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A Bracknell-based roofer has been fined for safety failings after a complaint was made to 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 as T Colwell Roofin ... more
British Telecom plc (BT) has been fined £500,000 after an engineer fell seven metres from a loft in London, breaking his back and his ankles, as he fixed a telephone fault in the roof void of a residential block of flats in Tower Hamlets, East London. Mr Spurgeon was working alone when he lost his balance and fell through the ceiling, landing on a concrete stairwell, sustaining his serious ... more
A stonemasonry company in Perth has been fined after an apprentice stonemason was seriously injured from contact with an overhead power line. Perth Sheriff Court heard how 20 year old apprentice Rodd McFarlane was working for T& M Stonemasonry, carrying out repairs at Waulkmill Cottage in Perth. During this work, McFarlane erected a tower scaffold to carry out some re-pointing work. Wh ... more
The first State of Trade Survey for 2016 shows that activity and costs continue to rise for Build UK members as labour supply remains cause for concern. The latest survey shows that, whilst output rose only slightly, contractors reported a strengthening in enquiries during the quarter. Costs for contractors continue to rise as 39% reported a rise in all building costs over the past quarter and ... more
CSCS has announced changes to the process for obtaining Trainee, Supervisory and Manager cards. They are as follows: Trainee Cards From 1 August 2016, only one Trainee card will be available which will cover all construction occupations. This will replace the Trainee (Craft and Operative) and Trainee (Technical, Supervisory and Management) cards that are currently available, although these ... more
SP Energy Networks has teamed up with NFU Scotland and Police Scotland to raise awareness of the hazards of working close to electricity on farmland. In the past year alone, there were 730 incidents on farmland involving electricity across central and southern Scotland, an increase of almost 40% on the previous year. Meanwhile, although 88% of Scottish young farmers were aware of what ... more
The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) has helped secure convictions against a father and two sons who provided jobs for 180 illegal construction workers. Baljit Rai, 55, and his two sons, Mandeep Rai, 32, and Daljit Pai, 34, from Littleover, Derby, were jailed last week for a total of 17-and-a-half years for supplying the illegal workers throughout the country. Derby Crown Court he ... more
Hundreds of thousands of construction workers are in line for a pay rise and a raft of other benefits over the next two years, it has been announced. Contractors and unions reached the Construction Industry Joint Council (CIJC) agreement following long-running talks. More than 400,000 construction professionals will see their pay rise by 2.5% from July 25 this year and by an extra 2.75% in June ... more
With Brexit set to dominate the news agenda for many months to come, many in our industry are wondering what this might mean for the UK’s health and safety regulations. The magazine Health and Safety at Work has gathered a number of viewpoints about what likely changes – if any – we might see. The general consensus is that the status quo in terms of health and safety culture is l ... more
We’re constantly replenishing our fleet at Facelift, check out some of our latest: Road towable - Trailer mounted platforms Combining enviable reach with a compact chassis, the Nifty Lift 120T is designed to give maximum reach performance. It boasts a working height of 12.2m combined with a working outreach of 6.1m, while its hydraulically operated outriggers make setting up the Nif ... more
