News

A gas engineer has been sentenced to 120 hours of community service for putting tenants at risk in rented homes in Chelmsford. Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court heard that James Wilkinson was Gas Safe- registered for some types of gas appliances, but had been carrying out work for which he was not competent. Wilkinson was contracted to work on gas warm air …

A new apprenticeship scholarship programme has launched today, which will give two construction companies the chance to benefit from the placement of an apprentice who will be completely funded to work for them for 12 months. The initiative is being launched by the construction audit, contract and payroll provider, Hudson Contract, to celebrate its 20th anniversary and also provide opportunities …

A company based in Cardiff has been fined for safety failings during a property development which included breaching the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. Pontypridd Magistrates’ Court heard Ziman Trading Limited, formerly Ziman Investments Limited (Ziman), was acting as the principal contractor at the property development of the former New York Hotel, York Street, Porth. An investigation by the …

A Bracknell based roofer has been fined for safety failings after a complaint was made to the HSE regarding unsafe roof work. No-one was injured in the incident at Sabine Gates, Old Bracknell Lane, Bracknell on 27 August 2014, however members of the public were endangered by the potential for falling objects. Reading Magistrates’ Court heard that Terry Colwell trading …

The number of unannounced construction inspections being undertaken by the Health and Safety Executive continued to drop last year according to construction union UCATT. In 2015/16 there was a total of 9,219 inspections compared to 9,656 in 2014/15, a decrease of 4%. The number of construction inspections has been declining steadily in recent years with figures revealing that in three …

With figures from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) revealing that almost nine in 10 (88.5%) of the 2,381 vans it weighed last year were overloaded, Venson Automotive Solutions is urging van owners to ensure their vehicles are safe and legally road compliant. Van operators need to take into consideration how their vehicles are used, including the working environment …

Growth in apprenticeship numbers in Scotland could be scuppered unless the Scottish Government commits to ring-fencing the new UK-wide Apprenticeship Levy for training.

Building Lives, the award-winning construction training charity, is to close at the end of the month due to a lack of sustainable funding. Building Lives was started by Lakehouse founder Steve Rawlings in 2010 and has taken those furthest from the workforce and trained them for successful careers in construction. The charity’s closure comes at a time when skills shortages …

More than 80% of bosses of small construction firms will overwhelmingly base their decision to remain or leave the EU on their broader personal beliefs instead of their business interests, according to a new poll by the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). The poll also showed that: Builders rank the UK Government’s ability to freely legislate in a way that specifically …

A window fitting company has been fined for safety failings after a worker falls from building a total of three metres while installing glazed units.

Tradespeople and small contractors struggling with late payment issues should welcome changes to the speed of commercial insurance claims payments as part of the Enterprise Act according to ECIC, the specialist insurer for the construction sector. Unnecessary delays in claims payments should be a thing of the past, with the Enterprise Bill having now become law, giving the UK’s smaller …

UCATT  has voted for a merger or transfer of engagements to Unite the Union following a period of financial difficulty. The dedicated construction workers union said it made the decision in order to preserve its existing structures and to maximise the representation of construction workers in all sectors. Following the vote UCATT will now enter into full negotiations with Unite …

A new apprenticeship standard for plastering has been approved by the Government as part of the trailblazer initiative, with a new bricklaying standard to be agreed in the near future. The new standards, which have been designed as part of a collaboration led by construction SMEs from across England, will be rolled out as soon as autumn 2017. Welcoming the …

A Darlington man has been jailed for carrying out illegal gas work on three occasions. Teeside Magistrates’ Court heard Neil Simon McKimm (trading as Macs Plumbing Services) carried out gas work including servicing boilers. McKimm used the alias of a legitimate gas engineer to deceive his customers. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Neil McKimm …

Construction union UCATT has accused the government of pouring money down the drain after discovering that while 167, 000 young people started training courses for jobs in the construction industry in 2014/15, in that same year only 18,000 secured an apprenticeship in the building trades. The figures were divulged – via a UCATT Freedom of Information request – by the …

Build UK, the building contractors association, has released a new industry standard covering the use of different coloured hard hats on construction sites.

Jordan Daykin, the owner of GripIt fixings and the greatest success on Dragons’ Den to date, is urging fellow inventors and entrepreneurs who work in trade professions to turn their great ideas into reality by entering the Travis Perkins Innovation Awards (TPIA) before the 30th June deadline. Now a £14 million business, Jordan and his GripIt fixings are a testament …

Costain, Gentoo Construction, Robert Woodhead Ltd and Walter Thompson (Contractors) have each been awarded the  title of Most Considerate Site at the Considerate Constructors Scheme’s 2016 National Site Awards. It is the first time that four sites have won the accolade, following the introduction of ‘value bands’ which means sites are assessed against projects of similar value including: Under £500k; …

A Scaffold company in Bridgend has been fined for safety failings following a routine inspection. Llanelli Magistrates’ Court heard how OW Scaffolding was working at Heol y Parc, Cefneithin when they had a routine inspection which highlighted several safety failings. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) into the incident which occurred on 30 September 2015 found that …