by Clair Mooney | Oct 15, 2020 | Main News Feed
CITB has asked for employer feedback throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to enable them to support the construction industry where it matters most and to shape the work they do. This is an opportunity to say where CITB funds are directed in order to make the most difference for you.
As part of the review of the support CITB offers, they are inviting organisations and their employees to share their views on training and the Grants Scheme. Employer feedback matters and this is your opportunity to help develop what CITB offers in the future. Please complete the feedback form, which should take no longer than 10 minutes, by 5pm on 2 November 2020.
by Clair Mooney | Oct 15, 2020 | Main News Feed
The CLC’s Talent Retention Scheme is a not for profit programme, supported by business associations, member companies, professional institutions, unions and other stakeholder organisations.
George Swann FIS Skills and Training Lead said, “After the considerable investment it is good to see the scheme getting some traction”. The Construction Leadership Council’s Talent Retention Scheme (CLC TRS) is designed to support careers in Construction, Engineering and Building Services. It was conceived to help talented individuals showcase their experience and expertise and help businesses find the skills they need. Statistics As of 9 October 2020 the Construction Talent Retention Scheme has:
- 714 registered employers in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland;
- 56 companies have live vacancies;
- there are 639 live vacancies;
- 86% of live vacancies are in England, 6% in Scotland, 5% in Wales; 1% in Northern Ireland and 2% are international. Of those in England, 33% are in London and the South East.
- 904 individuals have registered;
- 76% of companies registered are SMEs; 9% have over 1,000 employees;
- 48% of all live vacancies are posted by SMEs;
- 51% of companies registered are contractors; 15% consultants; 5% manufacturers; 5% building merchants; and 5% home builders;
- The largest number of vacancies are in Construction & Project Management and Design & Engineering.
To make use of this free service go to: FIS Talent Retention Scheme
by Clair Mooney | Oct 14, 2020 | Main News Feed
CITB Levy registered employers should have now received their 2020 Levy Return, covering 6 April 2019 to 5 April 2020, which must be completed and submitted by 30 November 2020. Failure to submit the Levy Return by 30 November will result in grant claims being withheld and if it is not received by 31 March 2021 employers will lose eligibility for all grant claims.
by Clair Mooney | Oct 12, 2020 | Main News Feed
The UK has left the EU and is leaving the EU single market and customs union. The end of the transition period will affect construction businesses. Your business should take action now to prepare.
This webinar, presented by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, will provide information on the actions you should take to prepare your business for new rules from January 2021 including:
- Hiring staff from outside of the UK
- Providing services to EU customers
- Preparing for changes to importing and exporting
- Checking your goods comply with regulations in Great Britain and in the EU
- Checking tariffs that will apply to goods you import
- Complying with UK REACH chemical regulations
- Transferring personal data between the UK and the EU
Who should attend: This webinar is aimed at those who run or own construction businesses including:
- Merchants
- Manufacturers
- Housebuilders
- Consultants Engineers
- Supply chain businesses
by Clair Mooney | Oct 8, 2020 | Main News Feed
Across October, the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) is conducting assessments across the UK to analyse any respiratory risks caused by the exposure from certain substances across construction sites.
One of the biggest causes of respiratory-related illnesses in the construction sector is the exposure of harmful dusts affecting workers’ lungs. Statistics show that more than 3,500 builders die each year from cancers related to their work, with thousands of more cases of ill-health and working days lost.
Have you got adequate measures in place to protect your workers against being exposed to harmful substances like dust?
FIS Associate Member Citation has created a free guide for FIS members summarising all you need to know about dust, how to prevent being exposed to it, and how to ensure your people are fully equipped and protected.
Your FIS Member Benefit
If you’d like to chat about how Citation can help with the HR and Health & Safety side of your business, just give them a call on 0345 844 1111, or fill in this call-back form and Citation will get back to you.
FIS members are entitled to preferential rates on Citation’s services. Quote ‘The Finishes and Interior Sector’ when enquiring to access your member benefit.
Interested in becoming a member? Visit www.thefis.org/join for more details. Or call us on 0121 707 0077 and we’d be happy to discuss this with you.
by Iain McIlwee | Oct 7, 2020 | Main News Feed
The main reminder from the Grenfell Inquiry last week was that Building Control should be used be a safety net, not a fundamental part of the design process. We also learned more about potential communication failings between interior and exterior contractors.
It was frankly heart breaking to hear the testimony of John Hoban, the Building Control Officer for the Grenfell construction works. The catalogue of issues points to clear systemic failings and, whilst the sign off process raises an eyebrow, you have to question how Building Control could ever be resourced to make up for shortfalls in the design process. Too often in construction it has been “we’ve got a certificate, so it is compliant” not that “we engaged the supply chain early, overcame issues and made it easy for Building Control to do their job. The need through the Building Safety Bill to establish clear STOP / GO gateways is very clear.
In other testimony, another problem emerging was an apparent lack of communication between trades leaving siloed and inconsistent decisions around vital interfaces. Externally confusion over horizontal and vertical cavity closers and the role of intumescent seemed to point to a lack of knowledge from experienced fitters. Vital cavity closers were fitted the wrong way round, horizontal closers where vertical should be and poor workmanship were all cited and contributed to the situation where intumescent strips could not provide the necessary protection. A point made was that the speed at which these would have been covered up and a lack of allowance in the programme for adequate inspection made detailed inspection impossible.
The lack of joined up approach between external works was clear when Mark Dixon of SD Plastering took the stand. SD Plastering were contracted to install the window trim inside the tower. The package was under pressure to remove cost, material was switched from wood to PVC seemingly without consideration for the differening performances. Insulation Board was again added, in part to provide support related to the movement of the windows. In selecting the material, whilst Rockwool was recommended, the material selected was not of limited combustibility. Mark Dixon confirmed in testimony that he did not consider the fire performance, and assumed that strategy was in place to deal with external issues.
If you are not following the Inquiry, I do recommend setting aside 40 mins each week, to download the podcast from BBC Sounds, it without doubt creates pause for thought about how the culture and established processes in construction must change and context for the introduction of the new Building Safety Bill.
You can listen to the latest Grenfell Podcast on BBC Sounds here
You can access full transcripts and videos of the Inquiry here
Join the FIS / ASFP Debate on the incoming Building Safety Bill on the 8th October here.
