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Builder breaks back in fall from work platform
A building contractor and roofing specialist have been fined after an employee fell five metres from a first-floor extension breaking several vertebrae in his lower back.
Liverpool Magistrates Court heard that on 11 June 2018, Grayton Building Contractors Ltd was undertaking a first-floor extension to a residential bungalow in Aughton.
An employee was fitting fascia boards and soffits to allow roofers employed by Thomas Dean, who had arrived on site a week early, to commence work.
While stepping across a gap in the incomplete working platform to descend from the roof, the ladder, which was not tied, slipped sideways, causing him to fall. As a result of his injuries he was unable to work for eight weeks.
An HSE investigation found that both Grayton Building Contractors Ltd and the roofing contractor Thomas Dean failed to properly plan the work, to assess the risks and to provide appropriate supervision. Subsequently the work at height equipment selected was not suitable and the work was not carried out safely.
Grayton Building Contractors Ltd of Southport pleaded guilty to safety breaches and was fined £15,000 and ordered to pay costs of £3,742
Thomas Dean of Merseyside also pleaded guilty and was fined £400 and ordered to pay costs of £3,000.
Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Andy McGrory said: “The risks from working at height are well known. Those in control of the work have a responsibility to devise safe methods of working, which should include ensuring the use of suitable work equipment and adequate supervision.
“The incident could have easily been prevented with simple precautions including properly planning the work, undertaking a suitable risk assessment and by selecting, erecting and using suitable work at height equipment for the job.”
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McAvoy names head of strategic development
Offsite construction specialist McAvoy Group has appointed Neil Stanley as head of strategic development to expand the business.
He brings 35 years’ experience in construction, having worked with a variety of clients, consultants and contractors.
Most recently his roles included director positions with London and south east fit-out firms, Camino Interiors and Square Metre.
Stanley will focus on supporting McAvoy’s growth strategy in its targetted healthcare, education and commercial markets.
Stanley said: “I join McAvoy at an exciting time for the business – I look forward to working with the management team to deliver an ambitious growth strategy with a focus on leading innovation in MMC and supporting Carbon Net Zero targets.”
Last month McAvoy Group reported a return to profit in the first six months to April 2021 after a 30% revenue uplift in the first half to £24m.
The McAvoy Group has secured all its budget revenues for 2022 and significant progress has been made in securing forecast revenues for 2023.
The business recently secured new education projects totaling £39m to be delivered for the Department for Education, including one of the UK’s first low carbon school buildings.
The £23.7m Merstham Park secondary school in Redhill, Surrey forms one of the DfE’s Pathfinder Low Carbon projects.
18 firms win £220m Yorkshire civils framework
Eighteen regional contractors have secured places on a civil engineering framework for the seven councils forming the Yorkshire Highways Alliance including North Yorkshire County Council
The works for complete or part construction and civil engineering work will predominantly take place on bridges and the highway network.
Potential works include: resurfacing, reconstruction, slurry sealing, drainage and kerbing, repairs to bridges, retaining walls and culverts.
Civil Engineering Contractors Framework 2021
Projects £2m+ in North Yorkshire, York, Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds & Wakefield.
C.R. Reynolds; Eric Wright Civil Engineering; Fox (Owmby); Jackson Civil Engineering Group; PBS Construction (North East); Rainton Construction
Projects £500k – £2m in North Yorkshire, York, Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds & Wakefield.
C.R. Reynolds; Colas; Dyer & Butler; Fox (Owmby); Galliford Try Construction; I & H Brown; PBS Construction (North East); Rainton Construction
Projects: up to £500k – Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds & Wakefield
A E Yates; C.R. Reynolds; Cheetham Hill Construction; Hinko Construction; JN Bentley; PBS Construction (North East); Rainton Construction; Seymour Civil Engineering Contractors; Thomas Armstrong (Construction); Thomas Bow;
Projects: up to £500k – North Yorkshire & York
A E Yates; C.R. Reynolds; Cheetham Hill Construction; Hinko Construction; Howard Civil Engineering; JN Bentley; PBS Construction (North East); Rainton Construction; Seymour Civil Engineering Contractors; Thomas Armstrong (Construction)
Plan for major Leeds high-rise student and events scheme
Developer Downing will submit ambitious plans in the autumn for a major student accommodation and events scheme in Leeds city centre, adjacent to the Leeds First Direct Arena.
It will seek detailed planning consent for purpose-built student accommodation across two separate but adjacent plots, and outline planning to develop a multi-purpose events space, which would be taken forward at a future date by Leeds City Council.
A 38-storey purpose-built student tower is planned for Merrion Way featuring 728 student bedrooms in a mix of six-bedroom and 296 studios.
High-rise building proposed for site fronting Clay Pit Lane, Merrion Way and Brunswick Terrace, with nearby events centre plan still at outline stage
Meanwhile, the existing Yorkshire Bank office building would be demolished to make way for the second phase, comprising a stepped building rising to 18 storeys, featuring 543 student bedrooms in a mix of five and six-bedroom clusters and 216 studios.
Second student accommodation building proposal for site located between Clay Pit Lane and Elmwood Close
If approved, the plans will pave the way for 1,200 flats and the creation of a 110,000 sq ft facility including an 800-900 capacity auditorium at the centre of the Leeds Arena Quarter, designed to attract additional corporate, cultural and live events.
The sustainable development will incorporate photovoltaic panels and air source heat pumps.
Each element of the plan promises to regenerate unused space in part of the city that will benefit economically from additional footfall. The proposals also have the potential to create approximately 390 jobs in the construction phase.
George Tyson, projects director at Downing, said: “It has long been recognised that Leeds is in need of an additional, flexible events space capable of hosting corporate banqueting, awards ceremonies and live entertainment. With 2,000 square metre flat floor space, this scheme has the potential to host conferences and exhibitions which can’t be facilitated at the Arena or other venues in the city centre, allowing Leeds to secure business that may otherwise be lost to other cities and regions.”
He added: “Attracting and retaining graduate talent is vital to the health of the regional economy and this relies on being able to offer attractive student accommodation. Our proposals will provide students with brand new, first-class living space in a dynamic part of the city, with fast access to university buildings and facilities.”
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Midgard wins £70m Manchester private rental tower
Build to rent specialist Packaged Living has picked JRL-owned main contractor Midgard to build its high-rise scheme of 352 flats in the developing Piccadilly East area of Manchester.
‘The Castings’ scheme consists of four stepped building elements rising to 25 storeys with smaller components at 7, 14 and 20 storeys.
Each building element will have a different coloured brick envelope
The 32-month project to be built on a one-acre site on Heyrod Street near to the planned HS2 station has been designed architect CallisonRTKL, with support from Arcadis, M&E engineer Crookes Walker and Curtins.
It will include a mix of studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, as well as 10,000 sq ft of retail and amenity space, a public square and car park.
Hertfordshire-based Midgard will soon start site clearance of two low-rise brick warehouses following approval of its demolition plan.
Mark Woodrow, joint managing director of Packaged Living said: “The Castings is the next exciting BTR scheme in our pipeline, which is now delivering over 3,000 homes in the multi-family sector across the UK.
“The scheme represents a fantastic opportunity to create next-generation homes developed by an experienced team, at a time where vital investment is needed into our city centres.”
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Homes England pumps £40m in Watford retirement scheme
Homes England has injected £40m of funding into retirement homes developer Audley Group’s planned Watford Riverwell scheme in Hertfordshire.
The loan is one of the first for the older living sector from the £4.5bn Home Building Fund and will accelerate the construction of 255 mid-market retirement homes.
Balfour Beatty has secured a £68m contract from Audley Group for the mix of one- and two- bedroom apartments.
The firm will also lead the delivery of communal facilities that include swimming pool, restaurant, a health club and a multi-purpose village hall that will be surrounded with green spaces and parking.
Balfour Beatty will manufacture 180 apartment balconies offsite, thereby reducing the risk of working at height and improve the overall project efficiency.
The early works at the site are already underway and the main construction works are slated to be completed in 2023.
Peter Denton, Chief Executive at Homes England, said: “Our loan directly addresses market funding challenges due to the pandemic and highlights our commitment to ensuring diverse communities.”
Nick Sanderson, CEO, Audley Group said: “The transaction with Homes England is an important milestone for the retirement living sector.
“A coming of age. Government backing underlines the importance placed on increasing provision in the retirement living sector and developing more innovative housing solutions.
“Our aspiration to transform retirement is shared with both Homes England and BlackRock Real Assets and this will be the focus as we look to the future.”
Mayfield’s first Retirement Village will be built near Watford General Hospital.
The development is a cornerstone to the wider Riverwell regeneration scheme in what is a priority location for the agency, allowing it to help deliver more ambitious plans.
The project also incorporates elements of Modern Methods of Construction, covering build and project management activities.
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Renewal race for Scape £750m Eastern region framework
Scape has started the renewal race for places on its East Midlands and the East of England framework for projects worth up to £7.5m.
The next-generation framework, worth £750m over four years, introduces a parallel lotting structure to give clients the option to engage early with two contractors before awarding a project.
Scape’s existing regional construction framework has successfully delivered 362 projects and is due to expire in Summer 2022. Current framework incumbents include: Ashe, Clegg, Conamar, R G Carter, Lindum, Seddon and G F Tomlinson.
In response to additional feedback from clients, this framework will provide further flexibility by offering a ‘commercial choice’ option in addition to a direct award procurement pathway, as part of the contractor selection process.
The new framework will be structured into 4 regions:
John Simons, acting group procurement director at Scape, said: “By evolving this framework offer, we will provide a simplified and high-quality route to market that will enable clients to get projects off the ground quickly through delivery partners who have the expertise to help them achieve their ambitions.”
Firms have until 24 September to submit prequals for the framework which will go live in August 2022.
Click here for tender notice.
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Former Harry Fairclough staff win pay battle after collapse
More than 60 Harry Fairclough employees made redundant when the contractor collapsed have won their legal battle against the business and secured a payout totalling just over £180,000.
A tribunal judged that the company had failed in its duty to its staff after the contractor ceased trading last year.
The Warrington firm was founded in 1898 and closed closed its doors for the final time in February 2020 resulting in more than 150 job losses.
Now 61 former employees represented by legal firm Simpson Millar are due to receive a pay-out totalling £183,056 after an employment law tribunal found that Harry Fairclough had failed in its legal obligation to formally consult with its staff during the ‘redundancy consultation period’.
The pay-out comes in the form of protective awards which have been claimed from the Redundancy Payments Service (RPS), which is part of the Governments Insolvency Service.
Damian Kelly, an employment law expert at Simpson Millar, said: “The collapse of Harry Fairclough had a devastating impact on the many employees who were left out of work with very little notice.
“We are delighted to have now secured a Protective Award for those affected, which will provide much needed peace of mind following what has been an incredibly tough year for anyone looking for work within the construction industry.”
A Protective Award is an award of compensation of up to 90 days’ gross pay that can be awarded by an Employment Tribunal for failure by an employer to follow the correct procedure when making redundancies.
Kelly said: “While many people assume that job losses are simply inevitable if a business enters into administration, not least in the construction industry given the uncertainties around lockdown regulations during the past year, employers do still have a duty under current employment law legislation to carry out a proper consultation with staff at risk of redundancies.
“When that law is disregarded, it is possible, as Simpson Millar has demonstrated, to hold the company to account through the Employment Tribunals.
“Sadly we are working on behalf of several thousand clients whose livelihoods have been affected by the turbulence caused by the pandemic over the past year or so.
“Of course, the process to claim for a Protective Award does not result in an influx of cash immediately, and this has been exacerbated by the lengthy delays in the Employment Tribunals nationwide which are also still suffering from the outfall of Covid with a 60% increase in employment law claims as a result of Covid.
“Nevertheless, legal protection remains in place to support people who are made redundant without being taken through the correct consultation process, and the money recovered in successful claims will provide some longer-term security for those affected.”
The RPS is a government funded scheme set up to pay up employees up to a maximum of 8 weeks’ pay in the form of a protective award where an employer has become insolvent and has therefore decided not to properly consult with its employees over inevitable redundancies.
Kier road workers stage sick pay protest
Highways workers at Kier are planning a protest on Wednesday following a row over sick pay.
Construction union Unite is backing the demonstration at Kier’s Basingstoke office following a dispute on its Highways England Area 3 contract which covers Hampshire, Surrey, Oxfordshire, Wiltshire and parts of Buckinghamshire.
Unite officials said the workers – who have provided a seven day, 24 hour service throughout the pandemic – only receive statutory sick pay (SSP) worth just £96.35 a week when off work.
Office based Kier staff and workers directly employed by client Highways England receive full sick pay for up to three months.
Unite regional officer Malcom Bonnett said: “Kier’s workers who operate in all weathers to keep the South East’s motorway network fully operational deserve full sick pay, when they are ill.
“The pandemic has exposed the fact that workers simply can’t survive on SSP which is less than £100 a week.
“The lack of sick pay results in workers continuing to come to work when they are ill. In normal times, due to the safety critical work they undertake. this could have tragic consequences. During the Covid pandemic it leads to unnecessary risk of exposure to infection.
“It is simply unjustifiable that office based workers receive full sick pay while those working on the motorway network only receive SSP.”
A Kier spokesperson said: “The terms and conditions of our operational workforce in Highways, including those employed in Area 3, are aligned with the Construction Industry Joint Council, which is a union-supported national agreement.
“The welfare of our employees is a key priority for us and we are therefore committed to working through this matter in collaboration with Unite.”
