Articles by Date : December 08 2003 - December 14 2003

Cement industry commit to accident reduction
The British cement industry has committed itself to achieving a 30% reduction in injury rates every year until 2010 compared to a baseline of 2003. more
(12 December 2003 10:50)

DTI fund follow-up study on timber KPIs
TRADA Technology has been awarded a further £49,000 by the Department of Trade and Industry, under the Partners in Innovation Programme, towards.... more
(11 December 2003 16:34)

Plant hire conditions
In May 2000 a tower crane collapsed at the site of the new HSBC headquarters building at Canary Wharf in Docklands. At the time of the collapse, the.... more
(11 December 2003 16:30)

Galliford and Morgan enjoy Scots Water
Scottish Water Solutions (SWS) expects to complete £200m-worth of work for Scottish Water by the end of March 2004. The construction work will be.... more
(11 December 2003 16:29)

Trade associations are just 'old boys' clubs'
Construction firms spend an estimated £60m on trade association membership annually, but according to a Citigate Dewe Rogerson survey, some regard.... more
(11 December 2003 16:28)

London Demolition opts for JCB 300XD
London Demolition has bought its first JCB in the form of a 330XD (Xtra Duty) tracked excavator with breaker and bucket attachments. more
(11 December 2003 16:27)

QuikTrak security device goes nationwide
A new anti-theft tracking system for plant equipment has been launched in the UK. more
(11 December 2003 16:26)

Vp divisions come up trumps in first half
Equipment rental specialist Vp has announced a 10% increase in turnover to £40.9m for the six months ending 30 September. Pre-tax profit increased to.... more
(11 December 2003 16:23)

Solas service deal launched
HM Plant, the UK's Hitachi construction equipment distributor, has introduced a new service and an extended warranty agreement. more
(11 December 2003 16:23)

Business as usual as Mascus gets new owner
Mascus, the internet site for finding and selling used construction equipment, has been bought by Finnish firm Alma Media. more
(11 December 2003 16:22)

Nooteboom's Mega takes more in a load
Trailer manufacturer Noote-boom's latest development is the Mega wind turbine transporter. more
(11 December 2003 16:21)

Atkins: back on track with new chief
Atkins, the consultancy and support services group, has successfully "got out of idiot things" and has brought an end to its loss-making era. more
(11 December 2003 16:20)

Ennstone seeking innovation rewards
Aggregate producer Ennstone is repositioning itself to sell a bigger proportion of its output in markets that offer higher margins. Traditional.... more
(11 December 2003 16:19)

Tyrolit to sell Hydrostress new range of floor saws
Hydrostress has launched an eight-model range of floor saws. The range includes petrol, diesel and electric units and has cutting depths from 80mm to.... more
(11 December 2003 16:18)

Ashridge boosts fleet with four Volvo BL71 backhoe loaders
Berkshire-based Ashridge Con-struction has invested in its first Volvo backhoe loaders with the delivery of four BL71 machines. more
(11 December 2003 16:16)

VL Tracer to track vehicles via the internet
VeriLocation has launched an electronic tracking device that uses mobile phone technology to instantly locate virtually anything via the internet. more
(11 December 2003 16:16)

Building Reg changes for 2004
The construction industry needs to be aware of several changes to the Building Regulations due to come into effect next year, building control and.... more
(11 December 2003 16:15)

Push-pull piling builds bridge
Dawson Construction Plant's push-pull piling technology has enabled the construction of a unique bridge in Milton Keynes. The design used 22m long,.... more
(11 December 2003 16:14)

Ruling due on 48-hour week
The results of a European Commission review of the Working Time Directive and the UK's opt-out of its maximum 48-hour working week are expected to be.... more
(11 December 2003 16:13)

Emcor wins £53m MoD Wales work
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has called up Emcor for a £53m deal to provide facilities management and mechanical and electrical services at RAF St.... more
(11 December 2003 16:12)

UCATT fined £130k over official strike
The High Court in London has fined UCATT £130,000 after finding the union guilty of a technical infringement of the law governing official strikes in.... more
(11 December 2003 16:12)

HSC launches work at height consultation
The Health & Safety Commission (HSC) has launched a four-month consultation period for the draft of new Work at Height Regulations. During this.... more
(11 December 2003 16:11)

MPs worried about union access to Home Office
MPs are expected to table an Early Day Motion in Parliament expressing concern at allegations that union officials are being denied access to the.... more
(11 December 2003 16:10)

Strategic Forum set to deliver targets on time
The Strategic Forum is on course to deliver its headline targets, covering client engagement, integrating teams and supply chains, people issues and.... more
(11 December 2003 16:09)

Brumwell set to head up skills register
UCATT general secretary George Brumwell is expected to succeed Tony Merricks as chairman of the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) when.... more
(11 December 2003 16:08)

David McLean sees turnover rise by 55%
David McLean's latest annual turnover has roared ahead to £170m (£110m) while pre-tax profit stood level at £4.5m. The previous year's figure.... more
(11 December 2003 16:08)

Rockingham pushes AWG's profit off track
AWG, formerly known as Anglian Water, achieved an operating margin of less than 1% in its construction services division as a £180m turnover.... more
(11 December 2003 16:07)

Forum hits back at accusations of failure
The Strategic Forum has hit back at accusations that December is a "crunch month" and that it "has to plot a new direction just a year after its.... more
(11 December 2003 16:07)

King Sturge drops school bid
King Sturge, which heads up consortia bidding for PFI schemes, has pulled out of a £23m schools deal in the Midlands. more
(11 December 2003 16:06)

Trio awaits £12m Barbican upgrade
Three firms are waiting in the wings for a £12m deal, known as the Foyer Project, to upgrade the Barbican Arts Centre in London. more
(11 December 2003 16:05)

Skanska chief introduces a more tight-knit management
Skanska UK has a "more tight-knit" senior management team following changes introduced by chief executive David Fison last week. more
(11 December 2003 16:05)

Laing O'Rourke leads the way
A bumper haul of private commercial contracts gave Laing O'Rourke top spot in November's table - the contractor's first CJ50 win since Ray O'Rourke.... more
(11 December 2003 16:04)

Five line up for £5m MoD deal
Five firms are on parade for a £5m Ministry of Defence deal near Cirencester, Gloucestershire. more
(11 December 2003 16:03)

Scots school team named
A group featuring Amey and Carillion has moved to the top of the class for a £100m public private partnership schools deal in Scotland. more
(11 December 2003 16:03)

Firms fined £100k for site death
Nicholas King Homes and Henry Demolition have been fined a total of £100,000 and ordered to pay costs of £17,129, after a 17-year old died when a.... more
(11 December 2003 16:02)

Excellence targets revealed
Constructing Excellence (CE) has unveiled its strategy for 2004-06. more
(11 December 2003 16:01)

£150m Coventry work for grabs
Whitefriars Housing Group has advertised three contracts worth a total of £150m for the regeneration of the Wood End, Henley Green and Manor Farm.... more
(11 December 2003 16:00)

Ballast owes £164m but coffers are empty
Ballast plc went down owing £164m, the largest element within the staggering sum being an £84m pension deficit. Unsecured creditors are owed £31m and.... more
(11 December 2003 15:57)

Building value of business is priority
Building the value of the business is the most important challenge facing contractors, according to a survey by Grant Thornton ahead of today's.... more
(11 December 2003 15:56)

Amey/Mouchel 'told to ignore EMAC bids'
The successful pairing of Amey/Mouchel has allegedly been told by the Highways Agency (HA) to steer clear of the forth-coming Enhanced Managing Agent.... more
(11 December 2003 15:55)

ConstructionSkills sets targets
ConstructionSkills, the new Sector Skills Council for Construction, will tonight (Wednesday) announce tough new recruitment and training targets for.... more
(11 December 2003 15:55)

Contributing to a better society
Be chairman Richard Saxon told delegates at the organisation's conference in London that construction can better define and deliver value to its.... more
(11 December 2003 15:54)

DWP fails to solve insurance burden
The Department for Work and Pensions' (DWP) final report on employers' liability (EL) insurance lacks a sense of urgency and provides no short- or.... more
(11 December 2003 15:53)

Association proliferation
So, construction industry associations are ineffective and a waste of money, says new research. If you can see past the irony that this report comes.... more
(11 December 2003 15:49)

Profit down the pipes at Lawrence
Losses of £600,000 on two of its network maintenance contracts have resulted in Lawrence, the pipeline specialist contractor, reporting a pre-tax.... more
(11 December 2003 15:49)

Next wave of DTCs will join new LIFT schemes
Radical plans to expand independent sector diagnostic and treatment centres (ISDTCs) into the primary care sector are to be revealed by health.... more
(11 December 2003 15:48)

Briggs wins £4.6m installation contract
Briggs & Forrester have been awarded a £4.6m contract for the installation of mechanical, electrical and public health services at Westminster.... more
(11 December 2003 15:26)

Aukett still in the red
Aukett Group is still in the red - but only just. The latest pre-tax loss of £160,000 marks a substantial improvement on the previous year when.... more
(11 December 2003 15:21)

Construction new orders slip in October
New construction orders slipped 1% year-on-year in October to just shy of £2.6bn, according to the latest date from the Department of Trade &.... more
(11 December 2003 15:09)

Amec names new chairman
AMEC has announced today (Thursday) the appointment of a new chairman, Jock Green-Armytage, who will assume the role on 21 January 2004. more
(11 December 2003 12:38)