News Review

Things are looking up for trade businesses

Business confidence among UK tradespeople is now at its highest level since July , according The product supplier’s Business of measures, and almost all of them rose in July, as part of the company’s regular survey of the trade. The measures which rose include the percentage of tradespeople busier than expected, those preparing more quotes than months ago, and those who say business activity is better than last year. has risen to + from + in May and + in January and this measure is now at its highest level since July . The only measure not to rise in June was the proportion who think their business activity will improve in the next months, although more still think it will improve in the next year than believe it will get worse. Reported workloads remain high with % of the trade now working, with more work in the pipeline. comments: “Not only have tradespeople continued to work throughout the last months, but it’s clear many of them have for the future, with our Index showing optimism is at its highest level for three years.

“This is very encouraging. To ensure we play our part in helping our customers get their jobs done and make the most of their business opportunities, we continue to expand our store network by opening at least UK stores this year, bringing Screwfix closer to even more tradespeople.”

HETAS is urging households with woodburning and maintenance to reduce the risk of chimney fires. % every year, with incidences in .

To keep homes and health safe, chimneys should be sweep, according to HETAS. In addition, appliances should have an annual service and use Ready to Burn which is now a legal requirement.

HETAS CEO Bruce Allen says: “Informing homeowners about the importance of sweeping and maintenance is weather changing, now is the time to have chimneys checked by a HETAS Approved Chimney Sweep.”

Quality mark reprieve

Responding to pressure from British business and trade groups, the government has announced a delay to the use of the UK Conformity Assessment (UKCA) mark by one year. Following Brexit, changes were due to come into force at the beginning of next year that would require products that previously had CE markings to adopt the new UKCA mark.

Earlier this year, members of MARC (Manufacturers Association of Radiators and Convectors) warned that the majority of radiators on sale in the UK would be unsellable if the government were to stick to its original implementation date. It argued that there was neither enough time nor testing capacity for manufacturers to certify their products in accordance with UKCA.

Isaac Occhipinti, head of external affairs at MARC, says the organisation welcomes the latest announcement: “This overturn of the original date of January goes some way to enabling the radiator industry to prepare for the incoming UKCA mark. However, we still need to work with government on existing issues around compliance with UKCA. Hopefully, the extra time will allow this to be done in a timely and practical manner.”

Experienced engineers required for rising demand

London-based Pimlico Plumbers is looking to take on an additional experienced tradespeople to meet increasing demand for its services, but says that a lack of skilled tradespeople means that it is struggling with its latest recruitment drive. The company is forecasting completing jobs in , up from from the previous year, which is creating the requirement for the additional tradespeople.

The company now has more than tradespeople operating across central and greater London and a support team based in its campus of buildings in Lambeth, South London, as well as apprentices in trade and -based roles.

With vacancies across all trades including heating, plumbing, carpentry and electrical, along with positions in its small appliance repair, roofing and drain jetting teams, engineers working with Pimlico can earn between and a year.

Pimlico CEO Scott Mullins says: “If experienced tradespeople walked through our doors tomorrow, we’d have them inducted, in uniform and in a Pimlico van immediately. Unfortunately, the number of available experienced engineers is sadly limited. Our industry is a victim of generations of under-investment and support for apprenticeship training, which has led to a major and leave a fallout that will be felt by businesses and the economy for many years to come.”

Highlighting Legionella risk

The Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering (CIPHE) is urging caution when it comes to the hazards of Legionella and other Thameslink discovering the bacteria in a few of its train toilets.

Kevin Wellman, CEO of the CIPHE, comments: “While there have been no recorded Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks due to train toilets to date, Legionella is a very serious issue. We are urging facilities managers, landlords and business owners to acquaint themselves with the risks of Legionella and the importance of only using professional plumbers to assess water quality.”

Free guidance on mitigating the risk of building water systems is available on the CIPHE website. Use the link below for more information. phamnews.co.uk/

Survey shows how tradespeople prosper over their peers

PLUMBERS IN THE NEWS

Builders merchant Selco has surveyed over manual skilled workers going into a professional trade is more beneficial financially, and if individuals progress more quickly. Results revealed that, on average, tradespeople are some £ k better

Tradespeople were asked about in terms of their lifestyle, personal a better insight into how choosing a trade career can impact their lives for the better.

When questioned about their debt from training and education in their profession, the average trade worker has around £ in debt. This is in comparison to the average university student’s debt of around £ .

In addition, % of those surveyed revealed that they have savings, and over half said they see themselves as they’ve even invested some of their earnings in areas including rental property, stocks and shares.

Analysis also revealed that tradespeople are % more likely to have owned multiple properties than the rest of the UK. The survey found that trade workers’ skills have saved them money in their day-to-day life, that unskilled people would usually hire others to do.

In terms of job satisfaction, % of tradespeople say they are happy with their work. Comparable surveys rate overall UK job satisfaction at between % and 6 %. The survey also reveals that on average, tradespeople bought current UK average.

But what do tradespeople think you need to be successful in the industry? % said hard work was key, and % said a good sense of responsibility is needed to succeed. Confidence was another personality trait that those working in the trades identified as being key to success in their careers.

To see the full report on the survey results, use the readerlink below.

Ground source fund now open

As the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) opens to applications, Kensa Contracting is urging local authorities and housing associations in England to act now and bid for a portion of the £ m available in / to install ground source heat pumps. There is an eight-week application window th October. amount of England’s million social homes to an EPC rating of ‘C’ by . Currently, nearly % of properties fall below this. Under the scheme’s guidelines, low carbon heating, including ground source heat

Ventilate schools now, says BESA

The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) is backing a call from six trade unions to take urgent action over ventilation in schools. In a letter to the Education Secretary, unions have warned that there will be a steep rise in Covid- cases as children return to and filtration in classrooms and communal areas.

They say there should be government funding for carbon dioxide monitors to and filtration to remove harmful airborne particles.

“Government action on ventilation in schools and colleges amounts to little more than recommending that windows are kept open,” says ASCL general secretary Geoff Barton. “This is not sustainable in providing a comfortable learning environment in winter.

“If the government is serious about bringing to an end the educational disruption of the past 18 months, then it must provide funding for high quality ventilation systems as a matter of urgency.” Leeva Plumbing and Heating, based in Ripley, is working in partnership with the charity Broxtowe Women’s Project (BWP) to provide women who have experienced domestic abuse with easy access to female plumbers. The Nottinghambased charity was approached by Lee Shapcott, director of Leeva Plumbing and Heating, who offered a female-only service to vulnerable women, knowing that survivors of domestic abuse can find it frightening to let a male tradesperson in their home. Gas engineer Allan Ferguson, , has been jailed after police caught him with kg of cocaine with a potential street value of £ his home in Clydebank turned up more cocaine as well as a -employed Ferguson told the court in Glasgow he decided to earn money from career criminals due to a lack of income while in expect a substantial custodial Devon plumber Ian Corns is facing a long time at Her Majesty’s pleasure after a night time break-in at his -year-old debts. Corns had worked at the woman’s house in Chudleigh and knew the vulnerable woman was partially sighted and hard of hearing. She woke to find him in her bedroom, where he violently subdued her, but she was able to alert help using an alarm kept on her wrist. Corns has been warned that his offence will be at the top end of sentencing guidelines, with the starting point as high as six years.

More homeowners plan bathroom renovations

A survey from the Bathroom Manufacturers’ Association (BMA) has found that the number of people planning a full bathroom refurbishment has increased by % since January. The results of the poll of over people, conducted in July, show the strength of intentions to upgrade bathrooms and also indicates that the immediacy of refurb plans has increased, with 6% saying they plan to do it in the next months compared to just % saying the same in January.

Tom Reynolds, chief executive of the BMA, comments: “Throughout the pandemic, one of the challenges for bathroom manufacturers has been understanding demand. The market has been buoyant, and we’re seeing people continue to plan upgrades and improvements to their homes. This is resulting in a boom for many working in constructionrelated sectors. It’s encouraging to see the trend continue, and results like those shown in this poll give us a clear reason to be upbeat.”

With proving to be a boom year for home improvements, Water Regs UK is reminding mind when advising homeowners about bathroom makeovers. by Water Regs UK, many people under day. It revealed that most people believe the average person uses litres of water per day, if they are on a water meter. available to help make homes more water showed that many people are unaware that some of them even exist. That, says the

Water labels

As part of the government’s -Year for a bathroom upgrade.

Julie Spinks, MD of Water Regs UK, says: the amount of water we waste. Any water label tested to show they are of suitable quality. and, with important than ever.”

Enhanced service

from Navien has been more engineers to its in-house the north, south east and south west of hours. installers as and when required. Navien also -up through says: “This allows us to provide even greater and end users alike. By investing in our team, we have an even greater pool of

the primary reasons for poor biomass boiler properly maintained. training. To find out more or to apply online, please use the link below. phamnews.co.uk/ new installers to join its On Tap resident Bristan expert, Andy

As part of the team, the installers blogs, and videos.

If you’re an installer and interested in being part of Bristan’s On Tap Team, visit the link below. phamnews.co.uk/

Builder’s tea is slipping in the ranks % of tradespeople are turning to other hot drinks. A quarter % also

The study of 6 tea is more popular amongst older tradespeople. Milky tea is preferred in South West.

Meanwhile, tradespeople are only A further % said it’s normal for them % agreeing they would like to be

Malawi clinic project a success

Continuing its charitable works around the world, the BPEC Charity has helped fund DATUM Foundation’s installation of a new clean water supply to the Chikwina village maternity clinic in northern Malawi.

Thanks to the project, the clinic now has access to fresh water from a fully functioning tap, enabling staff to clean equipment, wash laundry, prevent infection, and give new mothers and babies the to this, water had to be drawn from a borehole that was a -minute walk away.

“BPEC is delighted to have been able to invest in such a worthwhile cause, which is already having a major impact on the Chikwina community,” says CEO Neil Collishaw. “This is exactly the type of charitable initiative that sets BPEC apart from other organisations.”

Work on the water system started in June and included: piped water supply from two sources, litre reservoir tank, electric pump to lift the water, foundations and steel water tower, litre header tank, and pipework to link into existing supply system.

Now the water system has been installed, the clinic provides a wellequipped and safe environment for mothers and their babies – playing an important role in helping to reduce mortality rates in the region. Colleagues at Wilo UK have raised over £ for Maggie’s cancer support centre in Nottingham, after taking part in a five-day cycling challenge that saw the team collectively cycle over miles. Due to travel restrictions, the team ‘theoretically’ covered the distance between Wilo’s

The Worshipful Company of Plumbers’ Annual Lecture will take place on Monday 4th October at the Royal College of Physicians in London. This year, the keynote speech will be delivered by the current Master of the Worshipful Company of Plumbers, Dr Peter Rumley FSA, who will speak about the early role of The Royal Plumbers and the part they had to play in some of the first water engineering projects undertaken in the City of London. To reserve tickets, please visit: phamnews.co.uk/

Cycling pedals up funds for cancer charity

Annual lecture

UK HQ in Burton-Upon-Trent, factory in Dortmund, Germany, on static exercise bikes set up at Wilo’s HQ and out and about individually on road bikes.

Milton Keynes tools service site

Makita UK has relocated its Milton Keynes Factory Service Centre site to a new, larger location.

The new ft2 premises in Blakelands will enable the power tools manufacturer to bolster its customer repair and service support, completing a portfolio of three centres in London, Glasgow and Milton Keynes.

The site in Milton Keynes will deliver not only a service and repair offering, but will also be used to host Makita’s accredited service training, as well as Authorised Service Agents (ASA) workshops and seminars. It will also be used to host apprenticeship training sessions focusing on the electrical and mechanical service requirements of Makita tools.