Articles by Date : February 28 2005 - March 06 2005

Output passed £100bn mark last year
Construction output passed the £100bn mark last year, according to the latest data from the Department of Trade & Industry. more
(04 March 2005 12:43)

Engineering skills shortage prompts government response
A joint initiative to tackle the skills shortage in flood risk management has been unveiled. more
(04 March 2005 11:06)

Construction fatalities reach 65
A 41-year old employee of a Kent contractor has been killed after falling from height on a site in Scotland. more
(04 March 2005 11:06)

Mowlem's internal reorganisation months away
Mowlem’s new chief executive Simon Vivian insists that after making three profit warnings this year there will be “no further surprises” even though.... more
(04 March 2005 11:05)

Bovis insists on CSCS cards for everyone
All operatives working on Bovis Lend Lease sites must hold a current CSCS card or equivalent skills card that is recognised by the Major Contractors.... more
(04 March 2005 11:03)

Height regulations may be delayed until autumn
The Work at Height Regulations (WAHR), due to be implemented in April, could be delayed until the autumn, if a general election is held in May. more
(04 March 2005 11:01)

Jarvis finance chief steps down
Jarvis finance director Alistair Rae is to stand down having decided that he does not want to move north when Jarvis transfers from London to its new.... more
(04 March 2005 11:01)

T5 electricians reject extra £7-a-day travel allowance
Electricians at Heathrow's Terminal 5 have today (Thursday) voted against an offer of an extra £7-a-day in travelling allowances from client BAA. more
(04 March 2005 10:56)

Spillard offers free visibility surveys
Spillard Safety Systems is offering free site visibility surveys of mobile plant and has introduced a colour version of its Optronics rear view.... more
(03 March 2005 16:27)

T5 contractors must pay workers’ travelling costs
M&E contractors at T5 are facing a massive hike in their wage bills after an independent panel ruled that M&E workers are entitled to compensatory.... more
(03 March 2005 16:26)

Infracos face rivals for £1bn extra Tube work
‘Alternative providers’ join TubeLines and Metronet for £100,000 to £100m-worth of maintenance work. more
(03 March 2005 16:26)

Asbestos claims reduced
A recent High Court ruling is expected to cut the maximum compensation awards open to people suffering from pleural plaques (scarring of the lining.... more
(03 March 2005 16:26)

Daniel acquires pipeline builder
Daniel Contractors, based in Warrington, Lancashire, has bought Lawrence, the specialist pipeline constructor, for £500,000. more
(03 March 2005 16:26)

Best workplace: deadline looming
More than 75 companies have already entered CJ’s Best Places to Work in Construction Awards. more
(03 March 2005 16:25)

Skanska gets in fast lane for M25 work
Skanska is trying to manoeuvre itself to the head of the queue of bidders for the £1.7bn DBFO project to upgrade the entire M25. more
(03 March 2005 16:25)

Mowlem’s Bath Spa offer doubted
The chances of Bath & North East Somerset Council (BANES) accepting Mowlem’s £26m offer to complete the Bath Spa project seem to be shrinking after.... more
(03 March 2005 16:25)

Fitzpatrick tunnel contract nearly two years late
Fitzpatrick’s £15.5m refurbishment of London’s Blackwall Tunnel will run nearly two years late, the project’s client Transport for London (TfL) has.... more
(03 March 2005 16:24)

NFB warns on switching insurer
Federation advises contractors to stick with their current insurer to avoid being stung by the imminent return of higher cover costs. more
(03 March 2005 16:24)

HSE investigates O’Rourke 38-storey formwork fall
The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has launched an investigation after formwork fell 130m off the Beetham Tower being built by Laing O’Rourke in.... more
(03 March 2005 16:23)

HSE defends time taken to investigate
The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has defended the time it takes for the details of investigations into construction fatalities to be published. more
(03 March 2005 16:23)

Cranes to Russia
Manitowoc Crane Group dealer Coast Crane is supplying a fleet of ten machines to an ExxonMobil project on the Russian island of Sakhalin. more
(03 March 2005 16:23)

Terex adds six telehandlers
TerexLifts will introduce six new telehandlers this year, three of which are aimed at the construction and rental markets, including a roto model. more
(03 March 2005 16:22)

Four bid for £2.2bn Birmingham roads PFI
Four groups have finally hit the road for the biggest-ever highways maintenance PFI deal, ending months of speculation about the fate of Birmingham.... more
(03 March 2005 16:21)

Skanska tipped for £117m M1 contract
Favourite emerges for M1 scheme, while HA selects five companies for M25 widening. more
(03 March 2005 16:20)

Mitie scoops five year Wigan Council scheme
Mitie has beaten off five rivals to land a maintenance and refurbishment deal in the North West potentially worth £24m. more
(03 March 2005 16:20)

Nuttall to build gallery
Edmund Nuttall is in the frame for a landmark £20m art gallery at Margate, Kent. more
(03 March 2005 16:19)

Laing O’Rourke likely to win theatre revamp
Laing O’Rourke is on the verge of playing a one-man show on a £30m-plus theatre revamp deal in West Yorkshire. The contractor was the only one of an.... more
(03 March 2005 16:18)

Challenge on the Tube
No one is saying upgrading the Tube is easy. more
(03 March 2005 16:18)

Intervect changes name to Alimak Hek
 The company said the rebrand reaffirms its market position. more
(03 March 2005 16:08)

DoH trials online document management system on PFIs
The Department of Health (DoH) is test driving an e-procurement tool on its batched PFI projects with the aim of speeding up the procurement process,.... more
(03 March 2005 16:07)

Spillard offers free visibility survey
Spillard Safety Systems is offering free site visibility surveys of mobile plant. It has also introduced a colour version of its Optronics rear view.... more
(03 March 2005 16:07)

Terex adds six to telehandler range
¦ New models will offer improved performance and safety levels. more
(03 March 2005 16:07)

Oystertec launches leak-free solution
A guaranteed 100% leak-free, push-fit system for coupling hydraulic pipes to valve blocks and cylinders operating at up to 400bar has been developed.... more
(03 March 2005 16:07)

...prepare for an overseas assignment?
As many companies still do not train managers for international assignments, it’s not unusual for them to arrive at a new posting without knowing.... more
(03 March 2005 16:06)

Slow start for Irish ‘untouchables’
Plans to introduce a US-style team of “untouchables” to help stamp out racketeering on construction sites in Northern Ireland have got off the a slow.... more
(03 March 2005 16:06)

Revenue renews employment blitz
The move prepares the way for the new Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) which is due to come into force in April 2006. more
(03 March 2005 16:05)

Disciplinary for CITB director
Eddie Ruthven, assistant director of the CITB-ConstructionSkills, was this week expected to face a disciplinary hearing in the wake of an internal.... more
(03 March 2005 16:05)

Benson’s crash did not need to happen
Three-month overdraft of £1.2m would have saved Benson from administrators. more
(03 March 2005 16:05)

Russell Denness to take top position at Croudace
Russell Denness will take over at the end of the year as managing director of Croudace Homes, the £100m-a-year turnover group based in Caterham,.... more
(03 March 2005 16:05)

New focus restores Skanska profit
Divestment of overseas activities and concentration on core UK projects helps builder turn last year’s deficit into £24m profit. more
(03 March 2005 16:04)

Ennstone progresses Johnston sale
Ennstone has confirmed further details of the plan to sell off the non-core parts of Johnston Engineering. The sales will bring in a total of £26m. more
(03 March 2005 16:04)

Noisy sites head list of complaints in 2004
Noise continues to be the cause of most of the complaints made to the Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS). more
(03 March 2005 16:04)

Scaffolding MD clears confusion
Climax Scaffolding managing director Phil King has moved to clear industry confusion following Kings Scaffolding’s £75,000 fine for a scaffolding.... more
(03 March 2005 16:04)

Low-cost housing repairs set for VAT reduction to 5%
The government is considering reducing VAT to 5% on all repairs of low-cost housing, according to accountancy firm Grant Thornton. more
(03 March 2005 16:03)

Ausa goes large with D600
Spanish manufacturer Ausa has launched its largest-ever dumper – the 6t D600. more
(03 March 2005 16:03)

Manchester Cabins and Hiab develop two loader crane truck
Manchester Cabins has taken delivery of a heavy goods truck, which it says is the first in the world to be equipped with two loader cranes on a.... more
(03 March 2005 16:02)

Excavators top list as plant theft rises
More than £36m-worth of plant equipment was stolen in the UK in 2004, up by £1.8m on the previous year, according to The National Plant & Equipment.... more
(03 March 2005 16:02)

Volvo Construction Equipment sold 30,000 machines in 2004
Volvo Construction Equipment has reported record sales for 2004, with the number of machines sold rising 25% to 30,000 units. more
(03 March 2005 16:02)

The prevention principle
The ‘prevention principle’ comes from a generally stated legal principle that a party cannot benefit from its own wrong. more
(03 March 2005 16:02)

Sir Robert steps up Holyrood challenge
A recently obtained report warns of EU procurement rule breaches in awarding Bovis the £430m project. more
(03 March 2005 16:01)