Wednesday, 9 November 2016
Friday, 4 November 2016
Wednesday, 2 November 2016
Winners of Considerate Constructors Scheme 2016 National Awards
Winners of Considerate Constructors Scheme 2016 National Awards to be revealed
London, United Kingdom, 1 November 2016: The Considerate Constructors Scheme – the national scheme established by the construction industry to improve its image – is getting ready to reveal the UK’s most considerate companies and suppliers of 2016.
The Scheme, which has registered around 900 companies and suppliers in the past 12 months, will be hosting the 2016 National Awards on 10th and 11th November, at the luxurious Four Seasons hotel on Park Lane.
Supplier Registration was introduced in 2014 and this year’s awards mark the first year that suppliers will be eligible to win a National Award.
Richard Beresford, Chief Executive of the National Federation of Builders, and Liz Male, Chairman of TrustMark will be announcing whether each winning company has received a Bronze, Silver or Gold Award for their achievements. There will also be Runner-up Awards and winners for the coveted ‘Most Considerate Company’ and ‘Most Considerate Supplier’ Awards.
Considerate Constructors Scheme Executive Chairman Isabel Martinson said: “The Awards celebrate the phenomenal efforts being made to improve the image of the industry for the benefit of the public, the workforce and the environment.
“It is particularly exciting this year to be awarding, for the first time, the significant contribution that suppliers are making. As the industry knows, suppliers perform a vital role in the construction process, and have a significant responsibility to behave in a considerate manner at all times to ensure they portray a positive image of the industry they represent.”
Follow the awards on Twitter at @CCScheme #ccsawards.
from The UK Construction Blog http://ukconstructionblog.co.uk/2016/11/02/winners-of-considerate-constructors-scheme-2016-national-awards/
Tuesday, 1 November 2016
Construction to dodge post-Brexit vote recession
Faltering commercial workloads will be offset by strong growth in infrastructure and school spending over the next two years, according to the latest major industry forecast.
The latest forecast is a sharp revision to the 3.6% predicted for 2017 and 2018 before the EU referendum.
While commercial office building is expected to be worst hit, strong growth is expected in infrastructure and education as the Government pulls the levers to keep the economy running.
Noble Francis, economics director at the CPA, said: “Surveys across the industry highlight that activity in the construction sector has been sustained post-referendum, primarily based upon work on projects that were signed in the 12-18 months before the referendum.
CPA construction forecasts highlights
- Construction output to rise 0.6% in 2016, 0.3% in 2017 and 0.2% in 2018
- Offices construction to increase 8% in 2016 before falling 3% in 2017 and a further 10% in 2018
- Factories construction to fall 5% in 2016 and 2% in 2017
- Infrastructure work to rise by 6.2% in 2017 and 10.2% in 2018
- Private housing starts to rise 2% but remain flat in 2017 and fall 2% in 2018
- Retail construction to fall 8.0% in 2016 before falls of 4% in 2017 and 2% in 2018
“Looking forward, projects in the pipeline mean that construction activity is likely to continue throughout the rest of 2016 and the first half of 2017, ” he said.
“From the second half of 2017, however, there is likely to be a clear division between the fortunes of privately-funded construction sectors where the current uncertainty is likely to have a major impact, and those that are largely unaffected by post-referendum uncertainty – such as infrastructure and education – which are either publicly-funded or in regulated sectors.”
Francis added that offices output is expected to decline 3% in 2017 and a further 10% in 2018. Industrial construction is also expected to fall 11.6% between 2015 and 2018 as renewal and refurbishment of existing factories continues but large manufacturers make fewer new major investments.
But major projects such as HS2, Hinkley Point C nuclear power station and the Thames Tideway Tunnel are anticipated to provide growth of 6.2% in 2017 and 10.2% in 2018.
Within education construction, activity is expected to rise 5.8% by 2018 due to public sector capital investment in the Priority School Building Programme and private sector investment in universities, including £1bn programmes at Manchester, Cambridge and Glasgow.
“Outside of these sectors, private house building has not been affected by the uncertainty so far and is expected to rise by 2.0% in 2016. It is anticipated to remain flat in 2017 before a 2.0% fall in 2018 due to slower demand as UK economic growth and real wage growth both weaken considerably next year.
“However, private house building could be boosted by new measures in the government’s Autumn Statement on 23 November. The slower real wage growth in 2017, driven by higher inflation due to the recent falls in Sterling, is also expected to lead to a decline in retail construction of 4% in 2017 and 2% in 2018. This in a sector already hit by the shift away from traditional retail towards online shopping.
“With an upcoming Autumn Statement, it is vital that the Chancellor focuses on reducing uncertainty for the private sector, sustaining the housing sector and ensuring delivery of education construction and major infrastructure projects already in the pipeline.”
from The UK Construction Blog http://ukconstructionblog.co.uk/2016/11/01/construction-to-dodge-post-brexit-vote-recession/
Wednesday, 26 October 2016
How to minimise the impact of rodents during construction
Anyone who’s ever had a rodent infestation at home will understand the headache it causes – but if you thought that was bad enough, imagine facing an invasion from rats at your construction site.
It’s a nightmare situation all too familiar to the Belgian officials responsible for opening new road tunnels in Brussels. Earlier this year, they claimed progress had been halted after rats ate construction plans.
Whilst this does sound like a very extreme and public use of the classic ‘sorry, the dog ate my homework’ excuse, it also accurately points out one of the biggest issues that arises from pest control problems on a building site – namely, delays.
As rats and mice struggle to find shelter and food, they’ll happily gnaw their way through woodwork or burrow between joints, leaving heaps of expensive damage in their wake, as well as completely disrupting your schedule.
And, as Belgian officials discovered, it’s a complication investors aren’t likely to be sympathetic towards, particularly because it can be easily avoided with a few simple actions.
Here’s our top advice for minimising the impact of pests on your construction site.
#1: Deal with any current problems
If you’re working on a brownfield or a greenfield site, you may have already disturbed a population of rats or mice. In that case, it’s important to keep an eye out for signs of an infestation. Chewed electrical cables – in fact, chewed anything – will be one of the most obvious indicators.
If you’re too late and they’ve already got a stronghold at your site, your only sure-fire tactic of getting rid of them is to hire an established rodent control company – they’ll also keep you on the right side of the law when it comes to dealing with protected species like bats.
#2: Protect your staff
Everyone knows that rats spread diseases, but did you also know that their germs can linger even after the pests have been eradicated? That means your employees could still be at risk of contracting potentially lethal infections, especially if stagnant water is nearby.
Limit the possible health and safety consequences by providing protective gloves to all construction workers, and promote good hand hygiene with adequate washing facilities.
#3: Stop future complications
Prevention is far easier and more effective than curing an infestation. Protect your building from future invasions from pests and rodents by incorporating preventative measures into initial construction stages.
Your biggest task will be blocking all conceivable points of entry, including gaps around drain pipes and air vents. A fine mesh should do the trick, and future human inhabitants will be forever thankful for your efforts.
So you never have to utter the shaming words ‘Rats ate my construction plans’ like those hapless Belgian officials, stick to these three steps for stopping rodent problems from disrupting your building site.
from The UK Construction Blog http://ukconstructionblog.co.uk/2016/10/26/how-to-minimise-the-impact-of-rodents-during-construction/