August 2018

Industry News
“RADICAL OVERHAUL
REQUIRED”
Following the announcement of the £420m
Construction Sector Deal to boost
construction through innovative
technologies and modern construction
methods, a new report has cautioned that
a radical overhaul of the sector is needed
or the UK will struggle to meet its housing
and infrastructure needs.
In a recent report, Off-site Manufacture for
construction: building for change, the House of
Lords Science and Technology Committee says
that off-site manufacture (OSM) can help to
increase productivity in the construction sector
while reducing labour demands, improving the
quality and efficiency of buildings, and reducing
the environmental impacts associated with
traditional construction.
The Committee heard evidence that if the
government is to achieve its aim of building
300,000 houses a year by 2020, OSM would be
the only way to meet this target, and that
traditional construction methods do not have
the capacity to build enough homes. The
committee stated the Government must set out
what conditions it will attach to the extra
financial support for housing to drive the uptake
of OSM and other innovative technologies.
Lord Patel, Chairman of the Committee, said:
“There are clear and tangible benefits from offsite
manufacture for construction which make
a compelling case for its widespread use. We
heard evidence that OSM could increase
productivity in the sector by up to 70%. The
construction sector’s business models are no
longer appropriate and are not supporting the
UK’s urgent need for new homes and
infrastructure. The construction sector needs to
build more trust and create partnerships so
that companies can work together to improve
the uptake of off-site manufacture, and the
CLC should provide the necessary leadership.”
CHECK YOUR PHONE USAGE ON SITE
A survey by Deloitte has revealed that people in
the UK have never been more addicted to their
smartphones.
The survey of 4,150 16-75 year-olds conducted
in 2017 found that 38% admitted to using their
smartphone too much, rising to half of all 16-24-
year-olds. Habbits such as checking apps in the
hour before we go to sleep (79% of respondents
admitted to doing this) or within 15 minutes of
waking up (55%); or the fact that over a third
check their phone in the middle of the night show
just how dependent we are on our mobile phones
in this digital age.
Other surveys have shown that IPhone users
unlock their phones an average of 80 times per
day (Business Insider 2017) which means that in
an average day of usage, IPhone users check
their phones six to seven times per hour, or once
every ten minutes. These staggering numbers
highlight how mobile phone usage has taken over
our lives, but if you are checking your phone when
working in a shop or an office, perhaps at worst
your work output is affected, but the
consequences could be very different if working
on scaffolding or trying to navigate a construction
site or roof.
With this in mind, Total Contractor contacted Gary
Walpole, Technical and Safety Officer at the
Roofers have been warned to take extra care
on the roads due to concerns their bad van
driving could be hurting business.
Experts at LeaseVan.co.uk, one of the UK’s leading
suppliers of vans to tradesmen and women, say
bad driving could be putting people off dealing
with a company. They warned customers to ensure
vans are driven courteously and that speed limits
and other road users are respected at all times.
A spokesman for LeaseVan.co.uk said: “Van
Further reading: http://www.total-contractor.co.uk/your-callare-the-days-of-smartphones-on-site-numbered/
NFRC, to find out if there was any set guidance on
mobile phone usage on site. Gary explained:
“There isn’t any particular guidance or policy
regarding the use of mobile phones on
construction sites, but you are correct in that they
do pose an increasing risk, especially when
working at height – operatives need to be aware
of their environment and using a mobile phone
greatly reduces that awareness.
“Most main contractors have banned the use of
mobile phones, except in designated safe zones.
These sites tend to have a zero tolerance to
phone usage and operatives caught are either
given a warning or removed from site. The
difficulty is policing mobile phone usage in the
short-term repair and domestic markets.”
So the next time you feel the urge to check your
phone or make a call, make sure it is in a
designated safe zone, or better still, wait until
you’re away from site.
ROOFERS, HOW’S YOUR DRIVING?
drivers need to realise that each and every time
they get behind the wheel they are an
ambassador for their company. If they then tear
about cutting people up, racing through traffic
lights on amber and failing to stop at zebra
crossings they are going to create a very bad
impression for their company with other road
users and the general public. Branded vans can
be very powerful mobile adverts for a firm but if
they are poorly driven they could actually be
costing sales.”
10 TC AUGUST 2018