Health and Safety

Elliott Kenton is a partner and health and safety expert at law firm Weightmans Construction firms now face higher costs for health and safety compliance following an increase in the fee for intervention (FFI). This is the mechanism by which the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) charges businesses for investigative…

Asbestos was banned 25 years ago, yet thousands are still dying as a result of its presence. CN examines the long legacy of the former go-to building material and whether enough is being done about the dangers it poses today Roofer Liam Bradley and his co-workers had just finished removing…

Richard Stockley is the managing director of health and safety consultancy RRC International The Factories Act of 1833 kickstarted a culture of health and safety in the UK, and this year marks the 50th anniversary of the Health and Safety at Work Act. But construction workers aren’t just risking their…

Adrian Buttress is the managing director of PermaGroup Keeping contractors safe while working on site is not just about avoiding imminent risks and injury. Long-term health problems impact all areas of construction; by being aware of the dangers, and implementing the correct safety protocols, the sector can ensure its workers…

The construction industry lacks robust data on falls from height – an issue causing trauma beyond the physical. CN talks to a charity that is looking to fill the gap Last year construction workers were more likely to die falling from work at height than doing any other activity. And…

Construction News looks at the technological innovations that are helping make work at height safer How the world has changed. In October 1932, the above photograph, entitled Lunch Atop a Skyscraper, was published in a New York newspaper. It depicted eleven ironworkers sitting on a steel beam some 260 metres…

“As a family it’s like we’re stuck in 2016,” says Sadie Cresswell, as the eighth anniversary of the building collapse that killed her father approaches. She has no more understanding of why it happened than she did at the time. “Unfortunately, it’s very much the same year on year,” she…

Mark Manning is a partner and Sian Barrett is a senior associate at law firm Ashfords Following the RAAC scandal last year, many expected a mass influx of claims to hit the industry, potentially causing huge headaches for contractors. To much surprise, this hasn’t been the case. Why? And are…

Zoe Cooper is of counsel and Gregor Woods is a partner at law firm CMS On 15 January, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) launched its ‘Asbestos – Your Duty’ campaign, with the aim of improving understanding of what the legal duty to manage asbestos involves. Even though its use…

As concern grows over the structural safety of post-war housing blocks, the Building Safety Regulator is prioritising the issue On 16 May 1968, four people died and 17 others were injured after the 22-storey Ronan Point tower block in east London partially collapsed. A gas explosion in an 18th-floor flat…