A Surrey construction company has been fined after a contractor was run over on a large site in Wokingham. David Cole was a site foreman on the large housing development project, which started in April 2013 and has a completion date of April 2017. He was struck by and pulled under a large bulk powder carrier. On 7 December 2014 …

Ian Anfield, managing director for construction audit, contract and payroll provider, Hudson Contract, comments on recent talk of a recession in light of the Brexit vote and  considers the state of the construction industry post-Brexit. “Whether we’re entering a recession or not is a big talking point at the moment. Certainly, we at Hudson Contract have seen that the number …

Construction firm Montway Ltd has been fined £144,000 after worker fractures spine when he fell off a roof during demolition work.

Nearly 85% of public sector construction managers, and 58% of private sector contractors and suppliers say the current skills shortage is negatively impacting the quality of their workmanship, as well as one in ten citing it as critically impacting their ability to keep to budget. Sustainability in the Supply Chain, a new report from built environment specialist Scape Group which …

Cardiff-based construction company, Jehu Project Services Ltd, has been sentenced after a worker was seriously injured falling down a lift pit. Fall from height The incident happened on 8 July 2015 at a construction site in Pontcanna, Cardiff. Stephen Harrison, a specialist drilling contractor, was employed by Jehu to help refurbish a 73-bed care home when he fell into the …

Two security companies have been fined after a security guard died from carbon monoxide poisoning. Javaid Iqbal, a 29 year old father of three, was employed by London based KK Security Services Ltd as a security guard on a construction site in Leigh, Wigan. KK Security were sub contracted by Veritas Security (Southern) Ltd, a Southampton based company, despite it being written into the …

A significant programme of capital investment by the Government is now needed to tackle the threat of a construction recession – as revealed this week by the latest statistics from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) – according to the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said: “The construction industry has grown steadily over the past …

Construction sites across the UK are being hit by a concrete block shortage as pressure on raw materials means manufacturers are struggling to keep up with demand. PFA – a by-product of coal-fired power generation is a key material in the manufacture of most concrete blocks but a move towards alternative forms of energy generation such as gas, nuclear or …

A construction company in Gateshead has been fined after a worker suffered injury when he fell down a service riser shaft. Newcastle upon Tyne Magistrates’ Court heard how Meldrum Construction Services Limited (MCS) was the principal contractor for refurbishment work at premises in Percy Street, Newcastle Upon Tyne. MCS failed to plan for the requirement for temporary platforms to be …

A construction company has been sentenced after a worker suffered crush injuries when he was hit and then run over by an excavator. Complete Demolition Ltd had been contracted to demolish a school on the site at Stanney Lane, Ellesmere Port to make way for a new leisure centre when the incident occurred. The firm was prosecuted by The Health …

Provisional annual data for work-related fatal accidents in Great Britain’s workplaces has shown a rise in deaths among construction workers. Forty three construction workers were killed while at work in 2015/2016 – up from 35 in 2014/5. The construction industry has the highest death rate of all industries. HSE figures show 144 people were killed accross all industries in 2015/2016 …

A Somerset based Timber company has been sentenced for safety failings relating to a construction project which an HSE inspector has said should act as a warning to other construction firms. Oxford Magistrates’ Court heard how The Timber Frame Company (TFC) was contracted to work at Tracey Farm, a country retreat. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) served a Prohibition …

Latest construction statistics for June, which show the weakest sector performance for seven years, are a cautionary sign of the damage that current uncertainty is causing to the building industry. according to the Federation of Master Builders. Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said: “June’s PMI figures, which show a huge dip in construction output, reflect our fears that …

The Building Engineering Services Association (the BESA), the Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA) and the CIBSE Patrons are joining forces with the Samaritans on a campaign to address the growing problem of mental health and workplace stress in the construction industry. This initiative will begin with a jointly hosted seminar to be held in central London. BESA chief executive Paul McLaughlin, …

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 …

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 …

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.

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; …

Salaries for small building firms are soaring as a result of the growing skills shortage with brickies able to demand the highest wages, according to the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). Brickies wages reach £60,000 in London Commenting on the results of the FMB’s State of Trade Survey for Q1 2016, Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said: “More …