Roger Bisby charts the emergence of Bluetooth Connectivity in power tools and wonders how we find the line between work and play. There are now whole generations of tradespeople coming along behind me who have grown up with the mobile phone and will find the ability to control their power tools via Bluetooth as instinctive as breathing. For me, it …

Although basements are a significant area of business opportunity for the construction industry, it is a complex and potentially fraught sector and – in the main – an area for the specialist. Yet Safeguard Europe – the UK specialist in damp-proofing and waterproofing technology – is helping to demystify and simplify understanding of this underground world with the publication of …

Melanoma skin cancer incidence rates have increased by an alarming 119% in the UK since the early 1990s and according to a recent study, construction has been identified as the industry sector in the UK whose workers are most at risk. Now, new research by Wickes has revealed some startling statistics and unsettling attitudes to sunburn and skin cancer amongst …

Darren Hook, CEO of English Heritage Buildings, discusses the benefits of this often overlooked construction method. The construction industry is constantly looking for faster, innovative and more economical methods to reduce costs, construction time and waste, whilst also considering the impact on the environment. Larger businesses are quick to change, but often smaller companies get left behind because of cost …

Jay Hounsell, a Herts-based carpenter and business owner, explains why he believes dust extraction should be the number one priority for everyone in the trade.    He says: “I’ve been working in the carpentry industry for 20-odd years. My new company – The Hertfordshire Kitchen Company – has been going for two years and is successfully placing itself in the …

Easi-Dec, the working at height safety specialist, has supplied Everest with 72 Roofline systems to provide installation teams with a safe, efficient and cost effective solution for accessing roofline level when carrying out gutter, soffit and fascia replacements. After working with scaffolding for several years, Everest investigated alternative working at height solutions. Having approached Easi-Dec about its Roofline system, the …

Keylite Polar is a brand new white PVC roof window which is said to establish a new standard in maintenance free, energy efficient roof windows. Roger Bisby takes a closer look. It surprised me to learn that the number of white roof windows now being sold in the UK is almost half of the total and if the trend continues …

Mercedes-Benz has revealed its first pick-up truck – the hotly anticipated Mercedes-Benz X-Class which will be available in Europe from November at a price of 37,294 Euro.  The Mercedes-Benz X-Class is said to push the boundaries of the modern pick-up – designed to be used as a rugged, all-terrain pickup but also as a vehicle for urban lifestyles and families. The …

Women Count 2017, the second annual report by the Pipeline, has tracked and analysed the number of women on Executive Committees of FTSE 350 companies and has found that progress on gender diversity in senior roles has regressed. With only 16% of members on Executive Committees being women, the same percentage as 2016, there has been no progress. Also, more …

Somerset’s Joe Stradling has won the prestigious title of Redland Apprentice of the Year against stiff competition as one of ten of the country’s best roofing apprentices. In a West Country double, Cornishman Tom Knight was awarded Highly Commended, a category created to acknowledge how close he was to the top award. Joe, who works West Country Tiling in Frome, …

The UK Government has been urged to scrap its approach to deregulation of health and safety legislation in the light of the Grenfell Tower blaze. In an open letter to Prime Minister Theresa May, over 70 leading organisations and figures from the UK’s safety and health profession have jointly called for a political sea change in attitude towards health and …

Skill Builder’s ‘Day in the life’ feature takes a look at a typical day in the life of different tradespeople. Here we talk to Tim Bryant of T Byrant Builders Ltd, who was the winner of insulation and interior building products distributor CCF’s Trade Superhero competition winning a trip to New York City in May 2017. Tim was crowned victorious …

Ten of the country’s best roofing apprentices are gearing up for the two-day final that will see one of them awarded the title of Redland Apprentice of the Year.

The UK retirement housebuilder, McCarthy and Stone, is inviting people across the country to celebrate the heritage skills of older people throughout it’s developments across a number of regions in June and July. The event comes alongside McCarthy and Stone’s 40th year celebrations. In January, at the start of its anniversary year, McCarthy and Stone pledged its support for Royal …

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 Richie Maxwell, the winner of Screwfix’s Top Tradesperson 2016, who shares his winning attitude to work and life and tells us that bricklaying is in his blood. Name: Richie Maxwell Trade: Bricklayer/Stonemason/Builder Company: RDM …

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

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.

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 …

QUADSAW, the tool that drills square holes, will be demonstrated in public for the first time, at the Toolfair tradeshow in Harrogate, UK on 24-25 May. Almost every construction project requires square holes for electrical sockets and other boxes but for years electricians have struggled to create them with rulers, pencils and handsaws. QUADSAW solves this problem thanks to its …