Health and Safety

An MP has suggested that issues around the Didcot Power Station collapse have been “kicked into the long grass” as the investigation into the incident drags on. On 23 February 2016, the boiler house at the decommissioned Oxfordshire facility collapsed, with Michael Collings, 53, found dead shortly afterwards. The bodies…

The worker who died while working on Everton Football Club’s new stadium was a ventilation engineer who was crushed between a scissor ladder and a beam, according to reports. The Liverpool Echo reported that the inquest into the death of 26-year-old Michael Jones (pictured) opened at Liverpool Coroners Court on…

The Department for Education (DfE) has told 104 schools to immediately vacate buildings containing potentially dangerous reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC). The latest advice means some schools may now have to carry out online teaching at the start of term, and is a significant escalation on earlier reports that the…

The Department for Education (DfE) is urging school leaders to make emergency evacuation plans for buildings that contain a potentially dangerous type of concrete, according to reports. The government has undertaken a huge effort to investigate the use of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) across state-owned buildings, amid fears the…

A contractor has been fined £90,000 for failing to protect workers and the public from asbestos during a renovation job. Warrington-based Esskay Construction was last week found guilty in its absence of breaching three regulations under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012. The offences, which took place in 2021 during…

The developer behind the regeneration of a former gasworks in east London has announced its intention to redesign the scheme, claiming that inflation and second-staircase regulations have made the original plans less viable. Planning permission was granted to St William Homes (a member of the Berkeley Group) in July 2021…

Property developer and builder London Square has announced its intention to increase the height of two towers in east London, citing the impact of proposed new fire-safety measures. Planning permission was granted in March 2022 by Waltham Forest Council for four buildings across three sites near Lea Bridge rail station,…

The Department for Education (DfE) says it is reviewing all work carried out by Caledonian Modular after three schools it delivered have had to be closed due to fears over structural and fire safety. As Construction News reported yesterday, Haygrove School in Somerset and Sir Frederick Gibberd College in Essex…

Laing O’Rourke has resumed work on the new £555m Everton stadium, nine days after the death of a construction worker on the Merseyside site. The contractor said it would be restarting operations in an “appropriate and respectful way” following the tragedy. Counsellors will be on hand for staff affected by…

Two schools built by Caledonian Modular before the offsite specialist went under last year have been closed by government officials. Haygrove School in Somerset and Sir Frederick Gibberd College in Essex have told parents that their main buildings cannot reopen as planned in September. Both statements cite advice from the…