News

A roofing company has been sentenced for safety failings related to working at height. Brighton Magistrates Court heard how numerous concerns were raised by members of the public about work being carried out by G & S Roofing Limited. The company twice ignored written advice to address the issue of working at height in an unsafe manner. In August 2016, …

The owner of a building in Kent and the contractor employed to demolish it have been fined for safety failings after an uncontrolled collapse onto the High Street.

In response to criticism from Unite the Union about a letter sent to some operatives regarding the use of dust masks and beards.

Unite, the UK construction union has condemned a decree by outsourced housing maintenance company Mears, which bans workers from having beards as ‘penny pinching stupidity’. Members of Unite employed on social housing maintenance work in the culturally diverse borough of Tower Hamlets, were said to be told at a ‘tool box talk’ that beards were now banned. Unite has subsequently …

A Glasgow based construction company has been fined after the death of an 83-year old man in Kirkcaldy.

Two Rudridge employees are gearing up for the challenge of a lifetime to raise cash in memory of a much-missed colleague. Paul Duke and Peter Burrell, from the civil and engineering groundwork specialists, will cycle from Paris to Geneva this September to raise money for the Stroke Association. Their route, which covers over 320 miles, will include hairpin bends and …

A new web-based tool designed to transform the way that building professionals market and sell products and services, has been launched worldwide.

A new report from Satsuma titled ‘Room for Improvement’ has revealed how much potential home-buyers are reducing their offers by, due to specific features, such as dated kitchens and overrun gardens. Gloucester and Belfast have been found to have the most features which would put a potential viewer off from renting/buying – sellers in both cities are potentially losing over …

Olympia Tools, the company behind the Roughneck brand of hand tools and workwear, says it has seen a surge in demand for its products thanks to social media. Two of the distributor’s products featured in posts that subsequently went viral, attracting interest from a global audience. The first product to prove a social media success was the Roughneck Tri Vice; …

The Green Party’s plans for retrofitting insulation in nine million existing homes are welcomed by the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) at the launch of the ‘Green Guarantee’ manifesto.

Two companies have been fined a total of £700,000 and a director has received a suspended prison sentence following the fatal crushing of four workers.

Eco NRG Solutions Ltd and its director Jon Luke Antoniou have been fined after a worker fell from height at a farm in Cornwall. Taunton Magistrates Court heard how Lewis Harding, 28, had been fitting solar panels on a fragile roof at Venn Farm on the 19 May 2015. He fell more than three metres through a fragile skylight and broke …

In millions of households across the UK, teenagers (and their parents), face an anxious few weeks as the GCSE examinations get underway. Sitting on average 15 exams in a range of subjects, as well as facing exam pressure, school leavers also must contend with making some big decisions regarding their future. Options post-16 include staying on at school, going to …

Insulation and interior building products distributor CCF, has announced Tim Bryant of T Byrant Builders, as the winner of its Trade Superhero competition and a trip to New York City this month. Tim was crowned victorious after an independent panel of judges read about his superhero efforts to fix a drain in time for a children’s Christingle Service, and freeing …

The industry standard PAS 402 is helping construction firms meet their waste management targets. Reconomy explains more.

A construction company and its groundwork contractor have been fined after a worker was killed by a reversing vehicle. Exeter Crown Court heard how an employee of Steve Hoskin Construction Limited (SHCL) was working for the groundwork contractor at a construction site in Dawlish, Devon when he was crushed by a reversing telescopic material handler. John Small, 47-years old, was …

The Labour Party’s proposal to link up housing and skills policy would be the right approach for a post-Brexit UK, the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has said in response to the publication of the Labour Party’s manifesto. Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said: “Labour’s pledge to integrate housing and skills policy is the right approach to tackling …

Research conducted by housing charity Shelter has revealed that hundreds of renters – including those living in bigger, urban areas – are living in slum-like conditions due to damp, mould, infestation and electrical issues. The report, from Shelter and YouGov, took statements from 300 tenants across the Manchester region. The majority expressed concern about ongoing struggles with damp and mould …