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September 18, 2017

Company director jailed following workers death

A company director has been jailed for 12-months following the death of one of his workers. Father-of-three Paul Williamson, who was 51 years old, died on 29 January 2014 when a remote controlled Mobile Elevated Working Platform (MEWP) he was loading on to a truck fell from the ramps and

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Josh Phillips – RIBA Awards

Browser does not support script. Contact us The RIBA has announced the judges for the President’s Awards for Research 2016. The judging panel bringing together experts from academia and practice are: Peter Clegg (Chair) – Senior Partner, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios   Shumi Bose – Senior Lecturer, Central St Martins/Director,

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Devon Norse goes back to school with two new deals

25 July 2016 | Herpreet Kaur Grewal Two educational establishments have awarded cleaning services to Devon Norse.   Dawlish Community College has returned to Devon Norse following a period with another company under a new £65,000-a-year, three-year agreement.   Westcliff Primary School has also recently returned to Devon Norse for

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City analyst tips Balfour Beatty for H1 loss

Liberum said Balfour Beatty’s UK construction business will post losses of £65m, while its Middle East construction division will post a loss of £5m loss. It said this would result in an overall loss of £50m in construction services for H1, with a “very H2-weighted full year results”. Despite this, Liberum said Balfour

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Industry teams up to promote consumer safety

Industry teams up to promote consumer safety Published:  10 June, 2016 The Institute of Kitchen, Bedroom and Bathroom Installers (iKBBI) has teamed up with NICEIC and ELECSA to promote consumer safety within the kitchen, bedroom and bathroom installation market. Paul Collins, technical services manager at NICEIC and ELECSA, said: “We

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Students as Country Marketing Managers

Trendhim, Danish design founded in 2007 offers men more than 5132 products, within a click, thanks to Mikkel Andersen and Sebastian. Currently booming in 19 European markets, competing against every European professional,  Trendhim faces a new challenge: Students as Country marketing managers. What can you do when you have to

Read More »

EY Construction Skills Shortage and Recommendations

It is well known that there is a skills deficit in the construction industry. Research from EY has shown that the East suffers the worst, with five times as many project management positions that there are qualified and experienced people to carry out the work. The skills deficit has had

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Gemini to Exhibit at The Grand Designs Live Show

The Grand Designs Live Show will be held from the 11th to the 15th October at the NEC in Birmingham. The eco-friendly company Gemini have announced that they will be exhibiting at their year’s event. The event is based on the incredibly popular and long running show Grand Designs, hosted

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Peter Wheeler to Host East Midlands fba Awards 2017

Peter Wheeler, the legendary rugby player has been announced as the compère for the East Midlands fbe Awards 2017. This awards ceremony will take place on the 12th of October, with the former England International rugby player and ex-Leicester Tigers player acting as MC for the event. It has been

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Latest Issue

BDC 319 : Aug 2024

September 18, 2017

Company director jailed following workers death

A company director has been jailed for 12-months following the death of one of his workers. Father-of-three Paul Williamson, who was 51 years old, died on 29 January 2014 when a remote controlled Mobile Elevated Working Platform (MEWP) he was loading on to a truck fell from the ramps and crushed him. Manchester Crown Court heard how Paul Williamson had not been adequately trained on the use of the ramps, the lorry and the MEWP. There was no risk assessment in place and no safe system of work had been created for the equipment, which had only been in operation for eight days. The gradient of the ramps were above the manufacturer’s specification and they were not secured to the lorry. As the MEWP, a Spider 1800, was loaded onto the truck it toppled off the ramps on to Paul Williamson. Company director Kenneth Thelwall, Burleigh Road, Enfield, was charged under section 37 of the Health and Safety at Work Act, sentenced to 12-months in prison and ordered to pay costs of £4,000. He was also disqualified from being a company director for seven years. Thorn Warehousing Ltd was charged under Section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work Act was fined £166,000 and ordered to pay £10,400 costs. The company is currently in administration. HSE’s Inspector, Helen Jones said: “Kenneth Thewall failed in his duty as a director to protect his workers. He was involved in the day-to-day running of Thorn Warehousing Ltd and should have ensured the company provided Paul Williamson with the right equipment and training to carry out his job. Had he done so Mr Williamson would still be alive today. “This case should act as a stark warning to all company directors of their personal responsibility to protect their workers’ health and safety and the tragic consequences when they fail.” Notes to Editors: The Health and Safety Executive is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. It aims to reduce work-related death, injury and ill health. It does so through research, information and advice, promoting training, new or revised regulations and codes of practice, and working with local authority partners by inspection, investigation and enforcement gov.uk More about the legislation referred to in this case can be found at: gov.uk/ Further HSE news releases are available at hse.gov.uk Journalists should approach HSE press office with any queries on regional press releases. Source link

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Josh Phillips – RIBA Awards

Browser does not support script. Contact us The RIBA has announced the judges for the President’s Awards for Research 2016. The judging panel bringing together experts from academia and practice are: Peter Clegg (Chair) – Senior Partner, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios   Shumi Bose – Senior Lecturer, Central St Martins/Director, REAL Foundation   Amica Dall – Assemble   Hattie Hartman – Sustainability Editor, The Architects’ Journal   Professor Robert Mull – former Director of Architecture at the Sir John Cass Faculty of Art, Architecture and Design   Dr Aylin Orbasli – Reader in Architectural Regeneration, Oxford Brookes University   Professor Christopher Platt – Head and Professor of Architecture, Mackintosh School of Architecture, Glasgow School of Art   The President’s Awards for Research’s new programme provides the opportunity for practice-based researchers and academics at all levels to enter under four new categories which represent active research clusters in the built environment. The awards categories are: Cities and Community   Design and Technical   History and Theory   Learning from Projects*   *A special ‘annual theme’ category, recognising the growing importance of post occupancy and building performance evaluation. Submissions of unpublished research are requested of between 5,000 and 10,000 words (candidates are welcome to submit excerpts from longer projects or previous work), with a 300 word abstract and 1,000 word statement. Shortlisted material will be published in a peer-reviewed journal, and on architecture.com. Deadline: 11:55pm (BST) on 30 June 2016. Up to three submissions per category will be shortlisted in July; the winners will be announced at the President’s Medals ceremony in December. One award will be made in each category, with the President’s Medal for Research given to the strongest overall submission. Dr Kat Martindale, RIBA Head of Research and Innovation, said: “The new-look President’s Awards for Research, and particularly the four new categories, have been specifically designed to provide a platform for practitioners to showcase their research. This new approach aims to capture the wealth of existing research activity and strengthen collaboration between practice and academia. I am delighted that entrants will have their contributions judged by such an esteemed panel.” ENDS Notes to editors: For further press information contact Callum Reilly, RIBA press office 020 7307 3757 callum.reilly@riba.org   For further information on entering the RIBA President’s Awards for Research, or for advice on submitting work, contact the RIBA Research and Innovation team at Research@riba.org or visit https://www.architecture.com/researchawards2016   The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) champions better buildings, communities and the environment through architecture and our members www.architecture.com   Follow us on Twitter for regular RIBA updates www.twitter.com/RIBA Posted on Wednesday 25th May 2016 Source link

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Devon Norse goes back to school with two new deals

25 July 2016 | Herpreet Kaur Grewal Two educational establishments have awarded cleaning services to Devon Norse.   Dawlish Community College has returned to Devon Norse following a period with another company under a new £65,000-a-year, three-year agreement.   Westcliff Primary School has also recently returned to Devon Norse for its services.     Steve Jones says the company has employed a replacement caretaker, which together with efficiencies provided by the area team has made an immediate difference to the cleaning and maintenance of the school.     As a result of this success, Little Swans Pre School, which is on the Westcliff School site, decided that Devon Norse would also provide its cleaning service from the start of September 2016. The two agreements are jointly worth around £40,000 a year to Devon Norse.   There has also been another spin-off contract for Devon Norse. The £12,000-a-year cleaning works at the Chestnut Centre in Paignton started in June 2016. The site is linked to Mayfield School, which started using Devon Norse for its cleaning services in 2015.   Recently Devon Norse agreed to supply cleaning services at Millwater School, a school for pupils with special needs in the grounds of Bicton College. The area team is currently arranging the mobilisation of the new arrangement, which starts on the 27th September.   Source link

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City analyst tips Balfour Beatty for H1 loss

Liberum said Balfour Beatty’s UK construction business will post losses of £65m, while its Middle East construction division will post a loss of £5m loss. It said this would result in an overall loss of £50m in construction services for H1, with a “very H2-weighted full year results”. Despite this, Liberum said Balfour Beatty management was “still confident” of hitting 2-3 per cent margins in its construction business in 2018. But it warned that “non-residential” construction companies will be hit by the UK’s decision to leave the EU, highlighting a previous sector analysis Liberium published on the impact of Brexit last week. “Just when [contractors] dared to hope for GDP recovery and a splurge in infrastructure, GDP has been weakened and government is in crisis,” the sector note said. “We revisit all of our earnings estimates, and see some strained balance sheets, which may result in pressure on dividends.” The analyst today said to expect delays in the UK construction sector due to political uncertainty caused by the vote to leave the EU. Although it added: “We believe the need for better UK infrastructure is real and Brexit may eventually lead the government to adopt monetary finance/fiscal QE, which could be positive.” Balfour Beatty will report its interim results on 17 August. Balfour Beatty has been contacted for comment. Source link

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Industry teams up to promote consumer safety

Industry teams up to promote consumer safety Published:  10 June, 2016 The Institute of Kitchen, Bedroom and Bathroom Installers (iKBBI) has teamed up with NICEIC and ELECSA to promote consumer safety within the kitchen, bedroom and bathroom installation market. Paul Collins, technical services manager at NICEIC and ELECSA, said: “We are pleased to be working alongside the iKBBI to look at ways that the NICEIC and ELCESA can support the iKBBI and help achieve its aims. Many NICEIC, ELECSA and IKBBI registrants will already be undertaking work in the kitchen, bedroom and the bathroom sectors so it makes sense to come together and look at ways that we can support installers and promote consumer safety to ensure that work is completed to a high standard by competent installers. “NICEIC and ELECSA are both committed to improving safety within the home and by working with other industry partners we can share experiences on a range of initiatives such as training, complaints and recommended standards to improve safety for consumers looking to employ competent and reliable installers.” The iKBBI already works with a range of partners across the consumer and retail sectors to improve standards, including Gas Safe and Which? Trusted Traders. iKBBI chief executive Damian Walters added: “The safety of our members and their customers is of paramount importance to our organisation and something we are passionate about. Our latest strategic partnership with NICEIC and ELECSA is another important milestone. “Our members can operate in potentially dangerous environments on a daily basis, often working with a combination of gas, electricity and water. It therefore makes perfect sense to partner with those whose specialist subject is safety in the home.” The NICEIC and ELECSA represent more than 37, 000 registered enterprises and have a reputation among consumers, specifiers of work and industry for promoting safety, integrity and technical excellence. The NICEIC brand on its own has been around for more than 60 years and is a leading UK voluntary regulatory body for the electrical contracting industry.   Source link

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Students as Country Marketing Managers

Trendhim, Danish design founded in 2007 offers men more than 5132 products, within a click, thanks to Mikkel Andersen and Sebastian. Currently booming in 19 European markets, competing against every European professional,  Trendhim faces a new challenge: Students as Country marketing managers. What can you do when you have to adapt and adjust your business to the demands of 19 European markets and you do not have the necessary language skills? Trendhim has the answer. Hire University students to carry out the commercialization on the different European powers. As the founders of Trendhim explained, at the beginning everything was going well, they had specific translations, but as the business grew, they encountered challenges in most of their daily operations. In particular, in the marketing side, they were not able to keep their markets up to date. They had to find an alternative solution to the translator. They had to ensure that the different markets had a reasonable market position, as the Danish market. Sounds easy, but Trendhim covers one of the most competitive markets: men’s accessories, such as bracelets, neckties, earrings for men and lapel pins, among many other men’s accessories. These types of products are sold in many online shops, for that reason the market is highly pressured. “We have learned that surviving in this market requires optimizing the website continuously and marketing is the key to success.” – Establishes Martin Højbjerg Christiansen – CTO in Trendhim. Here is where Horsens, where Trendhim’s headquarters are located, offers them incredible opportunities. VIA University, Denmark’s largest university, with an emphasis on applied sciences, offers Trendhim new employees to build an international marketing department. Therefore, Trendhim solved their challenge thanks to these students and their intercultural skills, who contribute to the company, giving their best to increase the sales and profits of their assigned market. Sara Lopez Alaguero, ICT Engineering student at VIA University and Spanish marketing manager explains: “It is very difficult to get a job in Spain, and almost impossible to find a job when you are a student and therefore you don’t have any experience. I has never imagined I would find a student job related to marketing, and even less that I would be responsible for an entire market. It’s hard to hear from the ones back in Spain, who have lots of experience and are struggling to get a low paid job.” Trendhim has given these students the opportunity to start their business careers in marketing. This demonstrates how in Denmark and more specifically in Trendhim, the number of experience one has, the field in which one is specialized, is not valued, they give everyone a chance to improve themselves. If you don’t know something, it’s only a matter of time until you learn.

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EY Construction Skills Shortage and Recommendations

It is well known that there is a skills deficit in the construction industry. Research from EY has shown that the East suffers the worst, with five times as many project management positions that there are qualified and experienced people to carry out the work. The skills deficit has had the most impact on the commercial, financial and project management labour sectors. The skills deficit has led to a premium being paid for work to be completed, driving up development costs. The time to find and appoint qualified skilled workers can also lead to delays. With £500 billion of investment planned before 2021, with projects such as Crossrail and Hinkley Point in the pipeline. this deficit is likely to get worse. EY have come up with a number of recommendations that could help to take the edge of the challenges faced by the industry. Firstly, as projects develop and the demand for talent requirements changes, skilled workers should be shared between other teams at the earliest opportunity. When there is a lack of resources, organisations would benefit from setting refreshed project timelines in order to avoid false competition for the same limited talent pool. Another recommendation is project leaders should seek to be more flexible in their approach to finding new talent. The way the UK labour market has changed creates an opportunity to change recruitment processes and move from employment contracts to shorter more flexible contracts with workers. Next, promoting remote working wherever possible allows skilled individuals to work on more than one project at a time, and makes sure that the talent available is used more efficiently. Following on from this, collaboration between public and private sectors will lead to innovation, a distribution of industry knowledge and help to attract and manage the flow of industry talent in order to make sure that the right people are matched to the right projects. It is also important to plan ahead and track more complex projects in order to make sure that the right people are employed for the role. Finally, it is important to make sure that the skills shortage should be addressed sooner rather than later to ensure that any impact is minimised.

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Gemini to Exhibit at The Grand Designs Live Show

The Grand Designs Live Show will be held from the 11th to the 15th October at the NEC in Birmingham. The eco-friendly company Gemini have announced that they will be exhibiting at their year’s event. The event is based on the incredibly popular and long running show Grand Designs, hosted by Kevin McCloud. The Grand Designs Live Show was first launched in London in 2004, before moving to Birmingham in 2005. The exhibition is incredibly popular and the show has won a number of different industry awards including the title of the most successful exhibition to launch in the last decade. The show delivers innovative ways to see building and home property design. Visitors to the event will have the opportunity to see this year’s design trends and see a collection of previously unseen products from approximately 400 companies who will be at the exhibit. Gemini is thought to be one of around four hundred companies who will be exhibiting across the different sections of the Live Show. Gemini is a door and window specialist and focuses on producing a wide selection of designs, styles and colours to suit their customer’s needs. The company is also an ambassador for Eco friendly construction. Gemini is a Shropshire based double glazing and door company that has been in operation since 1984. The company have been offering an excellent service to customers across Telford, Shropshire and the West Midlands for more than 30 years. Delivering quality products and having a reputation for their outstanding service, Gemini looks to develop partnerships through their projects as opposed to customers. As well as showcasing a selection of their products, a team from Gemini will also be on hand at the exhibition to offer advice on door maintenance, what features to look out for when purchasing doors or windows as well as recommended products from their ranges.

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Peter Wheeler to Host East Midlands fba Awards 2017

Peter Wheeler, the legendary rugby player has been announced as the compère for the East Midlands fbe Awards 2017. This awards ceremony will take place on the 12th of October, with the former England International rugby player and ex-Leicester Tigers player acting as MC for the event. It has been predicted that about 150 professionals will be in attendance, from a range of different industries such as the construction, development and property sectors. The awards ceremony will also be supporting a charity, and for the first time the East Midlands fbe Awards will be supporting the rugby charity Wooden Spoon. This charity is dedicated to delivering rugby coaching for both disabled and disadvantaged children. This amazing charity transforms the lives of young people across the UK and Ireland. Peter Wheeler is the Honorary President of the Wooden Spoon charity for Leicestershire and is great for such a prominent figure from the East Midlands to promote such a worthy charity as well as host this year’s fbs awards. At what promises to be an amazing evening, usually sell out event will celebrate some of the best development projects carried out across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, and Lincolnshire. The evening will be a great opportunity to network and build a stronger network of acquaintances for the industry professionals as well as raising money for a great charity and hear from a legend in Rugby Union. The event will be held at the City Rooms in Leicester and in the past tickets have sold out for the event in advance. The sponsors in support of this event include DW Hicks, the main sponsor, the consulting engineering company BSD, who will be sponsoring the drinks reception, M-EC, the consultant engineers sponsoring the Non-Residential Award. Arthur J Gallagher the insurance company will be sponsoring the Regeneration. Integrated Building Solution company J Tomlinson will be sponsoring the Residential Award and finally Duncan & Toplis will be sponsoring the Rising Star Award at this year’s event.

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North Lincolnshire Council Move and Possibilities for Grade II Listed Civic Centre

North Lincolnshire Council is moving forward with their refurbishment plans. The council has committed to a significant transformation that will alter the way that it works in order to offer more flexible workspace for their staff. As a part of these plans, North Lincolnshire Council are looking for another use for their Grade II listed Civic Centre, located in Scunthorpe. Lambert Smith Hampton is a Lincoln-based company which offers national property consultancy services to their clients. The consultants will be working on behalf of the company in order to search for different a different use for the listed building. The North Lincolnshire Council have moved to Church Square House, meaning that council workers are now located in the heat of Scunthorpe. This move is connected to the forward-thinking plans that are expected to boost productivity, business performance, staff morale and staff engagement. It is thought that the changes being made will also hopefully lead to an increased retention of a high performing workforce. The council are looking to create a more flexible and accessible way of working, across fewer buildings but with a more efficient use of the space. The changes taking place will support all of the different ways that the departments across the council work to support people and communities. The council has also recently announced plans to transform the town centre as a part of a £60 million regeneration programme. This council move to Church Square in Scunthorpe is part of the regeneration. The move will see the council located next to the new £5 million Ongo Headquarters as well as a new University Centre which is also planned in the area. The investments will hopefully transform the town into a bustling centre that will be able to attract more people as residents, visitors, workers and students.  

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