Skill Builder Guides & reviews for building and construction

Wearer comfort is a key feature of the latest half mask from Scott Safety, the designer and manufacturer of respirators and personal protective equipment.  The AVIVA half mask, which is silicone-free but designed with silicone-like comfort, offers a reflex seal which allows the wearer added movement and flexibility, and a positive fit check button is built into the device which is …

Coldmac Limited has been fined after one of its workers suffered life-changing injuries to his hand which required surgical intervention.

SsangYong has announced an increase in the towing capacity of its Musso one-tonne pick-up to 3,500kg following approval by the VCA – the UK Vehicle Certification Agency responsible for Vehicle Type Approval. Powered by a smooth and refined 2.2 litre Euro 6 turbo-diesel engine, the Musso pick-up is designed to appeal to those who need a competitively priced work truck, …

Roger Bisby looks at the latest Green Beam laser from Bosch. It seems that manufacturers spent years getting people to buy red beam laser levels and no sooner had everyone got one than they introduced green beam lasers, brighter clearer, four times the visibility and ten times the price. The price has started to drop  to the point where jobbing …

Two roofing companies have been fined after a worker fell nine metres through a skylight onto concrete flooring below.

Designed to be robust, reliable and easy to use, the new 2R (270 N·m) and 2AR (340 N·m) torque wrenches, featuring a break-back torque signal, are the latest products from Norbar Torque Tools. The new 2R and 2AR responds to the need for a smaller model of the enduringly popular industrial break-back torque wrenches. Simple to use, the 2R and …

Roger gets his hands on Triton’s pendulum action jigsaw for #powertoolfriday; find out if this cost-effective jig can cut it in this Triton Jigsaw review. Product Features: Dual axis grips and balanced body design keep the tool on the workpiece, and move the tool with improved stability 4-position mode selector with 3-stage pendulum action for optimised, fast cutting and reduced …

A London based construction company has been fined for safety failings after complaints from the public. Basildon Magistrates’ Court heard how Malik Contractors and Engineers Ltd were working at a site St John’s Way in Corringham, Essex in 2016 when concerned members of the public contacted the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Malik Contractors and Engineers Ltd are the principal …

When it comes to making vital decisions regarding building work, women are twice as likely to have the final say on the style and scope of the project, according to new research by the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). In advance of Mother’s Day this Sunday, the FMB also asked female homeowners if they have ever carried out a range …

London startup Plentific.com, a growing home services marketplace, has announced a new feature that will allow customers to book home improvement jobs with just a few taps on their phone. This new service lets customers skip the process of searching for potential tradesmen, comparing quotes and haggling for a fair price just to book a minor home improvement job such …

Baxi is opening two new training facilities in 2017. The Crawley training centre, a partnership with Central Sussex College, opened in January and Godmanchester in Cambridgeshire, a standalone Baxi training centre, will open in March. Each will offer customers access to Baxi’s full range of comprehensive training courses. Designed using feedback from its customers, Baxi training includes hands-on sessions, insider …

Mira Showers is supporting the nation’s young installer talent by sponsoring this year’s HIP UK Heating Apprentice of the Year competition. The annual event, launched in 2009, represents an opportunity to recognise the hard work, ability and dedication of the next generation of installers. The regional heats offered apprentices across the country the chance to participate in a series of …

Skill Builder’s ‘Day in the life’ feature takes a look at a typical day in the life of different tradespeople. In this installment, we talk to the inspirational Kevin Skeith who, against all the odds, recovered from a serious motorcycle accident which threatened to leave him as a quadriplegic. He now runs a thriving flooring business and became Dickie’s UK …

Roger wrestles with his inner rescuer. I was visiting a manufacturer of safety equipment recently and went to use the gents and found the place flooded out. There was one guy with a mop trying to clear it up but he was like the Sorcerer’s apprentice, the loo just kept overflowing. As fast as he cleared it up more appeared. …

The Government has made the right decision to row back on its plan to hike up National Insurance Contributions for the self-employed, the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has said. Brian Berry, FMB Chief Executive, said: “At a time when we need to do everything we can to ensure economic stability, this would have been a destabilising tax increase which …

New  figures from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) reveal that the UK construction industry could lose almost 200,000 EU workers post-Brexit should Britain lose access to the single market, putting some of the country’s biggest infrastructure and construction projects under threat. RICS has cautioned that for Brexit to succeed, it is essential to secure continued access to the …