It marks the third consecutive month where weekly earnings have remained above £600, with average weekly earnings standing at £601 in February, £602 in January, and £603 in December last year. The last three months have been among the highest levels of weekly earnings on record, and are only marginally below the record high of £605 per week recorded in July 2015. Despite these near-record earnings, more than two-thirds of the public would never consider a career in construction, according to a new survey. The YouGov survey found that more than half of the public view construction work as ‘strenuous’ or ‘dirty’, with just 11 per cent saying it was ‘exciting’. Source link

The programme is part of a bid to regenerate the town centre in the face of rapid population growth, with new suburbs planned at Stanton Cross and Glenvale Park expected to add 15,295 to the town’s population, bring this to 84,000 by 2030. A report by head of local planning Julie Thomas, due to go to the council’s development committee on Monday, said the 23 sites were owned by the council, though those judged to have the best potential for redevelopment are at this stage confidential. Thomas’s report said: “The council does not have all of the in-house expertise or resources to deliver all of these sites, nor would a single method of delivery be appropriate in all cases. “It would be prudent to consider the identification of a development partner from the private sector.” If councillors give the go-ahead, planners will draw up a schedule of sites to be redeveloped over 10 years. The report said regeneration was also needed because Wellingborough’s town centre was “not considered to be a ‘destination shop’, unlike Milton Keynes” and that parts looked “tired and dated”, having seen no major development since the 1970s. Source link

Statnett, Norway’s state owned power system operator, has energised 68 km of Nexans’ coloured conductors on its new overhead transmission line connecting central Norway to western Norway.   The line will secure the supply of power in the region. Nexans’ coloured conductors have been used on 8.5 km of the line that run through a protected nature reserve, allowing the cables to blend in with the environment. Nexans has used a unique surface treatment to manufacture the green coloured aluminium wires. This helped the conductors blend in with the environment, making it more acceptable to local residents. The patented treatment process is able to produce different types of conductors in almost all colours, and in contrast to traditional coatings methods it has no adverse effect on the aluminium wire substrate, the conductors remain easy to connect and the colour will not deteriorate over time due to UV exposure. The coloured conductors have undergone electrical and mechanical tests, and a complete system was assembled with implosive fittings to ensure the conductors will behave as expected. The 420 kV line was constructed to reduce the 8 TWh energy deficit in central Norway by increasing the grid capacity between a region with energy surplus to central Norway. The deficit is equivalent to the annual power consumption of 400,000 single family homes. Statnett’s 297 km line will also facilitate around 100 small hydropower schemes to the grid between Ørskog and Fardal. Steinar Beurling, electromechanical engineer at Statnett said, “We were looking for a solution that would allow us to reduce the energy deficit in central Norway, while maintaining the natural beauty in our country. Nexans provided a solution through its coloured conductors.” Cyprien Federspiel, VP sales & marketing for land high voltage at Nexans added, “Nexans is committed to increasing access to energy. As the only manufacturer with this offering, we are pleased to help Statnett reinforce Norway’s grid.” Source link

The Good Practice Awards 2016 – 17 aim to highlight good examples of companies or organisations that have demonstrated practicality and imagination in initiatives to help people enjoy healthy and sustainable working lives. Entrants must show evidence of a strong commitment and a participative approach in making the initiatives work. Judges will be looking for examples of initiatives that are innovative, make a difference and are embraced by the workforce. Further details of what the judges will be looking for can be found on the European Agency for Safety and Health’s Good Practice Awards 2016 – 2017 website. Send your entry to: UK.FocalPoint@hse.gov.uk The closing date for entries in UK is 7th October 2016. Entries are first judged at the national level and then nominated national entries will take part in the pan-European competition, which will select the overall winners. Participants will be informed of results in due course, and the pan-European Awards will be presented at a ceremony in April 2017. Source link

This year’s Open Doors, delivered by Build UK and CITB (under the banner of its Go Construct campaign) in association with Construction News and the Considerate Constructors Scheme, is bigger than ever before and will run for a full week from Monday 13 to Saturday 18 June. Construction sites across the UK will be open to young people and the general public, to inspire people to choose a career in construction and find out how to take the next steps to progress into the industry. Over 40 sites have been confirmed so far, including: Willmott Dixon’s Design Museum in London; Interserve’s Proton Beam Therapy Centre in Manchester; Brookfield Multiplex’s Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh; and Morgan Sindall’s new Y Pant school and sports facility in Wales. With 115 sites opening their doors last year, including Crossrail and the Queensferry Crossing, many more sites from all of the UK’s biggest contractors will be confirmed in the coming weeks. Build UK chief executive Suzannah Nichol said: “The construction industry is in a war for talent so we are delighted to be running Open Doors in partnership with CITB. “It’s an exciting chance for anyone seeking a future career, a new challenge, or a change of direction to see first-hand what construction has to offer. We look forward to welcoming people of all ages onto our member sites in June.” CITB partnerships manager Lorraine Gregory said: “Open Doors is an excellent way of inspiring people to consider a career in construction. And it’s a key part of how CITB is supporting the construction industry through Go Construct.” Construction News editor Rebecca Evans said: “We are proud to be a partner once again for Open Doors. The entire CN team will be out on sites across the UK showing our support and showcasing why young people should consider a career in this fantastic industry.” Sign up To view the full list of sites and to find out more information on how to get involved, visit the Open Doors website. Source link

This is an exciting new opportunity for an exceptional senior leader to shape and deliver HSE’s growing operational services portfolio. Closing date for applications 9 September 2016. Source link