Articles by Date : August 20 2007 - August 26 2007

Scottish demolition firm fined £50,000 following worker death
A Scottish demolition firm has been fined £50,000 after one of its workers was crushed when a silo collapsed on top of his excavator. more
(24 August 2007 14:47)

Nissan's Navara picks up 28% market share
Nissan said its Navara has been the UK’s best selling pickup for the past three months with a 28% share of the market. Over 90% of the sales are for.... more
(24 August 2007 11:34)

Durkan Holdings turnover up £50m to £160m
Durkan Holdings has enjoyed a surge in turnover to £160m, a rise of £50m on the previous year. more
(24 August 2007 10:00)

Volvo dealers to sell Nissan Interstar & Cabstar models
Eight Volvo Truck dealers are to sell and service Nissan’s Interstar and Cabstar models following an agreement reached by the two companies. more
(24 August 2007 00:00)

Muck-truck introduces truck-mounted crane
Cornish machinery manufacturer Muck-truck has introduced a truck-mounted crane designed to be used with 7.5t vehicles. The crane has a lifting frame.... more
(24 August 2007 00:00)

Unions announce strike dates for Metronet workers
The Rail Maritime and Transport Worker (RMT) union has announced that 2,300 of its members at beleagured Tube maintenance firm Metronet will mount.... more
(23 August 2007 15:52)

Telehandler operator injured after machine topples
A telehandler operator has been injured after his machine toppled over into a busy road in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, according to reports. more
(23 August 2007 15:00)

Severfield-Rowen buys Fisher Engineering for £90m
Severfield-Rowan has paid £90m for Fisher Engineering, an extremely profitable construction steel fabricator with a manufacturing base near.... more
(23 August 2007 11:00)

Fallen piece of tunnel lining causes Tube chaos
A falling piece of tunnel lining caused chaos on London Underground this morning when two tube lines were closed for emergency engineering work. more
(23 August 2007 11:00)

Newspaper roundup: 23 August
The news in the nationals on the 23 August 2007. more
(23 August 2007 10:00)

Mears' social housing operations make 5.6% operating margin
Mears, the social housing repair group, has unveiled an interim pre-tax profit of £6.6m which represents a rise of close on 25%. more
(22 August 2007 11:00)

Newspaper round-up: 22 August
A round of the news in the national newspapers on the 22 August 2007. more
(22 August 2007 11:00)

Cemex driver pay dispute threatens site shutdown
Mexican-owned concrete firm under pressure as row with owner-drivers over pay and restructuring escalates. more
(22 August 2007 09:00)

Manual handling: lift with care (PMJ safety podcast, September 2007)
GAP Group's health and safety manager, Malcolm Campbell, gives a toolbox talk on manual handling. The talk is available in podcast format, so you can.... more
(22 August 2007 00:00)

Videos: PMJ September 2007
Check out the BAVtrak 025 and CAT's ejector trucks in action with these video clips shot to accompany the September 2007 issue of Plant Managers'.... more
(22 August 2007 00:00)

Tender prices to outstrip inflation
Over the next five years the increase in tender prices will outstrip inflation, which bucks a trend of slowing growth, new research has found. .... more
(22 August 2007 00:00)

2012 labour agreement branded 'a load of waffle'
Experts fear guidance on Olympic employment practice will do more harm than good. more
(22 August 2007 00:00)

Comment: The price of progress?
Last week's Stock Market turbulence seems to have had little effect so far on the construction industry. Share prices in most construction-related... more
(22 August 2007 00:00)

Investment in construction is at highest level since 2000
Investment in UK construction is running at a higher rate now than at any time since 2000 - that's the finding of a survey by the Construction.... more
(22 August 2007 00:00)

Keller leads way as shares hold up in tough market
Shares in construction firms have fared well despite the turmoil elsewhere. Twenty-one of the 52 construction firms tracked by CJ saw rises last.... more
(22 August 2007 00:00)

HBG bags £31m Bucks school redevelopment
HBG has beaten off two rivals to chalk up a £31m school redevelopment deal in Buckinghamshire. After a two-stage tender contest, the county.... more
(22 August 2007 00:00)

T Clarke makes £3.9m profit despite turnover drop
T Clarke, the electrical specialist contractor, has made a £3.9m interim pre-tax profit. Chief executive Pat Stanborough said the result was.... more
(22 August 2007 00:00)

Balfour's orderbook hits record tally of £10.6bn
Metronet fiasco cost £122m and took the group to an interim pre-tax loss of £52m. more
(22 August 2007 00:00)

Taylor Wimpey ordered to stop Stirling work
A local council has ordered housebuilder Taylor Wimpey to down tools on a construction site in Stirling amid complaints it was carrying out.... more
(22 August 2007 00:00)

Cement sector records CO2 success
The UK cement industry cut its carbon dioxide emissions by almost a third between 1990 and 2006 through the use of alternative fuels and investment.... more
(22 August 2007 00:00)

25 firms to share in £600m London housing repair deal
Framework deal for 10 London ALMOs aims to save £60m over the next five years. more
(22 August 2007 00:00)

Construction deaths head for six-year high
The construction industry faces the prospect of an even higher death toll in 2007/08 than last year, after a spate of fatalities... more
(22 August 2007 00:00)

Materials worth £100m go to waste
Firms are throwing away £100m through the disposal of unused materials, according to Envirowise, which has drawn up a guide to the implementation and.... more
(22 August 2007 00:00)

Timber frame firms play safe after Hatfield fire
Housebuilders and timber frame suppliers are expected to sign up to a new fire prevention scheme following the blaze in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, last.... more
(22 August 2007 00:00)

Three deaths in a week put safety back in the spotlight
Construction has seen three fatal accidents in a week, as the death toll shows no sign of slowing. Last Tuesday, 26-year-old Anthony Milani died.... more
(22 August 2007 00:00)

Management buy out complete at Barrett Steel Buildings
Barrett Steel Buildings, the specialist design and build fabricator of structural steel, has been bought out by its senior management. The.... more
(22 August 2007 00:00)

JCB announces major anti-theft initiative
JCB has vowed to clamp down on plant theft as it announced that it is to start fitting immobilisers and government-sanctioned registration tags to.... more
(22 August 2007 00:00)

Government urged to take action to limit future floods
Experts call for major investment in drainage infrastructure and a legislation rethink. more
(22 August 2007 00:00)

Dundee housing work split 10 ways
Ten firms have won up to £85m worth of housing work for Dundee-based Hillcrest Housing Association. National player Lovell Partnerships lines up.... more
(22 August 2007 00:00)

Three chase NI MoD scheme
Three rivals are battling for the first Ministry of Defence (MoD) construction deal to be publicly advertised in Northern Ireland since the start of.... more
(22 August 2007 00:00)

Two runners for £100m Kirklees deal
Two candidates have finally emerged for a late-running £100m PFI social housing deal in West Yorkshire. Kirklees Council has gone for Regenter.... more
(22 August 2007 00:00)

Simons turnover jumps 34%
Simons Construction enjoyed a 34% jump in turnover last year to £220m. It delivered a pre-tax profit of £3.3m, representing a profit margin of 1.5%..... more
(22 August 2007 00:00)

Council workers strike over Mears contract
Employees claim they were not allowed to bid for deal won by firm accused of fraud. john.darcy@rbi.co.uk Construction workers at Welwyn Hatfield... more
(22 August 2007 00:00)

Specialist focus: Quarrying and Aggregates
The quarrying and aggregates industry is threatened on all sides by rising costs, NIMBYists, staff shortages and contractors who won't stand for.... more
(22 August 2007 00:00)

Union leader attacks 2% pay rise as 'derisory'
A 2% pay offer for local authority construction workers has been branded "derisory" by union leaders. It has also prompted claims that councils.... more
(22 August 2007 00:00)

Hewden's Martin Williams: 60 seconds on safety
Martin Williams, environmental health and safety manager, Hewden more
(22 August 2007 00:00)

Legal Q&A: The price of cosmetic surgery
All businesses are used to dealing with absences due to illness. But the issue of how to handle attendance and performance issues caused by elective.... more
(22 August 2007 00:00)

Tarmac's John Lennon Airport resurfacing: Specialist focus: Quarrying & Aggregates
CJ reviews Tarmac's major resurfacing work at John Lennon Airport, which saw unprecedented quantities of work in short shifts and the first use of.... more
(22 August 2007 00:00)

Lafarge's Thrislington Quarry: Specialist focus: Quarrying & Aggregates
The pressure to ensure continuity of supply of magnesian limestone from Thrislington Quarry has led Lafarge to engage the help of Sykes Pumps..... more
(22 August 2007 00:00)

NG Bailey's Mike Darlington: Climbing the ladder
CJ talks to NG Bailey's Divisional managing director (North). more
(22 August 2007 00:00)

Consolidation: Big fish, don't bite off more than you can chew
Do you want to grow by acquisition? Or have you had enough and want to sell up? John Leitch asks some big contractors how to avoid taking on too much.... more
(22 August 2007 00:00)

Legal commentary: Climate change effects
Have you started thinking about how you're going to meet climate change legislation? more
(22 August 2007 00:00)

Most plant to be exempt from Low Emission Zone
Plant will not be charged for entering the LEZ if it complies with the Euro 3 standard. more
(22 August 2007 00:00)

Recycled aggregates are the future: Specialist focus: Quarrying & Aggregates
John Barritt, technical adviser for aggregates at the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP), explains how the use of recycled aggregates will go.... more
(22 August 2007 00:00)

Cemex & Forestry Commission: Specialist focus: Quarrying & Aggregates
Cemex and the Forestry Commission's partnership at Bramshill is a best practice example of sustainable quarry management. Grant Prior reports. more
(22 August 2007 00:00)