Builders Talk Group

30/04/2026

The survey closes in the next 24 hours!! Please click on the link and fill it in to make sure you have your day on CDM effectiveness!

Thanks!

Some of the work being done, as part of the CIOB HS&W panel, is looking at CDM and how it’s perceived across the industry. It would be a fantastic chance for those who are self employed or micro businesses to say what they think!
There’s an Amazon gift card as an incentive to filling the survey in 😉

This is the official wording for the CIOB press release….

“Just over a decade on from the introduction of the Construction Design & Management Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015), CIOB is looking for views from across the built environment sector on their implementation and effectiveness along with what, if anything, can be improved.

Please take CIOB’s short survey, which you can find here. Your feedback will help shape future conversations with the HSE and policy makers on the evolution of the regulations, which must remain fit for purpose to keep everyone safe across an ever-changing industry and the communities we build for.”

Fill in the survey here - https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/iDhcBAkPtK

29/04/2026

Do you register your new tools? With benefits like an extended warranty, discounted replacement tools if yours get stolen (not all brands offer this, check the small print!) and actually registering them as belonging to you, should the worst happen, it’s a no-brainer isn’t it?

Of course, marking them with ensures they can be traced back to you immediately when found (discount code BTG10 at checkout 😉)

Let’s try and give the Police the evidence they need to take the thieves to court.

* Not an ad!
* Other brands are available.
* SecuredByDesign always!

29/04/2026

It was really good to be invited by the National Business Crime Centre to the Guildhall in London to take part in a roundtable discussion on Tool Theft.

Many of us know from personal experience just how devastating it is to come out to your van and it’s been emptied. And it’s not just the loss of tools. The disruption to your jobs and getting the van back on the road can affect every part of your life.

So yesterday was an important step in making the people there sit up and listen to what we need.

The Minister for Policing is taking the issue seriously and has made steps to drive it forward within government.

Manufacturers and retailers listened to our concerns about how the market is dealt with and what they can do to improve the situation.

It’s not going to be a single fix. But it’s a positive start.

We’ll keep pushing, questioning, challenging to get the perspective of our members across.

Let us know if you want us to raise issues or ideas on what can be done to solve the problem. Anything from changing sentencing and the crime classification, to making it easier to register your tools. We’re all ears!

13/04/2026

What were you doing in 2015? Builders Talk Group was just a baby, with not much more than 1000 members. Who knew where it would take us all back then! The group has had some ups and downs - it’s changed and evolved, but we’re still here and proud of the genuine trade community we’ve built.

Also in that year, the CDM regulations were amended to the version our industry employs to this day. Are those regs still current and are they effective?

That’s the question The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) would like to ask. The HS&W panel have created a short survey, to obtain feedback from within the industry. You could also win a £50 Amazon voucher for your efforts too.

Without feedback we cannot lobby for change where or if it is required (these regulations affect much of what our industry does, so they must be fit for the industry in the modern day).

The survey is live until the end of April, click on the link in the post below to make your opinions known.

Some of the work being done, as part of the CIOB HS&W panel, is looking at CDM and how it’s perceived across the industry. It would be a fantastic chance for those who are self employed or micro businesses to say what they think!
There’s an Amazon gift card as an incentive to filling the survey in 😉

This is the official wording for the CIOB press release….

“Just over a decade on from the introduction of the Construction Design & Management Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015), CIOB is looking for views from across the built environment sector on their implementation and effectiveness along with what, if anything, can be improved.

Please take CIOB’s short survey, which you can find here. Your feedback will help shape future conversations with the HSE and policy makers on the evolution of the regulations, which must remain fit for purpose to keep everyone safe across an ever-changing industry and the communities we build for.”

Fill in the survey here - https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/iDhcBAkPtK

08/04/2026

Some of the work being done, as part of the CIOB HS&W panel, is looking at CDM and how it’s perceived across the industry. It would be a fantastic chance for those who are self employed or micro businesses to say what they think!
There’s an Amazon gift card as an incentive to filling the survey in 😉

This is the official wording for the CIOB press release….

“Just over a decade on from the introduction of the Construction Design & Management Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015), CIOB is looking for views from across the built environment sector on their implementation and effectiveness along with what, if anything, can be improved.

Please take CIOB’s short survey, which you can find here. Your feedback will help shape future conversations with the HSE and policy makers on the evolution of the regulations, which must remain fit for purpose to keep everyone safe across an ever-changing industry and the communities we build for.”

Fill in the survey here - https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/iDhcBAkPtK

07/04/2026

Fancy some Sub-floor training for free? join us in Stoke on the 21st April!

Back from Easter? Good — this is two weeks away.

ARDEX Subfloor Repair & Preparation training day. 21 April, Stoke. In association with the Builders Talk Group and KHR Company Ltd.

Hands-on training covering surface preparation, moisture control, screed systems, repair solutions, and smoothing compounds. Everything you need to get subfloors right, first time.

If it’s been on your list, now’s the time to book. Places are filling up.

https://ardexacademy.uk/training-session/subfloor-repair-preparation-btg-khr/

30/03/2026

Calling all tradespeople 📣📣📣

In Oxford tomorrow?

Get yourself down to Toolstation UK at Botley Road to pick up your FREE SelectaDNA kit courtesy of Thames Valley Police.

The event runs from 8am-12pm, no need to register just turn up and get your kit!!

30/03/2026

In Slough? Get yourself down to @ Buckingham Road TODAY for your FREE kit thanks to

Protect your tools and reduce the market for stolen tools by making them INSTANTLY traceable!!

24/03/2026

Government announces reforms to the industry payment structure with retention being banned and payment terms being reduced to 60 days among other changes.
Full details can be found - https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/late-payments-tackling-poor-payment-practices/late-payments-consultation-tackling-poor-payment-practices

How will your business be impacted?

19/03/2026

Tool theft isn’t going away. Don’t be sucked in by the overnight setup promising to solve all your problems.

Checkout companies that want you to give them your hard earned 💷💷💷

* Check that the marking kits you use are endorsed by the police.
* That any online register is plugged into the police database so your details can be found if they find your tools.
* Read the small print on your insurance policy. Make sure you are covered for all the situations you may find yourself in.
* That aftermarket security is fitted by a reputable company with reliable customer reviews or has been used by people you know and trust.

It’s not just builders that can be 🤠🤠🤠🤦🏻‍♀️

18/03/2026

BTG PSA - Tool theft

Would you trust somebody who turned up on your doorstep telling you they could do a great job of tarmacing your drive? Or replacing your roof?

Of course you wouldn’t. You’d use due diligence and make sure the people you are hiring had the qualifications & experience to do the job.

So why trust people who set up businesses to piggyback the epidemic that is tool theft?

So often, they see the opportunity to make a quick buck out of you guys. All that does is dilute the efforts of the people who have gone through the correct channels to provide the services that they do. And then when you fall victim and you’re not covered, you’re angry with the system, with the police, with everybody. So next time it happens you don’t report the crime. It’s switches you off from looking after your tools and it reduces the overall aim which is to stamp out tool theft. And life for us all gets that bit harder.

Check companies offering you protection services against the Police Secured By Design website. Have a look at their companies house records, see how long they’ve been operating, check how many times the director has had businesses that have been closed. Do everything your customers do before they hire you!

We aren’t going to beat the tool thieves if we don’t all work to make it as hard as possible for them to pass on your tools.

* Check that the marking kits you use are endorsed by the police.
* That any online register is plugged into the police database so your details can be found if they find your tools.
* Read the small print on your insurance policy. Make sure you are covered for all the situations you may find yourself in.
* That aftermarket security is fitted by a reputable company with reliable customer reviews or has been used by people you know and trust.

We’ve been campaigning on the tool theft epidemic for 10 years now and in that time we’ve seen companies come and go. We’ve also seen the ones that are here to stay. We believe you guys should have choice but we will always recommend companies that we believe are doing the right thing for the right reasons and have the track record to back that up. So many are pushing new products with absolutely no integrity, don’t fall for it!

Likes can be bought - experience has to be gained!!!

If a company has been going a matter of
months and tells you they already have thousands signed up before they even launch, engage your common sense. It takes years to build up a client base that big.

Remember, if it looks cheap, it is very rarely good. If it’s a hard sell, chances are the product isn’t the same quality as others on the market. The rules of commerce are the same for the products and services we buy as they are for the ones we provide. You can’t afford to cut corners on your tool protection.

For more information on the Secured By Design Initiative, click here - https://www.securedbydesign.com

For more honest, unbiased advice, check out the Van Security page of the BTG website - https://builderstalkgroup.com/van-talk-group/

We’ll say it again -

Likes can be bought - experience has to be gained!!!

Secured by Design (SBD) is the official police security initiative that works to improve the security of buildings and their immediate surroundings to provide safe places to live, work, shop and visit.

14/03/2026

Local to Reading?

The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley has organised a series of FREE Tool Marking events -

24th March Screwfix Tilehurst, between 8am -12pm.

Get down there for yours!