Articles by Date : August 04 2003 - August 10 2003

HBG safety scheme helps raise fund for charity
HBG Construction has introduced a safety incentive scheme which is helping to raise funds for Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity. more
(08 August 2003 15:45)

Resort casinos must benefit local areas
The future of resort casinos in the UK will rest with local authorities (LAs), the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has announced. more
(08 August 2003 12:27)

Grove gives advance details of new 55t mobile crane
Grove has announced preliminary details of a new 55t capacity mobile crane to be launched by the year-end. more
(08 August 2003 11:27)

Girl fractures skull after quarry fall
A 12-year-old girl has sustained serious injuries, including a fractured skull, after falling 20m down a cliff face in Fife. more
(08 August 2003 11:21)

Mixed fortunes for products sector
Construction output growth has slowed sharply since the start of 2003, the latest Construction Products Association's Trade Survey published today.... more
(07 August 2003 16:39)

£1.2m cash boost to maximise Scotland's wood industry
A research consortium led by Napier University has been awarded a £1.2m grant to help raise the profile of Scotland’s wood industry and improve its.... more
(07 August 2003 12:50)

E-invoicing group saves £1m
Six major contractors and 20 of their largest supply chain partners have enjoyed estimated savings of more than £1m during the first phase of their.... more
(07 August 2003 12:48)

'Better representation' proposed by RICS rival
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) is facing a potential 30,000-member exodus after learning that a new organisation is being set up.... more
(07 August 2003 12:46)

BWS Consulting changes name to Driver Consult
BWS Consulting has been renamed Driver Consult and will be headed by Stephen Driver, who has been managing director for the past five years. more
(07 August 2003 12:44)

UK Forks in £1.7m telehandler spend
Vp subsidiary UK Forks has invested £1.7m on a fleet of 35 new 17m telehandlers. The fleet is made up of Manitou MT1740, Bobcat T40170 and JCB.... more
(07 August 2003 12:42)

C40 enters test production
The first pre-production versions of Taylor Construction Plant's (TCP) C40 mini crusher are ready to enter service for full evaluation. more
(07 August 2003 12:41)

Liebherr HQ to house cranes
When Liebherr UK opens its £11m, Bedfordshire head office next year it will herald a new way of servicing mobile cranes. more
(07 August 2003 12:37)

In brief
IR generators for AbirdTemporary power supplier Abird has taken delivery of more than 200 Ingersoll-Rand generators. more
(07 August 2003 12:36)

Castlebridge goes direct to Bridgestone
Bridgestone has signed its largest 100% replacement deal for earthmoving tyres in the UK. The two-year £1.5m contract - signed with Castlebridge.... more
(07 August 2003 12:34)

Bobcat enters portable market
Bobcat has entered the portable compressor market with the launch of its Bobcat Air Power (BAP) range. more
(07 August 2003 12:20)

Scots put drawbar trailer to use
The Scottish Borders Council highways department has increased its use of other equipment with the purchase of a King Trailers drawbar trailer. more
(07 August 2003 12:19)

Firms take a 'positive' line on works councils
The Construction Confederation said this week that it is approaching the prospect of legislation extending the use of consultative works councils.... more
(07 August 2003 12:18)

Royal Household beats KPI targets
The Royal Household met or bettered 11 of its 15 construction key performance indicators in the year to 31 March 2003. more
(07 August 2003 12:18)

Blackwell gets Bell kit on Heathrow T5 - until 2007
Earthmoving specialist CA Blackwell has a fleet of 60 ADTs on the T5 site - 52 of which are Bell C- and D-Series products. Building T5 on the former.... more
(07 August 2003 12:16)

Working Time Regs extended to rail sector
The Working Time Regulations are being extended to cover workers in sectors previously excluded from the 1998 legislation - including those in the.... more
(07 August 2003 12:16)

Employers to mould apprentice schemes
Contractors now have no excuse not to improve and increase their apprenticeship schemes and address the skills crisis, according to education.... more
(07 August 2003 12:15)

Campaign to abolish retentions finally lost
The government has decided that retentions will definitely not be scrapped following last week's trade and industry select committee evidence session. more
(07 August 2003 12:14)

Skanska wins £75m MoD contract
Skanska has emerged triumphant from a protracted campaign to secure a £75m Ministry of Defence (MoD) prime contract. more
(07 August 2003 12:13)

NFRC launches its best-value insurance
The National Federation of Roofing Contractors (NFRC) has launched an insurance scheme for its members that offers "best-value insurance protection". more
(07 August 2003 12:10)

Shoring up the Sow
Flood defence work on the River Sow in Stafford is not only guaranteeing the town greater protection from the danger of rising water levels, the.... more
(07 August 2003 12:10)

£19m PFI school deal on again
A £19m private finance schools deal in south Wales is under starter's orders again, although delays in the bidding process will still set the project.... more
(07 August 2003 12:09)

Self-certification
CEN, the European Committee for Standardisation, is behind schedule to get between 400 and 500 harmonised product standards out by the end of 2004..... more
(07 August 2003 11:49)

In brief
Balfour at financial close on £125m hospital Balfour Beatty's Consort Healthcare group has reached financial close on a £125m deal to build the new.... more
(07 August 2003 11:48)

Unlicensed operations rife since Levy started
The Aggregates Levy has resulted in new waste heaps, encouraged unlicensed operations and created cash-flow problems for small and medium-sized firms.... more
(07 August 2003 11:46)

Thin-joint laying in NVQs
The three major aircrete producers have joined forces and reached an agreement with the Construction Industry Training Board for thin-joint block.... more
(07 August 2003 11:44)

Shepherd saves with wireless IT
Shepherd Construction's trial use of wireless technology in its site office on a £42m development in London's Docklands has been so successful that.... more
(07 August 2003 11:38)

In brief
HSE work directives The Health & Safety Executive has published a research report on the evaluation of the implementation of the Use of Work.... more
(07 August 2003 11:35)

CCS verdict upsets Balfour Kilpatrick
The campaign by the Confederation of Construction Specialists to expose subcontracts that fail to conform to the terms of the 1996 Construction Act.... more
(07 August 2003 11:33)

SUDS up
Dealing with floods is not just about building defensive barriers; an equally important part is the drainage system that gets rid of the water. more
(07 August 2003 11:32)

Walters Group now has largest UK Volvo fleet
South Wales plant hire and earthmoving contractor Walters Group now operates one of the largest Volvo articulated dump truck fleets in the UK,.... more
(07 August 2003 11:32)

Deals done
Belle and St Vincent Plant of Derbyshire is in the process of completing an order for £75,000 worth of equipment from the Belle Group. more
(07 August 2003 11:31)

E-invoicing set to save Gap £2m a year
Gap, the £40m-a-year turnover plant hire group, believes it will save £2m a year when all its 45,000-a-month invoices are handled electronically. more
(07 August 2003 11:30)

'Bully-boy' tactics to get plant hirers to lose rights
Councils and contractors are using 'bully-boy' tactics to pressurise plant hirers into signing their rights away, said Peter Nixon, managing director.... more
(07 August 2003 11:27)

Speedy Power Safe Set protects kit
Speedy Power is offering customers the option of having tracking devices fitted to items of plant they hire to allow the police to trace and recover.... more
(07 August 2003 11:27)

RPA members register for CPCS cards
All but two of the Rail Plant Association (RPA) members have registered their operators, assessors and responsible managers with the register now.... more
(07 August 2003 11:26)

Union wants tighter controls on foreign labourers on sites
Tighter controls over the use of foreign labour on construction sites are sought by UCATT in a motion tabled for debate at this year's TUC annual.... more
(07 August 2003 11:26)

Aquafire Systems warns of misleading MDF literature
Aquafire Systems is urging potential users and specifiers of flame retardant coatings to carefully check the small print in product manufacturers'.... more
(07 August 2003 11:24)

Fitzpatrick wins road and defence jobs in East Anglia
Fitzpatrick has clinched two deals totalling nearly 18m in East Anglia. more
(07 August 2003 11:24)

NFB calls for half measures to help reduce wastage
The National Federation of Builders (NFB) is calling for manufacturers to produce half-bricks and half-blocks, in order to reduce wastage on site. more
(07 August 2003 11:23)

Glazing problems will delay Holyrood further
There are no guarantees that the 374m Holyrood project will be finished by the end of the year, the Scottish Parliament's presiding officer George.... more
(07 August 2003 11:21)

CPC aims to double turnover
Capita Property Consultancy (CPC) has revealed an ambitious three-year plan to double its annual turnover to 200m. more
(07 August 2003 11:21)

Six in 300m road bid
Six contractors are due to pick up the tender paperwork next month for a 300m roads framework deal being rolled out by Lincolnshire County Council. more
(07 August 2003 11:20)

Carillion wins 200m Pompey hospital PFI deal
Carillion and its partner The Royal Bank of Scotland have emerged as preferred bidder for one of the biggest PFI hospital deals to be awarded so far.... more
(07 August 2003 11:19)

Contractors help reduce pollution
Contractors are learning their environmental responsibilities and are polluting less, according to the Environment Agency more
(07 August 2003 11:14)

Four win 150m HA road framework
Four contractors are understood to have made the final cut for a Highways Agency framework deal worth 150m.Skanska, RMC, Colas and Mowlem are.... more
(07 August 2003 11:12)