News

Tool and equipment hirer HSS racked-up a pre-tax loss of £17.4m last year as it continues to close branches and distribution centres. Results for the year to December 31 2016 show losses grew to £17.4m from £13.8m last time as turnover ticked-up to £342.2m from £312.3m. HSS said the losses were down to “a year of investment in a new distribution network structureâ€� and “right-sizingâ€� plan for its branches. HSS shut 18 under-performing branches during the last quarter of 2016 and seven distribution centres during the year. A further 37 branches are being closed during the first half of this year. John Gill, Chief Executive Officer of HSS Hire, said: “2016 was a year of significant operational change and investment for the…

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BAM Construction Limited and its groundworks subcontractors have been fined after a man suffered multiple life changing injuries including severe burns to his neck. Winchester Crown Court heard how BAM had been appointed by Network Rail to construct a new railway operating centre in Basingstoke. BAM later appointed Shoreland Projects Ltd as the groundworks contractor for the project. On 26 January 2015, when work began to install lampposts on the site entrance road, the fifth lamp post touched the 11kV overhead power lines when it was being lifted into position by an excavator, causing Mark Bradley to suffer his injuries. A colleague rushed to Bradley’s aid, using a piece of timber to push him away from the lamp column. An HSE investigation found a failure to properly identify the…

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Hinkley workers get £50m ‘hotel style’ site accommodation Offsite accommodation specialist Caledonian Modular has checked-in with the £50m contract to design and build campus living accommodation for Hinkley Point C . Workers facilities include nearly 1,500 en-suite bedrooms across 44 individual buildings The vast workers’ village will set new standards in site facilities and is considered to be the largest hotel-style development in Europe for 25 years, equivalent to a 3-star hotel. When completed in 2017/18, it will provide 1,496 en-suite bedrooms across 44 buildings at two key locations. The Bridgwater Campus is the larger of the two developments, with Caledonian providing twenty-nine accommodation blocks, each offering en-suite rooms for 34 workers. Hinkley Point C on-site accommodation campus A further 15 buildings will be located at …

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Construction giants H+H UK Ltd and SIG Offsite have launched a new house building system which sees homes built in just five days. The SIG I-House combines all the speed of offsite construction with the familiarity of a traditional build – from foundations to roof in just five days. The system can encompass the inner leaves of external cavity walls, floors, lintel, cavity closers, insulation and roof trusses. With the inclusion of soffit and fascia, the system delivers the internal skin of a property, fully wrapped and ready for follow-on trades. The system is a one stop shop for clients – with a single contractor required to deliver the whole house shell. It is intended for the construction of domestic houses of up to two…

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Costain has been selected by Transport for London to work on a revamp of the A40 Westway dual carriageway and the Marylebone flyover. The route is used by more than 96,000 vehicles entering and exiting the capital each day. Costain has secured a £6m contract for a feasibility study and concept design on planned upgrade work. It will undertake a number of investigations of the 21 structures along the 4.6km of the route that runs through Kensington & Chelsea, Hammersmith & Fulham and the City of Westminster. Costain will assess the condition of key parts of the existing structures and identify the potential scope for future refurbishment work. The investigation works will take place in the summer. The feasibility study will take around 10 months to complete after which…

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South Wales-based scaffolding and cladding specialist SHS Group has called in administrators with the loss of over 150 jobs. Smith founded SHS nearly 20 years ago The group, which operated mainly in the industrial sector from offices in Barry, Doncaster and Port Talbot, had been struggling with losses for several years. This was mainly down to poorly performing contracts within its cladding and HVAC insulation divisions. SHS’s management was winding down the insulation business to concentrate on scaffolding and cladding, but ran into severe cashflow problems. Founding director Paul Smith had explored several options in order to secure the future of his group, either via a re-finance or a sale of the business but failed to secure a deal. The group has now ceased trading while administrators…

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The opening of Carillion’s £335m Royal Liverpool University Hospital job has been delayed again following construction problems. Work on the site was temporarily halted in January when cracks were found in two concrete transfer beams Now Aidan Kehoe ,chief executive at Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals, said they “are planning to move by Summer 2018.â€� Carillion is expected to now hand the building over next February compared to an original handover date of March 2017. A Carillion spokesperson said: “We are disappointed that the opening of the new Royal Liverpool Hospital has been delayed. “The construction of such a building on a brownfield city centre location is a very complex process and we have encountered some issues which have unfortunately led to a delay in the…

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The opening of Carillion’s £335m Royal Liverpool University Hospital job has been delayed again following construction problems. Work on the site was temporarily halted in January when cracks were found in two concrete transfer beams Now Aidan Kehoe ,chief executive at Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals, said they “are planning to move by Summer 2018.” Carillion is expected to now hand the building over next February compared to an original handover date of March 2017. A Carillion spokesperson said: “We are disappointed that the opening of the new Royal Liverpool Hospital has been delayed. “The construction of such a building on a brownfield city centre location is a very complex process and we have encountered some issues which have unfortunately led to a delay in the…

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BOSCH GCL 2-50 C + GCL 2-50 CG Professional – for more fun on construction sites! Measuring with an inch ruler, a guideline or hand drafted lines is dreadful and not always precise. But this is a thing of the past – thanks to modern laser technology. The up-to-date pro uses a handy combi laser, which is not only easier to use but relieves day-to-day work immensely. And because laser measurements are done in a matter of minutes, if not seconds, there is always enough time for some fun on site. –   For professional craftsmen of any trade the GCL 2-50 CG and the GCL 2-50 C are a real treat! They support you and your work in so many efficient ways. Both lasers are operated with …

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Laing O’Rourke has been fined £800,000 after a worker was killed by a dumper truck driven by his brother at Heathrow Airport. Southwark Crown Court heard how Philip Griffiths died in October 2014. His brother Paul accidentally reversed into his 38-year-old sibling when the pair were trying to move a broken down scissor lift on a service road, while working for Laing O’Rourke. Paul Griffiths tried to tow the scissor lift away using a dumper truck under the direction of managers. During the attempt his foot got stuck between the brake and the accelerator and the truck reversed. Philip, who was standing between the two vehicles, suffered crush injuries. He was pronounced dead at the scene. An HSE investigation found that neither worker was authorised with the …

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