Marshalls PLC has been actively working to improve human rights in global supply chains for almost two decades. To strengthen its work in this area, the hard landscaping materials supplier has appointed Emma Crates as Group Business & Human Rights Manager and Nasriah Jamaludin as Business and Human Rights Executive.

Emma is a former business journalist and modern slavery researcher who most recently worked as prevent policy lead for UK Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner Dame Sara Thornton, DBE QPM.

In this role, she led private sector engagement, collaborating with a broad range of stakeholders including government, businesses, investors and NGOs to promote best practice in addressing forced labour risk in supply chains.

Emma has written several reports on business and modern slavery for the Chartered Institute of Building and the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner. Her specialist interests include the construction and agricultural sectors, transparency in supply chains and investor strategy.

Nasriah speaks English, Malay, Indonesian and Mandarin. At University, she represented her native Singapore on international youth forums, leading in international relations. She later taught English in Henan province in China. After graduating with a Masters in Culture, Society & Globalisation from the University of York in 2020, Nasriah worked for an e-commerce organisation.

In their new roles, Nasriah and Emma will analyse and address human rights risk in Marshalls’ UK operations and international supply chains, support audit functions, and lead worker and supplier engagement initiatives. They will also support the business to capture and share vital data.

Emma says: “I’m delighted to be part of Marshalls, a company that continues to invest in and expand its human rights strategy at home and abroad. I look forward to exploring and developing best practice in due diligence and data collection in the rapidly evolving human rights space.”

Nasriah says: “I’m excited to be joining Marshalls and working with exceptional professionals. I look forward to being part of its mission to create a sustainable future through positive change.”

These new roles are based in the team run by Elaine Mitchel-Hill, ESG and Human Rights Director at Marshalls.

She says of the new appointments: “I am thrilled to have two people of such excellent calibre join our team. This further strengthens our ability to understand human rights risks in our operations and supply chains and work with procurement colleagues and suppliers to uphold international standards.”

Marshalls has proactively worked to improve human rights since 2005. In 2016 it became the first company to achieve BRE ELS 6002 for ethical labour sourcing, an accreditation it retains. As well as working globally, Marshalls also runs programmes to tackle modern slavery in the UK. It launched its sector-wide Power of Logistics programme in 2019.

Marshalls is a long-standing member of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Child Labour Platform and has been a signatory of the UN Global Compact (UNGC) since 2009.

www.marshalls.co.uk

Mapei has extended its UltraCare range with the introduction of eight new products for floor, tile and surface protection. The new treatments join nine existing UltraCare cleaning products launched in the UK last October.

Aimed at both professionals and DIYers, Mapei’s UltraCare cleaners and protectors simplify application without compromising durability for every type of surface.

Lisa Breakspear, Mapei's UltraCare Category Manager, says: “With the launch of these eight new surface protection products we now offer a complete range of tile care and maintenance products to complement the Mapei system."

The UltraCare products provide protection and maintenance of surfaces in private, commercial and industrial settings. They were formulated in the Mapei Research Laboratories and fulfil specific requirements such as colour enhancing and providing water and oil-repellent protection for surfaces including natural and artificial stone, cement and terrazzo, and the protection of tiles before grouting.

For use on new installations and for maintenance, the products in the UltraCare range are supplied ready to use (they do not need to be diluted) on dry or slightly damp (depending on the type of product) clean materials using a brush, cloth or fleece applicator.

The new products joining the UltraCare line are:

• UltraCare Intensifier W: water-based, high penetration colour enhancer and protector
• UltraCare Intensifier S: solvent-based, high penetration colour enhancer and protector
• UltraCare Stain Protector W: water-based impregnator providing protection and anti-stain properties, with a natural effect for unpolished surfaces
• UltraCare Stain Protector S: solvent-based impregnator providing protection and anti-stain properties, with a natural effect
• UltraCare Stain Protector W Plus: water-based impregnator providing protection and anti-stain properties, suitable for use on all finishes of natural stone, terrazzo, agglomerates, brick, terracotta and polished porcelain
• UltraCare Grout Release: water-based product for application on porous material to protect against grout ingress and staining.  Also, for use on textured porcelain to make cleaning after grouting quick and easy
• UltraCare Grout Protector: water-based impregnator for use on cementitious grouts
• UltraCare Fuga Fresca Grout Refresh: easy to use grout refresher to rejuvenate the colour of cementitious grout joints in floors and walls.

For advice on cleaning regimes and more information about the Mapei UltraCare range contact: technical-uk@mapei.co.uk.

The long-awaited part 5 of BS 8298: Code of Practice for the Design & Installation of Natural Stone Cladding & Lining, has finally been produced and is out for public comment.

Part 5 covers interiors. It was intended to be produced for the 2010 revision that split the standard into supposedly five parts. The first four parts, covering the design and installation of stone cladding, were generally welcomed as they facilitated the use of thinner stone.

A revised version of the standard was published at the start of this year and reduced the standard for exterior cladding to three parts, with the first part of general principals being incorporated into the remaining three parts. There was still no Part 5 for interiors but there was a promise once again that it would follow.

This time it has. You can see it and comment on it on the British Standards Institution (BSI) website here. You have until 27 September to make your comments.

Part 5 covers the selection of stone, its testing requirements, the typical fixing details and the influence of loadings and impact on the stone’s thickness.

Portland stone company Albion Stone has summarised the standard on its website using the BSI data and welcomes the new Part 5 not least because it includes a worked example showing that Jordans Whitbed at 900mm x 600mm can be used at 30mm thick. www.albionstone.com

The Hamish Ogston Foundation has awarded £6.2million to the National Trust for a new Heritage Crafts Apprenticeship programme. 

The Hamish Ogston Foundation is a charitable organisation dedicated to three prime areas of philanthropic focus: Heritage, Health and Music. 

The Hamish Ogston Foundation Heritage Crafts Apprenticeship Programme will offer 52 apprenticeships in stonemasonry or carpentry & joinery, which will result in either a level 2 or level 3 qualification through the government’s formal apprenticeship scheme.

The apprenticeships will be followed by a one-year work placement arranged by the National Trust.

Training begins in September this year. For more information about the opportunity visit bit.ly/NTapprentice.

A brick and stonework restoration company, Brick Restoration Ltd, and its two directors, Stewart Bailey and John McCole, have been fined and ordered to carry out community service following the death of a construction worker using a dichloromethane (DCM) -based paint stripper in a confined space.

The use of Dichloromethane as a paint stripper is prohibited unless it is for professional use by a competent person who has completed the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) competence training scheme and is certified. The course can be carried out online.

Products containing DCM should not be sold to people who do not have not the certificate. If you want to take the course, call Mark Priestman on 07876 687212, or email him on mark@priestmanweb.com. More advice on using DCM can be downloaded from the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) website here.

In the Brick Restoration case, Alexandru Sorin was overcome by dichloromethane (DCM) vapour at a property in London on 25 July 2017.

He was working on his own stripping paint from the walls of a lightwell in the basement of Berkeley Gardens, London. DCM vapour is heavier than air and can accumulate in confined spaces with poor ventilation. While carrying out the work, Mr Sorin was overcome by the DCM vapour and died from the exposure.

An investigation by the HSE found that Brick Restoration Ltd failed to implement any effective measures to control Mr Sorin’s exposure to DCM. It concluded that his death could have been prevented by eliminating the risk associated with DCM by using a different paint removal method or by substituting the DCM paint remover for a less hazardous product.

At City of London Magistrates’ Court on 21 July, Brick Restoration Ltd of Worboys Road, Worcester, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 7(1) of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 and was fined £50,000 with £2,805.64 costs.

Stewart Bailey of Worboys Road, Worcestershire, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 37(1) of the Health & Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and was sentenced to 200 hours community service and ordered to pay costs of £2,805.64.

John McCole of Savill Gardens, London also pleaded guilty to breaching Section 37(1) of the Health & Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and was sentenced to 200 hours community service and ordered to pay costs of £2,805.64

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Owen Rowley said: "Mr Sorin’s death was entirely avoidable. DCM is a volatile solvent and exposure to high concentrations of vapour can cause loss of consciousness and death.

"Anyone intending to work with DCM-based products should carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment and implement appropriate control measures. Crucially, DCM-based products should only be used in well ventilated areas to prevent the build-up of vapour.”

www.hse.gov.uk

The Natural Stone Industry Training Group (NSITG) is currently working with member company Wates to recruit trainees on a pre-employment programme leading to an apprenticeship working on the Houses of Parliament.

Apprenticeships will be offered in stonemasonry, carpentry and roofing.

This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity will provide an introduction to the heritage conservation sector that would give those taking part an impressive start to a career in the sector.

The programme includes an induction to heritage craft trades on live working sites on the Parliamentary Estates, followed by a six-week assessment programme at the Building Craft College in Stratford, London. Successful candidates will then be offered an apprenticeship in a heritage trade.

• Opportunity to work on long term programmes involving the restoration of Parliamentary Estates
• Assessment programme course includes: accredited training, information, advice and guidance and work experience
• No previous experience is needed
• Fully funded

To be considered for this programme you must be willing to attend an awareness event and assessment day early in September. Successful candidates will then embark on the full six-week course and, on the successful completion of that, there will be the opportunity to undertake a full apprenticeship in stonemasonry, carpentry or roofing.

To apply you must:

• Be over the age of 19
• Live in London
• NOT be in full time Education

All applicants selected for the programme are expected to have good punctuality, show interest and engagement in the course, progress in skills, and work well as part of a team that includes other students.

To apply, contact Jon Brookes on 07740 485855 / jonathan.brookes@wates.co.uk. Postal address: Norman Shaw North, Victoria Embankment, London, SW1A 2TT.

A 13th century shipwreck in Poole Bay, Dorset, has been found containing two complete Purbeck limestone gravestones in almost mint condition, including tooling marks. There is also a broken tombstone and other examples of Purbeck stone, including Purbeck Marble, which was widely used in British and European ecclesiastical buildings and stately homes during the medieval period.

Before this discovery, there were no known wrecks of seagoing ships from the 11th to the 14th century in English waters.

The wreck has been given the highest level of protection under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973. It becomes the oldest of just 57 wrecks in English waters protected in this way.

Known as the Mortar Wreck, the surviving oak timbers of the clinker-built hull were felled in Ireland more than 750 years ago, making this the oldest known protected wreck in English waters where remains of the hull can still be seen. Irish oak was frequently exported for shipbuilding during the Medieval period.

Analysis of the timber with tree ring dating shows the trees were felled between the 1240s and 1260s, during the reign of King Henry III.

As more of the wreck is uncovered, more artefacts are expected to be found that could provide information about the winning and working of the limestone from Purbeck. 

It is intended that finds from the ship will eventually go on display in one of Poole Museum's three new maritime galleries that are due to open in 2024. 

The Mortar Wreck was discovered in Poole Bay in Dorset by Trevor Small, who has operated diving charters from Poole in Dorset for the past 30 years. Further research of the wreck has been carried out by Bournemouth University, which has made a video of its dives (see below).

Two other exceptionally well-preserved shipwrecks have also been protected under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973 – the 16th century Shingles Bank Wreck NW96 and the 17th century Shingles Bank Wreck NW68, both discovered off the Needles Channel, Isle of Wight, by divers Martin Pritchard and Dave Fox.

The survival of pre-1700 ships is extremely rare, as is the unearthing of previously unrecorded wrecks in the Solent, where people have been diving for many years. That makes these discoveries nationally significant.

Historic England says the two Purbeck stone gravestones with different Gothic designs on them are like those found in churchyards across the South Coast of England. They are particularly significant because they were carved and not blank slabs, suggesting a high level of demand for skilled stonemasons and their products.

The fact that they contain two different designs is also relevant, as it had been assumed one of the designs followed the other, but this indicates both designs were used at the same time, possibly during a transitional period between the two.

Other finds on the Mortar Wreck include a large cauldron for cooking soup, a smaller cauldron, which would have once had a long handle, for heating water, and mugs covered in concretion (a hard mass that forms over objects underwater over time).

Historic England has been working closely with Bournemouth University and Trevor Small to investigate the Mortar Wreck. Historic England says it reveals a rich web of maritime trade using the English Channel and Irish Sea in this period.

Hardscape is the latest company to transfer ownership to its employees through an employee ownership trust.

An employee ownership trust is where the employees of a business own all or most of the shares in a company. It is growing in popularity as it offers benefits for businesses, their owners and employees, especially as a way of succession planning.

Hardscape was founded by Mathew Haslam in 1994, originally selling British stone, but as natural stone became more popular for hard landscaping, thanks to companies like Hardscape, UK quarries could not meet the demand and Hardscape and others looked abroad.

Hardscape sourced its stone from Europe, Asia and a small volume from India, although it never offered the cheap riven sandstone from India that other companies turned to because, says Mathew Haslam, "it's not our market and not demanded on award-winning public realm projects!".

And award-winning public realm projects are what Hardscape likes to be involved with. You can read about its contribution to just such a scheme at Elephant Park in London here and for the Glade of Light memorial to those killed by a suicide bomber at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester here.

For nearly 30 years, working with a global supply chain that it has always endeavoured to ensure supplies ethically-sourced products, Hardscape has provided designers and construction with a wide choice of materials, more in more ways since the formation of a separate company called IP Surfaces (read more about that here).

Mathew only went public about being the owner of Hardscape in 2018. He said he knew the team of 70 he had spent 23 years nurturing was ready and formed. It was ‘their time’, he said. Now he has transferred to them the ownership of Hardscape and IP Surfaces.

Under the employee ownership arrangement, Mathew says environmental and social governance will always be key facets of the business, as are the company values that he says have enabled Hardscape to build a loyal team with rich experience across all areas of the business.

“Our values, which are embedded into everything we do, allow us to deliver products and services which our customers expect,” says Matthew in a statement about the creation of the employee ownership trust.

He says: “People are a massive part of why we achieve what we achieve, and with that in mind and to further our company ambitions we are pleased to announce that Hardscape has become an employee-owned business.

“This creates an enduring ownership structure with tangible employee benefits, resulting in a long-term strategic view and increased business investment, for the benefit of our customers and business partners.

“Going forward, the leadership of the business will by forged by its existing Directors, Alex Warren, Anthony Collins, Chris Wood and Dave Lowe, assisted by a senior management team and supported by myself and Nick Owen as a newly appointed Independent Trustee Board Director.

“Combined with technical expertise, an open and honest approach, an ambitious ‘it can be done attitude’, with a sophisticated logistics and production facility, this offer has aided the creation of many award-winning and groundbreaking schemes across the UK, and a respect in the wonderful placemaking led industry.”

hardscape.co.uk

Donatoni Macchine, the Italian machine maker best known for its Jet bridge saws, is to be represented in the UK and Ireland from 1 September by a new company called Stone Automation Ltd, set up by Salvatore Caruso (of Classico Marble and Italian Luxury Surfaces in Langley, Berkshire).

Donatoni saws have been sold by CNC workcentre company Intermac since the two formed an alliance just ahead of the Marmo+Mac stone exhibition in Verona in 2015. The Intermac distributorship ends on 25 August.

With more than 50 years’ experience in stone processing equipment and machinery, Donatoni is a major manufacturer of technologies for processing natural stone, quartz and sintered materials, with more than 2,000 machines installed worldwide. The company has a continual investment programme for the development of solutions that contribute to constant control over the manufacturing processes.

Salvatore Caruso has worked in the stone industry for more than 30 years and has purchased four Donatoni Jet625 CNC saws for his own businesses.

He says his high opinion and working knowledge of Donatoni saws, as well as his existing UK distributorship of stone tooling by Wodiam, meant he was a natural candidate for the Donatoni UK and Ireland distributorship.

Salvatore set up Stone Automation Ltd to facilitate his stone technology distributorships that will come together in this business.

He is currently recruiting engineers, customer service and salespeople specifically to support existing and new Donatoni customers across the UK and Ireland in preparation for the 1 September takeover of the distribution of the Donatoni machines.

While Stone Automation prepares for the launch date, Donatoni’s immediate focus is the service structure and fast delivery of spare parts across the UK and Ireland.

Stone Automation and Donatoni say they place a strong emphasis on ensuring continuity and strengthening Donatoni’s after-sales support for existing customers, as well as giving assistance to new customers who will choose Donatoni in the years ahead.

Salvatore says of the deal: “I am delighted to be working with Donatoni as their new distributor for the UK and Ireland. Our experience of the company and their stone processing machines over the last 20 years has been second to none and I am looking forward to supporting existing and new Donatoni customers in the region.”

He says he is going to make Donatoni “number one for for service” because, as a fabricator himself, he knows waiting three hours for a call back when there’s a problem hurts.

Luca Donatoni says: “The search for a new partner for the distribution of our products in the UK and Ireland had to represent something new in the market. For this reason, our research was aimed at an interlocutor who understood stone fabrication well and who was aware of the importance of after-sales service – two fundamental elements to be able to support old and new customers – someone who spoke the same language.

“Our choice of Salvatore Caruso, owner of Classico Marble, former Donatoni customer, who is already involved in the distribution of other items, seemed to us the most correct choice. We are happy and very confident for the future.”

Intermac and its parent, Biesse, say they have no comment to make at this time.