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AUGUST 2013 PRO INSTALLER
PRO NEWS
www.proinstaller.co.uk
Response to the latest Green Deal/ ECO statistics
Commenting on the latest Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation (ECO) statistics published by the Department of Energy and Climate Change on 18th July, Neil Marshall, Chief Executive of the National Insulation Association (NIA) said: “whilst there was a small increase in the number of insulation installations in May compared to April the number of installations in 2013 remains well short of what is required.
“There are some 7 million solid walls, 5 million cavity walls and 7 million lofts that still need insulating.
“In its annual report in June the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) stressed the need to maintain and increase the pace of insulation installations to meet the Carbon Budgets. “Based on 2012 levels this would require some 600,000 cavities, 1.2 million lofts and over 80,000 Solid Walls to be insulated each year – which is achievable
Rise of the home business owner
According to new ONS analysis from Direct Line for Business (“DL4B”), there are currently 2.5 million home business owners now operating across the UK, representing 52 per cent of the total number of UK small businesses and eight per cent of the UK’s total workforce.
The analysis highlights an evolving UK workforce, which has developed in a challenging and uncertain economic environment. Millions of people are choosing to take control of their future, achieving a better work-life balance and turning a potential hobby into a career by using an increasingly digital, mobile and flexible business landscape. Men are more than twice as likely as women to run their own business from home, with 1.7 million male home business owners across the country, compared to around 818,000 female home business owners. Jazz Gakhal, Head of Direct Line for Business commented: “Self-employment has been on the rise for several years and our research now shows that a great number of these people work for themselves from home. Once an individual has taken the decision to set up a home business, it is crucial that he/ she fully appreciates their responsibilities as a business owner and ensures that adequate protection is in place should anything happen to threaten what he/she has worked so hard to achieve.” The research showed that when asked about how these home business owners prioritised key actions when they first became operational, sorting tax arrangements and organising insurance ranked 6th and 8th.
and would require levels of activity built up over many years to be maintained. However, over the first five months of 2013 ECO has delivered at a rate equivalent to just 94,000 Cavity Wall, 139,000 Loft and 7,500 Solid Wall instal-
lations per annum, which is very bad news for carbon savings, consumer’s energy bills and jobs in the insulation industry.”
www.nia-uk.org
www. directlineforbusiness. co.uk
FIND OUT ABOUT THE DANGERS OF DUST
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is inviting representatives of the construction industry to a free seminar about the dangers of dust.
Every year 500 workers die from the effects of inhaling dust from materials such as concrete, wood, mortar, gypsum or sandstone. The half day event, organised by the Working Well Together group, takes place in Coalville, Leicestershire, on Friday 20th September. It aims to raise awareness among managers, supervisors and operatives of the health problems caused by dust and the simple steps that should be taken to control it. Practical sessions and demonstrations will focus on extraction systems, water suppression and respiratory protective equipment. Chris Lucas, of HSE’s Health Risk Management Unit, who will be speaking at the event, explained: “Construction dust is not just a nuisance, it is a serious risk to workers’ health. Regularly breathing in even small amounts of dust over a long time can cause life-changing and lifethreatening lung diseases, including cancer. “Common jobs like cutting or grinding concrete, chasing out mortar, drilling in enclosed spaces or sanding wood can be high risk if not properly controlled.” For more information or to book a place contact HSE visiting officer Ian Weekes on 0115 971 2871 Anyone unable to attend who would like to find out more can download a free information sheet from http://www.hse.gov. uk/pubns/cis36.htm
Further expansion
East Anglia based trade fabricator Pyramid Windows has further expanded its team with the appointment of Vinny Zagni. Vinny joins Pyramid’s order processing department following major growth of the company and will help ensure operations run smoothly during this busy period.
Sales Director Ian Cowling comments: “The appointment of Vinny means we can offer the same level of service to our customers whilst we continue to expand. We’re delighted to welcome him to the team.” Vinny Zagni says: “It’s a very exciting time to be joining Pyramid and I look forward to helping the company grow even further in the future.” Vinny is one of several recent new appointments at Pyramid Windows as the company looks to grow further.