Tools and equipment are essential to the effective running of any construction site but, because they are used so much, they can suffer a lot of wear and tear, become damaged and eventually be unusable.
However, with proper care and maintenance, the lifespan of your tools and equipment can be extended and that’s good news for four reasons: 1) Better quality tools means better quality work; 2) It reduces costs related to repairs or replacements; 3) There will be fewer accidents/ injuries from faulty equipment; and 4) It’s better for the environment.
With so much to gain, in this week’s blog, we’re sharing some top tips for how to protect and maintain those tools.
A new technology, using flying robots (drones) that work cooperatively like bees, might soon be something we see in use on a construction site.
Imitating some of the methods used by nature’s airborne builders, the technology (which has so far been tested in a lab) could ultimately be used for manufacturing and building – particularly in difficult-to-access or dangerous locations such as tall buildings or help with post-disaster relief works.
Take a look at this week’s blog to find out more…
A new England-wide employment scheme is looking to encourage more women to join the residential construction workforce and especially to go into site management roles.
Launched by the Home Builders Federation and the not-for-profit organisation, Women Into Construction, the scheme is offering women work placement opportunities on sites with access to support with childcare and training costs. The hope is that this will have the duel effect of reducing skills shortages in the industry and rebranding construction as a rewarding and practical career opportunity for people from all walks of life. Read on for more details…
Known as ‘Twelfth Night’, today officially marks the end of the festive period. For most people, this means that the lights and decorations will have been packed away, the chocolate box will be reduced to a few strawberry creams and normal working/ school days will have resumed.
While the return to a normal routine can feel like a natural comfort zone, for many people the prospect of the cold, dark winter months ahead can bring a dose of the blues and a lack of motivation that affects their personal and working lives.
If that’s you right now, here are a few tips for how you can stay motivated at work this January.
The recent cold snap is a reminder to us that working outdoors in such conditions is not exactly the most pleasant thing any of us could be doing and that, once again, it’s time for our industry to brace itself for the winter months ahead.
During these months, we all need to be aware of the potential hazards that come with harsher weather, recognise that some tasks could take longer to complete and be prepared to make adaptations when planning work activities.
If you’re working on site this winter, here’s our handy guide to surviving the cold.
Since the clocks went back in October, the hours of daylight have been getting shorter and that means many construction workers (including those working in office support roles) will be spending at least part of their working day and commuting time in the dark.
This can result in additional safety and security issues, including the risk of accidents occurring on site or while travelling to work as well as more malignant factors such as premises and/or workers being targeted by thieves taking advantage of the cover of darkness.
Here, we look at six simple ways you can stay safer this winter.
There was a time when the idea of including a flat roof in a building design would have been considered risky, largely because of the kind of roofing materials used during the 1950s and 60s which proved to be not that durable and had a reputation for leaks. However, the technology has moved on so much since then and today we have flat-roofing solutions which provide exceptional waterproofing, are resistant to tear or puncture and have a much longer lifespan than their predecessors.
Perhaps the best thing about modern flat-roofing is that, providing it has been professionally installed, it should only ever require some simple routine maintenance. With the Autumn bringing leaves and debris onto our roofs, now is the time to get that maintenance done. Follow our advice in this week’s blog.
This week, the Egyptian city of Sharm el-Sheikh saw world leaders, business leaders, climate activists, civil society representatives and others arrive for COP27 – the largest annual gathering on climate action. Running for two weeks (until 18th November), this United Nations conference is seeking renewed solidarity between countries to urgently tackle the global climate emergency and deliver on the Paris Agreement for people and the planet.
Approaches that can be made by energy intensive sectors such as oil, gas, steel and cement will be discussed on the conference’s ‘Decarbonisation Day’ (11th November) so we’ll be keeping a watch on what’s said. Meanwhile, we thought we’d take this as our theme for this week’s blog and look at five ways construction companies can lower their carbon footprint.
If you’ve been working on a construction site in Britain for a while then it’s very likely you’ll have the had many experiences of working in rainy conditions.
While the odd shower isn’t so bad, persistent rain can result in some pretty unpleasant working conditions on site (and in other outdoor working environments). As well as posing a number of risks associated with workers getting cold and wet, rain can increase the chances of people falling victim to other hazards like slips, falls and accidents caused by poor visibility.
As we’ve had a few Autumnal downpours over the past few days, in this week’s blog, we’re talking about the dangers associated with working in rain and what steps can be taken to stay safe.
Manufacturing industries have been developing and using robotics for several decades, the first example being a robot that was capable of transferring objects from one point to another within a distance of around three and a half metres, designed by George Devol in 1954.
Jump forwards to today and intelligent robots have taken over many of the manufacturing tasks that require high precision, speed and endurance. They are becoming smarter, more flexible and increasingly capable of working independently of humans. It’s safe to say that, without robots, most large manufacturing companies would struggle to survive.
With such advancement taking place in one sector, we thought we’d take a look at what’s happening in construction. Read on to find out three ways in which our industry is joining the robotic revolution.