Over the past few months, we’ve witnessed a race in the launch of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology that has been trained to interact with humans in a conversational way.
Natural language models like Open AI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard can produce pieces of creative writing, translate copy, summarise lengthy texts, access vast amounts of data to answer queries and have a human-like conversation. Whilst experimenting with these technologies can be both useful and fun, this has got us wondering whether AI might soon be taking on other creative work such as designing a building (or perhaps it is already)? Take a look at what we found out in this week’s blog.
At least two online media outlets have just published articles about Sheriff Construction, recognising our company as one of the leading installers and suppliers of flat-roofing systems and brickwork services in the UK.
Both the UK Herald and London Journal picked up the story of our 17 years in the industry and recent success, noting the national recognition our company has gained for delivering exceptional work on commercial and residential projects and for our pursuit of innovation. Read the full story in this week’s blog.
Whilst modern techniques, tools and innovations have brought some changes to the way on-site construction workers perform their duties, they still generally have to carry out physically demanding tasks in sometimes harsh conditions.
Day after day, year after year, you might think that surely such labour takes its toll, so how is it the case that, even as the workforce ages, a great many construction workers remain physically able to handle the strain? The answer it appears is because they have ‘physical wisdom’. Find out what this means in this week’s blog.
When working as part of a team, it is almost inevitable that, at some point, you’ll experience a situation involving conflict – a difference of opinion, a misunderstanding or possibly an outright argument with a colleague.
This is often because, although you may be working towards a shared goal, most teams are made up of people from diverse backgrounds with different personalities, perspectives and opinions. However, conflict doesn’t have to be seen as wholly negative as, if it’s handled well, it can actually be an opportunity for healthy debate, personal growth and support innovation. See if you can achieve this by following our six conflict resolution tips.
Research shows that nearly four out of five tradespeople in the UK have experienced tool theft with the estimated cost to the industry coming in at a staggering £2.8 billion.
Because the victims of tool theft are often self-employed, the impact of their individual losses on them, their families, livelihoods and mental health can be devastating. However, the criminals targeting construction sites and trade vans rarely stop to think about such things and so it’s vital that construction companies prioritise and put every effort into site security. In this week’s blog, we’ll look at how big this problem has become and what you can do to protect your site.
A few years ago we published a series of blogs which put the spotlight on a particular member of our team, asking them to tell us a little about themselves and their role at Sheriff Construction.
Our last ‘Getting to Know You’ article was all the way back in 2019 so we are long overdue for another one! To get things going, we’ve been speaking with our in-house Quantity Surveyor, Refit Dragoti, who has been with the company for three years and was recently successful in gaining a globally recognised NEBOSH health and safety qualification. Read on for more of his story so far.
Twelve members of Sheriff’s top team have just returned from a five day trip to Dubai, a reward from the company for all their hard work and loyalty over recent years!
Including Company Directors, Contract Managers, Site Managers and Foremen, the team were treated to a stayover in a five star hotel plus an itinerary of site seeing trips and meals out.
Find out more about what they got up to in this week’s blog.
In recent years, it’s not often been possible to talk about the supply of any building materials without including the word ‘shortages’.
Finally that seems to have changed as it’s now being reported that, with a slowdown in housing developments, stocks of bricks and some other construction materials are on the rise.
In this week’s blog, we’re reporting on what industry leaders are saying about product demand and supply in the sector.
In a single year, the UK generates 67.8 million tonnes of non-hazardous Construction and Demolition waste, a figure that represents 62% of the nation’s total waste output.
This waste is made up of all kinds of products – concrete bricks, tiles, ceramics, insulation, wood, glass, plastic, bituminous mixtures, cement, gypsum, paints, varnishes, soil, stones, coal, tar, cables, pipes, adhesives and sealants – to name a few!
While much of this is recovered, taking action to reduce construction waste has proven to be good, not only for the environment, but also for business. Keep reading to find out more…
The cost of living crisis is something that’s repeatedly filling our news streams with reports of how this is affecting people, businesses and whole industries.
Now, it has been revealed that, during 2022, high levels of inflation on building materials has made its mark on the UK’s construction sector – taking the total cost of construction output for the year to a record level of £204bn.
Read on for more on this story as well as what the experts are predicting for 2023…