Insulation installation operative - Cavity wall - blown and sprayed insulation

This occupation is found in the new build and retrofit sectors of the construction industry. Projects requiring services from insulation installation operatives include all buildings requiring the retrospective fitting of energy efficient insulation as well as new build. This would include commercial, residential (including park homes and heritage assets), industrial sites, schools, hospitals, and prisons.

The broad purpose of the occupation is to install insulation by placing it, blowing it or spraying it in a range of buildings and apply treatments to a range of surfaces including timber, brick and concrete. All work needs to be carried out safely, using the appropriate tools. The insulation operative will focus on the installation of new and/or the upgrade, retrofit or replacement of existing insulation. They will apply wall treatments and apply insulation to roofs, walls, floors, suspended floors and framed sections of buildings along with ancillary products that form part of the application of the product or system. Cavity wall insulation operatives install insulation materials into cavity walls or remove and replace failed or outdated insulation. A framed section insulation operative will place, spray or blow standard, specialised or new and emerging materials to floors, cold roofs, warm roofs and partition walls to support heat efficiency. A qualified insulation operative will sometimes need to work at heights or outdoors, using scaffolding or plant, or in cramped spaces such as domestic housing roofs or cellar spaces.

In their daily work, an employee in this occupation will typically interact with the team leader or area manager who they will report to as well as personnel responsible for materials storage, building merchants, clients, homeowners and residents, retrofit coordinators and site managers.

An employee in this occupation will be responsible for working in a team, using machinery and tools to install insulation to specification. Key requirements for successful insulation installers include professionalism and high regard for customer service throughout the job, undertaking work and handing completed work back to the customer or client.