April 2019 | Broadsword Group

UK goes coal-free for record-breaking 90 hours during hot Easter weekend weather

April 24, 2019/0 Comments/in Home Page news feed, News /by joannevickers

Britain has broken its record for using energy generated from sources other than coal during the hot Easter weekend.

National Grid said the UK recorded its longest ever continuous coal-free period over the bank holiday weekend, lasting more than 90 hours.

It marks the longest stretch of time in which the UK’s electricity has been produced by other means since before the industrial revolution, which began in the 1700s.

The 90-hour mark, which ran up to Monday afternoon, well outpaced the previous record of 76 hours set in April 2018.

Duncan Burt, director of operations at National Grid, said the long weekend marked “another significant step towards a zero-carbon power grid” in the UK.

Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland each enjoyed their warmest Easter Sunday on record, according to the Met Office said.

Mr Burt said the previous record was broken thanks to a “sweet spot” in conditions, where the warm weather stopped people from using their central heating, overall energy usage went down due to more people being outside, but temperatures were not so warm that people needed to stay indoors and use air conditioning.

He said ideal conditions for the National Grid see warm sunshine in the south and wind in the North and in Scotland, creating conditions that mean a high production of both solar and wind power.

Over the bank holiday, gas still made up a sizeable chunk of electricity usage, and Britain was still required to import power from Europe. Nuclear energy made up about 25 per cent.

A report published by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s (BEIS) earlier this year showed the UK used more coal-free power in the first three months of 2019 than in the entirety of 2017.

Energy and Clean Growth minister Claire Perry said: “Coal is the most polluting fossil fuel, which is why we’ve committed to phasing it out entirely from our energy mix by 2025 as we help lead the world in the transition to cleaner technologies.”

But environmental campaigners have warned that while an increase in renewable energy is positive, gas and other fossil fuels are also replacing coal.

Muna Suleiman, climate campaigner at Friends of the Earth, told the BBC: “89 hours of coal-free electricity is great, but let’s make this all day every day.

“Electricity generated by renewable sources is a key part of the fight against climate chaos, so it’s time to remove all the blockers to renewable energy.

“The Government must prioritise the development of sources such as solar and onshore wind.”

The Labour Party has also questioned Government policy, and said its fracking plans will release the same amount of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere as creating 300 million brand news cars.

A reliance on gas also makes the UK vulnerable to international markets, according to Friends of the Earth, which said the energy source isn’t clean enough to cut greenhouse gas emissions in line with the country’s legal targets.

The 2008 Climate Change Act requires greenhouse gas emissions to be reduced by 80 per cent – when compared to 1990 levels – by 2050.

Source: inews.co.uk

SME contractors agree 2.75% pay deal for workers

April 17, 2019/0 Comments/in Home Page news feed, News /by joannevickers

Employers and unions have agreed a 2.75% pay rise for construction workers under the Building and Allied Trades Joint Industrial Council (BATJIC) agreement.

The increase is below last year’s 3.1% rise and will come into effect from June.

The one-year-deal follows successful talks between the the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) and Unite the union.

BATJIC has also secured tax dispensation from HM Revenue and Customs for Lodging Allowance and Daily Fares Allowance for this year’s Working Rule Agreement after several years’ hiatus.

The deal in detail:

• BATJIC has agreed a one-year deal involving a 2.75% pay rise over the next year;

• All apprentices and trainees will also benefit from a 2.75% pay increase;

• The adult general operatives’ rate increases by 26p per hour to £9.78;

• The NVQ3 advanced craft rate increases by 34p per hour to £12.79;

• The changes will come into effect as of Monday 24th June 2019.

Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said: “This agreement strikes the right balance as it recognises the hard work that employees are putting into their work but at the same time, it reflects the uncertainty that many construction firms are facing.

“This increase is above last year’s rate of inflation, according to all three of the leading indexes, and sends out a strong message to tradespeople that we value them and want to retain them.

“It’s no secret that economic forecasts are quite conservative for the years ahead, given the unknown impact of Brexit, but I feel this is a good compromise from the perspective of both employers and workers.”

Jerry Swain, the National Officer for Construction at Unite the union, said: “Unite welcomes this agreement which recognises inflation levels from last year and the high employment levels that we have at present.

With construction skills shortages impacting on the industry, a 2.75 per cent pay rise will help encourage tradespeople to remain in the industry at a time when the current political uncertainty and drops in construction output are affecting confidence in the industry.

“I’m pleased that BATJIC has been further strengthened this year by successfully jointly lobbying for tax dispensation on key employee expenses.

“It was important that we secured the dispensation from HMRC in respect of lodge payments, as this now formalises the position regarding taxation of lodge payments.

“The dispensation gives peace of mind to our members and ensures that they will not face any claims for retrospective payment of tax when receiving lodge payments while working away from home.”

Source: Construction Enquirer

New pre-qualification system aims to save £1bn a year

April 11, 2019/0 Comments/in Home Page news feed, News /by joannevickers

Build UK and the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) have launched the first phase of a new pre-qualification (PQ) system that they claim will cut bureaucracy in the sector.

The trade bodies said the current PQ system is complex and estimated that it costs the industry up to £1bn a year. Currently, the multitude of schemes in operation see around 180,000 specialist contractors producing two million pieces of paper every year for 5,000 contractors, the organisations claimed.

The roll-out of the first phase of their new system, which aims to make the industry more efficient, includes:

Publication of the Common Assessment Standard used to pre-qualify companies. Based on existing PQ questionnaires, including BSI’s PAS 91, this covers 10 key areas and includes desktop and site-based assessment standards.

Confirmation of the first recognised assessment bodies to certify companies against the Common Assessment Standard. These organisations are Achilles, CHAS and Constructionline.

The system is being overseen by an interim cross-industry body consisting of experts from organisations across the sector, including public and private sector clients, contractors and trade associations.

Once the new system is fully up and running, companies will not have to be certified by more than one recognised assessment body. A data sharing arrangement is currently being developed which will allow contractors to obtain PQ information from any one of the recognised assessment bodies. Contractors will be transitioning to the new system over the coming months.

Jo Fautley, deputy chief executive of Build UK, said: “The construction industry is making great strides towards more collaborative working and this new PQ system has been developed by industry, for industry, based on standards that clients, contractors and the supply chain have all agreed on. We look forward to the industry getting on board with it over the coming months so we can realise the efficiency gains for everyone’s benefit and boost overall productivity.”

Marie-Claude Hemming, director of external affairs at CECA, said: “CECA has long advocated an industry standard approach to PQ and the new system which builds on PAS 91 will simplify the process and reduce duplication and cost. Change takes time and there will be a transition period, but this marks the start of the rollout of the new system which we anticipate will play a key role in the future delivery of world-class infrastructure.”

Ann Bentley, chair of the Construction Leadership Council business model workstream, said: “The Construction Leadership Council welcomes and supports the proposed reform of the current PQ process – it is a real and practical way of reducing bureaucracy and improving quality in the procurement process. Companies will be able to demonstrate that they meet an agreed industry standard and clients and contractors will be able to rely on the certification. The CLC will be encouraging adoption of the revised standard throughout Government construction procurement.”

Source: Construction Enquirer

Call for Occupational Health Training

April 3, 2019/0 Comments/in Home Page news feed, News /by joannevickers

Construction companies of all sizes are being urged to provide at least one employee with occupational (OH) awareness training following a new report from Loughborough University which highlighted the lack of training particularly in SMEs.

The report from Loughborough University, Improving occupational health risk management in SMEs: the role of major projects, looked into how major projects such as the construction of the Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre (DNRC) can support their supply chain to develop good practices in occupational health.

The research, which was carried out in the School of Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering at Loughborough University, was made possible after they were named recipients of the B&CE Charitable Trust OH Research Award 2016 worth £25,000.

In light of the report’s findings, B&CE are calling for Occupational Health Training to be more commonplace within all sizes of organisations, plus improved training materials and increased education regarding OH obligations.

Commenting, Margaret Grahamslaw, Head of Occupational Health at B&CE, said: “These recommendations centre around the importance of training in occupational health awareness to ultimately improve the wellbeing of workers in the construction industry across the UK. By ensuring at least one member of staff in any company, regardless of size, is trained in this area, this can encourage the spread of knowledge in both common OH issues and those that are less well understood.

“We’re grateful that our charitable trust could provide Loughborough University with the funds to facilitate this important research and look forward to using our joint voices in the industry to make these recommendations a reality in construction.”

Lead researcher, Dr Wendy Jones, Loughborough University said: “Health often ends up as the poor relation of safety in construction, and it can be particularly difficult for smaller companies that don’t always have the right expertise, or who have limited budgets, to get the right arrangements in place. This research found that some small and micro employers are improving their management of hazards such as dust and musculoskeletal disorders as a result of working on major projects such as the building of the DNRC, which the research was centred on. This is good news and confirms that good practices ‘trickle down’ through the sector for health, as they do for safety.

“We still have a long way to go, particularly in terms of the way we educate our workers, managers and OH professionals about managing health risks and the way the industry manages health surveillance: but this research shows we are heading in the right direction.”

The research report, which includes recommendations for those leading on major construction projects and for the industry more widely is available here.

The B&CE Charitable Trust OH Research Award is awarded annually to research initiatives that aim to improve the occupational health in the construction industry. Applications for the 2019 award open later this year.

Source: UK Construction Online