Industry NewsBMI REDLAND’SGOLDEN TILE FOUNDThe team at Monarch Roofing with the Golden Tile.Monarch Roofing has won the BMIRedland Golden Tile promotion after one ofits employees discovered the Golden Tilewhile working on a roof at MOD Larkhill.The competition, launched to celebrate 100years of BMI Redland concrete tilemanufacture, featured a special Golden Tile,hidden at random in a full pallet of tiles.So, a seemingly ordinary day for the Monarchteam turned into an extraordinary one whenexperienced roofer Keith Lansley, who wasloading the roof with tiles, found The GoldenTile. Not sure if his colleague Tom Perry, whowas passing the tiles to him, was playingsome kind of joke, Keith called down askingfor an explanation. A few moments later, andafter some rummaging in the pallet, Tomdiscovered an envelope with the winningdetails of the Golden Tile promotion. Thewinning tile had now been found.The BMI Redland team has recently been ableto present the prize of £1000 in Amazonvouchers. Contracts Manager, Steve Fitzgerald,has generously shared out £700 of thevouchers to the team of five who were on site.Monarch owner, Nick Jenkins, has, in anequally generous gesture, decided to give theremaining £300 of vouchers to local charities:“What a great way of celebrating a 100 yearsof concrete tile manufacture and we’ll certainlybe celebrating. I think it’s only right that theguys receive a fair share of the prize and thatlocal charities benefit from our lucky day aswell,” he commented.More news, updates and interviews at www.total-contractor.co.ukBMBI POINTS TO V-SHAPED RECOVERYBritain’s builders’ merchants sales to buildersbounced back strongly in the three monthsMay to July, with value sales surging 38.9%ahead compared with February to April, asreported in July’s Builders Merchants BuildingIndex (BMBI) report.Compared with the same three months of 2019sales were down 13.4% overall, but July sales housing RMI dropping by 17.9%. But a note ofwere 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 onWorkwear & Safetywear (+21.3%) and Timber & a sample survey, and as more information comesJoinery Products (+1.5%) were up on the same in the estimates are revised. However, GfK’smonth last year.Builders’ Merchant Point of Sale Tracking Data, onwhich the Builders Merchant Building Index is“These sales figures demonstrate the resiliencebased, is different. It’s not a sample survey andand strength of a V-shaped recovery in theit’s much more focused. It doesn’t include everysector,” explained Mike Rigby, CEO of MRAelement of housing RMI, but it includes the bulkResearch 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 isincluding new build, but their customers –actual value sales out to builders from generalistgeneral builders, developers, and other trades –builders’ merchants, accounting for over 80% ofare the backbone of the housing RMI market. Thetotal sales from builders merchants throughoutONS provisional estimates for the same threeGreat Britain. It’s also validated beforemonths, May to July, are seemingly at odds withpublishing, so it doesn’t get revised.”these figures, putting overall construction down10.6%, with RMI falling 12.4% and private Report available at: www.bmbi.co.ukBE PREPARED: HSE CRACKS DOWN ON DUSTHealth and safety inspectors across Great identifies any other areas of concern, they will takeBritain 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 arescratch during a month-long inspection doing all they can to protect their workers from theinitiative, which started on 5th October. risk of coronavirus. Inspectors will also be lookingfor evidence of employers and workers knowing theInspections will focus on respiratory risks andrisks, planning their work and using the rightoccupational lung disease; looking at the measurescontrols. If necessary, they will use enforcement tobusinesses have in place to protect their workers’make sure people are protected.lungs from the likes of asbestos, silica and wooddust. This is part of HSE’s longer term health and The construction initiative will be supported bywork strategy to improve health within theHSE’s ‘Dustbuster’ campaign, aimed to influenceconstruction industry.employer behaviour by encouraging builders todownload free guidance and advice, increasingWhile the primary focus will be on health during thisknowledge and capability to protect workers’programme of inspections, if an HSE inspectorhealth. www.hse.gov.uk8 TC OCTOBER 2020
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