secured a major new distribution agreement with electronic security distributor QED, its’ first UK partner, that will see its innovative Computer Vision AI (Artificial Intelligence) solution offered across the UK and Europe.

The announcement comes against a growing realisation that the security industry plays a crucial role not only in the protection of people and places but providing peace of mind for employers and employees in a wide variety of workplaces.

QED now becomes one of the first to market with an advanced Computer Vision AI solution, which was developed by EmpiricAI specifically for improving health & safety and productivity in business and industry.

Headquartered in Preston, Lancashire, QED is expecting strong demand for its new offering from a range of sectors including construction, manufacturing, corporate offices, retail and other customer-facing branches.

QED was initially attracted by EmpiricAI’s WorkSafe Analytics (WSA) platform because of its functionality and ease of use.

WSA uses AI-powered Computer Vision technology to help businesses get an accurate view of potential risks in the workplace. The software ensures compliance to health & safety guidelines.

Integrated into on-site CCTV implementations, WSA is able to carry out real-time monitoring and detecting of any non-compliance of social distancing, correct PPE/mask usage and occupancy guidelines.

Comprehensive analytics and reporting on compliance at room, building, site-wide levels and their trends over time enables organisations to monitor and improve the effectiveness of their health and safety initiatives.

EmpiricAI’s Computer Vision technology has been shown to restore employee confidence around safety. This is against a background of research showing that more than 60% of workers report inadequate safety in their workplace when considering all factors, not just the pandemic, which can significantly affect their productivity.

Steve Constantine, QED’s Product Development Director, said: “This partnership with EmpiricAI has been driven by the need to add more flexibility to our product range to support our partners working in environments where it’s important to monitor compliance with safety procedures.

In addition, it also allows us to provide a timely and relevant solution to help address the health and safety challenges businesses are currently facing. It is a pleasure to work with EmpiricAI, whose range of products fills a gap in the marketplace like nobody else.”

Salman Chaudhary, CEO at EmpiricAI, explains: “Our WorkSafe Analytics will complement QED’s customer-driven solutions. We see the partnership with QED bringing the benefits of Computer Vision to a much wider market especially those that are required to adhere to strict health & safety procedures.

The combination of our advanced technology, backed up with QED’s security offering and proven customer service, will make the benefits of Computer Vision much more accessible to customers.”

QED provides next day delivery service, 24/7 online ordering, backed up by exceptional customer service and technical support. They offer advice before and following the sale, with their ethos being to earn the lifetime loyalty of customers.

A dedicated Account Manager from QED is assigned to all customers, supported by an experienced and knowledgeable technical team of professionals.

A bespoke online customer portal is available where customers can place orders, view order histories, download invoices, request reports, manage company account users.

For more information on EmpiricAI’s Computer Vision AI WorkSafe Analytics, visit: www. qedgroup.co.uk

Gwent, Ayrshire and County Durham rank amongst some of the most affordable areas to get on the UK property ladder with the lowest level of internet usage, according to the latest research by GetAgent.co.uk.

For many, good internet connectivity is a vital commodity in this day and age and one that has grown even more important having spent months working from home under lockdown conditions.

But what about those who want to escape from a world overrun with digital devices? GetAgent analysed data on internet users from the ONS, looking at where was home to the highest percentage of population to not have used the internet either in the last three months or at all.

GetAgent then looked at the top 20 most disconnected spots in the UK and which offered the most affordable foot on the ladder from a house price point of view.

Gwent came out on top for the best chance of internet free property affordability. 14% of the population have either never used the internet or failed to log on in the last three months and with an average house price of £108,049, it’s the most affordable of the top 20.

East and North Ayrshire also rank high, with 12.5% of the population living internet free and an average house price of £108,162.

County Durham is the most affordable part of the property market in England for those looking for a digital detox, with as much as 14.2% of the population logging off for three months or more and property averaging just £112,722.

In terms of the most disconnected, Luton ranks top with a huge 22.2% of the population living without internet either indefinitely or for at least three months. However, with the average house price sitting at £242,370 it is one of the least affordable from a property standpoint.

Founder and CEO of GetAgent.co.uk, Colby Short, commented:

“We’re so used to the internet playing such an integral role in our daily lives that we forget for some, constant connectivity isn’t the be-all and end-all.

In fact, some home buyers prefer a life free from smartphones and computers and luckily for them, there’s a number of areas in the UK where the population is less internet obsessed and house prices remain relatively affordable.

Whatever your preference, the great thing about the UK property market is the huge level of diversity on offer and so you shouldn’t struggle to find the right piece of bricks and mortar for you.”

See more on Affordable Housing with Skill Builder.