Skill Builder Guides & reviews for building and construction

Roger Bisby grinds it out with the Retecflex from Flex. In essence this Retecflex grinder and sander is an angle grinder with a fancy dust extractor attachment permanently attached to its side but it is no ordinary angle grinder. It is a 1400 watt German built angle grinder with electronic speed control, soft start and restart protection so it doesn’t …

Costain, Gentoo Construction, Robert Woodhead Ltd and Walter Thompson (Contractors) have each been awarded the  title of Most Considerate Site at the Considerate Constructors Scheme’s 2016 National Site Awards. It is the first time that four sites have won the accolade, following the introduction of ‘value bands’ which means sites are assessed against projects of similar value including: Under £500k; …

A Scaffold company in Bridgend has been fined for safety failings following a routine inspection. Llanelli Magistrates’ Court heard how OW Scaffolding was working at Heol y Parc, Cefneithin when they had a routine inspection which highlighted several safety failings. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) into the incident which occurred on 30 September 2015 found that …

Balfour Beatty Utility Solutions has been fined £2.6 million after an employee was killed when the trench he was working in collapsed on him in Lancashire. On the 14 April 2010, James Sim, a 32-year-old  sub-contractor working on behalf of Balfour Beatty Utility Solutions, was working in a trench, laying ducting for new cable for an offshore windfarm that was …

A Birmingham maintenance company has been fined after a worker died after falling 14 foot from the roof of a five-storey building. Birmingham Crown Court heard how H20 Plumbing Services Limited were contracted to carry out repairs to two motor rooms situated on the roof of a building on Hagley Road, Birmingham. Two workers set up a station immediately outside …

Klober Permo Air has been installed on Loseley Park a Grade 1 listed manor house as part of a full roof refurbishment.

Salaries for small building firms are soaring as a result of the growing skills shortage with brickies able to demand the highest wages, according to the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). Brickies wages reach £60,000 in London Commenting on the results of the FMB’s State of Trade Survey for Q1 2016, Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said: “More …

A demolition company from Nottinghamshire has been fined for safety failings following a report to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Leicester Magistrates’ Court heard how Prodem Demolition and Asbestos Limited were removing tiles from a domestic property when they were reported to the HSE for unsafe work at height activity. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) …

Bostik has launched a new All Weather Wide Jointing Compound for paths and patios, specially formulated for use in wet and dry weather conditions. Suitable for joints from 5mm to 30mm in width, the new jointing compound requires no mixing or special tools during installation; it can simply be brushed and compacted into the joints. Once cured, it forms a …

The new Volkswagen Amarok is set to feature the latest generation of Volkswagen V6 engines meaning drivers can look forward to an additional litre of displacement offered by the 3.0-litre engine. The new engine will deliver 550 Nm of torque and has an output of 224 PS. Offering high torque at low engine speeds, the six-cylinder engine is said to produce …

Roger Bisby lays some Knauf Brio dry screed flooring. Although it is perfectly possible to use warm water underfloor heating with timber and floating floors it is generally acknowledged that there is a loss of  thermal transmission compared to  pipe buried in sand and cement screeds. Knauf Brio dry screed board bring thermal transmission comparable with wet screed system in …

Three new models have been added to Italian premium safety footwear brand Aimont’s  Trucker range of stylish safety boots. The combination of safety, strength and reliability and a deep tread pattern that allows optimum grip on all types of surface is said to distinguish the fashionable Trucker Iceland and Scotland boots and Galles shoes. They also feature composite, rather than …

A roofing company based in Exeter has been fined after an employee fell through a roof light. North and East Devon Magistrates’ Court heard how an employee of Haran Limited fell approximately three metres to the ground below. He suffered injuries to his head, wrist and hip. He and two colleagues had been working on an asbestos cement roof in …

Isuzu has bolstered the D-Max line-up with the launch of an extreme version. The new Isuzu D-Max Arctic Trucks AT35 is engineered to take on the most arduous terrain, according to the manufacturer. Available in either double-cab or extended-cab configurations, Isuzu says the AT35 is the most capable pick-up it has ever put on sale. It is priced from £30,995. …

A roofing firm from Malton has been fined for safety breaches after a worker fractured his skull following a fall from height. Mitchell Roofing Ltd, was contracted to replace existing rooflights at Monk Bridge Construction Co Ltd, Elvington, York. The injured worker slipped and fell some seven metres through the inner roof sheet sustaining severe injuries. During its investigation, the …

Iveco used the CV Show to premiere its New Daily 4×4 – the latest generation off-roader, built with special features to tackle tough terrain including quarries, building sites and remote locations often inaccessible to regular commercial vehicles. The updated 4×4 is said to pair a reinforced body with the driving comfort of an on-road vehicle including excellent forward visibility and …

The new Toyota Proace Van range of light commercial vehicles is making its world debut at the Commercial Vehicle Show at the NEC in Birmingham this week with UK order books now open ahead of the official start of sales in September. Five-year warranty New Proace Van will be sold in the UK with  five-year/100,000-mile warranty, with unlimited mileage for …

According to latest figures from NaVCIS (National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service), the Ford Transit was the most frequently stolen vehicle in the UK in 2015. In further bad news for Transit owners, only one third of stolen Ford Transits are ever recovered and returned to their owners, compared to a national average of 55% of cars and 38% of light …