Green energy supplier Ecotricity and campaign group Greenpeace have threatened to mount a legal challenge if Hinkley Point C receives any more state funding. The planned nuclear plant was awarded a 35-year Contract for Difference (CfD) with a strike price of £92.50 – more than twice the
Carbon monoxide testing pilot study commences Published: 12 October, 2016 Public Health England’s (PHE) carbon monoxide (CO) pilot study, which aims to develop a protocol for coroners to test for CO at post mortem, is set to commence. The study is being funded by the Gas Safety Trust (GST). The
Despite ongoing inventory shortages and faster price growth, existing home sales in the United States have sustained their recent momentum and moved higher for the second consecutive month. The latest data from the National Association of Realtors shows a surge in sales in the Midwest and a decent increase in
Book Course HSL is to run a 1 day course on Management of Hand Arm Vibration in the Workplace – An Introduction. 8 September 2016 Introduction The Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 is designed to protect workers from injury resulting form exposure to hand-arm vibration. To manage the
©Bloomberg Balfour Beatty has restored its dividend and reduced losses in a sign it is returning to health after a torrid two years that saw the construction group issue a string of profit warnings and fend off a takeover attempt. More On this topic IN Construction Balfour, which had been
Trimo is known for being a leading provider of architectural solutions, the company has released news that they will be holding a selection of national workshops in order to improve fire safety in the building industry. Trimo was first established in 1961, operating for more than 50 years and has
The latest Construction Products Association summer forecast isn’t predicting sunshine for the construction industry. In the document the main worry is that the term ‘uncertainty’ and what it is actually supposed to mean or refer to, shows up a whopping 70 times throughout the course of the forecast. In 2015,
Green energy supplier Ecotricity and campaign group Greenpeace have threatened to mount a legal challenge if Hinkley Point C receives any more state funding. The planned nuclear plant was awarded a 35-year Contract for Difference (CfD) with a strike price of £92.50 – more than twice the current wholesale power price. Ecotricity and Greenpeace have written to written to the UK and French governments and EDF Energy, warning that any additional funding from the French government would be “illegal” under EU state aid rules. A final investment decision on Hinkley has been repeatedly delayed because EDF has struggled to secure sufficient financing for the project. In March chief executive Jean-Bernard Lévy said it will not go ahead without the injection of extra capital from its 85 per cent shareholder – the French state. Shortly afterward French economy minister Emmanuel Macron said it would be a “mistake” to abandon Hinkley and suggested his government could help with financing by accepting dividend payments from EDF in the form of shares rather than cash. Greenpeace and Ecotricity have argued that any such support from the French state would not be covered by the European Commission’s approval of state aid in October 2014. They said it would be illegal without a fresh decision by the commission. Greenpeace UK Executive Director John Sauven said: “The only way Hinkley can be kept alive is on the life support machine of state aid.” “The UK government needs to stop penalising the UK renewable energy industry in favour of propping up an ailing state-owned nuclear industry in France,” he added. Ecotricity founder Dale Vince said: “It’s time for everyone to realise that we’ve reached the end of the road for Hinkley Point – it’s not going to happen. “Illegal state aid is one thing, and we’ll work with Greenpeace to challenge that if it happens – but it’s not just financial issues, there are technical problems with Hinkley Point too. “EDF [is] yet to build one of these reactors, their first two attempts are, between them, 16 years late and billions over budget – nobody in a normal business would attempt a third with the first two so woefully out of control.” Last month EDF Energy chief executive Vincent de Rivaz said “categorically” that Hinkley Point C will go ahead. Speaking before a meeting of the Energy and Climate Change Committee he said he expected a final investment decision to be made in mid-May, once the French government had made a decision on financing. Responding to questions raised by committee chair Angus MacNeil, energy secretary Amber Rudd conceded earlier this week that any further delays to the project would not jeopardise the UK’s energy security. Source link
Carbon monoxide testing pilot study commences Published: 12 October, 2016 Public Health England’s (PHE) carbon monoxide (CO) pilot study, which aims to develop a protocol for coroners to test for CO at post mortem, is set to commence. The study is being funded by the Gas Safety Trust (GST). The 2011 All-Party Parliamentary Carbon Monoxide Group (APPCOG) report identified a key role for coroners to support increased detection of CO poisoning in England and Wales. The report recommended that “the government should ensure that all coroners’ post-mortems routinely test for carboxyhaemoglobin (COHb) levels”. The study will take the important first steps towards obtaining a more complete estimate of the number of deaths caused by CO poisoning, by testing for the gas at post-mortem. This pilot is to be carried out before a national data collection exercise can be undertaken so the procedure can be defined, developed and implemented; the aim is to establish a protocol for testing and reporting of CO poisoning at post-mortem in England and Wales. Chris Bielby, GST chairman, said: “We are thrilled that this pilot is due to commence as we have been long been seeking to determine a more accurate number of fatalities caused by CO poisoning in England and Wales. It is generally agreed that CO poisoning may be under-diagnosed by both medics and coroners due to its characteristics. “The only way to properly investigate this is for CO levels to be tested at post-mortem and we are hopeful this pilot will develop a protocol that will allow us to reach the true scale of the problem in England and Wales.” Dr Giovanni Leonardi, head of the Environmental Epidemiology Group at PHE for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards, said: “This is an important pilot study which will develop a method for establishing how often CO poisoning is being missed by clinicians and the impact this has on CO being identified as a cause of death. We will need to share this information with the coroners before they will consider wider testing for CO at post-mortem. “We will also need to assess the extra burden wider testing would have on staff, including pathologists and laboratory workers.” Source link
Despite ongoing inventory shortages and faster price growth, existing home sales in the United States have sustained their recent momentum and moved higher for the second consecutive month. The latest data from the National Association of Realtors shows a surge in sales in the Midwest and a decent increase in the Northeast which offset smaller declines in the South and West. Total existing home sales, which are completed transactions that include single family homes, town homes, condominiums and co-ops, rose 1.7% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.45 million in April from an upwardly revised 5.36 million in March. After last month’s gain, sales are now up 6% from April 2015. According to Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, April’s sales increase signals slowly building momentum for the housing market this spring. ‘Primarily driven by a convincing jump in the Midwest, where home prices are most affordable, sales activity overall was at a healthy pace last month as very low mortgage rates and modest seasonal inventory gains encouraged more households to search for and close on a home,’ he said. ‘Except for in the West, where supply shortages and stark price growth are hampering buyers the most, sales are meaningfully higher than a year ago in much of the country,’ he added. The NAR data also shows that the median existing home price for all housing types in April was $232,500, up 6.3% from April 2015 and this is the 50th consecutive month of year on year gains. Total housing inventory at the end of April increased 9.2% to 2.14 million existing homes available for sale, but is still 3.6% lower than a year ago. Unsold inventory is at a 4.7 month supply at the current sales pace, up from 4.4 months in March. ‘The temporary relief from mortgage rates currently near three-year lows has helped preserve housing affordability this spring, but there’s growing concern a number of buyers will be unable to find homes at affordable prices if wages don’t rise and price growth doesn’t slow,’ Yun explained. Properties typically stayed on the market for 39 days in April compared to 47 days in March, which is unchanged from a year ago but the shortest duration since June 2015 when it was 34 days. Short sales were on the market the longest at a median of 120 days in April, while foreclosures sold in 51 days and non-distressed homes took 37 days. Some 45% of homes sold in April were on the market for less than a month, the highest since June 2015 when it was 47%. ‘Looking ahead, with demand holding steady and supply levels still far from sufficient, the market for entry level and mid-priced homes will likely continue to be the most competitive heading into the summer months,’ Yun explained. The index show that the share of first time buyers was 32% in April, up from 30% both in March and a year ago. First time buyers in all of 2015 also represented an average of 30%. All cash sales were 24% of transactions in April, down from 25% in March and unchanged from a year ago. Individual investors, who account for many cash sales, purchased 13% of homes in April, matching the lowest share since October 2015, but down from 14% in both in March and a year ago while 69% of investors paid cash in April. Distressed sales, that is foreclosures and short sales, declined for the second straight month to 7% in April, down from 8% last month and 10% a year ago. Some 5% of April sales were foreclosures and 2% were short sales. Foreclosures sold for an average discount of 17% below market value in April compared to 16% in March, while short sales were discounted 10%, unchanged from March. Single family home sales were up 0.6% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.81 million in April from 4.78 million in March, and are now 6.2% higher than the 4.53 million pace a year ago. The median existing single family home price was $233,700 in April, up 6.2% from April 2015. Existing condominium and co-op sales jumped 10.3% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 640,000 units in April from 580,000 in March, and are now 4.9% above April 2015. The median existing condo price was $223,300 in April, which is 6.8% above a year ago. A breakdown of the data shows that April existing home sales in the Northeast climbed 2.8% to an annual rate of 740,000, and are now 17.5% above a year ago. The median price in the Northeast was $263,600, which is 4.1% above April 2015. In the Midwest, existing home sales soared 12.1% to an annual rate of 1.39 million in April, and are now 12.1% above April 2015. The median price in the Midwest was $184,200, up 7.7% from a year ago. Existing home sales in the South declined 2.7% to an annual rate of 2.19 million in April, but are still 4.3% above April 2015. The median price in the South was $202,800, up 6.5% from a year ago. Existing home sales in the West decreased 1.7% to an annual rate of 1.13 million in April, and are 3.4% lower than a year ago. The median price in the West was $335,000, which is 6.5% above April 2015. BOOKMARK THIS PAGE (What is this?) Source link
Book Course HSL is to run a 1 day course on Management of Hand Arm Vibration in the Workplace – An Introduction. 8 September 2016 Introduction The Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 is designed to protect workers from injury resulting form exposure to hand-arm vibration. To manage the risks from hand-arm vibration exposure and to comply with the regulations you will need to assess, control and monitor exposures, you will also need to ensure that workers understand the risks and have any necessary training. If workers are at risk you will also need a health surveillance programme to monitor any progression of injury and to provide feedback on the effectiveness of your exposure controls. This course provides an overview of your duties under Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 and practical guidance on how you can control and manage hand-arm vibration risks in your workplace. Who should attend? Those responsible for assessing, controlling and managing hand-arm vibration risks in the workplace. What you can expect from the course? This course will review the risks from hand-arm vibration exposure and introduce you to the requirements of the current regulations. It will provide practical advice and examples of how to carry out assessments of vibration risks, how to develop vibration control action plans, providing information instruction and training and what to expect from health surveillance. Presenters include: • Paul Pitts, Head of Noise and Vibration Section • Sue Hewitt, Higher Scientist, Noise and Vibration Section • Alison Codling, Faculty of Occupational Medicine, HAVS Approved Occupational Health Nurse Venue The course will be run at the HSL laboratory in the spa town of Buxton. Buxton is in the heart of the Peak District and has good links to mainline train stations and Manchester International Airport. Details of hotels in the Buxton area can be found at www.visitpeakdistrict.com. Cost The cost of the course is £475 (includes course notes, lunch, refreshments and a certificate of attendance). Book Course Please note the invoice option is not available within 4 weeks of the course date, or for overseas customers. If you are selecting the invoice option for payment, it will be mandatory to input a purchase order/reference number as we are unable to process booking forms without this. For further dates and additional information email: training@hsl.gsi.gov.uk or contact the Training & Conferences Unitat HSL directly on +44 (0)1298 218806. Back to Health & Safety Training Courses Source link
©Bloomberg Balfour Beatty has restored its dividend and reduced losses in a sign it is returning to health after a torrid two years that saw the construction group issue a string of profit warnings and fend off a takeover attempt. More On this topic IN Construction Balfour, which had been dragged down by construction contracts won on wafer thin margins, said pre-tax losses reduced 86 per cent to £21m for the half year to July 1 on revenues down marginally from £4.2bn a year earlier. The group has proposed a half-year dividend of 0.9p a share, marking a significant milestone in its recovery plan led by Leo Quinn, the former boss of defence research group Qinetiq, who joined the construction company in March last year in a bid to revive the company. Shares in the company rose more than 7 per cent to 261p as Mr Quinn said the business had “stabilised”. “Like an iceberg the numbers are just the tip of it and don’t begin to show the extent of the progress we have made,” he said. Balfour took on too many contracts at rock-bottom prices in the wake of the recession but expects 90 per cent of those “historic” UK projects to be complete this year, allowing the company to focus on more profitable work. Losses in its UK business fell from £145m in 2015 to £66m as low margin or lossmaking contracts came to an end. Balfour is focusing on winning fewer larger contracts worth more than £5m in the UK, which it says will improve its ability to control the work and help it to restore construction margins to at least 2 to 3 per cent by 2018. It is also cutting £100m of costs and stripping out management layers under a turnround programme dubbed “Build to Last”. Nearly 1,000 back-office and administrative staff have been cut while the US business has been consolidated under a single leader. Balfour’s order book rose 12 per cent to £12.4bn at the half-year stage, compared with £11bn at the end of its last full financial year. Earlier this week Balfour Beatty won a £524m contract to electrify California’s diesel-hauled railway network, its biggest commission in the US to date. Other contract wins this year include a £170m contract to upgrade baggage screening and handling systems for Heathrow airport. It has also secured a £416m contract to build the western section of the new £4.2bn London super sewer under the Thames river from Ealing to Hammersmith in a consortium with Morgan Sindall. Britain’s construction industry slipped into recession last month making Mr Quinn’s efforts to revive the business more difficult. The company has joined business lobby groups in calling on the government to use historically low interest rates to boost infrastructure investment in the UK, including new road, rail, flood defence and power projects. “We’re looking for a lead from government,” Mr Quinn said. “Money is effectively free so it’s a good time for the government to be making long-term decisions on infrastructure.” Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2016. You may share using our article tools. Please don’t cut articles from FT.com and redistribute by email or post to the web. Source link
Trimo is known for being a leading provider of architectural solutions, the company has released news that they will be holding a selection of national workshops in order to improve fire safety in the building industry. Trimo was first established in 1961, operating for more than 50 years and has developed a wealth of experience in the manufacturing of sustainable cladding systems. The company has become well known for their complete envelope solutions as well as their specialist knowledge and reliability. The well-established company is using this good source of information in order offer expert advice to those looking for advice and support. The workshops that will be held by Trimo are all CPD-certified and will cover a range of different topics such as insurance, fire testing, materials used and their installation and building regulations in relation to fire and fire safety. Following the recent headlines of cladding test failures after the catastrophic events at Grenfell Tower in London, a vast number of construction companies are wanting reassurance that what they known about the industry and fire standards does actually meet industry standards. Therefore, the CPD-certified workshops being offered by Trimo are an excellent resource for those seeking extra training or reassurance about their fire safety knowledge and standards. The workshops will also offer companies the opportunity to bring up and discuss and questions and concerns in regards to fire safety procedures and requirements that they may have. The aim Trimo is trying to achieve by holding these sessions is to make sure that participants are able to access the most up to date information and guidance from the cladding experts at Trimo. The company are hoping that these sessions will help the building industry learn and recover from the recent and horrific incident, as well as making sure that fire safety is kept as a priority in all future construction projects.
The latest Construction Products Association summer forecast isn’t predicting sunshine for the construction industry. In the document the main worry is that the term ‘uncertainty’ and what it is actually supposed to mean or refer to, shows up a whopping 70 times throughout the course of the forecast. In 2015, the same term cropped up a mere 22 times in comparison. The projection that has been produced this year by the Construction Products Association, or CPA, only stretches to 2019, the year the UK is set to leave the EU, shorter than previous forecasts which have stretched between three and five years. It could be that, without a comprehensive understanding of the terms in regards to Brexit, no accurate prediction could be reached and any attempts would only be speculation. The CPA forecast that was published in 2015 went two years further that the normal three year forecast. Comparing the 2015 prediction to the most recent demonstrates that confidence in the construction industry has dipped, with industry activity estimated at 9% higher in the 2015 forecast. A most worrying point in the 2017 forecast is that the construction industry appears to be edging towards a recession in 2018. It is widely thought that although it could be a difficult time, a full recession could be narrowly avoided. Without worrying over predictions of the future, growth in the construction industry has appeared to have suffered a slight dip in recent months, with activity appearing to decline according to CPA figures. This uncertainty is clear in a number of other industry surveys and is not surprising since the Government appears to be unclear of the different elements of Brexit, or so it has been reported. In all, uncertainty isn’t necessarily negative, just the industry surveys protecting their own back against projecting results too one way or the other when in fact there are too many unknown variables at the moment to do anything more than speculate.
