Like many other work environments, construction involves several layers of supervisory and management roles, many of which are taken up by people who have worked their way up the ranks. While that’s a great example of how hard work and loyalty can be rewarded, it also means that often people without any formal management or leadership training are having to manage and lead. As one of the trickiest aspects of managing other people is giving feedback (both praise and criticism), in this week’s blog, we’re sharing five tips which could help you master this skill.
A few weeks ago, we reported on some aspects of the UK budget which are likely to have an impact on construction. One thing we didn’t spot was Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s announcement of a new Taxpayer Protection Taskforce which is set to investigate those who make fraudulent claims through government COVID support schemes such as furlough and the Self Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS). In this week’s blog, we’re taking a closer look at what this taskforce is set to do and explore whether there is a problem in construction with some workers choosing grants over tools.
A year has now passed since the UK went into its first lockdown and, as well as this being such a tragic time for so many people, it’s also been a period when the government has poured an unprecedented £340bn into schemes intended to support companies and individuals through the crisis. Amidst all that COVID-related spending, it can be easy to forget that the country has several other priorities – not least of which is the urgency around climate change. Kicking off what is being dubbed the ‘green industrial revolution’, the government recently unveiled a £1bn funding pot for projects across England that will help to cut emissions from public buildings, schools and hospitals.
To succeed in construction today and over the coming decades, the workforce needs to think about a continuous skills upgrade. We’re not only talking about the technical skills or upgrades required by particular trades. For anyone working in construction to make a leap from ‘good’ to ‘great’ performance, there are a host of other skills and knowledge that should be also nurtured. This week’s blog includes three steps which construction companies can use to encourage a culture of life-long learning plus some great examples of the online training options available.
When working with hot melt or torch-on systems, the roofing environment can easily become hazardous. But, if workers are committed to following the right safety procedures and have an attitude where safety always comes first, any potential hazards can just as easily be avoided. We’ve just issued all our operatives with a detailed Toolbox Talk to ensure their understanding of this issue is completely up-to-date. Here, we share some of some of the key points.
In case you missed it, Rishi Sunak presented the government’s Spring Budget yesterday. Unsurprisingly, the global pandemic and the billions of pounds of national expenditure that it has made necessary dominated what Sunak had to say. There were also several announcements which will undoubtedly have an impact on construction. To save you time, in this week’s blog, we’ve picked out some of the key measures.
Mistakes can be made at any phase of a construction project. Some may be minor but others can have serious consequences, affecting costs, schedules and, of course, the health and safety of workers. When the stakes are this high, it’s important that any mistakes lead to lessons being learnt, but it’s even more important that they are avoided in the first place. With that in mind, here’s our short guide to avoiding some of the common pitfalls in construction; in other words what NOT to do!
While robotics have been commonplace in manufacturing for many years, the complexity and unpredictability of factors than can occur on construction sites has made their widescale use in this environment more problematic. Now, an emerging robotic system being developed and tested by a team at Purdue University in the U.S. may be about to change that. Read more in this week’s blog from Sheriff Construction.
While the central role of a roof in covering and protecting the inside of a building from what goes on outside has remained the same, advancements within the industry mean that modern day roofing often goes far beyond the basics. New technologies have added functionality and brought several benefits into roofing systems and with so much going on, we thought we’d use this week’s blog to shine a light on two fairly recent innovations – cool roofing and blue roofing.
Materials from construction and demolition are contributing up to 40 per cent of the world’s waste – the result of which is often mountains of rubble left in landfill sites. We all know this is unacceptable but perhaps there’s a simple solution – recycled concrete. A five-year study of this type of concrete shows it performs just as well and, in several cases, actually outperforms the traditional material.