Search

This section offers news briefs on the construction industry in Great Britain as of January 10, 2008. Social housing and construction firm Higgins posted an increase in profits. The Major Contractors Group has said all supervisors on its sites will have to attend ConstructionSkills' Supervisors Safety Training Scheme. Bonar Floors has bought carpet tiles producer Westbond.

The article reports that ethical business organisation Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International e.V. has developed Fairtrade Textile Standard to support clothing industry in improving working conditions, wages and rights of textile industry workers and certifying retailers on the standards.

The article focuses on the importance of innovative techniques and technology to improve safety of the workforce in Great Britain. Topics include Connect Plus chief executive Tim Jones' statement on the responsibility of a director relating to carriageway, the use of innovative techniques to improve sustainability and community, and the view of Mick McCarry, executive director for highways of construction services provider Balfour Beatty, regarding the safety briefing for all workers.

The article discusses the construction industry of Great Britain that uses traditional timber formwork resulting to a tough market for system formwork specialists. It highlights Joe Affinito, the country's managing director of Austrian formwork giant Doka GmbH who will develop its business into a market-leading supplier of formwork, shoring and safety systems. The company has been involved in the Emirates Air Line cable car project in London, England and Tverlandsbrua bridge in Norway.

The article focuses on British geotechnical specialist Bachy Soletanche Ltd. which has been awarded for the 2012 Ground Engineering (GE) Awards due to the considerable changes in its business structure of the ground engineering market. The company's managing director Philip Hines believes that the award helps deliver the company's success and wants to improve safety of its workforce. The firm took the technical excellence award for its involvement in the Emirates Air Line cable car project.

The article offers views from several construction industry executives in Great Britain on their health and safety lessons and vision for the future. Martin Baggs of Thames Water Utilities Ltd. believes that health and safety is more about values and behaviours. John Corden of Southern Water states that everyone in an organisation should actively manage health and safety. Mike Peasland of Balfour Beatty Construction notes that good health and safety performance comes from good leadership.

The article offers views from several construction industry executives in Great Britain on their health and safety lessons and vision for the future. Martin Baggs of Thames Water Utilities Ltd. believes that health and safety is more about values and behaviours. John Corden of Southern Water states that everyone in an organisation should actively manage health and safety. Mike Peasland of Balfour Beatty Construction notes that good health and safety performance comes from good leadership.

The article reports that the long term commitment by the British Constructional Steelwork Association (BCSA) to enhance the construction industry's safety issues has led to a visible improvement in the steel construction's health. It is stated that compared to 14 in 2005, there have been no reported falls from height in the last two years. It is mentioned that due to specific developments such as working from platforms, safety improvements have taken place.

The article discusses the ways for the construction industry to improve health and safety performance in Great Britain. It is stated that there has been an average 2% per annum reduction in deaths at work in the construction industry during 1974-2008. According to the Health & Safety Executive's (HSE's) chief construction inspector Philip White, more deaths than any other industrial sector is being seen by the construction industry.

The article presents information on the British Office of Rail Regulation's (ORR) annual assessment of Network Rail Ltd.'s performance, according to which Great Britain has one of the safest railways in Europe, but Network Rail must focus on its health and safety improvements. The ORR's report states that workers in the supply chain should promptly report accidents to improve health and safety.

The article reports on the efforts of the Standing Committee on Structural Safety (Scoss) for the promotion of risk management to avoid structural failures in Great Britain. Scoss chairman John Carpenter believes that focus should be on managing risks rather than meeting the codes. It also discusses that Scoss has created the Confidential Reporting on Structural Safety (Cross) to generate information and to highlight lessons learned.

Several letters to the editor are presented in response to articles in previous issues including one which discusses the government's investment on Internet access in every household in Great Britain in the April 22, 2010 issue, one by Mike Cross on the construction hazards in the April 15, 2010 issue, and one which discusses on infrastructure spending to address recession.

The article reports on the Major Hazards in Construction project of the Health & Safety Executive's (HSE) top events project manager Mike Cross in Great Britain. It states that the project aims to improve understanding of the causes of the worse events in the construction site and assess the effectiveness of current controls and determine if action is needed in improving risk management. It notes that the project has been prompted by a number of incidents in construction.

Several letters to the editor are presented in response to articles in previous issues including "The Main Point," by Paul Macombie in the March 31, 2010 issue, one on the safety of a managed motorway than a widened motorway by John Franklin in the March 25, 2010 issue and one on the element of Health and Safety in the construction industry by Alan Harris in the March 25, 2010 issue.

The article reports that revelation on the plans being considered by the British Highways Agency to widen the M25 motorway in favor of cheaper hard shoulder running, was met with predictable outrage by engineers. A Highways Agency survey of more than 1,000 motorists six months into the M42 hard shoulder running trial showed that 84 percent were confident about using the hard shoulder as a running lane and 60 percent wanted to see the system elsewhere. According to the article, industry complaints focus almost exclusively on safety.

The article reports that the British Precast Health & Safety (H&S) Committee actively encourages the sharing of best practice throughout the construction industry and is supported by regular attendances by the Health and Safety Executive and Proskills in Great Britain. In response to the government-led initiative Revitalising Health and Safety, the British Precast Four Star Scheme was created. Its success led to the second phase of the scheme being launched known as Concrete Targets 2010 -CT2010.

The article focuses on the initiatives launched by the National Construction College to address the safety of the tower cranes sector in Great Britain. Tower cranes are said to be the most visible equipment on construction sites. The College is planning to introduce more courses for tower crane operators. It has also been working with the Strategic Forum and the Construction Plant-hire Association's Tower Crane Interest Group to look for ways to help the sector implement best practice.

An interview with Judith Hackitt, chair of Great Britain's Health and Safety Commission (HSE), is presented. She commends the mixed-use extension project being done at The Shires and Wates Retail. She says that good health and safety practices should not be influenced by red tape. She also highlights her plans for HSE and industrial safety in the country.

This article looks at the effort to urge the British construction industry to enhance their safety measures in 2007. The effort has been introduced after a rise in the number of accidents occurred in the industry. A safety summit concluded that the big firms will need to pass on their health and safety expertise to those lower down the chain. Meanwhile, the Strategic Forum Health and Safety Task Group will push for all workers to sign up to a Construction Skills Certification Scheme and for sites to surpass safety standards.

This section offers news briefs in the British civil engineering industry. The Olympic Delivery Authority has launched a competition for school pupils to design their own Olympic cycling venues. Research by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has revealed that nearly one in three British construction refurbishment sites put the lives of workers at risk. A coalition of green groups, including Greenpeace, the Green Alliance, WWF and Friends of the Earth are to boycott the government's nuclear consultation.

The article encourages the construction industry to heed the call of Peter Hain, British secretary of state for work and pensions, to tackle the issue of fatalities in the workplace. In 2006, the death tally was 77 or a 28% increase on the previous year's 60 and the highest since 2001-2002, when there were 80 deaths. Now it is up to contractors to show that they care and are determined to do something about the industry's high fatality rate.

This article explains that there is much for concern within the construction industry in Great Britain with the report of another accident involving the collapse of a tower crane in June 2007. The driver of the crane was lucky to have survived the accident. This latest crane collapse has thrown the spotlight again on tower crane safety. The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) says that, aside from the fatal accidents, there have been 18 accidents involving tower cranes in the past two years.

The article reports on health and safety in terms of work environment in the construction industry in Great Britain. Construction-related fatalities increased to a toll of 78 just for the first half of 2007. 2006 saw the lowest total of construction deaths, which totaled to 59 persons. Geoffrey Podger, chief of Health and Safety Executive, is concerned about the increase in fatalities and seeks for construction companies' vigilance and commitment to health and safety.

The article offers news briefs related to the construction industry in Great Britain. Liverpool City Council has chosen Amec, Balfour Beatty and Norwest Hoist to deliver its £175 million Building Schools for the Future program. The Institution of Civil Engineers has set up The Construction Health, Safety and Welfare Register to improve health and safety. The Olympic Delivery Authority is seeking contractors for a deal to build track and rail infrastructure at Temple Mills Depot.

The article highlights the possibility that the family of the construction workers who died building the Wembley Stadium in London, England will have to wait long before they get the answers about the death of their family. Mary O'Sullivan, the wife of Patrick O'Sullivan, a carpenter killed in January 2004, has been waiting for answers more than two years. Her family turned its anger on the Health & Safety Executive over the slow pace of the investigation into Patrick's death.

The article presents updates on Great Britain's construction materials sector. Wrap launched Construction Waste Recycling Infrastructure Capital Support Programme to stimulate increased collection and segregation of materials. Peter McKie of the Health and Safety Executive Northern Ireland urged the quarry operators to continue improving health and safety targets. The Advertising Standards Agency found Kingspan guilty of making misleading claims over the fire-resistant ability of its panels.

The article focuses on a set of 12 core criteria to be launched by the Electrical Contractors Association and the Heating and Ventilation Contractors Association for the assessment of the basic health and safety competence of contractors during the prequalification process. The criteria, which are supported by the British Health and Safety Executive, evolved from the Major Contractors Group, whose members had been discussing among themselves what they should be asking their subcontractors.

The article discusses a research on the impact of partnering in safety performance, which was commissioned by the British Health and Safety Executive. The study focused on several work sites of contractor Amec. It showed that there was overriding support from those involved for the advantages of long-term partnering agreements and the openness, integration and sharing that are a feature of such arrangements, creating a positive joint approach that leads to improved performance. It identified good leadership as a crucial factor in the success of partnering in safety.

The article presents a guide for responding to industrial accidents for directors and health and safety advisers in the British construction industry. Extract what information you can from site and make a note of the details. Contact the victim's family. Ensure that any employees involved or affected are offered immediate support and advice. This could be in the form of legal advice and/or counseling. Control the flow of documents and other information out of the company.

Focuses on the introduction of the Disability Discrimination Act in Great Britain. Impact of the new rules on the building industry; Contention on the compliance to the new rules; Citation of areas in the country wherein safety architecture is unobservable.

The author reflects on the problems faced by civil engineers due to the application of Eurocodes or European standards to the design of temporary civil engineering works which are aimed at the design of permanent works. Topics discussed include low safety, variable nature of temporary works loads, and information for below ground works.

The article reports on developing and delivering a major infrastructure project, specially on a programme as large and complex as Crossrail, the new high frequency, high capacity railway for London and the South East in England. It is said that identifying potential safety hazards and then effectively mitigating the risks is a significant part of such projects.

The article argues on the need to address health and safety issues in other industries in Great Britain which include oil and gas, civil engineering, and aircraft industry.

The article offers information on the lecture titled Soldiers and Safety-A Contradiction in Terms?, given by Richard Dannatt, former head of the British Army during the 21st anniversary Capita Symonds safety lecture in London, England in September 2012. He talked about how the British construction industry should learn from the army to avoid accidents and injuries at construction sites. He highlighted that leadership which gives importance to safety of employees is needed in the industry.

The article reports that members of health and safety panel from the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) have helped the British Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) produce a report to review duty holder roles and their implementation of the 2007 Construction Design and Management (CDM) regulations.

The article focuses on construction industry and safety training. It discusses how with growing pressures to build complex buildings to shorter construction schedules increase the potential for safety hazards. It discusses the revised Health and Safety Training Standard which was issued by the UK Contractors Group (UKCG) and informs on how construction industry could benefits from it.

The article presents the author's views on the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) website created to imrpove the health and safety in the construction industry in Great Britain. He comments that the unwelcome increase in construction fatalities from 41 to 50 in 2010 is highlighted on the site. He remarks that the site inspired him to evaluate what has been done and what needs to be done to improve health and safety in the industry.

In this article the author presents his views regarding the importance of promoting safety and self-regulation in the construction industry in Great Britain. He discusses the launch of Safe Use of Telehandlers in Construction by the Strategic Forum Plant Safety Group for the safety of telehandlers. He also discusses the two key factors prioritized by the British Industrial Truck Association (BITA) which include adopting best practice and ensuring the safety of all tools.

The article reports that Winchester Crown Court in England has charged Cotswold Geotechnical Holdings Ltd. (CGH) with unlawfully causing the death of junior geotechnical engineer Alexander Wright. It is the first company to be charged under the Great Britain Corporate Manslaughter Act 2007. The court has heard that CGH failed to enforce its own health and safety rules which were written by the company's sole director Peter Eaton in 1992.

The article presents the shortlists for safety engineering initiative and technical innovation for the periodical "New Civil Engineer" International Tunneling Awards in December 2010 in Great Britain. The safety initiative shortlist includes Cleaner Seas for Sussex, Post T5 Transfer Baggage System, and TunnelSkills Underground Safety Passport. The technical innovation shortlist includes Po Shan Tunnel Project, London Underground Deep Tube Tunnels inspection and assessment, and Halcrow GRANIT.

The article reports that the Institution of Civil Engineers of Great Britain has put the focus on health and safety in construction with a new manual "ICE Manual of Health and Safety in Construction." The manual will give practical, internationally relevant advice to employers and workers in the construction industry. The manual aims to encourage the production of safer-to-build designs.

The article reports on the issuance of the recommendation report by the British Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) after an accident occurred on the GE19 bridge located near the Liverpool Street Station, which is under construction in 2009. The report features seven recommendations targeted to the bridge's developer Network Rail Ltd. including enhancement to safety procedures. The accident involved the fall of concrete planks from the incomplete deck of the bridge.

The article presents a profile of civil engineering firm BAM Nuttall Ltd. The firm has made significant investment in technical training and has awarded the 3500th Great Britain National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ) to its employees during 2008. It states that the firm's Beyond Zero campaign has delivered a reduction in reportable incidents to a low accident frequency of 0.17. The firm has identified a number of emerging sectors such as the energy and waste markets to enhance its turnover.

The article focuses on the promotion of health and safety at the Cross London Rail Links (CLRL) project in Great Britain. CLRL has decided to appoint a Construction Design and Management (CDM) coordinator to take prime responsibility for health and safety. CLRL programme director Graham Plant points out that all accidents can be prevented and the project considers injuries to people as unacceptable.

The article reports on the special joint publication of the Institution of Civil Engineers and the Institution of Structural Engineers which indicates that structural design engineers still have a lot to learn about risk in Great Britain. Professor David Blockley of Bristol University states in his introduction that the discipline of structural risk remains far from mature. The publication covers range from vulnerability of sensitive and historic structure in seismic zones to the risk issues.

The article stresses the importance of risk management for the construction industry. It notes that 69 construction workers have been killed in Great Britain in the 2007/2008 period. Employers are required by law to assess and manage health and safety risks, which include determination of the hazards and evaluation of the risks and decide on precaution. They should also ensure that those who create risks are managed responsibly and understand that failure to manage real risks responsibly is likely to lead to robust action.

The article deals with the responsibilities of employers towards migrant workers under health and safety law in Great Britain. Overseas workers make up about 6% of the construction workforce in the country. Employers have a duty to provide information, instruction, training and supervision and making sure their workers understand it. They must also ensure workers have the knowledge and skills to do the work for which they have been employed, competently and safely.