Health and Safety

Is it time to revive the crane register or is the HSE just under-resourced? On 28 November, two people were injured after a crane collapsed onto a block of flats under construction in Leith, Edinburgh (pictured). According to local media reports, the falling structure narrowly missed a worker. A Health…

With Christmas approaching, Construction News examines the importance of staff safety at social gatherings Earlier this year, Build UK released a template drugs-and-alcohol policy to be used by companies across the construction sector. The document, designed to be copied entirely or adapted for use, had been circulated among members in…

As the crumbling concrete hits the headlines, CN takes a closer look – and asks, what happens next? Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) crashed into the public consciousness in late August when, days before the school year started, the government ordered more than 100 school buildings to be closed or…

Richard Adams (pictured above left) is a partner and George Bridge (above right) is a solicitor at law firm Burges Salmon A month or so ago, most people had never heard of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, or RAAC. The government’s recent decision to close all English school buildings constructed using…

Hywel Davies is chief technical officer of the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) On 17 August, the government published new regulations for higher-risk buildings (HRBs) and major changes to the Building Regulations that will enable further parts of the Building Safety Act to be fully implemented in England…

Zoe Cooper is ‘of counsel’ with law firm CMS The importation, supply and use of asbestos was fully banned in 1999. Despite that, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) estimates that asbestos continues to kill about 5,000 workers each year, and is found in around 300,000 non-domestic properties and significantly…

Yaasica Hamilton-Haye is a senior construction solicitor at Devonshires The use of e-scooters and e-bikes is steadily growing in the UK. It is now a common sight to see riders zipping across pavements and roads. While reducing the number of cars on the road is by no means a bad…

Will new regulations be enough to reduce the fire-safety risk posed by cavities in modular built structures? Ian Weinfass reports More than eight months have passed since fire-service bosses published a five-page document outlining a litany of concerns about modular buildings. Their warning came a year after structural safety-reporting body…

Pauline Lam, a senior associate at Russell-Cooke LLP, instructing Robert Bowker of Tanfield Chambers, acted for the leaseholders of 2-4 Leigham Court Road Kedai Ltd, the landlord of a London residential development, has been ordered by the First-tier Tribunal to carry out remediation under the Building Safety Act (BSA) 2022…

Making sure firms and workers are competent to carry out construction projects is one of the biggest post-Grenfell initiatives in the sector. CN investigates the progress to date In the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy, Dame Judith Hackitt’s seminal report Building a Safer Future highlighted a construction industry that…