Why Engineered Wood Flooring is better than solid wood or laminate.

If you are thinking about replacing old flooring in your current home or are moving into a property that needs new flooring, you should look seriously at the option of Engineered Wood Flooring, it looks like solid wood, is more cost effective in the long run, is easier to maintain and is more durable. If you do decide to go for this practical option then speak to a reputable, professional company like http://www.irwintiles.ie/wooden-flooring/engineered-wood-flooring who can advise you on the best effect for your property, as well as expertly lay your flooring choice for you. If you live in a particularly damp or high moisture environment then Engineered Wood flooring is definitely the wise choice and it works incredibly well particularly in bathrooms and kitchens. Continue reading Why Engineered Wood Flooring is better than solid wood or laminate. →

How to Grow Your Online Business

Over the past 10 years, ecommerce and online businesses have grown exponentially. Right now, anyone with a business idea has the ability to get it off the ground without leaving the house. However, it still does take a lot of work to make your business successful. Almost every market has thousands of different businesses fighting for customers. This is why it is important that your company is seen above all the others. In this article we will give some tips and tricks to help you get ahead of your competition in the online world.

Use paid advertising. The most effective way to get your business seen by your potential customers, is to use paid advertising. Platforms such as Google, Facebook and Instagram allow you to pay money to have your posts seen by specific demographics. This means that you can directly advertise to your target market. It is important to carefully plan your paid advertisements, so they are seen by the correct audience, within your preferred age group and locations.

Image credit

Build your social media. It is vital when growing an online business, that you have a strong online presence so returning and potential customers can easily find you and get in contact with you. It is important to be posting regularly and build a large audience, so you look like an active and reliable company. You can also use your social media pages to grow intrigue in your business and direct more traffic towards your website and sales pages.

Invest in SEO. One of the main ways your potential customers will find your business to purchase your services is through a google search. That is why it is vital that when potential customers search with keywords that relate to your business, you are one of the first links that appear. Investing in search engine optimisation will help make sure you are always at the top of the lists on google searches, meaning that a lot more traffic will be directed towards your website. One example of an SEO Swansea company is www.accent-adc.co.uk/service/digital-marketing-swansea/

Image credit

Monitor your analytics. It is important that you regularly take time to monitor your website’s analytics to be able to understand what methods are working and which ones are not. If you find that certain methods are not drawing people to click through to your website, then you should evaluate if it is worth continuing to invest your time and money on that strategy.

The danger of neglecting fire risk assessment

Despite a fire risk assessment being a legal requirement in the UK, the sheer danger of having a business that is not equipped or trained to act appropriately to fire risk is catastrophic, and sadly more common than you think. Here is some advice for an employer of a business, or equally for an employee, to make sure you are safe in your work environment.

By law, all your employees should receive fire training on induction. Therefore, if you do not remember getting introduced to fire exits, fire alarm systems or drills, then this is something that you should urgently follow up on. As an employee it is your responsibility to ensure that this happens, however, in terms of personal safety, you are entitled to question your lack of training.

Image Credit

Although many smaller businesses may assume that a full-length fire risk assessment is overkill, a business with five or more people must have evidence of a fire risk assessment that explains how it will prevent escalation and potential risks. The person who is chosen to do this does not need to be trained, however, they do need to be chosen with the consideration of having major responsibility and a sensible judgement of the premises.

There are many stages to an assessment however a business will need to implement protocols such as fire alarm and extinguisher servicing. Despite this, you can get training if you feel unsure. This can be from businesses such as Fire Risk Assessment Bristol http://keloscape.co.uk/areas-we-cover/fire-safety-consultancy-bristol/ where you can also get staff training days.

In training, it is essential that staff members learn the basics of fire safety such as how to use a fire extinguisher so they can stop a small situation from escalating. Harmless scenarios such as burning toasters can very quickly develop into a fire if these skills aren’t acquired, or fire alarms are not regularly checked.

Image Credit

Not only can fires completely destroy the building itself and cause injuries to people working in it, but they can simultaneously destroy the reputation of the business. A fire can be a reflection of poor management and a business going downhill.

Therefore, as well as avoiding getting fined, it is well worth familiarising yourself with your work’s fire regulations or bringing up gaps in the training. After all, lives are at risk…

What to Do Before you Drive a Van

Using a van is sometimes something that is needed to make life a little easier – whether you need to use it for a work reason, or if you are moving house, the space that you have available in a van can make many jobs much less time consuming.

If you are wanting to use a van, but don’t need one all the time, then the best thing to do is to go to somewhere like this van hire Bristol based company www.autolynecarvanrental.co.uk/van-hire-bristol and you will be able to have a lease van for when you need it and return it when you don’t.

Image Credit

If you are completely new to driving a van and have never done so before, then it can be a little nerve wracking getting behind the wheel of a much larger vehicle for the first time! The driving seat will not be familiar to you, and getting acquainted with it properly is essential before you set off.

The driving position in a van is different to that of a car, so sit in it, make adjustments and get used to how it feels before you go anywhere. You might want to adjust the seat position as well as the position of the mirrors until you are happy with it.

Once you are happy with the position that you are in, then you can learn your way around the controls and become familiar with them  – you don’t want to be trying to work out how to do something whilst you are going along, and you should be able to do things like turn your indicators on and use your lights and windscreen wipers with ease so that you are not losing the concentration on your actual driving!

Image Credit

You also need to make sure that you load the vehicle in the correct way. Heavy items should not be able to roll around, so ensure that everything is secure. You also need to make sure that you know what the weight allowance is for the load of the van and don’t go over it. When you are loading it, be sure to spread the weight evenly around the area, don’t pile a lot of heavy items in one area!

Posted by / March 27, 2023 / Posted in Auto

When should you book a boiler service?

It is important to have a boiler serviced annually, to check for any issues and ensure that it is working as efficiently as possible. It is also useful to spot any parts which may appear worn and problems that are likely to occur in the short term. This can actually save money, as it prevents a costly call-out fee when your boiler breaks down. For new boilers that are under warranty, it is usually a condition that your boiler is serviced at regular yearly intervals.

Image Credit

If you are looking for a boiler service in Gloucester, it is important to check that this is completed by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Gas Safe was previously known as CORGI and it is a legal obligation for any gas business to appear on the register. According to the Gas Safe website, engineers who are registered will carry their identification card with them and should be more than willing to show this and have you check it out.

One-off servicing.

There may be occasions when you realise something is wrong with your boiler and it is important to have it serviced. If you notice that your heating isn’t working as it should, it can be worth calling in a professional, such as those at www.hprservicesltd.com/gloucester-boilers/boiler-service-gloucester as it can save an inconvenient breakdown in winter, when you are reliant on your heating, or even worse, over Christmas.

If you have recently moved into a property, it can be beneficial to have the boiler serviced, to reassure you that it has been looked after and that it is working safely. This will also help you to start your own annual servicing schedule.

Who is responsible for servicing the boiler?

If you are living in rented accommodation, your landlord should be carrying out an annual Gas Safe service on any gas appliance and flues. When this has been completed, you should be issued with a Landlord Gas Safety Record within 28 days following the gas safety check. For new tenants, a copy of the Record should be provided at the very start of your tenancy.

Image Credit

Since 1st October 2022, landlords should also be providing carbon monoxide (CO) alarms in all habitable rooms which contain a gas appliance and should ensure these are working when the tenancy begins. These should be tested on a regular basis.

Protecting the Data on Electronic Devices

Computers and other electronic devices like tablets and phones are great assets for many businesses, and can help us to do a wide range of tasks, as well as storing data. However, because of this, there is a need to ensure that you are doing all that you can as a business to protect the data that is stored on electronic devices to stop data theft or data leaks from occurring.

Making sure that you are careful with all of the data that is stored on the devices is essential – for example, labelling files clearly as confidential, as well as making sure that you use data encryption and passwords to stop the data from being easily accessed by anyone who should not be looking at it.

Image Credit

As well as the fact that you need to keep the data safe when you are storing it, you also need to be careful about how you are disposing of this data once you no longer need the device and are getting rid of it. Just deleting it is not effective as data can be obtained from hard drives, which means that simply disposing of this as you would any other rubbish is not a good idea.

Image Credit

Any electronic devices that you have used to store confidential and sensitive data should be correctly disposed of so that they can be properly destroyed by a professional like this confidential shredding Swindon based company www.printwaste.co.uk/confidential-shredding/confidential-shredding-swindon/ as this will then stop data being stolen from devices.

What are tenants looking for?

Location

When hunting for the perfect rental property, location is one of the most important things. We might have heard it a million times, but ‘location, location, location’ is likely the main deal-breaker. However, not everyone’s idea of a suitable location is the same and can mean different things to different renters. They might be looking for:

  • A safe area with good schools
  • A city centre location close to work or college
  • Near nightlife
  • Close to the motorway for commuting
  • If your property is lacking in one of these areas, it’s helpful to understand the strengths and benefits of the area your property is in. Understanding this means you can target your ideal audience much more effectively.

Image credit

Budget

The next consideration for potential tenants is their budget. Everyone will be looking to maximise their money by finding the best property for their budget. For landlords, you must price your monthly rent competitively in line with other similar properties. Compare how the features of your property stack up against others on the same road or neighbourhood. Setting the rent too high could be a false economy if your property stands vacant for a long time. For advice from a Letting Agency Gloucester, contact http://www.tgres

Image credit

Features

There are some features that all tenants will be drawn to, which make properties more attractive and don’t cost massive amounts to install either:

  • Contemporary, clean, and well-equipped kitchen and bathroom
  • Inclusion of some white goods like a washing machine, dryer, and dishwasher
  • Simple style touches, such as a feature wall
  • Stylish, clean & comfortable interior
  • Ample storage space
  • A tidy and functional outside space, even if it’s small
  • Lots of natural light
  • Parking
  • Open plan design

Tenancy Period

Most people desire home ownership in the UK, so the most popular tenancy agreement form is a short term of between six and eighteen months. Many tenants use this time to save towards a mortgage, waiting for house prices to fall. However, these hopes don’t always come to fruition, and if your tenants need to remain, then as a landlord, you’ll want to keep good tenants for as long as possible. Here are some factors that will entice your tenants to stay:

  • Having a positive relationship with your tenants which means responding to their communications and keeping the property in good order maintenance-wise.
  • Allowing the tenants a little flexibility when putting their personality into the property is also a thing to consider. A bit of personalisation and light decorating means they feel more at home while hunting for their ideal first-bought property.

What you Need for a Camping Trip in February and March

If you are planning on a camping trip, at this time of the year the weather can still be unpredictable. Although February and March can have periods of lovely weather, and pleasant temperatures, we are also still very likely to experience high winds, heavy rain and even snow during these months, so when you are camping at this time of the year you really need to be prepared for all eventualities when it comes to the weather.

Image Credit

Keeping warm when you are camping is really important, as it can be hard to get that heat back again once you have lost it. Thermal underlayers are a good idea for camping trips, as are items of clothing like this irish mens sweater https://www.shamrockgift.com/aran-sweaters/mens-aran-sweaters/ and of course waterproof coats in case of rain.

At night, make sure that you have a suitable bed, so have a mattress that is raised off the ground, especially if there is frost or snow as the ground will be cold. You will also need to make sure that you have a warm sleeping bag that is suited for lower temperatures, as well as blankets that you can use in addition to this.

Image Credit

Hot food and drinks help you to keep warm, so pack things that you can easily make whilst camping – soup is always a good choice, and this will help to keep your body warm and also well hydrated during the day and at night.

Things to Consider When you are Choosing a New Garden Fence

When you are spending time making your garden look good, as many people do at this time of the year, then something that plays a big part in that is choosing the right fencing. With so many fencing options available, and lots of suppliers and installers of fencing out there like this fencing Cheltenham based company www.greenfieldsltd.co.uk/services/fencing/ it can be confusing knowing what is right for you.

Here are some of the questions to ask yourself to make sure that your fence is right for your garden…

Does your Fence need to Give you Privacy? In some gardens, privacy is important, especially if you live in a built up area. In this case, it is better to go for a higher fence, although make sure that you are complying with your local laws and that it is not higher than the maximum height.

Image Credit

Do you Have Pets or Children? If you have young children or pets it is important that when they are playing in the garden they are safe and are not able to get out. A strong fence that cannot be climbed over is something that you will need.

Image Credit

What sort of Maintenance can you do? Some types of fences need more maintenance than others – for example, wood is a popular choice, but you will need to look after it and weather treat it with the appropriate things to ensure that it stays in good condition.

Creating a Safer Workplace

The workplace should be somewhere that everyone can feel safe, and the employer needs to put in processes that do this. Of course the description of the workplace can vary from person to person – for some it could be driving a vehicle, whereas for others it could be working outdoors, and for many it is working in an office.

Image Credit

In order to provide the people who work for you with the right equipment and training to feel safe, it is important to ensure that you assess the safety and work out all of the risks that might be part of the job.

In some jobs of course there will be more – for example, for people who are working at height, such as builders or tree surgeons, then there will need to be the right training and equipment in place to keep them safe. For people who work with hazardous materials, you will need to think of ways that they can be handled safely, as well as using PPE to keep the person safe.

Image Credit

Some risks are part of every workplace. Fire is a good example of this. Fires are something that you can do a lot to prevent. The first step to fire safety is to get an expert like this fire risk assessment Bristol based company keloscape.co.uk/areas-we-cover/fire-safety-consultancy-bristol to come and work out based on your workplace and the other factors, such as the materials used there, and the storage of things, what you need.

They will be able to then advise you of things that can be changed to make the place safer, such as using fireproof materials or changing how you store things. They can also advise you on things like fire extinguishers – there are many different types to deal with different fires, so they will be able to tell you the types that are suitable for you.

You also should have fire training. This means that employees need to know where to go and what to do if they notice a fire or if the fire alarm sounds. A fire assembly point and regular fire drills help to keep this fresh in people’s minds, and having a member of staff who can help to coordinate this will mean that the risk of someone being harmed in a fire is much lower.