Skill Builder Guides & reviews for building and construction

Following the publication of the Construction Skills Network (CSN) report, Professor Linda Clarke, Professor of European Industrial Relations at Westminster Business School, believes the future for construction, and particularly for construction labour, looks bleak, especially in light of Brexit: “The Construction Skills Network (CSN) forecasts a worrying outlook for construction activity over the next five years, hugely dependent on infrastructure …

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 Carpenter and Joiner Robin Clevett. Name: Robin Clevett Trade: Carpenter and Joiner What time does your day start? Usually around 6am. What gets you out of bed in the morning? My mortgage!!! What does …

Construction is set for growth over the next five years with carpenters, electricans and insulators among those to benefit most according to a new forecast  from the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB). The Construction Skills Network (CSN) report, predicts growth of 1.7% over the next five years, with 179,000 jobs to be created – a better outlook than was predicted …

External Wall Insulation by Saint-Gobain Weber has been specified for the thermal upgrade of social housing properties in Bangor and Y Bala, North Wales.  They have been transformed with the application of the webertherm XP External Wall Insulation (EWI) with u-values that have been dramatically reduced while the aesthetics of the properties have been changed completely.  Residents are praising these …

The director of a construction company has been imprisoned for eight months after failing to take appropriate action which resulted in a young worker receiving serious burns. Cardiff Crown Court heard the young worker was instructed to stand on top of a skip and pour a drum of flammable thinners onto the burning waste to help it to burn. The …

The new generation D-Max arrives in the UK this Spring, and customers can now register their interest in the new truck. D-Max has been extensively overhauled with the biggest changes under the bonnet. A brand new 1.9 litre turbo diesel engine has been fitted, which produces 164 PS and 360Nm of torque. The engine builds upon D-Max’s workhorse character and …

The two owners of Kidderminster based fencing firm Hoo Farm Fencing have been given suspended sentences after a worker was hit by timber posts and frames which fell from a fork lift truck. Forty-nine year old Raymond Lainsbury suffered injuries that still require regular physiotherapy sessions following the incident on 12 February 2016. Worcester Magistrates’ Court heard how Hoo Farm …

A Cleckheaton engineering firm has been sentenced for safety breaches after a worker suffered life changing injuries. H E Realisations Ltd (now in liquidation, formerly Hogg Engineering Ltd) of pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and Reg 8(1) of the Lifting Operation and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998. Gateshead Magistrates’ Court heard …

Entries for the 2017 Hoarding Competition which enables children of all ages to unleash their artistic skills on site hoardings are now open. Registered sites, companies and suppliers who are interested in the competition have until the 12th of May to complete an entry form. The entry fee is £400 (+ VAT), which includes two Ivor Goodsite promotional signs, two …

Baxi has joined forces with Expert Trades to try and make life easier for its installers, by helping them to win more business and spend less time on admin and paperwork. Expert Trades was set up in 2013 to provide tradespeople with business tools (accessible online and via an app) to help them manage and grow their businesses more effectively. …

Eurocell, the UK manufacturer, distributor and recycler of window, door, conservatory and roofline products – has reimagined the way designers and specifiers access its BIM models. The result is the BIM Centre, where finding and downloading the right BIM models is quick and fast, and updates are delivered automatically. Users can sign up free to the BIM Centre in minutes …

Gas safety failings of a Preston Landlord lead to a suspended prison sentence after failing to ensure gas appliances were checked for safety.

An emerging North/South divide could derail the Government’s plan to install smart meters in 50 million homes by the end of the decade, new research suggests. Uptake of the money saving meters has been relatively strong in the north with 19% of homes in the North West and nearly a quarter of homes in the North East already having a …

A building supplies e-commerce start-up is taking on industry heavyweights B&Q, Travis Perkins, Selco, Jewson and Wickes to offer savings of 20-35%. Go Banana is said to be the UK’s first comparison website for building and DIY supplies. With 50,000 searchable products Go Banana provides an online platform for builders, tradespeople and DIY enthusiasts looking to purchase supplies quickly and …

An unregistered gas fitter from Farnborough has been prosecuted for carrying out illegal gas work which was found to be unsafe. Basingstoke Magistrates’ court heard how Mr Fergus Leask, who also trades as Eldan Plumbing, had assured the homeowner that he was Gas Safe Registered. When he was unable to supply the gas safe certificate months after installing the boiler, the …

Pegler Yorkshire has extended its stainless steel XPress Press Fit range of fittings to included sizes up to 168mm – said to be a first for the UK market.  The two new additions complement the XPress range offering a complete system from 12mm through to 168mm. “We are constantly looking at what the market wants and addressing needs of specifiers …

The Health in Construction Leadership Group supported by the British Safety Council has announced the launch of Mates in Mind – a sector-wide programme intended to help improve and promote positive mental health across the industry in the UK . Every year, one in four people in the UK will experience either stress, anxiety or depression. In the most extreme …

Kensa Heat Pumps, the UK supplier of heat pumps and manufacturer of the award winning Shoebox heat pump, has added a new ground source heat pump series for 2017, said to offer 15% efficiency enhancements. Manufactured in Cornwall, the new Evo ground source heat pump series builds upon Kensa Heat Pump’s eighteen years of experience designing heat pumps specifically for …