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Builders spend 2 ½ years driving their van over the course of their working lives and almost one year trying to locate a particular tool, according to new research by the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). The FMB asked thousands of builders across the UK how many minutes they spend each day carrying out certain tasks. The figures reveal that over their career, an average builder will sp ... more
Back in 2011, Facelift was tasked with helping out with the lighting and filming for production of Rocky Taylor’s “The Stunt That Went Right" a charity event held at London's Battersea Power Station. The event featured legendary stuntman Rocky Taylor re-enacting a stunt from 1985 that nearly ended his career, when, filming the thriller Death Wish starring Charles Bronso ... more
An agricultural engineer from Totnes in Devon has been sentenced after a worker sustained serious, life changing injuries after he fell through a mezzanine floor whilst it was under construction. Plymouth Crown Court heard how Russell Soper, trading as RJS Agricultural Welding was contracted to install the mezzanine floor in a unit at the South Hams Business Park in Totnes during March 201 ... more
Kent County Council (KCC) has been fined £200,000 after asbestos was disturbed at Lansdowne Primary School. Canterbury Crown Court heard how, on 6 November 2014, an environmental health officer was carrying out a routine food inspection when they noticed what looked like asbestos rope hanging from the ceiling. A prohibition notice was served on the now independent educational trust. ... more
A Colchester-based company has been fined after an employee fell through fragile ceiling tiles. Basildon Magistrates’ Court heard how, on 8 January 2016, a worker was asked to sort shoes which were stored on a floor, next to an unprotected area of fragile ceiling tiles. The worker fell through the fragile ceiling tiles, approximately 2.7m to the floor below suffering serious injuries to ... more
Real life stories always hit home more than government reports and warnings. So we were very moved by this video by steel and mining firm ArcelorMittal. Telling the story of Max, an otherwise exemplary employee who made one fatal mistake, the clip really hammers home that forgetting about health and safety “just that one time” can have, not only on the worker, but on his or her friends ... more
Businesses reliant on workers from the EU will be pleased to learn that the Home Office has developed an employer toolkit to help equip employers with the right tools and information to support their EU workers to stay in the country via the EU settlement scheme. The toolkit contains leaflets, posters and a briefing pack to help employers across the UK communicate clear and consistent messages ab ... more
The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) has released a statement regarding the changes to its Construction Plant Competence Scheme (CPCS) cards. As part of the Vision 2020 programme of reform, CITB is divesting its cards schemes to other suitable providers, including the CPCS scheme. It has recently announced that NOCN has been selected as the preferred bidder for the CPCS scheme. If the ... more
The Institute for Apprenticeships (IfA) has approved plans to develop an apprenticeship scheme for Construction Plant Operatives. The industry-led group who made the submission are now preparing to develop the relevant standards and assessment plan, with the Construction Plant-hire Association (CPA) providing administrative support to the programme. The working group will be developing a level 2 ... more
The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has said that the recent drop in EU net migration should sound alarm bells for the construction industry, saying that the fact that EU net migration is at its lowest level since 2012 is “deeply worrying”. Commenting on the Migration Statistics Quarterly Report for August 2018, published by the Office for National Statistics, Sarah McMona ... more
