Skill Builder Guides & reviews for building and construction

The Beast from the East, rising costs and Brexit are to blame for the drop in construction output, the FMB responds to ONS construction output figures.

Snickers’ new versatile and adjustable Tool Vest features a wide range of hard-wearing pockets for a variety of tools fixings and accessories. It’s lightweight, hard-wearing, comfortable and easy to keep clean. The Tool Vest’s ergonomic comfort also looks after your back by providing for comfortable heavy tool carrying through the specially designed wide shoulders, elasticated back and an integral waist …

Snickers Workwear says the new range of cool and functional Snickers Hi-Vis summer clothing is streets ahead of anything else. With an extensive range of Jackets, Trousers, Shorts, Toolvests, Shirts and Fleeces from Snickers’ LITEWork, FLEXIWork and ALLROUNDWORK families, there’s a host of different garments in the range to satisfy the specific requirements of Classes 1, 2 and 3 protection …

Combining a lightweight athletic look with maximum breathability and safety features, the new Solid Gear VENT safety shoe is said to be ideal for workers who are constantly on the move. The Solid Gear VENT’s upper is made from lightweight mesh combined with Cordura and a TPU reinforcement to ensure cool comfort, maximum breathability and enhanced durability. While the shoe’s …

A landscaping services company has been sentenced after a worker was seriously injured when a retaining wall collapsed into a trench.

The Dame Judith Hackitt Review into Building Regulations provides a blueprint for ensuring competence in construction should be extended across the industry.

A groundworks company has been fined after an employee suffered serious internal injuries while working in an excavation at Ghyllgrove Junior & Infants School in Basildon. Southend Magistrates’ Court heard how a site dumper was parked at a slight incline on a heap of excavated soil, adjacent to a partially backfilled trench. The dumper had been left unattended with the …

Almost 80% of builders are calling for more regulation in the construction industry to end the tyranny of cowboy builders, according to the FMB.

A home improvements company has been fined after a worker was significantly injured falling from a garage roof and the company failed to report the incident for nine months.

A new greener, stronger and more durable concrete that is made using the wonder-material graphene could revolutionise the construction industry. Experts from the University of Exeter have developed a pioneering new technique that uses nanoengineering technology to incorporate graphene into traditional concrete production. The new composite material, which is more than twice as strong and four times more water resistant …

More than half of small building firms say that rising material prices are squeezing their margins and the same percentage have had to pass these price increases onto consumers, according to the latest research by the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). Small and medium-sized (SME) building firms were asked which materials are in shortest supply and have the longest wait …

The One GTX from Solid Gear is said to be a superbly constructed safety shoe with seven integrated layers to deliver excellent comfort and protection.

Snickers has released a new range of knitted hoodies for professional craftsmen and women. The range includes ‘Full Zip’ and ‘Over-Head’ options and they’re the ideal combination with Snickers’ First and Second Layer Undergarments and can comfortably be worn under a jacket on chilly days. With a contemporary design, four colour options and a double-lined hood for extra warmth, these …