October 2020

Industry News
BMI REDLAND’S
GOLDEN TILE FOUND
The team at Monarch Roofing with the Golden Tile.
Monarch Roofing has won the BMI
Redland Golden Tile promotion after one of
its employees discovered the Golden Tile
while working on a roof at MOD Larkhill.
The competition, launched to celebrate 100
years of BMI Redland concrete tile
manufacture, featured a special Golden Tile,
hidden at random in a full pallet of tiles.
So, a seemingly ordinary day for the Monarch
team turned into an extraordinary one when
experienced roofer Keith Lansley, who was
loading the roof with tiles, found The Golden
Tile. Not sure if his colleague Tom Perry, who
was passing the tiles to him, was playing
some kind of joke, Keith called down asking
for an explanation. A few moments later, and
after some rummaging in the pallet, Tom
discovered an envelope with the winning
details of the Golden Tile promotion. The
winning tile had now been found.
The BMI Redland team has recently been able
to present the prize of £1000 in Amazon
vouchers. Contracts Manager, Steve Fitzgerald,
has generously shared out £700 of the
vouchers to the team of five who were on site.
Monarch owner, Nick Jenkins, has, in an
equally generous gesture, decided to give the
remaining £300 of vouchers to local charities:
“What a great way of celebrating a 100 years
of concrete tile manufacture and we’ll certainly
be celebrating. I think it’s only right that the
guys receive a fair share of the prize and that
local charities benefit from our lucky day as
well,” he commented.
More news, updates and interviews at www.total-contractor.co.uk
BMBI POINTS TO V-SHAPED RECOVERY
Britain’s builders’ merchants sales to builders
bounced back strongly in the three months
May to July, with value sales surging 38.9%
ahead compared with February to April, as
reported in July’s Builders Merchants Building
Index (BMBI) report.
Compared with the same three months of 2019
sales were down 13.4% overall, but July sales housing RMI dropping by 17.9%. But a note of
were only 1.3% below July 2019 and some caution: we’re not comparing apples with apples;
categories were ahead. Landscaping (+25.4%), ONS numbers are provisional estimates based on
Workwear & Safetywear (+21.3%) and Timber & a sample survey, and as more information comes
Joinery Products (+1.5%) were up on the same in the estimates are revised. However, GfK’s
month last year.
Builders’ Merchant Point of Sale Tracking Data, on
which the Builders Merchant Building Index is
“These sales figures demonstrate the resilience
based, is different. It’s not a sample survey and
and strength of a V-shaped recovery in the
it’s much more focused. It doesn’t include every
sector,” explained Mike Rigby, CEO of MRA
element of housing RMI, but it includes the bulk
Research which produces the BMBI reports.
of it and it’s a very good proxy for repair,
“Builders’ merchants sell to a variety of markets,
maintenance, and improvement. The data is
including new build, but their customers –
actual value sales out to builders from generalist
general builders, developers, and other trades –
builders’ merchants, accounting for over 80% of
are the backbone of the housing RMI market. The
total sales from builders merchants throughout
ONS provisional estimates for the same three
Great Britain. It’s also validated before
months, May to July, are seemingly at odds with
publishing, so it doesn’t get revised.”
these figures, putting overall construction down
10.6%, with RMI falling 12.4% and private Report available at: www.bmbi.co.uk
BE PREPARED: HSE CRACKS DOWN ON DUST
Health and safety inspectors across Great identifies any other areas of concern, they will take
Britain will be targeting construction firms to the necessary enforcement action to deal with them.
check that their health standards are up to This will include making sure that businesses are
scratch during a month-long inspection doing all they can to protect their workers from the
initiative, which started on 5th October. risk of coronavirus. Inspectors will also be looking
for evidence of employers and workers knowing the
Inspections will focus on respiratory risks and
risks, planning their work and using the right
occupational lung disease; looking at the measures
controls. If necessary, they will use enforcement to
businesses have in place to protect their workers’
make sure people are protected.
lungs from the likes of asbestos, silica and wood
dust. This is part of HSE’s longer term health and The construction initiative will be supported by
work strategy to improve health within the
HSE’s ‘Dustbuster’ campaign, aimed to influence
construction industry.
employer behaviour by encouraging builders to
download free guidance and advice, increasing
While the primary focus will be on health during this
knowledge and capability to protect workers’
programme of inspections, if an HSE inspector
health. www.hse.gov.uk
8 TC OCTOBER 2020