The Building Research Establishment (BRE) has released its updated residential sustainability assessment, BREEAM UK New Construction: Residential V6.1, formerly known as Home Quality Mark (HQM). BRE said the move, which follows a rebrand of HQM, will streamline and simplify certification for new build properties, ensuring that residential buildings in the UK will be recognised as […]
Hydrogen-powered diggers could soon be a regular sight on UK roads after the government changed the law to allow the green machines to drive between building sites. The move removes a key roadblock to the wider rollout of hydrogen-powered construction kit, giving a huge boost to JCB’s £100m drive to develop zero-emission hydrogen engines. The […]
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has announced plans to train up to 18,000 new workers to meet rising demand for retrofitting homes with energy efficiency measures and low-carbon heating systems. The Government is launching the Warm Homes Skills Programme, which will deliver 9,000 training places across England in areas such as […]
Cowboy construction waste operators will get their vehicles crushed under a new Government crackdown on fly-tipping. Councils will work with the police to identify, seize and crush vehicles of waste criminals. Drones and mobile CCTV cameras will be deployed to identify cars and vans belonging to fly-tippers so they can be destroyed. Red tape blocking councils […]
National Access and Scaffolding Confederation (NASC) has launched TG30, a guidance suite for system scaffolding,. This new initiative is set to transform the way system scaffolding is designed and implemented. TG30 has been developed in close collaboration with the manufacturers and suppliers of scaffolding systems to provide the scaffolding industry with practical guidance across the […]
CIP has updated it’s guidance in the Construction Health and Safety Manual on the use of Suction and Vacuum Excavators following the release of the recently updated Construction Plant-Hire Association’s (CPA) Good Practice Guide for the Safe Use of Suction and Vacuum Excavators. The publication was originally developed and published in 2018 following a number […]
The government is planning to review the rules around the use of cranes and lifting machinery, believing them to be unnecessarily onerous. As part of its attempts to reduce the regulatory burden on UK business, the government has announced a review of older prescriptive health & safety legislation, specifically the Lifting Operations & Lifting Equipment […]
BARRATT and David Wilson Homes North Scotland has joined forces with SAMH (Scottish Action for Mental Health) to create a new suicide prevention training programme tailored to the Scottish construction industry. Backed by £239,000 in funding from the Construction Industry Training Board’s (CITB) Industry Impact Fund, the initiative aims to equip companies and individuals with the tools to identify colleagues […]
HSE has refreshed its guidance publication ‘Health surveillance for those exposed to respirable crystalline silica’ G404. The publication has been refreshed to emphasise: where workers are regularly exposed to RCS dust and there is a reasonable likelihood that silicosis may develop worktop manufacturing and installation are stated as high-risk occupations and provision of health surveillance […]
Make Stress Awareness Month the month you make it routine to prevent stress and support mental health at work. The HSE defines stress as ‘an adverse reaction to excessive pressure’. Pressure is often part and parcel of work and helps to keep people motivated. However excessive, badly managed exposure to pressure can lead to stress. […]