Protecting.co.uk, a health & safety and employment law expert, has undertaken a survey that shows a staggering 76% of tradespeople admit to doing at least one ‘Friday job’ which they are ‘ashamed of’. From slapdash plastering to lackadaisical joinery, it seems that the British public are suffering when it comes
Engineering software developer, Envenio, has launched an online BIM (Building Information Modeling) and CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) Survey. The 5-6 minute survey has been designed to collect baseline data directly from industry, and aims to find out more about BIM and the role for CFD in building design and HVAC
Unless you’re a building professional and can give a property a thorough inspection yourself then it’s vital to get your potential house looked at before you buy it. If you are getting a mortgage, the provider will carry out a property valuation to ensure that the house or apartment is
Robert Walters, a surveyor that has been in operation conducting surveys around the world since the year 2000, has released figures this year that indicate that the salary earners working in the field of mid-level supplies will go up by a very significant 11 per cent. This is without a
A survey of Build UK members has found that the shortage of skilled labour has become more severe since Brexit, despite the EU referendum outcome not having an immediate slowdown in work for UK contractors overall. The survey shows that in the three months following the referendum, labour costs are
As of a survey by the Association of Plumbing & Heating Contractors, it has been urged for those leaving school to be encouraged to look into the possibility of undertaking apprenticeships as opposed to the more traditionally considered route onto the career ladder. And while higher education is still considered
It has recently been reported that East Midlands based renters are happier with their landlord in contrast with any other location in England. The research, carried out by the NLA, highlighted that some 83% of renters in the area commented on their satisfaction with their present landlord, with those from
Protecting.co.uk, a health & safety and employment law expert, has undertaken a survey that shows a staggering 76% of tradespeople admit to doing at least one ‘Friday job’ which they are ‘ashamed of’. From slapdash plastering to lackadaisical joinery, it seems that the British public are suffering when it comes to pre-weekend work. The study, which surveyed 500 workers across various trades, showed that a majority of tradespeople – like workers in many other professions – lose concentration as the end of the week edges closer. However, many of them were seemingly very relaxed about this dip in productivity, despite the potentially expensive consequences for their customers. One worker, who asked not to be named, confessed: “It was Friday afternoon – I knew that light switch was upside down, and shame on me, but it was time to go to the pub.” Another, who confessed to rushing interior decorating jobs in the run-up to the weekend, said: “It’s almost traditional now – Friday afternoon jobs get done quickly so you can have an early finish for the weekend. Everybody does it!” JR a web designer from Leeds said: “I should have spent more time making that website perfect so google could find it, but it still works.” Sam, a decorator from London, also said: “I didn’t use masking tape and lets just say I hope that customer is blind as those lines are not straight.” “Not only do these ‘Friday jobs’ tend to result in problems which can cost consumers dearly further down the line, they also open up a can of worms when it comes to health and safety. If the correct precautions aren’t taken due to workers being preoccupied, trade businesses could be liable for much more than just complaints and money spent fixing botched jobs,” said Chris Hall, spokesperson for Protecting.co.uk. “Failing to follow correct protocol such as protective clothing regulations or correctly storing hazardous substances on-site because workers are eager to get the job finished could have very grave consequences. It is up to businesses to ensure their employees are correctly trained and aware of the requirements for their role – and, of course, to protect themselves against complaints or expensive remedial work for customers,” he added. There are steps businesses can take to reduce dangerous errors as a result of ‘Friday jobs’, Hall noted. Properly assessing health and safety requirements for each job and then training employees accordingly will increase overall caution taken, but he added that it was also key to tackle the causes of the drop in productivity.
Engineering software developer, Envenio, has launched an online BIM (Building Information Modeling) and CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) Survey. The 5-6 minute survey has been designed to collect baseline data directly from industry, and aims to find out more about BIM and the role for CFD in building design and HVAC system optimization. “The results will enable us to better understand how BIM and CFD tools are being used, and identify new areas where they could be used” says Scott Walton, VP of Envenio. Respondents will be automatically entered into a prize draw to win $500 worth of compute time on Envenio’s cloud hosted, on-demand CFD platform EXN/Aero. Advances in both BIM and CFD technology have enabled complicated building models to be digitally constructed with precise geometry and accurate information to support the project construction, fabrication, analysis and procurement activities. Mapping 3D flow patterns, evaluating occupant thermal comfort, and predicting contaminant dispersion are just some of the reasons more and more in the built environment have been turning to CFD as a general purpose flow simulator, and engineers are using CFD to trial new design ideas at low cost or to identify problems with existing systems during retrofits. The survey will ask questions about existing BIM and CFD use, identifying current attitudes and perceptions, training and usability issues, and costs. Results from the survey will be shared in September. The survey can be accessed by clicking here.
Unless you’re a building professional and can give a property a thorough inspection yourself then it’s vital to get your potential house looked at before you buy it. If you are getting a mortgage, the provider will carry out a property valuation to ensure that the house or apartment is worth its market value, and that it can therefore lend with confidence. However, a mortgage valuation does not go deeply into the structure, or the nitty-gritty detail that could end up costing you a fortune in the long run if a defect is not identified. You may decide you want a more in-depth survey and assessing all options is advisable. The mortgage survey costs around £250-350 and is usually included in your fees. The documentation will be under the legal ownership of the lender so should the valuer fail to spot a costly defect then you will have no claim against them. For an extra £100 or so you can pay for a Homebuyer Survey and Valuation, which comes under the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), so will be a standard report on the condition of the property. Despite the complex RICS language the Homebuyer Survey and Valuation will help you recognise any potential structural problems that could knock value off the property. You will also be given a new valuation that could lower your mortgage. If structural problems are found and you work out it’s going to cost say £3,000 to repair, then you should be able to get this taken off the asking price, thereby lowering your mortgage. Next on the list is a Home Condition Survey, which is similar in price and detail to the RICS Homebuyer Survey and Valuation but will give you a bit more advice on how to deal with some of the more common problems that have been found at the property. Finally, recommended for both new and old properties is the full Building Survey, which can cost anything from £600 to £1,000. This is a comprehensive survey – in fact the most comprehensive available – and could be well worth the extra money, especially if you’re considering purchasing an older property. It won’t actually go as far having a surveyor pulling up floorboards to look at what lies beneath but the surveyor will give an opinion on possible hidden defects. Newer houses will still need a survey – even new builds don’t come with a guarantee of perfect quality and last year saw MPs call for a New Homes Ombudsman in the face of concerns over construction defects. At least new homes come with the 10-year warranty issued by the National House Building Council though; the Financial Times reported that the NHBC ended up paying out £87 million on claims by homeowners in 2015 alone.
Robert Walters, a surveyor that has been in operation conducting surveys around the world since the year 2000, has released figures this year that indicate that the salary earners working in the field of mid-level supplies will go up by a very significant 11 per cent. This is without a doubt a very welcome piece of news to salary earners in this bracket of the work industry as it contrasts greatly to the mere 4 per cent average rise in the salaries of people in other senior positions in work. This evidence is clearly a sunnier alternative to the gloomy news and prospects that have been put in place as a result of fluctuating economies, the EU referendum and the surprising election results in the United States. This is clearly an encouraging sign to employers in the field who will want to encourage the popularity of the profession, and it is clear that the amount of applicants for positions in this sector is consistently high, due to the lucrative salary schemes available. In addition to this, members employed in the contract acquisition sector will see their annual salaries also rise, to slightly less impressive degrees, to a total of 8 per cent. As Mister Neil Morgan of the managing team of Robert Walters explains, it is evident that this strengthening of salary growth is a good sign for the contracting industry and a sign that there will still be a large demand for such senior positions in the years to come. Such skills as time management and an ability to multitask and juggle a number of different duties are essential to the job description of these senior roles in the business, and these are skills at least that will not be in shortage among those members of the British population wanting to get their foot in the senior careers door. And with an 11 per cent increase, who wouldn’t want to give it a go at some point in their life?
A survey of Build UK members has found that the shortage of skilled labour has become more severe since Brexit, despite the EU referendum outcome not having an immediate slowdown in work for UK contractors overall. The survey shows that in the three months following the referendum, labour costs are on the rise and there has been a significant increase in the number of contractors unable to bid for jobs because they cannot afford the workforce. At the end of June, the UK voted in favour of leaving the European Union in a referendum and while it will be at least two years before the UK actually leaves the EU, there is still uncertainty about what the impact will be in the end. Trade deals will need to be put in place that will determine the extent the UK will continue to support the free movement of people and goods. Build UK’s state of trade survey for Q3 of 2016, covering the months straight after the referendum (July to September) show that while members of Build UK saw their workloads increase immediately after the vote, there were more and more difficulties in recruiting skilled operatives. However, the survey does not shed any light on whether the result of the referendum may have in any way contributed to the recruitment problems recently experienced by the construction industry. An unrelated report from brokers Willis Towers Watson on the implications of Brexit for the UK construction industry states that the industry is currently relying on foreign labour from within the EU, with migrant workers currently filling around 12% of the 2.9 million UK construction jobs. The Build UK survey does show that labour shortages stopped a quarter of contractors from bidding for work during the third quarter of this year, a number that has increased from 16% in Q2.
As of a survey by the Association of Plumbing & Heating Contractors, it has been urged for those leaving school to be encouraged to look into the possibility of undertaking apprenticeships as opposed to the more traditionally considered route onto the career ladder. And while higher education is still considered to be the primary mode of progress for individuals, questions can be raised as the benefits in contrast to apprenticeships which can often provide more specific (to the relevant role) training and an easier time breaking into the sector for certain career paths. In the survey, the Association of Plumbing & Heating Contractors surveyed some 1,830 homeowners within both Wales and England, to gauge their opinion on apprenticeships. Of the results, it was highlighted that a surprisingly high 86% of individuals actually stated that they believe that those leaving school should face more encouragement on the apprenticeship front, as opposed to the more traditional path through to Higher Education – in fact, a mere 2% of those surveyed actually stated to disagree with this notion. Additionally, 81% of people nodded to the benefits of pursuing an apprenticeship, with respect to the provision of earnings and key, targeted learning for their career of choice. 78% then supported this notion, believing that apprenticeships provide a good way into a career of choice as well as 77% of those surveyed also stressing how important professional training is. Of course, the results come as no surprise, with an increasing number of university graduates struggling to break into their career of choice due to a lack of experience and a degree of insecurity as to the assurances of finding a job quickly after graduation. Combined with a shortage of skilled tradesmen, and the aforementioned lead into a career through apprenticeships, it is for these reasons that we can see apprenticeships starting to come to the fore more prominently as a direct means into a number of enviable careers.
It has recently been reported that East Midlands based renters are happier with their landlord in contrast with any other location in England. The research, carried out by the NLA, highlighted that some 83% of renters in the area commented on their satisfaction with their present landlord, with those from the North West and South West coming in at a joint level of 82% satisfaction. The figures highlight some of the drastic differences in levels of satisfaction, with, in contrast to the North West, only 67% of those in the North East being satisfied with their landlord – this, in fact, heralding the lowest value of all those reported in the UK. This figure also falls short of the average level of satisfaction shown in the report, where approximately 79% commented on their satisfaction with their landlord. As for the rest of the results, 3rd Place in the report went to the South East, followed by the West Midlands, Yorkshire and Humber, London, Eastern England and the North East which came in at 80%, 79%, 73%, 72%, 71% and 67% respectively. Commenting on the report, Richard Lambert, Chief Executive Officer of the NLA nodded to the sheer quantity of good landlords which are represented in the market and that, while often portrayed to be quite “uncertain and unhappy”, the private rent sector is actually far better than most people think it is. Landlords, of course, are not on their own in supporting the tenants, however, as the NLA does indeed also offer a range of training systems so that they can provide the best possible environment for their tenants. Richard Lambert also highlighted the importance of other parties, such as governmental departments, stepping up their involvement in this support, encouraging both national and local governmental parties to also chip in for the betterment of the sector.
