Carpentry presents a range of occupational health hazards that workers should be aware of. These include the inhalation of wood dust, injuries from manual handling, falls from elevated positions, and potential contact with hazardous chemicals and asbestos. Implementing robust safety protocols, notably the consistent use of personal protective equipment (PPE), is key to reducing these risks.

This article takes a closer look at the primary risks and recommended safety measures, providing a list of key topics for your toolbox talks.

A "contract lift" in carpentry refers to a comprehensive service where the Specialist Carpentry Contractor, such as SC4 Carpenters Ltd, works with the crane provider to assume full responsibility for the entire lifting operation, managing the lift with the crane provider and crane operator.

This report by On The Tools, published in March 2023, found that 93% of UK tradespeople have been impacted by mental ill health in some way, with 73% of all UK tradespeople surveyed experiencing mental ill health right now or in the past. A further 20% hadn’t personally experienced mental ill health but knew another tradesperson who had.

This video from SC4 Carpenters Ltd illustrates the installation of a timber frame roof. On this busy crane day in Winchester in April 2025, SC4 Carpenters installed two first floor walls and roofs and two ground floor walls and floor cassettes.

The number of women venturing into roles in the construction industry is still modest, but is growing year by year. Since 2022, around 14-16% of the UK construction workforce have been female, with more women entering the sector from higher education. In 2023, The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported 340,000 women employed by the sector, an increase of 3.2% since 2019. As construction becomes an increasingly popular and attractive career pathway for women, however, ensuring women’s safety and well-being on-site remains paramount.

Society is finally coming around to the realisation that mental health is important. Putting on a ‘stiff upper lip’ and suppressing mental distress does nobody any favours. 

Fire is a terrifying and pervasive risk on construction sites, and although loss of life is thankfully rare, Home Office statistics reported 1,851 fires on construction sites in England between 2014 and 2019. These fires cause £millions in damage each year and pose a direct risk to public safety, as well as the lives and health of workers.

10-16 June 2024 is Men's Health Week. Did you know that men are less likely to seek mental health support, and they account for 75% of all suicides worldwide? Men make up over 90% of those working on a construction site and workers in construction are at some of the highest risk of suicide in the country, with rates in the industry over three times higher than the national average.

Asbestos is a naturally occurring fibrous silicate mineral that was used in construction in insulation, flooring, and roofing until the late 1990s. It has become infamous for causing life-limiting health complications, including asbestosis (the scarring of lung tissue), mesothelioma, and lung cancer, particularly among workers who were in close contact with the material during construction and demolition projects.

Working outside in construction can be a real slog over the winter, let’s be completely honest, so it always raises our spirits when the warm days of spring and summer arrive. With everyone else stifling in their offices and workshops, summer weather makes us realise why we entered this glorious industry in the first place! However, in many ways working outdoors in hot weather is as unpleasant, and certainly more dangerous, than working outside in winter.

As a contractor or contractor-developer, you understand the significance of selecting the right specialist trade contractor to support your new-build housing projects. Working with the right specialist contractor can significantly impact your project's success, bringing in further expertise, experience, quality assurance, project management capabilities, and a strong commitment to health and safety. This eBook delves into the key aspects that a competent specialist trade contractor can contribute to your new-build housing development.

With the nights drawing in and the weather getting colder each day, being outside for long periods of time is becoming less and less on people’s agenda. However, for people who work in construction on site, winter working isn’t something that can be avoided. This will allow you to adjust your work schedule and prepare the necessary tools and materials to keep everyone safe and warm.

SC4 Carpenters Ltd takes working at height very seriously. So we have put together a blog of videos on safe working at height, including timber frame installation videos from Taylor Lane Timber Frame Ltd. With the installation of top hat trusses considered a hazardous work at height operation, Taylor Lane's Top Hat Gantry Walkway Method aims to minimise these risks.

In this article, we will explore the dangers of sleep deprivation in the construction industry and how it can put workers at risk.‘Sleeping on the job’ is never safe in any sector, but in many construction roles, sleep deprivation can be extremely dangerous and have severe implications on a person’s physical and mental health, as well as increasing the risk of dangerous and potentially fatal injuries.

In this article, we will look at six ways that you can limit yourself and your team from injuring yourselves or others. Falls from height are one of the leading causes of injury on UK construction sites for a variety of reasons, from careless behaviour on the part of the worker, to a walkway not being cleared properly and causing them to trip. That's why it's crucial to take extra precautions when working at heights.

In this article, we look at six ways you can avoid taking shortcuts while still remaining time-efficient and productive. Taking shortcuts can be tempting in construction, especially if you’re feeling pressured by deadlines or you feel that taking those extra steps in planning is unnecessary and too time-consuming. However, these shortcuts can lead to dangers on site and directly result in injuries and quality issues, causing a wide range of problems.

Whether you are a business owner, manager, or employee, we all have a part to play in creating a more welcoming and inclusive work environment within our industry. As business owners, it is easy to make all the right moves in our attempts to hire a more diverse team of tradespeople and on-site operatives, but what happens when they quit due to bullying, discrimination, or lack of accessibility?

Clear and effective signs are mandatory on all construction sites according to UK Health and Safety Regulations, but how many types are there and what do their different colours mean? Construction sites can be chaotic, with multiple hazards surrounding workers and visitors. The best way to ensure safety on-site is by using unambiguous construction signage to communicate important messages and information.

Mental health in construction is a serious issue. With suicide killing more people than falls from height, the mental wellbeing of construction workers definitely needs to be highlighted, to break the stigma, increase awareness and improve support. In this article we have put together a few videos which you may find insightful and could be helpful for your mental health toolbox talks, etc.

Following these top regulations, and more as specified on the Gov.UK website, will keep your construction site legal, and ensure you know how to identify and reduce the risks of working in this dangerous industry. Health and safety legislation is designed to encourage uniform safe working practices on construction sites throughout the country, and keep people safe at work.

Long working hours, heavy lifting, and exposure to the elements can all take a toll on your well-being. Here are five ways you can look after your body and physical health while on or off the job. Looking after your body when working in construction is one of the most important things you can do. After all, your body is your most important tool in the day-to-day. 

Saturday 10th September 2022 marks #WorldSuicidePreventionDay, a day designed to raise awareness of, and to promote action to reduce the number of suicides globally. Here at SC4, we believe in making sure everyone under our employment feels safe, enjoys what they do, and cares about the community and environment. We feel this is important not just for our work, but also for the wellbeing of our staff.

SC4 Carpenters Ltd is pleased to announce that we have won Best Carpentry Business - Southern England at the SME News UK Enterprise Awards. "We pride ourselves on providing a high quality service to our customers, safely and to programme, working in partnership with our clients – and are pleased that this has been recognised by this award."

Working in construction can be dangerous and accounts for thousands of injuries every year in the UK, which is why companies should place health and safety at the heart of their organisation in managing a commercial construction project. Keeping alert on-site requires knowledge of health and safety guidelines covering a wide range of areas, including:

In August 2022, SC4 Carpenters Ltd was thrilled by another glowing testimonial from very satisfied client, Redrow. The quantity surveyor and site management team described SC4 as "a pleasure to work with - showing great professionalism, craftsmanship and constant attention to health and safety on site, dedication to the development and willingness to help and find solutions."

SC4 is proud to have once again been certified by the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) and TrustMark for our commercial carpentry, timber frame and decorating works. The FMB has carried out an independent inspection of our works and has certified that we meets its strict membership requirements and government-endorsed TrustMark quality standards.

Working in construction during the heat of the summer can lead to increased risk of injury from falls and other accidents and incidents as concentration wavers due to heat-related illnesses (HRI), tiredness, dizziness, disorientation or confusion. It can also result in heat cramps, heat rash, heat exhaustion, fainting and heat stroke leading to serious illness or even death.

Read more for some tips on how to stay safe in the heat.

The week of 9^th to 15^th May 2022 was Mental Health Awareness Week in the UK, in which hundreds of charities and businesses throughout the country staged local events and awareness-raising activities to help break down the stigma surrounding mental health. At SC4 Carpentry, we believe in the importance and promotion of mental health which continues to be high on our agenda.

SC4 Carpenters Ltd takes health and safety extremely seriously. If you are working at heights at home or on site, please watch this video created by http://outtakes.co.uk/ in collaboration with Jason Anker. This is a FREE TO STREAM film with an extremely strong safety message. It's an important film for all kinds of workers to see and one that forms the basis of Jason's campaign 'Proud 2b Safe'.

In March 2022, we were proud to be named as the very first winners of the Taylor Lane Timber Frame Ltd's Subcontractor Award. Taylor Lane Timber Frame described SC4 as excelling in their approach to health & safety on site, whilst continually striving to find ways of improving in any way possible, with SC4 playing a proactive part in effective planning, with their efficient management of materials and works on site.

On World Suicide Prevention Day 2021, we have republished a couple of videos from 2019 which are sadly still relevant today. In the construction industry deaths from suicide are around ten times higher than deaths from injury, and each death is one too many.

At SC4 Carpenters Ltd we are proud of our excellent health and safety record over the last 21 years. We have just renewed our SMAS and Acclaim SSIPs accrediations for 2021-2022. In this article we explain what these accreditations mean for us, our clients and our workforce. Health and safety is one of the most important considerations that should take before any construction project gets underway. 

SC4 Carpenters Ltd are proud ConstructionLine Gold Members. This accreditation demonstrates to our clients that we have been subjected to increased scrutiny around governance and risk management. SC4 has been assessed on additional areas such as: environmental management, quality management, equal opportunities, modern slavery act adherence and anti-bribery and corruption policies.

In this article, SC4 reflects on its role and influence in the industry. Our primary focus has been on how Belonging can affect the Wellbeing of our staff and subcontractors. We hope that by raising awareness of Mental Health issues and promoting Diversity within our workforce, we will create a happier and healthier company and a more positive and focused team.

#TimeToTalk Day 2020 , 1 in 4 of us will experience a mental health problem in any given year, which is why talking about mental health is so important. Join SC4 start the conversation to end the stigma for those struggling with a mental health problem or crisis. Too often, mental health problems are treated as a taboo subject – something not to be talked about, especially at work.

HRH THE DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE AND FOOTBALL LEGENDS CHAMPION MENTAL HEALTH ON EMIRATES FA CUP THIRD ROUND WEEKEND. Public Health England’s Every Mind Matters and the Heads Up campaign, a partnership between Heads Together and The FA, have teamed up to encourage football fans to take simple actions to look after their mental health.

SC4 are continuing our Keeping Safe and Healthy in Construction campaign this month, with a focus on Working in Cold Weather.

In October 2019, SC4 attended UK Construction Week in Birmingham. Katy (Director) and Rachael (Marketing) spent the day networking and attending seminars and talks.

SC4 have started a NEW campaign titled "Keeping Safe and Healthy in Construction." We hope to raise awareness of the Health and Safety issues in the industry.

SC4 have now created a Youtube page. So if you have missed out on any of our videos or would like to link to them on your website/blog take a look!! youtube.com/sc4carpenters