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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

A Manchester building contractor and a company owner have appeared in court after a worker was seriously injured on a refurbishment site. The 53-year-old father of two from Salford was employed as a labourer at the site of a refurbishment project at Manchester One, Portland Street Manchester when the incident occurred on 29 August 2014. The incident was investigated by …

Following the launch of its Baxi 200 and 400 Combis, boiler manufacturer Baxi has added heat only models to its super-powered range. Weighing in at just 19.5kg, the Baxi 200 and 400 Heat boilers are said to be the lightest in the UK, and include a number of time-saving features, which mean installations can be completed quickly. Available in outputs …

The average British worker spends as many as 120 hours per year using their smartphones in the workplace, and those working in construction are among the highest users, according to new research. Research of 2,012 UK adults carried out by gadgets and technology etailer, LaptopsDirect.co.uk, has revealed more than three quarters (78%) of construction workers admit to using their smartphones …

Consumers prefer to hire firms that train apprentices, according to new research from the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). Coinciding with National Apprenticeship Week in England, this new research, based on responses from 2,000 homeowners across the UK, reveals that: Almost two-thirds of homeowners would have a more favourable image of a building firm knowing they train apprentices Half of …

Gerber has introduced the Gerber Centre-Drive multi-tool which the company claims is a game-changing addition to its range designed for real life and heavy-duty work. The tool’s one-thumb opening design allows for quick deployment of the three full size tools that are depended on the most: pliers, blades, and screwdriver. The Centre-Drive introduces an extra-long 3.2 inch magnetic bit driver …

A freedom of information request by Unite, the union for construction workers, has uncovered that thousands of young people are being placed on so-called ‘dead-end’ classroom based construction courses. The figures obtained from the Government’s Skills Funding Agency, reveal the number of classroom based construction courses increased by 14 per cent last year, totally dwarfing the number of apprentices beginning …

A Bedfordshire based contractor has been fined after failing to carry out suitable assessment of asbestos removal work. Luton Magistrates Court heard how Anthony West was contracted to complete demolition work at a building in Biggleswade. West then had a pre-demolition asbestos survey carried out for the building. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) had the demolition work reported to …

During National Apprenticeship Week, Hudson Contract urges more companies to support young talent through apprentice sponsorship schemes.