Back in November last year, we reported on a free masterclass for bricklayers that was being offered by the Home Builders Federation (HBF) and how an equivalent opportunity would soon be made available for roofers.
This month, the HBF have released that opportunity so, if improving your roofing skills is on your ‘to do’ list, read on.
Every now and then, we like to use our blog to shine the spotlight on a member of our team, explaining what their role is at Sheriff Construction and also revealing a little bit about their homelife and personality.
For the sixth feature in this blog series, we’ve been talking to Lamanda Mahmutaj who is our first ever Apprentice Quantity Surveyor, currently studying at London South Bank University alongside her role at Sheriff. Read on to find out more of her story.
After a few chilly early mornings and, as we’re likely heading into the coldest months of the year, it’s time once again for the construction industry to brace itself against the full impact of winter.
Working outdoors in rain, snow, ice, fog or wind can be harsh, however there are practical solutions which can help ensure such work is carried out productively and that every site worker stays safe and healthy. Take just a few minutes out of your day to read this week’s blog, where we’re sharing three strategies for weatherproofing the construction site.
The Health and Safety Executive estimates that, in Great Britain, 4000 construction workers die every year from respiratory diseases caused by long-term exposure to dust particles at work. That’s around 100 times more deaths caused by ill health in the sector than fatal accidents!
So, to answer the question posed in the title of this week’s blog, ‘why wear a mask’, the answer is pretty simple – it might just save your life. Read on for more on this important topic.
The John Lewis advert has hit the screens, supermarket shelves are starting to fill up with Christmas goodies and probably somewhere there’s a radio station already adding Mariah Carey into their playlist.
While the festive season brings joy to many, there is a darker side which sees some people falling into debt as they join in with the ‘spend, spend, spend’ ethos that will be pushed at us over weeks ahead. Businesses are not immune to this either and can, in fact, stumble into overspending habits at any time of the year. With this in mind, our blog this week focuses on some simple ideas for avoiding overspending.
Thousands of brickies and roofers across England, Wales and Scotland are set to benefit from a major new fully-funded training initiative that aims to upskill the workforce and address common defects.
As part of the industry’s ongoing commitment to building quality homes and with CITB funding, the Home Builders Federation’s (HBF) ‘Home Building Skills Partnership’ has begun delivering a series of brickwork masterclasses and will be rolling out brand-new roofing masterclasses soon. Find out more about these free training opportunities in this week’s blog.
When project deadlines are looming, allowing periods of overtime can be helpful in ensuring everything is completed on time. However, excessive reliance on overtime during any phase of construction can be a telltale sign that something might have gone wrong at the initial planning stage.
So, the question is ‘How can a construction business effectively reduce its reliance on overtime and ensure smoother, more efficient operations?’ Read this week’ blog to explore this subject in more detail.
According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), over 1.2 million working days are lost in the UK because of injuries caused during manual handling tasks in the construction industry.
Aside from the economic impact, such injuries can be painful and have long-term, serious consequences – particularly those involving back problems like slipped discs and repetitive strain injuries. At Sheriff Construction, our site workers undertake mandatory training in this area but we thought we’d use this week’s blog as a reminder of why this is such a backbone of safety in construction and pass on a few general ‘DOs’ and ‘DON’Ts’.
A new NVQ for Brickwork Technicians has just been launched by the Association of Brickwork Contractors.
With building safety compliance in mind, the qualification has been designed for the thousands of people who work within the brickwork industry on important tasks that support the bricklaying process (but who are not actually bricklayers). Find out more here.
Research suggests that the average British construction worker consumes more than 4000 calories a day. That’s 1500 calories above the recommended daily intake for men and 2000 more than what’s recommended for women.
While the daily toll of physical labour means construction workers probably do need more fuel than the average person, the problem is that they’re often choosing unhealthy fast-food options which do not provide the best energy boost and have long-term health implications. Find out more in this week’s blog which includes some healthy alternatives for your key fuelling up times – breakfast and lunch.