March 2018

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Contract Talk YOUR CALL: ARE THE DAYS OF SMARTPHONES ON SITE NUMBERED? The publication of two reports in recent weeks begs the question of whether smartphones are safe to use on site. Janine Brady, SIG Roofing’s Marketing Manager, looks at whether the fact that phones are so smart these days could actually be their undoing. Of the nine most dangerous jobs in the UK, roofing is in the top three according to Adzuna – a job search engine that used its own data along with research from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to compile the list. When you look a bit closer at the figures for roofing, you’ll find that the data also includes scaffolding, and the report found that the majority of workplace deaths are due to falls. Falling or injuries sustained while falling accounted for 29% of all workplace deaths last year – and scaffolding is one of the most dangerous careers in the country, as 69 scaffolding-related deaths have occurred since 2010. It’s a stark reminder of what a challenging profession roofing is and why there are a raft of stringent regulations in place to keep everyone safe at work. Issued hot on the heels of the Adzuna study was a completely unrelated report by Microsoft which found that technology – such as smartphones – is becoming increasingly distracting for workers. The report stated that it’s due to the fact that we’re all constantly being bombarded by a steady stream of emails, messages and notifications from social media sites. Driven to distraction? For us in roofing, the publication of these two reports so closely together poses the question as to whether smartphones are becoming too distracting for use on site, and we wonder about the dilemma this presents to owners of roofing companies because of the duty of care to keep themselves, their employees and their subbies safe at work. On the one hand, smartphones are an absolute essential on site, as they ensure we’re all contactable. You could even venture to say that smartphones have boosted productivity because of the ability to get online when you’re onsite and access a wealth of information at your fingertips. It’s now commonplace for smartphones to be used to check the status of deliveries or to download spec sheets from manufacturers’ websites, often simply by tapping an app. Attention grabbers However, smartphones have become super-smart in mastering the ability to grab our attention. It’s like they’re slowly turning us into modern-day versions of Pavlov’s dogs because we’ve all become compelled to check our smartphones the instant they beep or buzz because of the worry of missing out. And even if we can’t respond to them straight away, they do play on our minds and we check them at the first available opportunity – and this level of distraction isn’t always helpful when we work in the third most dangerous job in the UK. While their intelligence could be their undoing, it could also be a smartphone’s saving grace – by using their functionality to dial down their ability to distract us. Here are a couple of simple tips that can be used by everyone on site. Change the frequency of notifications – the fewer notifications you receive, the less likely you are to check your smartphone. Notifications can be limited and you can also use the phone’s Do Not Disturb mode. Hide social media apps – a lot of people have social media apps on the home or front pages of their smartphones, but try putting them in folders on the last page of your phone instead. That way, you’re less likely to habitually click the Facebook or Instagram icon. Use a watch – that way, you won’t need to check your phone to see what time it is – and then be tempted to check updates. Install addiction-breaking apps – counterintuitively, you can reduce your phone use by installing apps such as Checky, which gathers data about your phone use, showing you how many times you unlock your phone in a day and logging this behaviour over time. You’d be surprised how some simple tips can play a small but important role in keeping everyone safe on site through the reduction of distractions, and we’d welcome comments on Twitter: Contact SIG Roofing 0845 612 4304 www.sigroofing.co.uk @SIGRoofing Left: Janine Brady, SIG Roofing’s Marketing Manager 18 TC MARCH 2018
Ecobuild Stand C51 06-08 March 2018 ExCeL, London KEMPEROL ® Liquid Waterproofing Long term protection for flat roofs, buildings and critical structures Warm roofs, inverted roofs, green roofs, podium decks, walkways, balconies, terraces, car parks... • No hot works • Sustainable • Solvent-free • Odourless Whatever your requirements, we have a certified and proven solution to meet your needs. Contact us to discuss your next project. KEMPER SYSTEM Tel: 01925 445532 enquiries@kempersystem.co.uk www.kempersystem.co.uk Kemperol Liquid Waterproofing
Page 1 and 2: MARCH 2018 Drones & roofing Poor pa
Page 3 and 4: Editor’s Comment MATT DOWNS EDITO
Page 5 and 6: REGULARS 18 SMARTPHONE ALERT Janine
Page 7 and 8: Reliability... our strength When yo
Page 9 and 10: ALL ALUMINIUM LANTERN ROOF FITTED I
Page 11 and 12: Handrails:- EasyGuard free-standing
Page 13 and 14: EXPANSION PLANS TO ASSIST CONTRACTO
Page 15 and 16: Standard CitiDeck AntiSlipPlus Take
Page 20 and 21: BS 8612 WHAT DOES THE NEW STANDARD
Page 22 and 23: QUICK, COST EFFECTIVE ROOF REPORTS
Page 24 and 25: BS 8612 Unlike the revisions to BS
Page 26 and 27: Fibre Cement Slates UNDER THE WEATH
Page 28: Article Fibre Cement Slates nail fi
Page 31 and 32: New dimension in EPDM attachment Ex
Page 33 and 34: “I force them to use hand cutters
Page 35 and 36: Imitation is is always flattery...
Page 37 and 38: Complete Building Envelope Solution
Page 39 and 40: Go Further with SupaLite SupaLite d
Page 41 and 42: NO STREAKING. NO LUMPY BITS. NOW EV
Page 43 and 44: Innovative upgrade & refurbishment
Page 45 and 46: Neil Jones from Envirotek explained
Page 47 and 48: new-build design, the inclusion of
Page 49 and 50: Specification TOPHAT is the answer!
Page 51 and 52: DRESSED FOR SUCCESS Snickers says i
Page 53 and 54: More than just a pretty fixing. Whe
Page 55 and 56: Timelessly beautiful facades With t
Page 57 and 58: Images show the Logistics City proj
Page 59 and 60: LEVATO MONO Porcelain paver system
Page 61 and 62: ideal for use on conservatory conve
Page 63 and 64: Delivering training excellence to t
Page 65 and 66: HIGH PERFORMANCE LIQUID WATERPROOFI
Page 67 and 68:
ICB TRAINING Waterproofing+ Availab
Page 69 and 70:
weather The proof is in the detail
Page 71 and 72:
Whatever your flat roofing requirem
Page 73 and 74:
FROM THE GROUND UP Karen Everitt at
Page 75 and 76:
Lincoln. A classic clay pantile Lin
Page 77 and 78:
Contractor’s Day 2018 coming soon
Page 79 and 80:
taken for more valuable vehicles. T
Page 81 and 82:
Total Recruitment To promote your v
Page 83 and 84:
Technical Secretary Part-time Based
show all

March 2018

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?