| |
Posts Tagged ‘training<’
Last month, Mr-Skill posted a couple of articles on the subject of safety. The first specifically related to electrical safety, while the other talked about general safety awareness. In an on-going effort to get this vital message across, we are going to discuss safety in broad terms here. We’ll cover protective clothing, footwear, headgear, tools and a basic understanding of why we all need to be safety conscious and alert. Before we start, a quick word from our many sponsors – we have several skilled experts right here on Mr-Skill – you can find your qualified electrician right now!
Why We Need Safety
Ever since the early days of the Industrial Revolution, the well-being and protection of workers has been evolving rapidly. To begin with life was cheap, labour inexpensive and in plentiful supply, and observing basic safety was not a priority for factory owners and industrialists. These days, we have comprehensive labour laws to protect everybody in the working environment.
Historically speaking, many horrendous work-place disasters have occurred. Investigations into the causes were always enlightening, but if one good thing did emerge, it was the refinement and enforcement of strict new rules, and the introduction of accountability. Unfortunately, quite a number of workers continue to pay the ultimate price while trying to complete their work at all costs.
Safety Apparel
Clothing
Over the centuries, workplace clothing has evolved with safety in mind. Clothing not only protects the body it is covering, but also prevents burns and lacerations, as well as harmful chemical spills on the skin. Appropriate protective clothing is an important safety consideration across all trades, particularly those with moving machinery.
Head Gear
This includes hardhats, goggles and headphones to protect the head, eyes and ears respectively. Face masks too, are important in many occupations. Mr-Skill would like to remind you of the many signed-up members – for example, you can get your plumbing, heating and gas quotes right here in confidence.
Footwear and Hand Protection
Inadequate foot protection continues to result in grotesque accidents in the work place. Proper safety shoes and boots are an absolute must in many of our trades. Likewise, our hands are the tools of our bodies and need protection under harsh working conditions.
Tools 
Over the years tools have become more sophisticated, often with the user’s safety in mind. Tools include not only equipment we use with our hands, but items that we stand on – ladders and scaffolding for example – and machines that we operate too.
Developing an Understanding
A last word from one of our London general building experts: “These days, training and skills development play a vital role in promoting safety in the workplace. The word ‘workplace’ extends to every place of work, and covers hospitals and care homes, transport, shops, factories, business premises and, yes, including our homes! You can never forget ‘safety’ for a single moment, because if you do, the consequences could prove fatal. Please don’t cut corners or take chances.”
Tags: disasters, ear protection, eye protection, find an electrician, foot protection, gloves, head protection, home, labour laws, london general building expert, plumbing-heating-and-gas quote, protective clothing, safety, safety rules, skills development, training, work, work aparrel, work environment, workplace safety
Posted in Electrical Work, General Building, Plumbing, Heating & Gas | Comments Off
About the only way to save money on plumbers is not to have a need for their services in the first place. We are of course talking about those easy DIY jobs such as drain clearing and unblocking your loo. But there are some jobs that only a qualified plumber can attend to, and it’s for these kinds of jobs that we are offering free advice on how to go about choosing one.
The Seven Most Important Considerations
When requesting plumbing services, don’t be shy to ask these important questions before selecting them: 
- Are they qualified and currently registered?
- Do they come across as professional on the ‘phone?
- Are they willing to reveal their charges once they know what needs doing?
- Are they loading the costs when it comes to replacing broken or worn parts?
- Do they come across as friendly?
- Ask if they clean up properly when finished.
- Do they offer a guarantee?
Let’s analyse the above in more detail before you go about selecting your preferred plumber. Remember that Mr-Skill has an impressive list of pre-screened professionals, so you could find a plumber right here without further ado!
Qualifications
Skills in the plumbing trade take several years to develop, starting with a proper apprenticeship under the experienced watch of a mentor. Skills alone are not sufficient, because plumber need to prove they have what it takes. This they do by studying and passing several exams set by City & Guilds. 
Responding to Your Call
If you have a concern after speaking to a plumber about your problem on the ‘phone, picture them in your house!
Charging
Plumbing is a highly competitive sector, and quoting should be straightforward and simple once they know what needs doing. Estimating time and materials is part of any plumber’s training. You could easily compare by getting a plumbers quote right here on Mr-Skill.
Parts and Spares
Ask your plumber if he has a problem with you shopping around for the parts he thinks you need. If he’s cagey, then the chances are that he is loading prices.
One of our London plumbers wraps up with this advice. Any well turned out plumber should clean up nicely when he’s finished as part of the service. It’s a simple matter of being proud of what they do and how they do it, and don’t forget to ask about guarantees too.
Tags: apprenticeship, City & Guilds, cleaning up, DIY plumbing, experience, find a plumbing-heating-and-gas expert, friendly plumber, guarantee, knowledge, london plumber, plumber, plumbing-heating-and-gas quote, professional plumber, qualified plumber, quote, training
Posted in Plumbing, Heating & Gas | Comments Off
Posted in General Building on Apr 30
 Even if only performing simple tasks when working at your home, a general builder needs to have a clear understanding of all of the home construction processes. This must include the basic building structure through the laying on of electrical, plumbing and even heating and ventilation systems too. Moreover, your general builder must be able to read and interpret blueprints, and should be able to calculate dimensions for each room t00.
The scope of the work could include building your home from scratch, but a skilled general builder should easily be able to assist with renovation work and smaller projects as well. So if you are looking to find a general builder, there is no better place to start than right here on Mr-Skill.
Things to Watch For 
When requesting a general builder quote, don’t be shy to ask these important questions, and make sure they get properly answered too:
- Does the person you are considering have the all-round skills that they will need? If they don’t, they may end up sub-contracting certain tasks, and this could be dangerous as you would be dealing with unknown people.
- Do he or she have a thorough understanding of all interior and exterior building materials?
- Are they at ease with kitchen and bathroom fittings, including lights and switches?
- Do they have a comprehensive set of equipment including power tools, and do they know how to use them correctly?
Sign a Contract
Be sure to draw up a contract with your general builder. This agreement needs to cover the specifics such as start date and time, agreed costs, supply of tools and materials, and so on. Ask too about penalties, should the builder run over the agreed time schedule – this prevents unfair delays due to things beyond your control that could include deliberate time wasting too. Remember to add an arbitration clause to cover disputes and disagreements. Any good builder will be quite willing to sign a fair contractagreement
Accreditation
One of our expert London general builders is very proud of his workmanship, which has come at the cost of extensive training and apprenticeships too. He advises that you should check that your builder is properly trained and has the experience to finish the assignment satisfactorily. Don’t be shy to ask for certificates of registration – the last thing you want is to become some cowboy builder’s training ground!
Tags: accreditation, apprenticeship, arbitration, blueprints, building materials, contract, equipment, exterior, fair, find a general builder, general builder quote, interior, London general builder, penalty, plans, power tool, registration, training
Posted in General Building | Comments Off
 Fairly often young people starting out in life decide to try their luck at being handypersons. While it as appealing to give a youngster a chance, we hear stories every day how charity has backfired. That is why at Mr-Skill we always recommend that you Find a Handyman that we have rated. To double check if you decide to go direct, you should ask the youngster the following questions.
o Do you have any formal qualifications or some related training, perhaps at school?
o How long have you being doing this work, and what kinds of jobs have you attempted?
o Are you able to provide a list of clients, and can I go and see the jobs you did myself?
o Did you ever have a job stopped halfway through, or where a customer refused to pay?
 I am not saying for one moment that a youngster starting out in life as a handyperson will always answer questions like these truly. However, their expression should be the more reliable witness to the truth. Or, as my old mate George who is a Handyman in London always likes to say, hand them an expensive hand tool and tell them to put it down on the bench. The way they treat it will tell you everything.
Be careful of letting cowboys loose on your home especially as they seldom have insurance. Rather get Handyman Quotes on Mr-Skill and breathe a sight of relief that you have done the right thing
Tags: attempt, client, cowboy, expression, find a handyman, handyman london, handyman quote, handyperson, how many, inspect, insurance, job, qualification, refuse to pay, school, stop job, training, truth, visit, young
Posted in Handyman Services, Uncategorized | Comments Off
Moving is a traumatic experience at the best of times. If you are planning to move house in the next few weeks then it is time to find a removalist at Mr-Skill.  This is because a good removalist usually has a busy schedule and just about every man-with-a-man is booked out a week ahead. Here are some pointers to ensure that the whole family sleeps in the new home together the first night.
o Recognise that quality costs money, and that this applies to removal firms too. Choose to ignore the fly-by-nights who advertise in the free local press and promise the earth for nothing. It is much safer from an insurance point of view especially to find a man-with-a-van who is registered and listed on Mr-Skill.
o I once lived in a part of the City where the pace of life was hectic and there were many unreliable suppliers. I moved several times and learned that removalists London discriminators were the quality of their vehicles and the amount of effort they put into training. I eventually discovered that a quick visit to  their yard provided the answers instantly.
o Planning is the key to most things, and that applies to moving home too. If you do not plan, I promise you from experience that your move will be a disaster. Decide in advance which furniture will go into which room, and make a sketch plan of where it will stand. If you label the boxes the same way too, it will not take long to pack them out and settle down to work.
Moving does not have to be a hassle. In fact, it can be the perfect opportunity to finally sort things out and know where they are too. When you are ready, you can find the perfect firm to help you pack your prized possessions and move them to your new home on Mr Skill. After the dust has settled you will agree that quality is worth the price.
Tags: box, drawing, find a man-with-a-van, find a removalist, furniture, house, man-with-a-van london, man-with-a-van quotes, move home, moving, moving home quotes, pack, plan, position, quality, relocate, removalist quotes, removalists london, schedule, sketch, supplier, training, vehicle
Posted in Moving Homes & Hauliers, Project Advice | Comments Off
 The daughter of Sir Roddy Llewellyn – most famous for his eight year relationship with Princess Margaret – has turned her back on a privileged university education to train as a plumber. Speaking to the Daily Mail, 23-year-old Rose Llewellyn admitted that she had enrolled on a City & Guilds NVQ 6129 level 2 course, which is the required foundation course for beginners as it allows progression onto the NVQ level 3. The young royal discovered that her heart was in plumbing when she fixed a tap at her home and decided to follow her dream and ditch university in favour of plumbing courses.
She told the publication: “I was sitting with Dad in the kitchen. A tap was leaking, so we took it off, fitted a new washer, and it didn’t leak any more. It was my light-bulb moment.” Rose revealed she was delighted by her decision to take plumbing courses and that her friends, who had been pressured into going to university, were jealous that she was doing something that she actually enjoyed. She told the Mail “I’ve always liked making things, and suddenly realised I wanted to learn a skill I can make use of – I was going to be a plumber. It was a huge relief and a lot of people around me were very envious.”
Rose said that she is extremely enthusiastic about plumbing despite coming from a privileged background and is happy to do the dirty work as it provides her with great job satisfaction. She told the Mail “I’m not a prissy girl and have no qualms about getting dirty or wet to do the job. I’m 100 per cent committed and have done everything on this course to the best of my ability. I don’t want to be a bog-standard plumber” she quipped.
If you have an urgent plumbing problem and are unable to wait until Rose qualifies as a professional plumber, use our Tradesmen’s Directory to locate a local plumber in London near you.
Tags: City and Guilds, Find a Plumber in London, leaking tap, NVQ, training, washer
Posted in Plumbing, Heating & Gas | Comments Off
 The NCC (National Construction College) is urging scaffold inspectors who qualified prior to May 2007 to retrain. Scaffold inspectors play a vital role in the health and safety of roofers in London and local builders in London, and the Health & Safety Executive offer a scaffold checklist for all tradesmen in London who work on roofs and upper floors of buildings in the capital.
The new Scaffold Inspection Training Scheme (SITS) is endorsed by the Construction Industry Scaffolders Record Scheme (CISRS) and leads to the new CISRS competence card for scaffold inspection. The new qualification aims to raise standards within the industry by providing a uniform approach to qualifying scaffold inspectors, therefore ensuring the safety of all local tradesmen in London. It has been welcomed by the industry, which has the highest proportion of reported injuries caused by falls from a height, which account for 17% of accidents compared with 8% in other industries (source: Health and Safety Executive).
NCC Access Manager, Allen Robertson, said: “Each year construction workers and members of the public are injured as a result of inadequate scaffolding. That’s why it is essential that the industry has qualified competent inspectors to ensure scaffolding remains structurally sound while in use.”
“SITS will provide the industry with a scheme that has both the quality and the rigour to provide competent scaffold inspectors. It will help improve safety whilst reducing business costs as a result of poorly constructed or poorly maintained scaffold. We encourage scaffold inspectors to book onto one of our courses now to ensure they obtain the new qualification to inspect.”
Those attending the training are required to have some awareness and prior experience of scaffold structures. Each course will include legislation and technical guidance on areas such as tubes, boards and fittings, scaffolding terminology, practical inspection and reports.
The new course must be delivered at a CISRS approved centre, such as the National Construction College, which is the largest construction training provider in Europe. Delivered by CISRS approved instructors, the course is available at a range of venues and locations throughout the UK. The course may also be delivered on company premises, subject to meeting scheme criteria. The College offers a wide range of scaffolding and access courses for local builders in London throughout their careers, including Scaffolding Part 1 and 2, Scaffold Safety Inspection, Experienced Worker Practical Assessment and NVQ Level 2 and 3 Practical Assessment.
As the direct training division of ConstructionSkills, NCC offers outstanding training to young apprentices and adult students for a wide range of specialist courses, which are delivered by experienced instructors at first class training facilities. The College’s venues throughout the country provide training for up to 30,000 people per year. For more information about the Scaffold Inspection Training Scheme, CISRS card or other training courses available at NCC please call 0344 994 4433 or visit www.nationalconstructioncollege.co.uk.
Tags: Construction Safety, dangerous building sites, Find a Builder in London, Find a Roofer in London, general building, Health and Safety Executive., Roofing, safety standards, scaffolding, training
Posted in Bricklaying, General Building, Roofing, Gutters & Drainage | Comments Off
|
Subscribe to our RSS Feed
