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NEWSBRIEF
00:00 25 Jul 2001
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Pilot road charging system awarded
A research project to demonstrate the operation of road user charging systems is to be set up and operated by the Fareway Alliance, which comprises Brown & Root, WS Atkins and electronic systems provider Thales Translink. The project, to be carried out on a small network of roads in Leeds, is for the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions. It is known as DIRECTS (Demonstration of Interoperable Road-user End-to-end Charging and Telematics Systems).
York modular homes project begins
The first factory-built affordable housing scheme outside London has begun on a brownfield site in York. The 24-unit scheme for Yorkshire Housing and City of York Council is designed by Cartwright Pickard Architects and will be built by modular construction specialist Yorkon, a Portakabin subsidiary. The same team was behind the Murray Grove housing project in Hackney.
HSE guide goes multi-lingual
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published Health and safety law: what you should know in six languages including Bengali, Hindi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Urdu and Chinese. The leaflet explains the duties employers must perform to comply with health and safety law, including the duty to consult all employees on all aspects of health and safety. "Britain is a multi-cultural society and employers need to consider how to get the message across to employees who do not have English as their first language," said HSE director general Timothy Walker.
Builders' workload on the rise
Builders' workloads increased by 39% during the second quarter of the year over the same period in 2001. The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) said that growth will continue but at a slightly slower rate during the third quarter. In its second quarter of 2001 State of Trade Survey the organisation also found that 42% of builders report having to spend two days a week dealing with red tape rather than being out on site and that this, rather than workload, prevents them from cutting waiting times for customers. "On the whole the building industry is so far bucking the downturn being experienced by other sectors such as manufacturing and IT," said FMB director general Ian Davis.
New time-saving subcontract launched
A new "short subcontract" for simple projects such as first fix in a housing scheme or bulk earthworks for a construction site that is not in need of "excessive management input" has been drawn up by the Institution of Civil Engineers. Previously, contracting parties produced their own subcontracts by modifying the Engineering and Construction Short Contract in accordance with guidance notes. The ICE says the new contract replaces that necessity and avoids time wasting.
New industry body launched
A Design in Construction Alliance has been launched to "raise the quality of buildings and ensure best practice becomes the industry norm". The alliance is made up of the British Property Federation, the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment, the Confederation of Construction Clients, the Construction Industry Council, the Major Contractors Group, the Office of Government Commerce, Rethinking Construction and the Urban Design Alliance. "Fundamental to the alliance is improving the skills of clients, ensuring that they do not set unrealistic timetables and budgets," said a spokesperson for the alliance. Further details can be found on www.cabe.org.uk
A research project to demonstrate the operation of road user charging systems is to be set up and operated by the Fareway Alliance, which comprises Brown & Root, WS Atkins and electronic systems provider Thales Translink. The project, to be carried out on a small network of roads in Leeds, is for the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions. It is known as DIRECTS (Demonstration of Interoperable Road-user End-to-end Charging and Telematics Systems).
York modular homes project begins
The first factory-built affordable housing scheme outside London has begun on a brownfield site in York. The 24-unit scheme for Yorkshire Housing and City of York Council is designed by Cartwright Pickard Architects and will be built by modular construction specialist Yorkon, a Portakabin subsidiary. The same team was behind the Murray Grove housing project in Hackney.
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HSE guide goes multi-lingual
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published Health and safety law: what you should know in six languages including Bengali, Hindi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Urdu and Chinese. The leaflet explains the duties employers must perform to comply with health and safety law, including the duty to consult all employees on all aspects of health and safety. "Britain is a multi-cultural society and employers need to consider how to get the message across to employees who do not have English as their first language," said HSE director general Timothy Walker.
Builders' workload on the rise
Builders' workloads increased by 39% during the second quarter of the year over the same period in 2001. The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) said that growth will continue but at a slightly slower rate during the third quarter. In its second quarter of 2001 State of Trade Survey the organisation also found that 42% of builders report having to spend two days a week dealing with red tape rather than being out on site and that this, rather than workload, prevents them from cutting waiting times for customers. "On the whole the building industry is so far bucking the downturn being experienced by other sectors such as manufacturing and IT," said FMB director general Ian Davis.
New time-saving subcontract launched
A new "short subcontract" for simple projects such as first fix in a housing scheme or bulk earthworks for a construction site that is not in need of "excessive management input" has been drawn up by the Institution of Civil Engineers. Previously, contracting parties produced their own subcontracts by modifying the Engineering and Construction Short Contract in accordance with guidance notes. The ICE says the new contract replaces that necessity and avoids time wasting.
New industry body launched
A Design in Construction Alliance has been launched to "raise the quality of buildings and ensure best practice becomes the industry norm". The alliance is made up of the British Property Federation, the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment, the Confederation of Construction Clients, the Construction Industry Council, the Major Contractors Group, the Office of Government Commerce, Rethinking Construction and the Urban Design Alliance. "Fundamental to the alliance is improving the skills of clients, ensuring that they do not set unrealistic timetables and budgets," said a spokesperson for the alliance. Further details can be found on www.cabe.org.uk
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