Blog Archive

We have probably all heard that the Olympic stadium is complete but what is good to hear is that it was completed on time and under budget without any major accidents. This is fantastic news! A complicated project such as this completed in under three years is testament to the skill and professionalism of the UK construction industry, we send congratulations to all those involved. For more on th...
[Read on about Olympic Stadium Complete]

The Safety & Health Practitioner reported that an exclusive leisure resort in Scotland has been fined £120,000 for failing to put in place adequate controls to prevent Legionnaires' disease. A man died and his wife was also very ill, suffering from Pontiac Fever, a short feverish form of Legionnaires' disease. It makes one wonder if the cuts in Health and Safety are really a wise move. For more o...
[Read on about Legionnaires Disease Death]

Commenting on the launch of the government strategy for the future regulation of health and safety, TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: "Employers need to know that there is the possibility of a safety inspector visiting, otherwise there will be no incentive for them to ensure they are protecting their workers. "Removing proactive inspections from a large number of workplaces mean that em...
[Read on about Government's Safety Strategy "in no-one's interests"]

More doom and gloom I'm afraid. Latest Government employment figures for construction have intensified the pressure on Government to stimulate growth. The trend shows that jobs in construction have continued to fall which some believe is a result of cut backs on housing and new large building projects. Let us hope that the Government will do something to stop the trend and maybe even invest in fu...
[Read on about Construction Jobs Still Falling]

Several East London Boroughs plan to run a £700m super framework for housing, schools and general building works the Construction Enquirer reports. The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham is leading the way and has entered talks with Redbridge, Havering, Newham and Tower Hamlets. All councils hope to find extra savings by pooling their work into a single framework. Procurement chiefs at Barki...
[Read on about £700m Super Framework]

The Construction Enquirer reported that Police and angry construction workers had a tense stand-off at the entrance to the Vivergo biofuel site near Hull recently as a row over a trade package on the job escalated. Is this a sign of the times as more and more construction companies lay off staff, or worse, go bust? Hundreds of workers contracted to build the plant have been told they have no job...
[Read on about Mid-March Protest - A Sign of the Times?]

At the recent IOSH Conference Judith Hackitt addressed the delegates to outline plans for cutting costs after the review carried out by Lord Young. Her message was that the HSE will continue to look for opportunities to improve its efficiency and make cost savings - but not at the expense of inspection and regulation of high-hazard sectors. Describing the 35-per-cent cut in the Executive's budge...
[Read on about HSE Announce Plans For Cost Cutting in Recessionary Times]

A Buckinghamshire construction company has been fined £5,000 after a contractor died when a trench collapsed on him. This recently reported story from SHP (Safety & Health Practitioner) is very sad and it really brings it home to us how easily a life can be lost due to lack of planning and no risk assessment. The lad who died is local to us (Leighton Buzzard) our thoughts are with the family. Fo...
[Read on about Building firm fined over trench-collapse death]

The government has launched its consultation on the proposed high-speed rail line from London to Birmingham. The route would cut journey times to about 50 minutes, with work due to begin in 2015 if the plan is approved. However, there are opponents to the High Speed Line (HS2) who argue that the £17bn scheme will be a waste of money and that updating the existing West Coast mainline would be a be...
[Read on about Government starts high-speed rail consultation]

The March 2011 edition of the Ai Solutions Newsletter is now available: March Newsletter.
[Read on about Newsletter - March 2011]

The Construction Enquirer reports that the famous Interbuild show - now rebranded as BEST - has been cancelled this year after organiser Emap said it "could not guarantee the scale or scope of event that customers demand and expect". Many of you will know the show as an annual industry tradition, however the size of the exhibition has been shrinking in recent years as Emap struggled to sell space...
[Read on about Interbuild Cancelled]