Author Archives: Nicola Harley

A judge is set to rule on whether individual firms in unincorporated joint ventures can independently commence and enforce adjudication proceedings. A High Court ruling on a £24m Hinkley Point C (HPC) adjudication could set a landmark precedent for dispute resolution in large infrastructure joint venture (JV) projects. In the…

A Peabody maintenance subsidiary has been fined £400,000 after an employee died from inhaling toxic vapours from flooring adhesive. Darren Nevill was working for Ealing-based Connect Property Services Ltd laying a vinyl bathroom floor at a property in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, on 9 December 2020 when he lost consciousness and collapsed,…

A builder has been given a suspended prison sentence after his employee fell through a fragile rooflight and suffered life-changing injuries, according to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The incident happened on 12 August 2023 when an employee of Kent-based Jenner Roofing and Building Services was cleaning and repairing…

A Heidelberg Materials UK subsidiary whose bailiffs served a “fake” eviction notice on protestors who threatened to blow up its quarry could face contempt of court proceedings. Hanson Quarry Products Europe Ltd is taking three protesters to court for allegedly breaching injunctions banning them from blocking its premises in Pontypridd,…

A shed firm which claimed it is not liable to pay the industry levy has lost its case. Perth-based Gillies and Mackay Ltd took the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) to an employment tribunal in Dundee arguing levy assessments for 2022 and 2023 were invalid. Its director Cara-Anne Mackay claimed…

A site manager who pretended his name was James Bond has been ordered to pay more than £10,500 after he threatened inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). David Robert Lane, 59, was managing an extensive cottage refurbishment in Rugeley, Staffordshire, when two passing HSE inspectors witnessed unsafe working…

A facade subcontractor has been ordered to pay £80,500 after the High Court confirmed that an assignee of a construction contract can pursue adjudication against the original contractor. The judgment, handed down on 20 January, upheld an earlier adjudicator’s ruling in favour of Paragon Group Ltd in a dispute with…

The National Federation of Builders (NFB) has called for British contractors to be used to build the new Chinese embassy in London, as a means of allaying espionage fears. It comes as housing secretary Steve Reed gave planning permission on Tuesday (20 January) for China to build Europe’s largest embassy…

A former Vinci employee who claimed two managers harassed her due to her sex after she reported paint damage and scratches to her car has lost her tribunal case. Site administrator Susan Turner made the allegations against construction manager David Smolinski and commercial manager Barry Powell over how they dealt…

Seven construction workers who were suspended after downing tools at a refinery job over health and safety concerns will not be returning to the site. The employees were among a group of 30 suspended in December from client Johnson Matthey’s project, with unions alleging “unsafe” working conditions. The 30 workers…