Roger Bisby takes a closer look at Milwaukee’s Surge Power Impact driver which has been designed to reduce the noise at source rather than relying on PPE. The impact driver has become most tradesman’s go to tool for fixings. Not only is it small and light it punches well above its weight. Unlike a drill driver there is also no …

This problem has become more pronounced, with this age group having been four times more likely to experience pressure to study for a degree than +55 year olds, according to new research by the Federation of Master Builders (FMB).

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 Plumber/Carpenter and married father of three Stuart Roache, the winner of Screwfix’s Top Tradesperson 2018. After deciding on a career change at the age of 30 Stuart trained at night college for six-years before becoming …

A Manchester-based property developer has been sentenced after the roof and part of the rear wall collapsed at one of his properties during demolition works. Manchester Crown Court heard how Riaz Ahmad appointed a group of workers, who had no experience in construction, to carry out demolition work at a property in Oldham. On 11 August 2017, after receiving a …

Ventilation manufacturer Nuaire, based in Caerphilly, Wales, hopes to prevent thousands of deaths caused by air pollution with what they consider to be a revolutionary technology for existing homes. To coincide with national Clean Air Day on 21st June, the company is launching the Noxmaster whole-house ventilation system for the retrofit market.  The Noxmaster combines a powerful carbon filter with …

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

With the industry suffering from a lack of skilled workers, Cembrit is helping to educate the roofers of the future by donating roofing materials to Leeds College of Building for the Roof Slating and Tiling apprenticeship scheme.   Cembrit has contributed approximately 1,000 Westerland fibre cement slates, 600 Glendyne natural slates and 120 angled ridges to help deliver valuable roofing …

Two-thirds of those running small and medium-sized (SME) construction firms are struggling to hire bricklayers and carpenters as construction skills shortages hit a ‘record high’, according to the Federation of Master Builders (FMB).   Key results from the FMB’s latest State of Trade Survey, the quarterly assessment of the UK-wide SME construction sector, include: More than two-thirds (68%) of construction …

Andrew Pass, Global Engineering Manager for Fall Protection Engineered systems at MSA Safety explains why he believes engineered simplicity is fundamental to success in fall protection and explains how this has driven the design of the company’s new V-Series range. Fall Protection – A Tall Order With new designs and modern substrates, fall protection systems need the agility to perform …

Resin bonded drives offer a great looking hard-standing without the drawback of loose gravel but are they a job for the general builder?

Hudson Contract has revealed this year’s winners and losers across 10 regions and 17 trades in its annual Construction Pay Trends Index with plumbers enjoying biggest pay rise in 2017 while electricians have experienced a pay drop. The index shows that self-employed builders in England and Wales have seen a year-on-year increase in average weekly earnings of 3.8% – with …

The construction sector has come together to warn the Government of the dangers of the industry facing a ‘cliff edge’ regarding EU workers.

Roger Bisby attends a one day damp-proofing course with Safeguard Europe where he learns about the different causes and types of damp in buildings and what can be done about them. I have been using DryRods from Safeguard Europe for a couple of years now. Before that I used the Dryzone cream. There is no doubt that the product works …

MSA Safety is challenging the perception of fall protection with its new V-SHOCK self-retracting lifeline for building contractors.

More than 80 per cent of construction workers believe Brexit will damage the UK’s industry and prevent high-profile government infrastructure projects from being delivered, a new study suggests. Researchers at Birmingham City University have been examining the views of people working in the sector to see how they believe jobs, projects and industry will be impacted by Britain’s withdrawal from …

Should basement waterproofing design use a barrier method or a cavity drainage system or both? A series of continuing professional development (CPD) seminars from Safeguard Europe – the specialist in damp-proofing and waterproofing technology – has been designed to help answer that question and more. The seminars are grounded on the latest documents and standards, drawing on BS 8102: 2009 …

Michael Holmes, property expert and spokesperson for The Northern Homebuilding & Renovating Show (3-5 November 2017, HCC, Harrogate), offers some thoughts on the state of the UK housing market. “The cause of the housing crisis in the UK is simple enough for any GCSE economics student to understand: there are too many people chasing too few homes to either buy …

The CITB has one last chance to fundamentally reform and start facilitating quality training en masse among the construction industry’s smaller firms, according to the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). The FMB has announced its qualified support for the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) as part of the consensus process, submitting its official letter to the CITB’s Chief Executive Sarah …