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.
Rigorous safety checks on the materials used to build homes will be enforced by a new national Regulator for Construction Products. Largely brought about in response to testimonies made about some manufacturers of construction materials at the Grenfell Inquiry, the Regulator will have powers to remove materials with significant safety risks from the market; to investigate cases and conduct its own product-testing; and to prosecute companies that fail to follow the rules.
Today (the third Monday in January) is known as ‘Blue Monday – a gloomy title that’s usually awarded to this day because the festive season is over, the days are cold and dark, and there’s still a bit of a wait until pay day. This year, we are of course all facing the added weight of the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic and national lockdown restrictions. Low mood can really impact on our ability to stay motivated so we thought we’d try to help by offering a few tips that might help you be the one who keeps smiling.