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It was once said that there are two certainties in life: Death and Taxes. However, I would like to propose a third: A construction skills shortage. For as long as I have been writing about all things construction and demolition (33 years, since you asked) I have been reporting upon a skills shortage within the…Read moreRead more

No-one has ever walked into their kitchen, found a can of tuna fish, a carrot of questionable vintage and some left -over fried rice and thought: “Ah yes, I shall fashion a lobster Thermidor from this lot”. Likewise, no-one has ever ordered a meal in a restaurant and then set a stopwatch running because we…Read moreRead more

It’s an ill wind that blows no-one any good. And so, while the UK’s coal-fired power stations have belched CO2 into the atmosphere and been a blot on the British skyline for 50 years or more, their demise has greatly improved the fortunes of specialist demolition companies. One man’s environmental campaign is another man’s source…Read moreRead more

I have seen some horse-shit peddled as journalism in my time. I have, on occasions, shovelled some of it myself in the past. In my defence, I have generally done this only because the price was right – A guy’s got to eat, right? But the Breakfast Show on BBC1 on Friday, followed by a…Read moreRead more

Two entirely unconnected news stories last week threw into sharp relief the ongoing and inexcusable disparity in the industry’s attitude to health and safety and its willingness to avoid a minor risk whilst allowing a greater risk to flourish On Thursday last week, we reported that the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) had…Read moreRead more

Lets begin with the good news. Nine UK demolition companies have been confirmed on the framework that will demolish the former steelworks at Redcar ahead of the construction of a GE Renewables wind turbine blade factory. The list of the nine firms selected is an impressive mix of the justifiably predictable and the pleasingly local…Read moreRead more

Teenage worker dies from injuries sustained in accident that killed his father. So here we are again then, reporting upon yet another double death within the UK construction industry. One death is bad. Two deaths are terrible. The fact that, in this instance, we’re talking about a father and son makes this even more tragic….Read moreRead more

Before I begin, it is important that I preface what is about to follow by saying that I am a huge fan of The Construction Index web portal. I read it pretty much every day. I have known David Taylor, the author of the article I am about to mention, (which you can read here)…Read moreRead more

I bought my previous house “off-plan”. When I paid the not insubstantial deposit, my “house” was an artist’s impression in a glossy brochure, and a plot of muddy Earth. When we finally moved in, ours was the first house to be occupied on our road. It would be three weeks until we had a functional…Read moreRead more