4 Must-Know Strategies To Weatherproof Your Site This Winter

With UK weather predictions forecasting the coldest winter the country has seen in 10 years, no industry is likely to face the harsh effects of the snowy season more so than the construction sector.

With adversity on the horizon, it’s time to start thinking about practical solutions to limit the impacts of this winter’s cold grip, by putting safety measures in place to help weatherproof both the construction site itself and all those working on it.

From minimising speed limits around the site to reduce the risk of accidents, to advocating the importance of staying warm to your staff, in today’s post, we’re exploring 4 must-know strategies for protecting your site come rain or ice.

Prioritise safety measures

When it comes to protecting your site from harsh weather conditions, planning is key to preventing a wide variety of potential disasters. Make keeping an eye on weather warnings a priority in order to take the necessary measures and eliminate as many dangers as early as possible.

 

Depending on the types of vehicles used on your site, speed limits often allow certain vehicles to move at speeds of up to 20 mph. So, when it comes to implementing strategies to minimise the potential risks, why not consider reducing the limit to 5 mph? While initially this hack may appear to reduce efficiency, this easy-to-implement procedure is just one of many temporary measures that can minimise on-site risks and will, therefore, benefit both your workers and the overall efficiency of the project in the long run.

Provide suitable storage spaces

In sub-zero temperatures, fragile equipment and the protection of your workers’ personal belongings become a priority. If exposed for too long, expensive and integral pieces of equipment run the risk of being hit by the harsh weather conditions and, in many cases, can face the effects of damage and erosion.

With this in mind, when it comes to maintaining the usability of both vital construction equipment and your workers’ personal belongings, having somewhere secure to store your property is crucial. Installing weatherproof lockers to shield your possessions from the rain and snow will not only help to future-proof your equipment, but also allow your colleagues to come to work safe in the knowledge that their belongings are protected from any spontaneous showers the day brings.

Protect your staff from the elements

We all deserve a much-needed break at work, and, when it comes to the unforgiving winter weather, short breaks away from the cold can be crucial to keeping your workers’ spirits high and their health strong.

By introducing sheltered areas filled with hot drinks, and having food supplies at the ready so that snacks are taken care of, your workers will be encouraged to keep warm – aiding both their physical health and their mental wellbeing. When it comes to prevention, education is key. Prop up informational posters around your break area to inform your staff on the symptoms of cold-induced illnesses and recommendations for how to prevent these from occurring.

Promote weather-appropriate attire

Additionally, when it comes to protecting your on-site workers, what they wear can make the difference between a runny nose and a sleepless night. With bitter, icy winds and freezing cold temperatures set to become the norm this season, dressing appropriately is vital to keeping fit and healthy on the construction site.

Encourage your team to not only protect their head, feet and hands from physical dangers with PPE equipment, but also to dress with extreme weather conditions in mind. Thick socks, sturdy boots, hard hats and warm gloves will keep some of the most heat-loss prone areas of your workers’ bodies regulated come the harsh winter months.

While preparing for the on-site effects of winter’s inevitably harsh weather conditions, it’s crucial to follow government advised restrictions and regulations, as well as using your own initiative. If the weather forecast predicts harsher conditions the night before than initially expected, make the executive decision to protect the safety of yourself and your staff by safeguarding your site however needed. Hang it there – it’ll be summer before you know it.

 

Author bio:
Simon Mitchell has run successful companies in Europe and the US that are focused on delivering exceptional value to clients – while Action Storage offers a diverse range of storage products, along with the technical expertise to help clients’ businesses operate more efficiently. In Simon’s words, that’s a rewarding place to be.

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TIMco BAGS ‘BRAND OF THE YEAR’ AND ‘SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR’ AT THE NBG AWARDS 2018

On 13^th November 2018, the National Buying Group (NBG) Awards evening saw TIMco win the coveted title of ‘Brand of the Year’ in recognition of their excellence in the following categories: brand, product & service. This is the second consecutive year that TIMco has won this prestigious award.

The award was voted for by the whole of the NBG membership and all brands and suppliers were considered. This win secured TIMco’s title as the overall winner of the year.

TIMco was also awarded the title of ‘Supplier of the year’ in the Decorating and Hardware, Category at this year’s awards ceremony. This is an unprecedented sixth consecutive year that TIMco has won the award and the seventh time since TIMco started supplying the buying group in 2011.

The national awards are designed to recognise excellence in the given category as well as the support and service the supplier offers to NBG’s members.  The awards were presented at a Gala Dinner held at the Cunard Building Liverpool at the close of the NBG’s Annual Conference for 2018.

Simon Midwood, Managing Director of TIMco comments: “We are delighted to have been once again named as NBG ‘Brand of the Year’ and also to have been awarded ‘Supplier of the Year’ for our category for the sixth consecutive year. This is a fantastic achievement for TIMco and a testament to the team’s efforts to deliver excellent products and services to NBG members.  We’re committed to our strategy of being the supplier that supports independent merchants and intend to continue to build on these relationships by further extending our product portfolio and the high levels of service we are proudly able to offer members. We are extremely grateful to NBG for this recognition and their continued support to TIMco.”

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3 Key Things To Do To Keep Your Porous Asphalt Pavement Looking Brand New

Porous asphalt is a popular paving choice for many reasons. It's cost efficient, eco friendly and considered an EPA best practice. Porous asphalt pavement has tiny holes that allow water to percolate through it into the soil below. This helps with storm water runoff after a heavy rain. The key to keeping porous asphalt looking new is maintenance. Proper maintenance done on a regular basis will keep the porous asphalt pavement looking and functioning like new for many years. 



1. Sweeping Your Porous Asphalt Clean

The first thing is to keep debris off of your new asphalt driveway or asphalt parking lot by sweeping it on a regular basis. With a driveway, the owner can sweep it with a broom periodically (say once a week when doing yard work) or whenever necessary to keep it clean of debris. With a parking lot, the owner may need to have a vacuum service come every day or a couple of times a week or month depending on how busy the parking lot is. Where grocery stores, restaurants, and especially fast food restaurants are located, the parking lot may need daily vacuuming because people leave litter and debris behind. But the owners, on a case-by-case basis, must determine the requirements for each parking lot. 



2. Inspect Your Pavement Surface After Large Storms

After heavy rainfall check for surface ponding that might indicate possible clogging. You can reduce potential clogging debris sources by limiting deciduous trees and bushes. Perimeter berms and permeable boarders can also be used to inhibit off-site runoff to the permeable pavement to reduce potential clogging.

3. Power Wash Your Porous Asphalt

The second thing is to power wash the porous asphalt pavement periodically. Power washing will clean small particles of debris that have blocked the tiny holes in the asphalt, preventing water from draining through the pavement. In cold climate areas where sand is used in the winter, power washing may be necessary more often than with other areas where sanding does not occur. 

Also, areas that tend to have higher humidity may need power washing more often because of mossy or moldy growth that blocks the holes. The owner or maintenance supervisor will be able to tell when power washing is needed because water will not drain properly through the pavement. The same is true with a driveway; when the water does not drain properly, the owner should realize it is time to power wash the driveway. 



After power washing the pavement, a good vacuuming or sweeping will be necessary to get all of the lose debris cleaned up. Once completed, the pavement will be returned to a nearly new condition, both in appearance and in functionality. Over time, a regular maintenance schedule can be established that will keep the pavement in good condition for years to come.

If you have any questions about the benefits of asphalt paving or are interested in a free asphalt paving estimate, please contact us today!

With over 75 years of  paving experience, from highways to driveways, we are your local source for all of your paving needs. Wolf Paving offers professional paving services from Milwaukee to Madison, and everywhere in between, including all areas around: Sun Prairie, Oconomowoc and Waukesha.

It’s never too early or too late to request a free paving estimate. Call Wolf Paving today. For the Milwaukee area, call us at 262-965-2121. For the Madison area, call us at 608-249-7931.

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Feeling the chill? How to perform an energy efficiency check on your home

Is your home energy efficient? That’s a question most people don’t know the answer to, yet keeping an eye on your energy efficiency is a useful – and surprisingly easy – thing to do during winter.

By taking our advice, you could save substantially on your winter bills – a chance that most people would jump at, especially since Christmas is fast approaching.  Read on and follow our tips to perform your own energy checks and hopefully find a few ways to keep your home warm and your bank account happy this winter.

Check insulation…

This one is a must for keeping your home hot and your bills…not.  Heat loss through your roof and through the walls could mount up significantly if your level of insulation is below the recommended amount for your property.

While insulation is indeed an expense, it is a worthwhile expense in the long run, as the savings build up in just a year or two. It could also be worth you looking into your roofing material while you’re checking the insulation.  A roofing company in Yorkshire can help with this.

Lighting…

On average, lighting accounts for about 10% of your energy bill. Given this figure, you should definitely consider looking at your light bulbs. To save energy, it’s worth thinking about replacing standard bulbs with more energy-efficient bulbs, such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs), as they can drastically reduce your energy use.

Heating controls…

Inspect your heating and cooling equipment at least once a year to keep a sufficient check on your energy efficiency. You should think about replacing any equipment that is 15 years old or more.

Like with the insulation tip, a new unit would be an expense of sorts – but, given the money you’ll save in the time after the purchase due to the natural efficiency of a new boiler, it seems more appropriate to call the expense an investment.

Check your electricals…

This one is incredibly useful for energy efficiency.  Often easy to ignore thanks to the convenience of leaving appliances on standby, it really is worth switching things off and unplugging them when they are not in use.  Consider unplugging the item entirely, as this will prevent phantom loads, or change the settings on your device to allow for a more economical performance.

Call in a professional…

After you’ve completed your DIY auditing, think about calling in a professional. While the tips we’ve mentioned here will go a long way towards gaining you substantial improvement on your energy efficiency, it is also useful to call in someone who has a sharp eye for detail of this kind and could really save you money and energy.

Don’t let this discourage you from doing your own checks, though. Your DIY auditing can, in fact, help the professional give a more in-depth assessment of the efficiency of energy in your home.

For more information and tips on performing your own energy efficiency checks this winter, have a look at this useful page on the website of housing charity Shelter.

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1,400 construction workers committed suicide between 2011 – 2015

Mental Health In Construction

 

• Over 1,400 construction workers committed suicide between 2011 – 2015.
• Construction trades have the highest number of suicides of any profession.
• Risk of suicide for those working in building and construction trades is 1.6 times higher than the national average.
• More than a quarter of construction employees have considered taking their own life.
• Workers admit to suffering in silence.
• Many within the industry suffer in silence due to cultural expectations.
• Many workers feel forced to “deal with it,” not seeking out the help they need, and symptoms get worse.

The stats surrounding mental health in the construction industry are so shocking that we thought it was important that we highlighted the issue.

The construction industry has the highest number of suicides of any profession with 1,400 workers taking their own lives over the course of only four years. One in seven workers knows a colleague who has taken their own life and many more workers have considered it. The risk of suicide for those working in the industry is 1.6 times higher than the national average, but what is the cause of this and what can be done to reduce these horrific figures?

Suffering In Silence

One big factor that jumps out of the many surveys that have been conducted around this topic is the fact that many workers have admitted to suffering in silence due to cultural expectations. They feel like they cannot talk about their troubles and that, if they did want to speak to someone about it, that there is simply nowhere to do so.

Normally if you are struggling at work you turn to your employer for help. However, in this industry, it doesn’t seem to be the case with workers stating that they would not turn to their employer due to “fear and stigma” of the subject and that as many as 1 in 5 say they felt their job would be at risk if they did so. It seems to be so bad that 90% of workers who’ve considered suicide or know a colleague who has committed suicide, do not turn to their employer for support. As a result, many workers feel forced to “deal with it,” not seeking out the help they need, and symptoms get worse.

 

It’s Not Just The Guys That Are Struggling

Women are finding it equally tough to cope with mental health issues too. 45% of women workers said their mental health was average to poor at present, with 43% saying they had experienced reduced productivity and 75% had experienced loss of sleep too.

 

So, How To Help Workers?

After compiling the responses from the multiple surveys on mental health in the construction industry, it’s clear that there are three main areas that need to be improved. The first is to have staff training to recognise early signs of mental health, as 73% of respondents felt their employers lacked this skill. Second is to raise awareness of mental health in the construction industry. A massive 83% of workers agree that there isn’t enough out there at the moment. This will also decrease the stigma of mental health. And finally, there need to be more outlets to enable workers to talk about their struggles. Two-thirds of workers believe this would help with another 43% asking for one of those outlets to be an anonymous helpline.

If you are struggling with a mental health issue there are many ways you can find help. Your GP will be able to make an initial diagnosis and point you in the right direction for further treatment. There are charities and third-party organisations that offer free help and listening services such as the Samaritans and SANEline. However, if you are more open about talking about how you are feeling, always talk to friends & family as they will know you better than anyone. Another route could be co-workers or your employer as they’ll be able to relate work-wise with your issues. Whichever options you choose, the first step is to just talk about it.

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November 19, 2018 at 06:46AM

Gilbert-Ash Completes Extended Arnold House in Tech-City, London

Award-winning UK construction, refurbishment and fit out contractor, Gilbert-Ash, completed the redevelopment of Arnold House in the fast-growing ‘Tech-City’ area of London. The former warehouse now contains a 75,000 sq.ft. stand-out office and retail space.

The £15m project included a three-story extension reflecting the design of the existing building. It combined its current industrial impression with a high standard modern workplace environment to cater for the thriving technology and media businesses in South Shoreditch.

Working closely with Buckley Gray Yeoman architects, the team at Gilbert-Ash transformed the seven-story building to reveal collaborative open-plan spaces with exposed concrete columns and efficient floor plates. High-ceilings and significant natural light adds to the development to create a contemporary environment.

The ground floor, encompassing retail outlets and a spacious reception area, includes a curtain wall glazing exterior and black steel cladding panels for the signage zone. The façade also incorporates brick cladding and brick slip panels over new external walls. An inverted roof with decking has created terrace spaces, with tenants able to enjoy views of the Shoreditch streetscape.

Gerard Mullan, Gilbert-Ash Project Manager, commented, “The final internal and external Arnold House refurbishment works well in the surrounding modern Tech-City environment. The contemporary space has been carefully constructed to keep the industrial style of the building but with additional features you would expect in a productive, collaborative space. From the ground floor to the roof terrace and landscaped courtyard, we aimed to create a space that would meet the needs of today’s modern, flexible workforce. The building includes office space with retail units on the ground floor in a fantastic location, right in the heart of Tech City.”

Located on the corner of Great Eastern Street and Holywell Lane, the new development is a BREAMM Very Good building with a WiredScore Gold certification. The building was completed and handed over on the 10^th August.

Highly detailed design, advanced logistical planning and development goes into every Gilbert-Ash project, with the team skilled in delivering the finest quality projects in the UK and globally.

For more information on Gilbert-Ash visit www.gilbert-ash.com

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