Latest news from the construction industry

Building News

Construction to fall back into recession

Latest CPA forcast shows industry output will fall for the rest of 2010 and into 2011 ...more

Government pulls funding for Severn barrage

Reports say government will announce this month that public money will not be used to build £20bn tidal energy scheme ...more

School fined after collapsed roof kills worker

HSE prosecutes boarding school after it hires five inexperienced workers to demolish a classroom ...more

Michael Gove defends number of free schools

Only 16 free schools will open next year, but education secretary says he is not disappointed ...more

Construction News

CPA: Construction sector heading for double dip

New forecasts from the Construction Products Association suggest that the construction sector will be the first major industry to fall back into recession, following a temporary recovery in the first six months of 2010. ...more

BSF sample winners in line for further work

Contractors winning sample school deals salvaged from the wreckage of Building Schools for the Future could have a golden ticket to future work for those councils, it has emerged. ...more

Sir Bob Kerslake to leave HCA

Homes and Communities Agency chief executive Sir Bob Kerslake is to step down to become permanent secretary of the Department for Communities and Local Government. ...more

Gifford appoints new CEO

Consultant Gifford ihas appointed Steve Canadine as chief executive officer to succeed Mark Stevenson with effect from 1 October 2010. ...more

Contract Journal - Business and Finance

Ex-Pierse police job runs into more trouble

A subcontractor on the troubled £10.7m construction of a police facility in Cheshire has been forced to scrap materials worth £35,000 for just £80. ...more

Civils sector faces 'thousands' more job cuts

Thousands more jobs could be lost in the civils sector amid a worsening climate, the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) has warned. ...more

Brookfield sets sights on returning first UK profit

Wembley builder Brookfield Construction (UK) expects to deliver a profit for the first time this year after years in the red. ...more

Persimmon 'strong' after increase in forward sales

Persimmon has told the stock market that its financial position is “strong” after reporting an increase in forward sales for next year. ...more

Contract Journal - News

All change on quick hitch recommendations

Excavator operators should leave their cab to check the coupling each time they change attachment - even if using the latest generation of automatic couplers, according to the Strategic Forum Plant Safety Group's re-drafted 'Ten steps that contractors, plant owners and other duty holders should be taking now.' ...more

Olympic Park progress from the air - PHOTOS

The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has released new aerial images of construction work on the Olympic Park showing, as the project enters its toughest year. ...more

May Gurney wins £75m waste contract

May Gurney has won a £75m contract to provide environmental services to Bridgent County Borough Council. ...more

Lavendon issues new shares as revenues fall

Access specialist Lavendon will raise £80m in new shares amid a fall in revenues across Europe ...more

Denaploy News

Denaploy Flashdrives

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Construction Bloopers

This page is dedicated to the construction blooper. It might be something as trivial as tripping over a wheelbarrow, to a disaster on a much larger scale. ...more

As built drawings PDF or DWG?

The final As Built drawings have always been a critical part of an O&M Manual, and it has always been clear that these need to be the final version of the drawings ...more

What are residual hazards?

Since CDM 2007 there has been an increasing emphasis on providing a residual risks section in the health and safety Manual. Some sub-contractors find this particularly confusing because of the apparent similarity with the risk assessment that they are required to make before they start work. ...more

Philip Poynter