Articles by Date : August 27 2007 - September 02 2007

Worker crushed to death on Takuma site
A construction worker has been crushed to death by a falling piece of steel weighing 2.5 tonnes at a site in Berkshire. more
(31 August 2007 12:18)

Newspaper round-up: 31 August
A £200m skyscraper proposed for London’s South Bank has been granted planing permission despite opposition from heritage campaigners, according to.... more
(31 August 2007 10:14)

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. more
(31 August 2007 10:00)

Dawn Construction thanks PFI operations for turnover rise to £90m
Turnover at Dawn Construction almost doubled to £90m last year, but managing director Ray Eve points out that the upsurge is largely the result of.... more
(31 August 2007 10:00)

Stent Foundations concerns for rig prove baseless
Fears that the UK’s first, and currently only, Junttan PM23LC fixed leader self erecting piling rig might prove to be too big for the type of work.... more
(31 August 2007 09:48)

TLS Vehicle Rental: fleet LEZ compliant
TLS Vehicle Rental said its entire fleet is compliant with the new London Low Emissions Zone (LEZ), which comes into effect from next February. more
(31 August 2007 00:00)

Operator trapped as boom lift topples
A boom lift operator became trapped under his machine after it toppled over into a Nottingham city centre street earlier this afternoon. more
(30 August 2007 15:22)

Newspaper roundup: 30 August
The news in the national papers on 30 August 2007. more
(30 August 2007 10:16)

Balfour Beatty buys Cowlin Group for £52m
Balfour Beatty’s drive to strengthen its presence in the UK regional building and civil engineering sector is behind today’s announcement of the £52m.... more
(30 August 2007 10:00)

Small firms do more for local communities
Nearly three quarters of UK construction businesses think that supporting the local community is good for business, according to a recent survey. more
(29 August 2007 16:28)

CRH considers Tarmac bid
CRH has indicated that it would consider bidding for Tarmac after posting strong interim results. more
(29 August 2007 14:52)

HBF attacks South East RSS figures
Housebuilders have hit out at a Planning Inspectorate report published today, which will make government plans to build 3m homes in the UK an uphill.... more
(29 August 2007 12:35)

Newspaper round-up: 29 August
The news in the nationals on the 29 August 2007. more
(29 August 2007 11:00)

Henry Boot plc makes £22m interim pre-tax profit
Henry Boot has enjoyed a vibrant £22m interim pre-tax profit and the news is that things are likely to get better still – chairman John Reis.... more
(29 August 2007 09:00)

Major firms angry after safety summit exclusion
Major contractors believe their expertise is invaluable to help reduce the growing number of accidents on site. more
(29 August 2007 09:00)

Fleming offsite system wins £7.5m deal
Fleming Developments has won a £7.5m contract with Portsmouth Housing Association to deliver a nine-storey apartment scheme using its offsite modular.... more
(29 August 2007 00:00)

Industry must act now or face recruitment crisis
ConstructionSkills urges more apprentice site placements to address trainee shortfall. more
(29 August 2007 00:00)

The inside line on...product testing
Contract Journal talks to Neil McDonald, principal engineer at Taylor Woodrow's Technology Centre, about trends in testing. more
(29 August 2007 00:00)

Builders concerned over local renewables targets
Housebuilders say national rather than local measures will benefit zero-carbon homes. more
(29 August 2007 00:00)

Offshore oil and gas workers set to accept 7% pay increase
Construction workers in the offshore oil and gas industry are set to agree a 7% pay rise backdated to 1 April of this year. An offer from the.... more
(29 August 2007 00:00)

Five vie for £100m regeneration
Five organisations will pick up the development brief by late September for a regeneration deal in south-east London worth at least £100m. Bexley.... more
(29 August 2007 00:00)

Severfield-Rowen buys steel fabricator for £90m
Purchase of Northern Ireland-based Fisher lifts total future orders to more than £300m. more
(29 August 2007 00:00)

Twelve win a slice of £125m housing work
National and regional outfits are in the mix for up to £125m-worth of housing deals in London. Twelve firms are set to work on mainly new build.... more
(29 August 2007 00:00)

YJL pursues Arup over contract delay
YJL Construction is pursuing design consultant Ove Arup for nearly £250,000 in damages for an alleged breach of contract. The building firm,.... more
(29 August 2007 00:00)

Venco supplies filters on Controlled excavators
Kubota dealer Venco has supplied the Controlled Group with modified KX41-3 mini excavators fitted with diesel particulate filters to work on internal.... more
(29 August 2007 00:00)

Plant registration takes off
Details of 600 machines already in database and more are being added every day as contracts are finally signed. more
(29 August 2007 00:00)

Profit at Mears jumps by 25%
Mears, the social housing repair group, has unveiled an interim pre-tax profit of £6.6m, which represents a rise of nearly 25%. Turnover (six months.... more
(29 August 2007 00:00)

A-Plant adds 250 new machines to its fleet
A-Plant is claiming to have the youngest and most advanced powered access hire fleet (running to 2,000 items) following the delivery of more than.... more
(29 August 2007 00:00)

Site Report: Galliford Try Meica JV's Kings Lynn wastewater treatment plant
Going green makes sound economic sense, which is why Anglian Water is investing in a new biosolids treatment centre at its Kings Lynn wastewater.... more
(29 August 2007 00:00)

Legal commentary: Adjudication proposals: good or bad?
Do the proposals for the Construction Act go counter to the raison d'etre of adjudication? more
(29 August 2007 00:00)

Legal Q&A: We want information
Macmillan Publishers was recently fined £55,000 for failing to comply with the Information and Consultation of Employees Regulations 2004 (ICE.... more
(29 August 2007 00:00)

Norwest Holst chases steelworks payment
Norwest Holst is heading for a High Court showdown in a row over payment for its work on the Corus Scunthorpe Steel Plant in North Lincolnshire. .... more
(29 August 2007 00:00)

Comment: Safety forum needs major input
The government's decision to exclude major contractors from next month's safety forum sends a rather strange message (see story on page 1). The... more
(29 August 2007 00:00)

Tube Lines denies bids for Metronet's Tube contracts
Tube Lines this week dismissed speculation that it will bid against Transport for London (TfL) to take over Metronet's two privately financed Tube.... more
(29 August 2007 00:00)

Gabem is given back CIS gross payment status
Managed services provider Gabem has had its CIS gross payment status reinstated by HMRC. In June last year, Gabem became the most public victim of... more
(29 August 2007 00:00)

ING issues £1.2m writ against Thomas Vale
The UK property arm of financial services group ING has issued a claim for almost £1.2m against Thomas Vale Construction, in a dispute over problems.... more
(29 August 2007 00:00)

Sharing the risk could save firms £18bn
Main contractors and building owners could save more than £18bn a year if there was a clearer "chain of accountability" in the supply process,.... more
(29 August 2007 00:00)

Central Demolition fined £50k for 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. Gideon.... more
(29 August 2007 00:00)

Claydon in administration as cashflow problems hit
Firm thought to owe around £1m to creditors as contracts are put up for sale. more
(29 August 2007 00:00)

Potential 2012 bidders identified
Construction analysts have drawn up a list of contractors that could join the race to build Olympic projects. Experts at AMA Research have.... more
(29 August 2007 00:00)

Electricians threaten T5 strike action over pay
Electrical workers reject pay offer worth a total of 13% over the next three years. more
(29 August 2007 00:00)

The Foreman: caption competition results
Who gave the green light to this email? It's reassuring to see the British Property Federation (BPF) taking its environmental responsibilities.... more
(29 August 2007 00:00)

Open letter: Clients: pull your socks up
Civil Engineering Contractors Association chairman Peter Andrews thinks that public sector clients must get their act together if they want the.... more
(29 August 2007 00:00)

Costain takes pole position for two M27 road schemes
Other schemes to blame for lack of competition for £51.8m road widening deal. more
(29 August 2007 00:00)

Birse favourite for East Anglian roads contract
A favourite is on the starting grid for a £15m roads deal in East Anglia that first surfaced more than a year ago. Insiders are putting their.... more
(29 August 2007 00:00)

Interserve in line for £30m Scot courts job
Interserve is preferred bidder for a £30m rebid courts scheme in Scotland. It is now at the first stage of the Scottish Court Service's (SCS).... more
(29 August 2007 00:00)

Hanson targets longer projects
Hanson is to integrate its road surfacing and maintenance businesses in order to stand a better chance of winning long-term projects. The.... more
(29 August 2007 00:00)

What it's like working at: Skerritt
Gordon Shippam, human resources manager, provides a snapshot of working life inside the company. more
(29 August 2007 00:00)

Regional focus: Scottish construction sector
Surging orderbooks and recruitment difficulties characterise the Scottish construction sector. Kathy Watson reports. more
(29 August 2007 00:00)

Causeway Technologies acquires Elstree Computing (ECL)
Causeway Technologies has bought Elstree Computing (ECL), a construction IT software group. more
(28 August 2007 15:00)