Author Archives: Ian Weinfass

The widow of a stoneworker who died from silicosis aged just 28 has called for more to be done to protect those in the industry. Wessam Al Jundi died in May 2024, three years after he was diagnosed with silicosis. He had worked as a stonemason previously but after joining…

Allowing individual companies that are part of joint ventures (JVs) to pursue adjudications on their own would cause “chaos”, the High Court has ruled. Darchem Engineering has lost its case at the Technology and Construction Court to enforce adjudication rulings against Bylor – the Laing O’Rourke and Bouygues Travaux Publics…

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has said it is satisfied with HS2’s response to the serious near-miss that led to a pause on its London tunnels work. On 29 September last year, a beam struck a crane basket with two workers inside as a gantry crane was being disassembled…

A £3bn first phase of work to restore the Houses of Parliament should begin this year, the body presenting proposals to MPs on its future has recommended. The Restoration and Renewal Client Board said in a report published on Thursday (5 February) that phase one would include building temporary chambers…

A plant hire company has been fined £10,000 after a 1-tonne JCB bucket fell onto a worker, leaving him with life-changing injuries. According to a statement from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the Salford Grab Hire employee was helping to repair a lifting mechanism on a tipper truck body,…

In the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower tragedy, one of the biggest-ever construction sector initiatives was launched in a bid to ensure everyone in the industry could prove they were competent. CN examines its progress

Commentators believe the sector could be climbing out of its long-running slump as business confidence hit its highest level in eight months. The Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) from S&P Global also rose to 46.4 in January, its highest level since June 2025. Any reading below 50 shows industry activity shrinking.…

A London council has changed its procurement methods and will make more of preconstruction services agreement (PCSA) methods after pausing the third phase of a housing programme due to financial pressures. The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea has delivered 168 homes under its £139.3m new homes programme, with another…

Tarmac has been fined £630,000 after a worker’s legs were crushed between one-tonne metal frames on a production line in Essex. Richard Ogunleye entered a fenced area to clean and inspect frames at the Tarmac Building Products manufacturing facility at Linford in Thurrock, Essex, according to a statement from the…

The number of construction companies in ‘critical’ financial distress rose almost a half in the final quarter of last year, an insolvency specialist has said. According to the latest data from Begbies Traynor, there were 9,981 construction businesses in the ‘critical’ category during the last three months of 2025. This…