News
Focus On Skills Crisis
THERE is a new minister with responsibility for construction following the PM’s major cabinet reshuffle just before the summer recess. He is Matthew Hancock, MP for West Suffolk. However, with a general election scheduled in less than a year, Mr Hancock will have little time to get to grips with his new responsibilities, including minister of state at the department for business, innovation and skills, and minister of state at the department of energy and climate change. Nevertheless, with a seat in cabinet, Mr Hancock will have the ear of...
read moreFrowns Turn To Smiles In New Survey
THERE are plenty of plus points in the latest National Specialist Contractors Council state of trade survey covering the second quarter of 2014. It reveals that improved economic conditions are starting to influence tender prices and the ability to bid for work. Flooring contractor members of the CFA were among the specialist contractors interviewed. For the first time in the history of the survey, more respondents are being paid within 30 days than waiting more than 60 days. Furthermore, the number reporting a fall in enquiries is down to...
read more‘Alarming’ Levels Of Formaldehyde In Chinese-made Laminate Alleged
A US based advocacy group that studies the impact of industrial pollution on health and the environment, Global Community Monitor, has filed a lawsuit against the US distributor Lumber Liquidators, claiming that its Chinese-made laminate flooring emits excessive levels of formaldehyde, which is widely recognised as a potential cause of cancer in humans. Tests from more than 50 sample batches using a variety of different testing methods showed the average initial formaldehyde exposure from the Chinese-made laminate to be over 100 times above...
read moreWork Expenses
Majid Rasheed on how much you can get back from HMRC TAX can be a minefield and ensuring the that correct income is declared is vital. However, the matter of expenses is open to interpretation and misunderstanding. On the one hand you don’t want to miss out on valuable reliefs, yet on the other, you’ll not want to mistakenly claim for something not allowable and possibly give HMRC an excuse to conduct an investigation into your affairs. Your accounts: The accounts you draw up are a summary of income and expenses, generally for a...
read moreMotivating Your Staff
Motivating your workers ENGAGING staff, rather than just managing them, is what inspires success in business. And that means focusing on employees’ strengths to achieve peak performance. People who are engaged use their signature strengths within their roles to achieve heightened levels of performance. This benefits the business as it achieves increased productivity, enhanced employee wellbeing, job satisfaction and very importantly, commitment. It also benefits the individual as people are naturally motivated by tasks that interest...
read moreSite Security
John McDonald on site security CONSTRUCTION plant security remains a problematic area as professional thieves become more sophisticated in both stealing and disposing of high-value plant and equipment. This has led to low recovery rates in the past although this situation has improved as a result of the construction industry taking advantage of security schemes and equipment. Indeed, over £lm worth of plant and equipment is stolen each week in the UK alone and less than 10% is ever recovered. In many cases it is ready to be taken...
read moreFlooring & Ways To Get Your Money
Barry Ashmore on ways to get your money LIFE would be much simpler if you did the work, sent in your application and received your payment in full and on time! But in reality as a specialist sub-contractor your works are not being valued properly by the QS and you are not getting paid. You can take positive steps to make it more likely that you will be paid the right amount of money at the right time. And that will mean being able to manage your cashflow, reduce your overdraft and get bigger discounts because you can pay your suppliers...
read moreLaminate Can Be Green
Laminate: A ‘green’ product that is safe and sound Dr Theo Smet, convenor of the EPLF (Association of European Producers of Laminate Flooring) technical committee for over 12 years explains how international standardisation helps to ensure constant quality assurance of laminate floors on the market. A PIONEER in European and international standardisation, EPLF, based in Bielefeld, Germany, has been active in European and international standardisation work since it was founded. Many established standards could not have been achieved...
read moreThere Isn’t One Glue That Fits All
Martin Cummins on targetting the range OVER the years I have been working in technical services, product development and technical training I have become a bit immune to the fact that product ranges can sometimes be confusing to contractors and retailers. It can be a bit of a challenge trying to fathom which adhesive is needed for a particular job, so why do we have different products for different applications? Surely a ‘one glue fits all’ policy would be better, wouldn’t it? In theory yes it would, but in practice this isn’t...
read moreWood & Sustainability
Craig Pawson on sustainability As I write this column, it is EU Sustainable Energy Week. So why is it so important to source sustainable wood? Sustainable materials and renewable energy are now key for most consumers who are, more than ever, concerned about protecting the environment and saving money. However, when it comes to flooring, consumers don’t always consider wood to be a sustainable material. However, as it is derived from a renewable source and has low embodied energy, it is an ecological choice for flooring. Wood,...
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