Construction is the UK's most dangerous employment sector.
In the past five years alone, 221 workers have died, on average 44 people per year.
Health & Safety Executive figures for 2015/16 show that 43 construction workers were killed in the workplace in the year to 31st March 2016. Although this was the same as the average for the previous five years, there was a 23% increase on the 35 construction fatalities in 2014/15.
The New Homes Review is a new, independent online homeowner survey and annual report on the new home buying experience in the UK.
This has been launched in response to the recent findings of the All Parliamentary Group for Excellence in the Built Environment regarding customer satisfaction surveys relating to new homes.
5 Pancras Square and Penarth Learning Community were awarded winner and highly commended in the Inclusive Environment category at the recent Construction Industry Council awards.
The winner lies in the heart of the King's Cross Central transformation programme.
Knauf Insulation’s Earthwool® DriTherm Cavity Slabs are approved for use in all exposure zones by the British Board of Agrément.
The possibility of wind-driven rain penetrating a cavity wall depends on the exposure level of the site or building. This varies according to where it is in the country, topography and various site factors.
Image above courtesy of Torquay Town Hall
You may have come across flitch beams. They were most commonly used as a supporting lintel over shop windows and larger spans where timber alone couldn't work.
Typically, the flitch beam is made up of a steel plate sandwiched between two timber beams, the three layers being held together with bolts. Further alternating layers of timber and steel can be used to produce an even stronger beam. The metal plate within the beam is known as a flitch plate.
Yes, it is what it looks like!
One of our Building Control teams encountered this DIY toilet installation on a recent project.
The householder had run out of money so had decided to do the internal work himself. The toilet was coupled to the soil stack with flexible ducting usually used for extractor fans.
Fortunately, the mistake was picked up before it was christened! Not only was it going uphill but the ducting would have settled creating a P trap – quite literally!
Image courtesy of nonnativespecies.org
Increasingly extreme weather conditions mean we have to adapt our building practices to weatherproof our roofs by ensuring they stay in place in severe winds.
Changes in weather patterns have already led to a change in the wind loads used to calculate the fixings required for roof coverings.
- Read more about Building Regulations Approved Document Part M in a Nutshell
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Changes in 2015 to the Building Regulations Approved Document Part M, which contains guidance on access, introduced some new standards for new-build dwellings. The base standard is fairly similar to the old Part M; M4(2) is a higher standard that designs new dwellings so that they're more easily accessed and adapted should the need arise in future; M4(3) is fully wheelchair adaptable or accessible.
We’ve produced two documents providing guidance for insurers and contractors, as well as property owners on how to deal with the aftermath of a flood as far as the Building Regulations are concerned.
The documents are downloadable and cover key areas to focus on and steps to take while repairing flood damage in order to stay on the right side of the Building Regulations.