Get our latest news stories by email, as soon as they're published.
According to new research from the Building Cost Information Service (BCIS), the building maintenance sector generates around £55 billion a year for the national economy. Their findings show that more than £1 billion a week is spent on the upkeep of existing building stock. And the study, which also looked at how maintenance relates to the overall value of buildings, found that this ... more
New research by the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) shows that there are now 1,120,000 mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs), also known as aerial work platforms (AWPs), in the worldwide rental fleet. This is up 8% from the previous year. The European MEWP rental market grew slightly in 2014 (+1%) and is estimated at approximately €2.6 billion, according to the IPAF European ... more
Plant hire companies and plant operators need to step up to the plate and get involved in ensuring that their machines are properly CE marked and legal for use in Europe, manufacturers say. The Committee for European Construction Equipment (CECE), which represents manufacturers has said that one in three of its members is losing sales because of non-compliant machines entering the market. ... more
A new survey has found that the shortage of skilled construction workers is among the main concerns of building industry chiefs around the world. The research, by KPMG, showed that half of construction project owners had experienced difficulties with skills gaps. It is just one of number of issues facing the heads of building firms around the world, from failing projects to problems meeting budge ... more
IPAF’s machine-readable Smart PAL Card (Powered Access Licence) has won the Plantworx Innovation Award in the Safety category for its innovative use of smartcard technology to help improve site safety. The Smart PAL Card can be used together with card readers fitted on machines which may be set to ensure that only correctly trained operators use equipment on site. Under the Plantworx Innova ... more
The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has warned that the increasing shortage of bricks and bricklayers will threaten future housing plans. Commenting on the results of the FMB’s latest State of Trade Survey for Q1 2015, Brian Berry, chief executive of the FMB, said: “How to solve the housing crisis has been one of the hot topics during this General Election campaign and we welcome ... more
ZT Safety has launched in Australia and New Zealand, after being certified for the ZT Dual and ZT Universal harnesses in both countries. Dedicated teams are already set up to market the models in these territories. The new team at ZT Safety Harness in Australia has extensive experience in working from heights, sales and marketing. Led by General Manager Chris Josey with years of experience ... more
A Lewisham roofing company has been fined for safety failings after a worker was seriously injured in a five metre fall from a property in Bromley. Daniel Dennis, 22, from Lewisham, fractured his pelvis, back and broke his arm, in the incident at Dorset Road on in January 2013. Daniel’s employer, Element Roofing Co. Ltd was prosecuted in April 2015 after an investigation by the Health and ... more
The owner of a pet and equine crematorium has been fined after a self-employed worker died falling through a roof while carrying out repairs. Paul Hoskin of Christow, Devon, a self-employed agricultural engineer, was asked to repair holes in a cement fibre roof at the crematorium in Newton Abbot in September 2013. While carrying out the repairs, he fell 6.6 metres to the floor, where he died. ... more
Stockport-based Solutions SK Ltd has been fined after a worker sustained a broken heel when he fell from a ladder while installing cables for an alarm system. As the man started to descend the ladder, it slipped. He jumped from it and sustained a fractured heel. He was off work for six months. HSE investigated the incident, which happened in September 2013, and decided to prosecute. Solutions SK ... more
