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HSE inspectors are starting a fortnight-long crackdown on sites exposing workers to unhealthy working conditions. More than 500 deaths a year are caused by silica dust exposure Inspectors will be looking in particular at respiratory risks from dusts including silica materials and exposure to other hazardous substances such as cement and lead paint. The inspectors will also have manual handling, noise and vibration in their sights as they make unannounced spot checks this week and next. For every fatal accident in construction, it is estimated that a worker is at least 100 times more likely to die from a disease caused or made worse by their work. In 2012/13, 39 construction workers were killed. But more than 500 deaths a year are due to silica exposure alone. HSE Chief Inspector of …

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This guide should give those interested in construction or starting out in the construction industry a basic idea of the processes involved in the creation of large buildings, for both public and private use. Pre-Construction Plans for the house, office block or public building should be developed, finalized and submitted for review before any actual building work takes place. You may require permits for building work, electrical work, plumbing the septic system and sewer connection. Site tests must be conducted to examine the soil, the bearing capacity of the ground and the water table. Findings from these tests may require engineering adjustments to be made in the building plans. Foundation Preparation of the land for building involves the removal of topsoil, which is usually piled elsewhere …

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A new construction technique to build large concrete shell structures has been developed by scientists in Austria. The “balloon” method does not require any expensive supporting structures which have previously put developers off building large concrete shells. The technique devised at the Vienna University of Technology uses a flat concrete slab which hardens on the ground before an air cushion below the plate is inflated bending the concrete and forming a sustainable shell. Professor Johann Kollegger said: “It is similar to an orange peel, which is regularly cut and then flattened out on the table. “We do it the other way around, starting with a flat surface and then bending it to a shell.” A flat slab is first created using standard concrete. Kollegger said It …

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BUDDING young builders donned hard hats and put their construction skills to the test. The children from Race Leys Junior School in Bedworth were given the chance to lay a brick at the site of a new Housing and Care 21 extra care scheme. The pupils won a competition to help name the scheme in the town, which will be known as Oakwood Gardens. They were joined by representatives from Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council, Warwickshire County Council and Willmott Dixon, the construction company that is building the scheme. David Harding, headteacher of the school said: “Race Leys Juniors were delighted to play such an important part in the naming of the new development. “The children enthusiastically responded and suggested a whole range of interesting names. We very much look …

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A CONSTRUCTION company is creating 150 apprenticeships. Esh Group, in Durham City, will take on workers over the next three years in its Esh Academy. It plans to take on about 50 apprentices this summer. Bosses say jobs will include construction roles, finance and administration positions, and surveying and engineering posts. The firm last year supported more than 6,000 schoolchildren in a training scheme, and says the academy will cover the North-East, Cumbria, Yorkshire and Scotland. The academy will be managed by Esh Training Solutions, Esh Group’s training division. Brian Manning, Esh Group chief executive, said: “We are looking to add real bite by offering traineeships and jobs to some of the youngsters who successfully come through our employability programmes, which we deliver with business partners. “We believe the …

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Buy-to-let landlords need to think like savvy entrepreneurs rather than leaving the performance of property investments to chance, says a specialist with the UK200Group of independent chartered accountants and lawyers. Earlier this month, a report by buy-to-let specialists Platinum Property Partners revealed that 93 per cent of buy-to-let investors had no five-year business plan, even though a key factor in their investment was to secure retirement income. Some commentators have suggested that a new surge in buy-to-let investment could be around the corner, with the much greater freedom of access to defined contribution pension pots that savers will enjoy from April 2015 – including taking out all their pension funds if they wish – potentially triggering interest in property …

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Watch the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists (CIAT) video to find out all about its history, its Royal Charter and the people behind the scenes. Learn about how CIAT is the lead qualifying body for Architectural Technology and represents those practising and studying within the discipline. CIAT qualifies Chartered Architectural Technologists (MCIAT), and professionally qualified Architectural Technicians (TCIAT). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onhotbzP464

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MBDA obtains innovation award while 3D animation games designer and food group also among winners A weapons company that has developed an air-launched missile suitable for firing in urban environments, a food group which has encouraged the consumption of beetroot and a 3D animation games designer are among the diverse range of businesses to receive a Queen’s Award for Enterprise on Monday. More than 160 firms overall have received the prestigious prizes this year in three categories of international trade, sustainable development plus innovation, according to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). Hertfordshire-based MBDA obtained an innovation award for converting the Brimstone anti-armour missile into a dual purpose weapon to be used by crews flying RAF Tornado jets. The extension gives the aircraft the …

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David Cameron and George Osborne claim the infrastructure programme will support more than 150,000 construction jobs David Cameron and George Osborne made a rare joint appearance recently to publicise an infrastructure programme that they claim will support more than 150,000 construction jobs. Visiting a transport project in the east Midlands, the prime minister and the chancellor said that more than 200 infrastructure projects are due to be completed in 2014-15, and that more than 200 infrastructure projects are due to be started over the same period. The schemes are ones that have already been itemised in the government’s national infrastructure plan, but Cameron and Osborne are keen to publicise them in order to demonstrate their commitment to what the Conservatives describe as their “long-term economic plan”. They have tended to avoid joint appearances in …

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House building grew for a 15th month in April, the longest period of continuous growth since 2006/07 UK house building is enjoying its longest run of growth since before the financial crisis in a further sign of Britain’s booming property market. Housing construction grew for a 15th month in April, the longest period of continuous growth since 2006/07 according to the Markit/CIPS construction PMI. Activity in the broader construction sector, which also includes commercial property and civil engineering, grew for the 12th month in a row but at the slowest pace in six months according to the PMI, with the headline index slipping to 60.8 from 62.5 – anything above 50 signals expansion. The figures suggest growth in the sector – which accounts for about 6% of the economy – …

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