Spec Finish

NEWS 6 www.thefis.org Property expert and home renovation TV presenter, George Clarke, visited British Gypsum’s mine in Barrow upon Soar, as part of one of the episodes for his latest Channel 4 series, Remarkable Renovations. He wanted to find out more about the mining, milling, and manufacturing process that gypsum goes through to get from rock deep beneath the ground, to plaster in a bag. The episode, which sees a couple transform a 120-year-old cattle shed and milking parlour into a contemporary home, features British Gypsum Thistle plaster, used to create the effect of rough timber on their pitched roof. Watch at www.channel4.com/programmes/george-clarkes-remarkable- renovations/on-demand/68219-005 George Clarke visits British Gypsum Worker falls through scaffold safety rail A fit-out contractor has been fined after an employee suffered multiple fractures after falling 15 feet from scaffolding. Manchester Magistrates Court heard how on 24October 2019, an employee of TA Knox Shopfitters Ltd was working froma tower scaffold at the front of the FootasylumStore in theTrafford Centre, Manchester, when the scaffoldmoved throwing himoff balance. He fell backwards against the safety rail of the scaffold, which gave way and he fell to the ground. The employee suffered 10 fractured ribs, a fractured shoulder and a collapsed lung. An HSE investigation found that the safety rail had not been fixed in place correctly, causing it to give way when the employee fell against it. It also found that the tower scaffold had not been erected by somebody with the appropriate skills, knowledge and training. If the edge protection had been suitable and sufficient and the tower constructed by somebody competent to erect tower scaffolds, the incident could have been prevented. TA Knox Shopfitters Ltd of Bredbury, Stockport pleaded guilty to safety breaches and was fined £18,000 and ordered to pay costs of £4,623. An online hub for design inspiration Interior designers and specifiers across the UK can now order samples from a range of leading suppliers and find fresh inspiration for their projects in the same online marketplace. Sample Library features leading products from the design world and gives its professional users a quick way to explore different materials and order samples with ease. Founder, ChrisWalters, said: “We developed the platform to create a place where designers could come and find inspiration for their projects and celebrate the best of the UK design industry.” To date, more than 40 suppliers are registered to supply samples through the platform offering a variety of materials including flooring, wallcoverings, tiles, stone and fabrics. www.samplelibrary.co.uk £31 billion of planned investment The Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) has published the National Infrastructure and Construction Procurement Pipeline for 2021/22 setting out up to £31 billion of planned investment in economic and social infrastructure for the current financial year. It is the most comprehensive pipeline ever published and looks to build market confidence in the industry to invest in innovation and develop capability. Following feedback from the CLC, this year’s pipeline includes information on whether a project is part of a framework and if it is a consultancy or contracting opportunity. Looking ahead to the longer term, the pipeline also gives an overview of £650 billion of planned investment to 2030/31. The IPA has also published Transforming Infrastructure Performance: Roadmap to 2030 which outlines how the Government intends to support the effective delivery of the pipeline by developing and adopting new technologies and ways of working and implementing the Construction Playbook. www.tinyurl.com/uj67p9u8 CPApublishes Code for Construction Product Information The Construction Products Association (CPA) has published the Code for Construction Product Information to ensure that reliable and consistent product information is provided by manufacturers. Developed in response to the recommendationsmade inDame Judith Hackitt’s Building a Safer Future report, the code sets the industry benchmark for how product information is presented andmarketed so that it is clear, accurate, up-to-date, accessible and unambiguous. It contains 11 clauses including transparency of information on performance and proof of stated claims, and manufacturers can now register their interest in being verified against the code later this year. Guidance has been published to assist with the verification process. www.tinyurl.com/5fmeyy44 British Gypsum’s mine in Barrow upon Soar