Articles by Date : February 14 2005 - February 20 2005

Construction fatalities reach 64 as worker electrocuted
The construction industry has claimed another victim - the 64th since April - following a death on a Staffordshire fam yesterday (Wednesday). more
(17 February 2005 15:05)

Crack movements add to Bath Spa project’s woes
Mowlem’s £35m Bath Spa project has hit further problems as crack movements in the attraction’s main pool flooring could indicate structural problems.... more
(17 February 2005 12:25)

Crane crash could have killed more
The crane collapse at a West Sussex site that left two Willmott Dixon site workers dead and another seriously injured could easily have claimed far.... more
(17 February 2005 12:24)

Insurers to push for Wet Civils Code of Practice
Insurers to push for Wet Civils Code of Practice in 2005, says report Heath Lambert Group, Europe's leading independent insurance and reinsurance.... more
(17 February 2005 12:24)

Insurers look to curb insurance cover difficulties
Insurers will push for a new wet civils code of practice to help curb the difficulties in obtaining insurance cover for these high-risk projects, a.... more
(17 February 2005 12:24)

CGCS (Midlands) to show new shredder at SED 2005
CGCS (Midlands), the UK distributor for TIM Envipro A/S DK, who manufacture a range of shredding, turning and screening equipment for wood and green.... more
(17 February 2005 12:18)

Britain obsessed with risk management
Britain has become obsessed with risk management, according to a new report from the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE).... more
(17 February 2005 10:47)

Four named for £2.2bn highways PFI
Birmingham City Council (BCC) has named four preferred bidders for its £2.2bn highways PFI. more
(16 February 2005 13:54)

Row over alkali levels data stops work on Lafarge site
Trials of alternative fuel have halted at a Lafarge cement works amid fears of falsification of data. more
(16 February 2005 13:28)

Griffiths was a “bull in a china shop”
Bath Liberal Democrat MP Don Foster has branded construction minister Nigel Griffiths a “bull in a china shop” for his criticism of Bath & North East.... more
(16 February 2005 10:36)

Cemex will take over RMC next month
Mexican cement maker Cemex will complete its acquisition of RMC Group in 1 March. more
(16 February 2005 10:36)

Liverpool Council facing contracts award probe
Contract awards made to Enterprise and Mansell by Liverpool City Council (LCC) are to be investigated following claims that they may have been.... more
(16 February 2005 10:20)

Sheffield BSF attracts interest
Sheffield’s Building Schools for the Future (BSF) scheme attracted record numbers of potential bidders to its open day last week. More than 230 firms.... more
(16 February 2005 10:05)

Vinci denies dismissals
Vinci has denied allegations of constructive dismissal after employees said they were forced out of the company. more
(16 February 2005 10:04)

Recall threat to suppliers following safety rethink
Local authorities could have the power to recall construction products after changes in safety regulations due later this year. more
(16 February 2005 10:02)

Balfour Beatty wins £60m water infrastructure contract
Balfour Beatty has been appointed by Severn Trent Water to play a key role in delivering its AMP 4 capital expenditure programme in a contract worth.... more
(16 February 2005 09:47)

Administrators in at SFS after payment row
Administrators moved into Steel Frame Services (SFS) last week after the company got involved in disputes over payment for work at the Coventry.... more
(15 February 2005 16:26)

Amicus calls for T5 strike
Amicus is balloting its 500-plus members for a strike at Heathrow T5 after contractor representatives cancelled a meeting to discuss travelling time.... more
(15 February 2005 16:26)

House sales up 7% at Bellway
Housebuilder Bellway has reported that units sales in the six months to 31 January ran to 2,900, 7% higher than in the same period last year. more
(15 February 2005 16:25)

Capita adds Buchanan to portfolio
Capita Symonds has bought Buchanan Consulting Engineers, a development and transport consultancy. It has 55 staff in London and Newbury and an annual.... more
(15 February 2005 16:24)

Enterprise pays £250,000 for HBM
Enterprise, the support services group, has bought Heating and Building Maintenance for £250,000. A further £1.2m injection was needed to settle with.... more
(15 February 2005 16:24)

Butterley owner under fire as creditor debts escalate
Butterley Construction's unsecured trade creditors are owed between £2.5m and £3m, with the likelihood that the final tally could rise by a further.... more
(15 February 2005 16:23)

Cement fuels guide boost
The cement industry reached a "significant milestone" last week with the publication of revised guides for alternative fuels. more
(15 February 2005 16:23)

City wrath takes its toll as Mowlem FD is sacked
Mowlem finance director Gerry Brown is thought to have been sacked as the group issued its third profit warning in six months. more
(15 February 2005 16:22)

Civils firms back CJ's bid for access to CAT scores
Contractors have given their support to attempts by CJ to obtain Capability Assessment Toolkit (CAT) scores under the Freedom of Information Act. more
(15 February 2005 16:22)

Mowlem in pole position for Cornwall roads deal
Mowlem has emerged as favourite to land a massively delayed roads deal for Cornwall County Council, worth up to £28.5m. more
(15 February 2005 16:21)

Fife Council seeks new partner for schools deal
The fate of Fife Council's flagship PPP schools deal still hangs in the balance six months after the client ditched its original preferred bidder,.... more
(15 February 2005 16:21)

Prospect Group gets the all-clear for Ipswich PFI
The Prospect Group has made the final cut for a £26m PFI hospital deal in Suffolk. more
(15 February 2005 16:20)

Amec jv lands Scots schools PFI
An Amec-led joint venture has moved to the top of the class for a £190m PFI schools deal in Scotland. more
(15 February 2005 16:20)

CJ gains CPD certification
Attending conferences and reading selected articles from Contract Journal will in future count towards continuous professional development (CPD). more
(15 February 2005 16:19)

Crane Fruehauf ceases production
Trailer manufacturer Crane Fruehauf has ceased production at its Norfolk facility and gone into administration. more
(15 February 2005 16:19)

Hamm gets on a roller
Hamm is working on a new range of small, articulated tandem rollers to boost its market share in the 1.5t to 5t class. more
(15 February 2005 16:18)

Hanson offers staff bonus and cuts volume business
Hanson has introduced a bonus scheme for its sales staff and is cutting some of its volume business to recover high materials costs. more
(15 February 2005 16:18)

HSS begins three-year fleet replacement
HSS has started taking delivery of more than 600 new Ford commercial vehicles as part of a three-year multi-million pound lease deal. more
(15 February 2005 16:17)

Jarvis slams Norfolk after losing schools
Jarvis chief executive Alan Lovell has lashed out at Norfolk County Council for kicking the company off the £92m Norfolk Schools PFI deal, calling.... more
(15 February 2005 16:17)

Staff academy launched at Midas Group
Midas Group has launched its own academy to improve and streamline training for its 400-strong workforce. It will provide a fast-track career.... more
(15 February 2005 16:16)

Griffiths labels BANES a 'very incompetent client'
Construction minister Nigel Griffiths has demanded that BANES accepts Mowlem's offer after a visit to the site on Monday. more
(15 February 2005 16:08)

Mowlem breaks its silence
Mowlem wishes the truth to be known concerning the current position on the Bath Spa project. more
(15 February 2005 16:08)

BANES' lawyer told Mowlem to keep quiet
This is a copy of the letter sent from Veale Wasbrough Lawyers on 24 January to Mowlem's solicitor. more
(15 February 2005 16:07)

BANES says this is a complex issue
This is BANES's statement on 7 February 2005. more
(15 February 2005 16:06)

Non-compliant imports facing stringent checks
The Construction Equipment Association (CEA), Health & Safety Executive (HSE) and the Department for Trade & Industry (DTI) have formed a working.... more
(15 February 2005 16:06)

Plant theft may cost firms £800m a year
Organised gangs stealing plant equipment from building sites are costing the UK construction industry more than £800m a year, according to a report.... more
(15 February 2005 16:05)

Richards Crane Hire gets its FAX right with new DAF truck
Richards Crane Hire of Cinderford, Forest of Dean, has taken delivery of the UK's second four-axle, rear-steer DAF truck fitted with a 56t/m Pesci.... more
(15 February 2005 16:04)

Super union on the cards
Tri-partite merger talks have opened on the creation of a new super union involving Amicus, the TGWU and the GMB. more
(15 February 2005 16:03)

Worthington left Jarvis when business took a nose-dive
Worthington got itchy feet at Jarvis as turnover in the highways division dropped from £105m to £55m, a reflection of the group's loss of.... more
(15 February 2005 16:02)

Balfour kicked off Merseytram
Balfour Beatty has taken a £2m hit after being dropped as the preferred bidder for the first phase of the £250m Merseytram light rail scheme.... more
(15 February 2005 16:02)

CCS targets small contractors
The Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS) wants to get more small contractors to sign up to its code of practice. more
(15 February 2005 16:01)

Brum court PFI given suspended sentence
Birmingham City Council has finally pulled the plug on a troubled PFI magistrates' courts scheme after keeping contractors waiting for well over.... more
(15 February 2005 16:01)

Cox Plant Hire enters administration
Cox Plant Hire, one of the oldest names in the UK rental sector, has gone into administration. more
(15 February 2005 16:00)

Health and safety targets will not be met by 2010, says HSE
The industry's headline targets set at the Construction Health and Safety Summit four years ago are unlikely to be met by 2010, according to the.... more
(15 February 2005 16:00)