Roofing Work News Roundup – November, 2017
Here at D-marc we’re in the business of making work at height, namely roofing work, safer with our innovative rooftop barrier solutions. As such, we keep a close eye on the news for stories about roof work and working at height in general so that we can provide our readers with useful and relevant information that will keep them up to date with what’s going on in our industry. Once a month, we’ll publish a roundup of the news that affects our sector in one easy place so that readers can get a quick overview of the most important happenings over the past month. If you have anything to add or know of any stories that you’d like us to cover, please don’t hesitate to let us know, either by email, on our Facebook Page or on our Twitter feed.
Our first news item is the revelation that a new accreditation scheme is predicted to bring a massive skills boost to the roofing industry. The scheme was announced at the annual National Federation of Roofing Contractors (NFRC) Suppliers Conference this month and it’s a development that we’ll cover in more detail next week, so look out for the article or follow us on Facebook or Twitter to get notification if you’re interested in finding our more.
Next, a gang of rogue builders has been found guilty of fraud after conning several elderly people in the North Wales area out of £700,000 for substandard roofing and building works. One of the victims of the scam was Meinwen Parry, the grandmother of actor Jude Law – she lost more than £60,000 to the fraudsters but has, sadly, since died. Another victim was a retired school caretaker who was conned out of a massive £615,000! A cautionary tale which perfectly illustrates the need for householders to check the credentials of any roofing or building companies they hire to carry out work on their homes.
News of a different tune now, with the revelation that American singer/songwriter Jack White has described his new solo album as “good gardening or roofing music”. White, who rose to fame as the lead singer of The White Stripes duo whose most successful single, Seven Nation Army was taken up by Labour supporters at Glastonbury last summer singing “Oh Jeremy Corbyn” to the tune of the 2003 Grammy Award winner.
Last of all, a report by the BBC has revealed that an engineering graduate in Gujarat, India has been transforming the lives of slum dwellers by fitting modular roof panels made from waste. Hasit Ganatra was determined to improve the living conditions of some of the 65 million slum dwellers in India where the houses are usually made from concrete or tin, making them hot in summer, freezing cold in winter and open to the rain during the monsoon season. After two years and more than 300 attempts, his company came up with the waterproof roof panels made from waste, pulped cardboard and natural fibres defying the predictions of experts around the world who advised him to give up.