Nobody expects to be involved in a workplace accident, but if you or someone you love has been, there are some important factors you must consider before starting any proceedings. Safety on commercial building sites has come a long way in the past couple of decades. It wasn’t that long
The 28% fall in construction apprenticeship starts between August 2017 and March 2018 compared with the same period the previous academic year suggests the Government needs to look again at the way the Apprenticeship Levy is working, according to the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). Commenting on statistics published today
R G Carter, a construction firm, will be holding a series of site visits for the construction students from the University of Bedfordshire so that they can gain further insight into the industry. Currently, the company is building a new four-storey STEM teaching space at the University’s Luton campus, which
Barratt Homes, one of Scotland’s largest house builders, is supporting its plans for future growth with a number of promotions and new appointment in its senior management team. “This year we are planning to deliver more high quality homes for customers across Edinburgh, the Lothians and Fife than we’ve done
Caddick Construction has been appointed by Williams Group for the development of its £41 million flagship Jaguar Land Rover, BMW and Mini Automotive Retail Centre near Manchester Trafford Centre. The construction work is underway and the project will include a three-storey BMW showroom, two-storey Jaguar Land Rover showroom and a
Nobody expects to be involved in a workplace accident, but if you or someone you love has been, there are some important factors you must consider before starting any proceedings. Safety on commercial building sites has come a long way in the past couple of decades. It wasn’t that long ago when wearing PPE was considered wimpish, and many thought it was a bit over the top. However, on most worksites in developed countries health and safety is now paramount, and PPE is a mandatory requirement. Even with all the headway, we’ve made along with the reduction in work-related injuries; until we get to zero, there will always be room for improvement. Regardless of your occupation, how long you have been doing it for or how safe your construction site may seem, accidents happen and usually when you least expect them to. When they do, no matter how severe, the injured person is likely to suffer a significant financial loss, hence the reason for a worker’s compensation system. Injured workers are covered by law and must be compensated if they suffer injuries in a no-fault accident. What to Do If You Have Had an Accident If the unexpected does happen and someone is wrongfully injured, when it comes to making a claim, there are two main ways people go about claiming. Some injured workers choose to partner with their employers while others seek assistance from specialist workers compensation lawyers like Australian Accident Helpline. Either way, employees can access financial recompense for their injuries although it’s always advised to use a third-party lawyer rather than dealing with your employer directly. The reason for this is because the company you work for or their insurance company may not have your best interests at heart. Some of the most common things that happen when people don’t seek the advice of a workers compensation lawyer include: Being accompanied by a representative from your employer’s insurance company during a visit to your GP, which should be private, just you and your doctor. Receiving biased, inaccurate advice that benefits your employer and the insurance company. Not you. Being pressured or advised to return to work too soon with no regards for your rehabilitation. Not only can all of the above impact you in the short term, but they could also seriously affect your future earning potential. Returning to work too early or settling claims without receiving expert legal advice can have catastrophic effects later on in life. Depending on the injury but especially things like broken bones and fractures, have a tendency to come back and bite people later on in life. Recurring injuries have caused too many Australians to suffer a significant drop in wages when they have had to find a new career to cater for their injuries. In some sad cases, people have lost their capability to work altogether. Why It’s Best to Go with A Third-Party Lawyer By using a compensation lawyer when making a worker’s compensation claim you can be confident that their advice will be accurate, unbiased and to your best interests. They will also take things like future lost earnings, treatment and rehabilitation into consideration when preparing your claim. This will ensure that you’re covered for any problems you might encounter in the future in regards to things like recurring injuries. You may already be going through a tough time dealing with unexpected medical expenses and trying to recover from your injuries. These can be stressful and confusing times, but there is help out there. All in all the worker’s compensation system in Australia is quite good. However, most lawyers offer a free initial consultation, so it doesn’t cost anything to get a second opinion to find out where you stand. Contributed by The Correspondent
The 28% fall in construction apprenticeship starts between August 2017 and March 2018 compared with the same period the previous academic year suggests the Government needs to look again at the way the Apprenticeship Levy is working, according to the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). Commenting on statistics published today by the Department for Education (DfE), Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said: “The Government’s own statistics show a 28% per cent plunge in apprenticeship starts over the current academic year so far. The Apprenticeship Levy was introduced in April 2017 to boost apprenticeship training across all business sectors but so far it seems to be having the opposite effect. Some reforms are obvious and need to be looked at more urgently now. The Government should allow large companies to pass more of their Levy vouchers down through their supply chains if the company itself is not in a position to train apprentices. Currently large firms are only permitted to pass 10% of their Levy funds down to their sub-contractors and others in their supply chain. There needs to be much greater flexibility than this. In the construction sector, larger firms often do not directly employ on-site tradespeople or directly train apprentices and so there is a real danger this industry and others will continue to fail to take advantage of the Apprenticeship Levy if we can’t change this.” Berry concluded: “These figures have been published shortly after the FMB’s latest research which shows that small construction firms are experiencing record highs in terms of skills shortages. In the long term, the only way we will be able to address the chronic skills crisis is by recruiting and training more new entrants. We know that 58% of builders are struggling to hire bricklayers and 55% are having difficulties finding carpenters and joiners. We need to iron out the flaws in the Apprenticeship Levy and reverse this decline in apprenticeships to give us the best chance of tackling these skills shortages.”
R G Carter, a construction firm, will be holding a series of site visits for the construction students from the University of Bedfordshire so that they can gain further insight into the industry. Currently, the company is building a new four-storey STEM teaching space at the University’s Luton campus, which makes for the perfect opportunity to observe and learn about the project in action. “We are proud to provide the next generation with the opportunity to visit a live construction site. It gives them a taste of what happens in real-time which is crucial to their understanding of practice in the construction industry,” said Doug Stephen, Project Manager at R G Carter. The initiative was organised by the site team, together with university lecturer Dr James Bishop, who made sure the visits were aligned with the curriculum and students could see the various stages of the construction, from demolition right through to the mainframe taking shape. This approach has supported the students’ learning to help them understand the different methods and phases of a large construction development. “It is great to get out of the classroom and be on-site to see all the different aspects of working on a project of this scale, from the foundations up to the concrete structure. The visits have brought to life my studies, helping me visualise elements when writing assignments,” said Hayden Bartram, a student from the university. The STEM building is due to open in September 2019 and will include teaching and laboratory spaces, as well as a new Science and Engineering Outreach Centre. This will allow the University to offer a wide range of new science courses including Pharmacy, Nutrition, Biochemistry, Geology and Mechanical Engineering. R G Carter has been a family owned and run business for over 95 years, putting people and communities at the heart of what they do. Through its network of regional offices, the firm offers full-service construction solutions, such as design, build, refurbishment and repairs, across a wide range of sectors.
Barratt Homes, one of Scotland’s largest house builders, is supporting its plans for future growth with a number of promotions and new appointment in its senior management team. “This year we are planning to deliver more high quality homes for customers across Edinburgh, the Lothians and Fife than we’ve done in any other year. Our new moves and appointments will ensure that we are in an excellent position to build on our success to date and I am delighted to have new senior team members who have the skills, knowledge and experience to continue to grow our business,” said Alison Condie, managing director at Barratt Homes East Scotland. Development director Mansoor Ali from East Scotland division has been promoted to regional development director with a remit for land buying and strategy across Scotland. With an experience of over 25 years, Ali has worked for Barratt Homes since 2001 and had led the identification and purchasing of land for the developer across Edinburgh and the Lothians since joining the firm. In his new role he will be responsible for leading Barratt Homes’ Scotland-wide land strategy. Furthermore, Donald Borland has been appointed as regional finance director, a new dedicated role for Barratt’s Scottish business. Donald joined from Havelock Europa PLC where he was CFO and prior to that he spent 18 years with Miller Group, latterly as group finance director. Apart from the Scotland-wide appointments, new ones have been made across the Scotland East division as well. Nicholas Wright took up the development director role in the East of Scotland following Ali’s move. With 15 years’ experience in housebuilding, Wright began his career as a chartered surveyor and joined Barratt Homes five years ago after holding senior roles at Bett Homes. The East Scotland team also welcomes new operations director Andrew Morrison. Morrison was previously construction director at Bellway Homes, where he was responsible for the management and delivery of the whole construction process across all of the house builder’s Scottish developments. The senior moves and appointments follow consistent growth and acquisition of new sites for the East Scotland team, as well as supporting its continued investment in new developments across Edinburgh, the Lothians and Fife. Barratt Homes has a number of new sites launching later in 2018, including St Clement’s Wells in Wallyford, and Preston Square in Prestonpans, East Lothian, as well as Harwood Park in Livingston.
Caddick Construction has been appointed by Williams Group for the development of its £41 million flagship Jaguar Land Rover, BMW and Mini Automotive Retail Centre near Manchester Trafford Centre. The construction work is underway and the project will include a three-storey BMW showroom, two-storey Jaguar Land Rover showroom and a single-storey MINI showroom. The dealerships will occupy a 14.3-acre site opposite Event City and next to John Lewis at the Intu Trafford Centre. Designed by Wilmslow-based architects Taylor Design, the development is scheduled for completion in late summer 2019. “Our vision includes a striking range of contemporary showrooms including the new Jaguar land Rover ARCH concept featuring a dual-branded showroom and service drive through for Jaguar and Land Rover,” said Nick Cook. Williams Group managing director. “Our stunning new flagship retail centre at this premium site will provide the perfect platform to display our range of prestige vehicles.” Alongside the showroom space, Caddick Construction will also deliver workshops, including service drive through for both centres, valet and car washing facilities together with roads and drainage works with the development. Part of the wider TraffordCity redevelopment by Peel Land and Property, the scheme will create a further 3.4 million sq ft of retail, leisure and commercial space around Intu Trafford Centre. “We have built an extensive portfolio of car showrooms and dealerships, which demonstrates the strength and capability of our teams working in partnership with clients in the automotive sector,” said Ian Threadgold, North West construction manager at Caddick Construction. “We are extremely proud of our long association with Manchester, where we are currently working on the landmark 34-storey Angel Gardens project in the city centre.” “Undertaking this major development enables us to continue contributing to its future prosperity by engaging with local suppliers, as well as creating local job opportunities,” concluded Ian Threadgold.
