Developing in line with rising property prices, it has now been highlighted in the Generation Rent Report that around one third of UK youths expect to still be paying off mortgages when they’re over 60, and around half then drawing concerns as to how they will then be able to
Tying in with the national surge in the take-up of office space, it has been highlighted by Savills that the Cambridge city centre has also seen a considerable increase in the amount of takeup over the last half year – this seen through the culmination of a number of smaller,
Recently winning a Gold RoSPA Occupational Health and Safety Award, Keyline has recently been highlighted as one of those organisations taking health and safety as a foremost concern. The company, renown as a specialist in the provision of drainage and civils solutions, as well as heavy building materials, came into
It has been reported that, of those property purchases made within the prime London market, three out of five were in fact by buy-to-let investors and owners of second homes for 2016’s first quarter. Also playing a role in boosting the volume of sales undertaken with cash, as highlighted in
Good news for Armstrong Ceilings, as the company has achieved record-breaking levels in recycling for the second year on the run, seen with the recycling of some 142,000m2 over the course of last year, with a notable nine members of the company’s Omega network (approved installers) then showcasing their expertise
Confidence within the buy-to-let sector has been reported to have taken a hit most recently; a direct result of both the present and upcoming changes highlighted in taxation for the sector. Whilst initially it had been seen that confidence remained high, the new research, produced by PropertyLetByUs, has highlighted how
The Importance Of Worker Engagement (The Following is a Promoted Article) Enfield-based Mattison Scaffolding Ltd has made great strides in health and safety over the last five years. Following the introduction of the Chartered Member of the Institute of Safety and Health John Houlihan as its in-house Health and Safety
To follow on from an upgrade to the free ECA e-RAMS service, available online, it has been reported that the popularity of the risk and method statement services has shot upwards,with considerable demand from members of the ECA. To monitor popularity, the ECA is able to check the frequency of
Unfortunate prospects have been announced for those homeowners who have purchased a property in the UK in 2007, with hundreds of thousands of such homeowners predicted to be hit with negative equity, in contrast to the strong growth presently being realised in the residential market. In 2007, it has been
Safety Is Not An Option Worker wellbeing goes hand in hand with business growth at Eurogold (The Following is a Promoted Article) “No Muddy Boots”, reads the sign at the door of Eurogold’s head office in Huyton near Liverpool. It is a simple, honest request and one that becomes increasingly
Developing in line with rising property prices, it has now been highlighted in the Generation Rent Report that around one third of UK youths expect to still be paying off mortgages when they’re over 60, and around half then drawing concerns as to how they will then be able to afford making mortgage repayments once they have entered into retirement. Despite the rise in prices and associated mortgage implications, demand for housing still remains high, with people, no matter how difficult it may now be, seemingly still determined to own their own home. Of course, when considering woes as to the ability of youths to afford residential property, this brings with it concerns as to how both the individual can garner personal housing if their capacity to repay a mortgage is questionable. One way in which people may be looking to overcome this is through continued work. Though not a favourable option for most, some 34% of people predict that they will be working beyond retirement so that they can pay off their mortgage, with 44% people drawing up concerns that they would not be able to do so if in retirement. Additionally, 51% of individuals have laid out concerns as to how paying for a mortgage may hinder the capacity to save up for retirement. As for how property can be made more affordable, or justifiable, around 49% of individuals regard having a partner as one of the key measures for judging the affordability of owning their own home, whilst 34% agree with the extending of a mortgage beyond 25 years to be one of the key ways to make the investment more affordable. Despite all these concerns, however, it has been reported that the quantity of first time buyers has increased considerably over the past few years, as some 300,000 individuals made their leap into the property market over the course of 2015.
Tying in with the national surge in the take-up of office space, it has been highlighted by Savills that the Cambridge city centre has also seen a considerable increase in the amount of takeup over the last half year – this seen through the culmination of a number of smaller, 10,000 square foot space deals. When looking to where Savills attributes this increase, the firm highlights the increased recognition seen from “technology” occupiers in the positive consequences of a central business district location; these locations then offering improved accessibility to local amenities, as well as transport links and further convenient facilities, such as for for cycling. In fact, it has been reported that the take-up from “technology” occupiers actually managed to outgrow that of incubator space, specifically within key areas of interest for technology firms, such as innovation and business parks, with technology firms looking to grow their business into more centralised space. This sees a number of scientific and technology-led organisations such as Malin Life Sciences, Raspberry Pi, Microsoft, Astra Zeneca and Apple now with central business locations. As demand has risen for space, so too has the supply of Grade A space dropped, with the market struggling to keep up with the demand. This has led to surges in rents for Cambridge (amongst other locations) as interested parties fight for the space still available. In fact, the rents reported for prime business parks hit £30 per square foot in certain areas of Cambridge, serving as a figure not too distant from the ever-high city-centre rents which now sit at around £35 per square foot. Of course, with the recovering economy in hand, it has been seen that occupiers are now slightly less concerned with the price of premises, and instead more focused on finding the best possible space, with the best location.
Recently winning a Gold RoSPA Occupational Health and Safety Award, Keyline has recently been highlighted as one of those organisations taking health and safety as a foremost concern. The company, renown as a specialist in the provision of drainage and civils solutions, as well as heavy building materials, came into the award following on from being celebrated for its markedly responsible standards for health and safety as perceived over the course of the past year. Most specifically, praise was given for the integral role played by both senior managers and directors in the overarching health and safety stratagems of the company. This saw a heavy focus on integrating all members of the Keyline team in the health and safety process, as well as typical forms of engagement to ensure a complete health and safety culture. A core part of this saw a considerable focus on proper risk assessments, enabling the company to adapt health and safety procedures in line with the relative risks perceived by a health and safety conscious workforce. Nodding towards the company’s delight in receiving the award, as well as how it underlines how far the company has come in achieving first-class results for health and safety processes, Keyline’s Safety Director, Richard Byrne provided commentary on the win. He said: “Our obligation to health and safety extends to our colleagues, the contractors we employ, our customers, stakeholders that we work with, and members of the public. We are extremely proud that this effort has been acknowledged by RoSPA.” The event also tied in with RoSPA’s 60th anniversary for its Health and Safety Awards, with the scheme having existed for a more extended period of time than any like-schemes in the industry. As such, success at the RoSPA awards is quite traditionally looked upon as the premier mark of success for health and safety procedures.
It has been reported that, of those property purchases made within the prime London market, three out of five were in fact by buy-to-let investors and owners of second homes for 2016’s first quarter. Also playing a role in boosting the volume of sales undertaken with cash, as highlighted in Marsh & Parsons’ latest London Property Monitor report. Highlighted as the most prominent buyer archetype for the first quarter, it can be observed that buy-to-let investors made up some 36% of all those purchases in the first quarter. This comes during the build-up to the stamp duty reforms, of course, with predictions being that many buy-to-let investors rushed to push their purchases through before the new regulation would come into force. The spike can be best highlighted when compared with the figures of the final quarter of 2015, where a far lower proportion of 26% was reported. Of course, this has then also showcased a renewed influence of investors within the wider property market, but not yet hitting the highs of 2014, where the share of the market estimated to be of investors reached a notable proportion of 47%. Following on from buy-to-let investors, buyers of secondary homes then made up the second largest portion of the market for the prime London sector, serving a value only marginally shy of a doubled proportion of market investment – 14% for the final quarter of 2015, then jumping up to 23% for the first quarter of this year. These combined figures then make up some 59% of the total amount of purchases within the prime London market, yet this value is reportedly even higher when looking more specifically at the prime central London market, where figures showed a 76% proportion of the market being attributed to the combination of these two investor archetypes.
Good news for Armstrong Ceilings, as the company has achieved record-breaking levels in recycling for the second year on the run, seen with the recycling of some 142,000m2 over the course of last year, with a notable nine members of the company’s Omega network (approved installers) then showcasing their expertise in the field of recycling enough to quality as “Green Omegas”. In total, the amount recycled has been estimates to have saved contractors approximately £100,000 in landfill tax, but also represents a great result in the field of corporate social responsibility. As for the materials recycled, these are presently, and will continue to be used entirely for the creation of mineral ceiling tiles, then serving to save the company in excess of £28,000 in materials. Looking at to where we can attribute such success, it has been reported that it is specifically the Green Omegas network which has achieved great success in breaking the records, serving as a network of highly specialist subcontractors, both in the fields of traditional subcontracting as well as in that of recycling itself. One of the Armstrong Omegas since, PFP, also then provided commentary on the Omega network through its Managing Director, Boyd Sinclair, who commented: “The benefits of becoming an Omega installer were the closer working relationship with Armstrong, PFP being recommended to clients by Armstrong for projects, and receipt of project leads from Armstrong.” Also as a reputable installer of Armstrong products specifically, the company has seen considerable benefit in competing against organisations only offering labour services. Most notably, this providing an extra layer of confidence in the company when main contractors draw up comparisons between sourcing materials themselves, with labour-only operatives to deliver, against that of the company to offer a complete procurement and installation package – this is partially because it is very unlikely for the average labour-only subcontractor to actually be certified by Armstrong Omega.
Confidence within the buy-to-let sector has been reported to have taken a hit most recently; a direct result of both the present and upcoming changes highlighted in taxation for the sector. Whilst initially it had been seen that confidence remained high, the new research, produced by PropertyLetByUs, has highlighted how many landlords are looking to re-evaluate their models so as best to create plans for their continued commercial success. In fact, the report highlights a very worrying statistic – only one out of five landlords actually consider the buy-to-let sector as one where there is money to actually be made. This comes in contrast to the recently reported figures of those procuring further buy-to-let assets in the build-up to the reforms laid out by the Chancellor. With 43% of landlords reportedly considering the concept of moving their assets into the vehicle of a limited company (a move to overcome the tax changes), it is clear that landlords are perceiving the changes as something of a considerable threat to profitability in the industry under the new reforms. Additionally, circa 5% of landlords have actually sold some of their buy-to-let assets as a direct result of the increased burden of tax, with 6% planning to move their investments from property, and instead look into stocks and shares as the way forward. Of course, this is all merely based on forecasts in the industry as, right now, only one out of six landlords have actually reported a drop in profitability, with many already having plans laid out to counter tax rises and continue their profitable business model – part of this may very well see an increase in rents to ensure a level of income that can create profits when accounting for the increased burden of taxation. In the long-term, the figures do, however, highlight a foretasted reduction in the availability of rental property, with the industry indeed facing a drop in confidence. At the same time, however, with demand rising and supply expected to remain stagnant, those with buy-to-let properties may well be facing a market whereby increased rents will be possible due to the level at which demand may outstrip supply – thus making the industry profitable and inviting as an investment.
The Importance Of Worker Engagement (The Following is a Promoted Article) Enfield-based Mattison Scaffolding Ltd has made great strides in health and safety over the last five years. Following the introduction of the Chartered Member of the Institute of Safety and Health John Houlihan as its in-house Health and Safety Manager, the company has built upon its commitment to the highest standards and the recognition that workforce wellbeing is consistent with overall business performance. With nearly two and a half decades’ experience working in the industry, much of that directly with the scaffolding profession, John has strategically developed the company’s policies and procedures and witnessed improvement across the board. The introduction of bespoke and innovative health and safety management systems has had the full support of Mattison’s directors, bringing not only vast improvement but the commercial benefits of best practice. Mattison specialises in all areas of scaffolding work; including regeneration and refurbishment projects, ancillary asbestos work, 24-hour emergency response unit, dangerous structure work, high security and utility work. From individual high-rise tower blocks to entire housing estates, the company works with some of the UK’s largest construction companies. Its leading position within the market is founded on in-house expertise that enables it to provide all materials, transport and labour to a project, accelerating programme speed and creating continuity between Mattison and the main contractor. This successful delivery of services has seen it involved in many partnering agreements for regeneration programmes across London. Health and safety has played a major part in the company’s commercial success in the last few years. The inherent risks associated with scaffolding work require much more than procedural requirements and qualifications. Safety must become a seamless part of the job, not an addition to it. That’s something John has targeted and he refers to it as “worker engagement”. “Five years ago, I needed to address every aspect of health and safety within the company,” he remarks. “I focused on developing systems that worked specifically for Mattison having carried out a needs analysis to identify where the weaknesses were and how we could combat them. This was complemented by the creation of a new health and safety culture, implemented across the workforce. At the beginning, it was about planting the seeds to encourage steady progress and improvement. “Worker engagement has made a great contribution to the success of our health and safety record. We hold regular meetings with our staff, we encourage feedback, and we’ve implemented a more focussed career route for staff to progress through. It’s about working from grassroots level and getting the staff involved, equipping them with the tools to take ownership of their own performance. The company recognises you’re only as good as your front line, that’s why it’s so important.” This forms a key part of Mattison’s ethos of “continual improvement”, a fundamental policy that governs all critical aspects of its work. This sees John setting reviewable performance benchmarks, which are assessed on a regular basis. Mattison’s “black hats” supervise work on site. These advanced scaffolders are given extensive training in health and safety policy before qualifying for the CISRS certification. Contracts managers support them alongside regular visits by the health and safety chief to check compliance. In addition, on every site is a comprehensive health and safety folder, documenting everything from the qualifications of the workforce to the method statement and risk assessment. It’s ideal for the client as there is one central archive of relevant information including the competencies of the operatives. Weekly compliance reports measure operational standards before this is analysed on a monthly basis. Performance is measured against pre-determined standards, which include both reactive monitoring where Mattison investigates all accidents, incidents and near misses, and pro-active monitoring where, importantly, good practice is addressed and rewarded. Key performance indicators also help performance evaluation with benchmarking against past and present standards identifying the success of management strategies. John feels it is important to reward good practice. “We don’t want to look at health and safety as purely a negative exercise; we want to point out the work of high achievers. We run recognition awards every month to highlight our top performers, which has proven very successful. It’s good from a client point of view because they can see us encouraging best practice, while our workforce is rewarded for taking ownership of their own standards and conduct.” Crucially, Mattison’s approach to health and safety starts at the beginning. New staff are inducted into the various policies and procedures the company utilises before, for a two-week period, they work alongside an experienced member of the team. “This gives us an opportunity to assess them to ensure their performance level is as we’d expect,” explains John. “It also gives them a chance to be embedded into our way of working, which may be different from previous companies they’ve worked for. However, it’s important to us that they acknowledge and understand our work ethic.” The development of a health and safety culture within Mattison has gone hand-in-hand with its growth as a business over the last few years. Measuring standards, worker engagement, collaborative liaison and bespoke training have combined to enhance its activities and improve the wellbeing and skills development of the workforce. Alongside its CHAS and Safe Contractor accreditations, the company has consistently proven a commitment to the highest standards of which safety plays such a vital part. Concludes John: “With our database of clients continuing to increase, this reflects positively on the way we work and the health and safety standards we are producing.”
To follow on from an upgrade to the free ECA e-RAMS service, available online, it has been reported that the popularity of the risk and method statement services has shot upwards,with considerable demand from members of the ECA. To monitor popularity, the ECA is able to check the frequency of assessments completed and, in the latest of such figures, it has been highlighted that there was a 67% increase in the frequency of risk assessments completed by members of the ECA each month, ever since the close of last October. This signifies a grand total of some almost 600 members of the ECA using the RAMS to then create tend of thousands of risk assessments. As explained by Paul Reeve, Director of Business Services of the ECA, the upgrade made by the ECA to the new e-RAMS service allows for organisations to undertake quantified risk assessments, as well as enhanced hazard and control measure text, thus facilitating an increasingly strong service for members; something which can be seen as successful in its surge of demand thus far. Most specifically, e-RAMS is seen to be of most use for singular tasks and projects, as well as providing assistance with BSE activities of any shape or size. Paul Reeve furthered: “Similar products can cost hundreds of pounds or more, so we are pleased to see hundreds of ECA members already utilising this free service, helping them take the necessary steps to ensure health and safety on site.” Offering a solution to risk assessment that is simple to fill out, easy to then adapt in line with specific projects, and then submit as a complete assessment in a professional format, e-RAMS offers a highly intuitive service for members of the ECA – what’s more, it’s free, which has no doubt contributed to the incredible boom in popularity of the service itself.
Unfortunate prospects have been announced for those homeowners who have purchased a property in the UK in 2007, with hundreds of thousands of such homeowners predicted to be hit with negative equity, in contrast to the strong growth presently being realised in the residential market. In 2007, it has been reported that some 1.5m property transactions were undertaken as the prices of such properties hit peak levels, moments before the financial crisis experienced in 2008. And although the market itself has been seen to recover in recent times, it is still that case that the average property price in 50% of cities and town remain below those averages seen back in the peaks of 2007 (highlighted in research undertaken by HouseSimple). Within London, prices have indeed risen by 56% from those figures in 2007, however it is the case that this level of success has not been seen in many other geographic areas around the country (Northern England representing one such area where 17/20 of those hit worst reside). Most specifically, it has been revealed in HouseSimple’s research that the North West represents the area hit the most by negative equity, with 40% of those areas pinpointed in the worst-off 20 towns for negative equity all being in the North West. Specifically, the towns hit the most are Middlesbrough and Blackpool, with housing prices still at a value almost 30% less than at the peaks before the crash. Blackburn and Liverpool area also reported to be 25% and 23% lower than pre-crash respectively, with Yorkshire and the Humber also hit hard (1/3 of towns being in the list of 20 also). Of course, as can be seen with London, the South of England has enjoyed a far greater degree of growth, not solely limited to London itself, but far more widespread. As such, It is predominantly those homeowners in the north with which this news hits hard.
Safety Is Not An Option Worker wellbeing goes hand in hand with business growth at Eurogold (The Following is a Promoted Article) “No Muddy Boots”, reads the sign at the door of Eurogold’s head office in Huyton near Liverpool. It is a simple, honest request and one that becomes increasingly revealing the better you know the company’s founder Damien Brickland & co-founder Andy Tomkins. Damien is a man of principle and hard work, a hands-on leader who has weathered the storm of recession with unwavering ambition. 12 years since it began, the company Eurogold now enjoys a reputation as one of the North West’s premier civil engineering contractors and has almost doubled turnover since 2013 to £26.5m. Its order book remains almost full and over the next five years the company is expected to enjoy annual growth of 9%. Eurogold’s rapid progression in the last 12 months is a mark of its approach during the recession. By operating to essentially cover overheads but, importantly, maintain its client base, staff and external workforce, Damien consolidated the company’s position to leave it ideally placed to grow during the upturn. Realising that the significant increase in contracts demanded further focus on all aspects of its operations, money was made available to invest in the business. This included £1.7m on new plant and vehicles to ensure the workforce had the best and safest tools and equipment at its disposal. The implementation of a full-time in-house Health and Safety Manager was another new addition. This was a necessity given the growing number of sites on which Eurogold was operating. In order to consistently deliver high standards for its clients and ensure the safety of its workforce, new measures were put in place to develop an already strong part of the business. Indeed, since the full-time introduction of Health and Safety Manager Michaela Connor, the bar has been set even higher. As a Worksafe Contractor and accredited to CHAS, Construction-line and the NHBC’s SafeMark scheme, Eurogold has nothing to prove when it comes to the safety of its workforce. But it’s the little things that make you stand out. That’s why the “no muddy boots” slogan has such significance. “A tidy site is a safe site,” comments Damien. “For us, the biggest thing in Health and Safety is that it begins with your perception of the business. It starts with a simple thing such as: are the vans clean? If you go in our cabins, are they tidy? That tends to tell you what’s happening on the site.” It is a strategy that comes from the top. “I go straight to the van, then I go to the site office, and finally the canteen,” adds Damien. “The state of these areas tell me everything I need to know about how well-run this site is. If the office is a mess, how well is that site being managed?” It is an approach that has brought dividend. Both Damien and Michaela enjoy a close working relationship with their site managers and the operatives on the ground. This has promoted openness amongst staff who are now more willing than ever to raise issues regarding safety, discuss their own attitudes and ideas, and highlight areas that could be improved. More than anything, safety has become an ingrained culture amongst the workforce meaning it is part of the job, not an addition to it. “Safety isn’t an option,” says Michaela. “It is the norm. What we can do, however, is take it up a level.” In fact, both Damien and Michaela are so confident in Eurogold’s health and safety procedures across its varied sites – currently 56 of them in total – they asked me to randomly pick any two for a spot visit, knowing I wouldn’t find any faults. As a groundworks and civil engineering business, Eurogold faces a number of different risks. Its varied work delivers solutions for such clients as house builders Redrow, Bellway, Wain, MCI Developments, Stewart Milne Homes, Partner Construction, Taylor Wimpey, Eccleston Homes, McCarthy & Stone, and Barratt Home; all blue chip companies that Damien is proud to be involved and associated with. Eurogold provides everything from bulk excavation, foundations and domestic drainage to hard and soft landscaping, and roads and sewer work. Risks are therefore similarly diverse from working at height to site transport, vibration, dust and manual handling. It is a challenge but one Michaela tackles head-on. In addition to daily visits by Contracts Managers and a documented weekly site inspection by the site foreman or supervisor, the Health & Safety Department will carry out regular qualitative and quantitative auditing which has been facilitated by the uninformed Health and Safety Management System implemented on every site. This has brought some key benefits such as creating a smooth transition between site teams and assisting in KPI benchmarking for compliance and standards. This is complemented by the CITB Construction Skills Card Scheme (CSCS/CPCS), which is the minimum requirement for anyone working on a Eurogold site. Further training is given such as NVQ’s, NPORS, WIAPS, SPIDER, First Aid, and NRASWA Street-Works, alongside additional on-going training based on task-specific activities include Manual Handling, Abrasive Wheel and Slinger Banksman to name a few. Furthermore, Eurogold’s onsite supervisory staff are qualified through the SMSTS or SSSTS training schemes. “I visit all our sites regularly and, alongside the Contracts Managers, we will identify any tweaks that we may need to make and deliver any training or refresher training where necessary. The training matrix is a live document so we assess on an ongoing basis,” remarks Michaela. “We care about our people,” adds Damien. “Once they’ve worked here for any length of time, they know it is the place to be. We give them the best training and high specification equipment, vehicles and facilities because if you get those things right, the standard of work and the services you provide for customers are right.” Incentivising best practice has also helped improve Health and Safety, and proven popular with the workforce.