Control of contractors

A contractor has been prosecuted for failing to ensure two of its workers were sufficiently rested to work and travel safely.

Companies need to be vigilant about possible labour exploitation in their supply chains and by contractors, both in the UK and overseas, and ensure they are behaving ethically.

Workers often recognise and correct their own errors before it is too late, research shows.

The land and property arm of the Greater London Authority (GLA) has been fined a quarter of a million pounds after a hoarding collapsed on to a passer-by in Catford in the south east of the capital.

The launch of the first phase of a new common pre-qualification assessment standard (CAS) could reduce inefficiencies in the construction sector by up to a £1bn a year. 

Case study

The engineer, who had to be freed from under the bundle, sustained fractures to both ankles and on his right leg.

The ruling on 5 December, which dismissed a judicial review brought by the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB), is a blow to gig economy campaigners seeking union recognition rights and workers' rights such as sickpay and paid holidays. The High Court upheld a previous judgment by labour law body the Central Arbitration Committee (CAC) in November 2017, which had confirmed that the food courier's riders were self-employed.

J A Ball was also sentenced for employing a contractor that did not have the skills, knowledge and experience to plan and dismantle the lift.The subcontractor, Anders Development, was handed a £100,000 fine for two offences after its employee Dorin Samson sustained severe injuries while working in the lift shaft of the former office block at 50 Fawcett Road in Sunderland, Tyne & Wear on 8 March 2016.

There are five key elements to a successful demolition project, says Richard Vann, managing director of UK-based engineering and project management consultancy RVA Group. They are: defining the scope of work with the safety and health plan that underpins it; providing thorough site information; appointing the project team; choosing the right demolition contractor; and managing the execution.