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STAY SAFE DURING EXTREME HEAT Summertime sunshine calls for heavy heat. To keep your productivity up and beat the heat, follow these few tips. Plan Ahead Be prepared for the upcoming workday by checking temperature forecasts. Avoid scheduling extreme projects during peak heat times if possible. Hydrate During hot weather dehydration is more likely to occur. Make sure to drink plenty of water before work and throughout the day. Protect Your Skin Apply sunscreen on your face and other areas of exposed skin. Stay covered in shaded areas when possible. Dress for the Weather Wear lightweight, loose-fitting clothing that is job safe. Avoid dark colors such as black, which soak up the sun. Maintain Equipment Ensure equipment is safe to operate during excessive heat. Take breaks if equipment becomes too hot to operate in. EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE WHEN OPERATING Take proper precautions when operating your equipment this summer. Inspect and Maintain Cooling Systems Regularly check radiators, coolant levels, hoses, and belts. Ensure coolant mixtures are suited for high temperatures. Keep Radiators and Coolers Clean Use compressed air or low-pressure water to remove dust and debris. Prevent clogs that reduce cooling efficiency. Monitor Engine and Hydraulic Temperatures  Watch temperature gauges during operation. Use high-temperature fluids and idle or shut down equipment if overheating. Optimize Idle and Parking Practices Use automatic idle/shutdown features to reduce heat buildup. Park in shaded or ventilated areas to minimize heat absorption. Lubricate and Maintain Moving Parts Apply high-temp lubricants to joints, bearings, and pivot points. Reduce friction and wear caused by extreme heat. Ensure Operator Comfort and Electrical Safety Maintain air conditioning and replace cabin air filters. Inspect batteries and electrical systems for heat-related damage. HEAT EXHAUSTION SIGNS & SYMPTOMS Heat exhaustion occurs when the proper steps are not taken for excessive heat exposure. Symptoms include: Sweating with pale, moist skin Muscle cramps Weakness or exhaustion Excessive thirst Nausea or vomiting Rapid heart rate Mood changes or confusion If experiencing symptoms, move to a cool area and hydrate. If symptoms persist, seek medical attention. HEAT STROKE Heat stroke occurs when the body has gone beyond heat exhaustion, to an even higher level of threat. Symptoms include: Hot, red, dry skin Rapid breathing Body temperature of 103 degrees or higher Headaches or dizziness Confusion or altered mental status Convulsions Loss of consciousness Call 911 immediately if heat stroke occurs. Do not give the victim water, instead apply cold water to skin and wait for further medical assistance. Stay alert during extreme heat. Even mild dehydration can escalate into a medical emergency if proper precautions are not taken. Safety is a team effort and everyone is responsible. To learn more about heat related illnesses, check out this article from OSHA. Read More

Results for the year to March 31 2025 show pre-tax profits jumped to £8.6m from £4.7m last time on turnover up to £323m from £277m. In the last three years Octavius has grown by nearly 70% and the company is now working to new five-year business plan drawn-up earlier this year. Staff numbers also increased during the year to 703 from 630. The Reigate based business received a boost in turnover from recently acquired companies which added £38.8m in revenue. Octavius Chief Executive Officer John Dowset said: “Behind these numbers there are so many success stories, amazing projects, brilliant individual and team contributions, and impressive collaborations with our customers and our suppliers. “The golden thread throughout is The Octavius Way, the essence of who we are and how we conduct ourselves.” Read More

But latest orders figures also out today suggest there could be a slowing down in construction activity ahead as the industry braces itself for a tough Autumn Budget. Latest output figures from the ONS showed a return to modest construction growth of 0.3% in June, reversing part of May’s 0.5% dip. The growth came solely from a 1.2% uplift in repair and maintenance, with new work slipping 0.4%. Between April and June, new work was up 1.1% while repair and maintenance rose 1.4% compared to the first quarter. Private housing repair and maintenance was the biggest driver, jumping 3.7% in June, while non-housing repair and maintenance grew 0.8%. However looking ahead, new orders took a hit, falling 8.3% (£976m) in Q2. The drop was led by weaker demand in infrastructure and private commercial work. Scott Motley, head of programme, project and cost management at AECOM, said: “An uplift in June’s output offers some relief after last month’s dip, though underlying conditions remain challenging. “This improvement underlines how important it will be for the sector to hold onto any gains in the face of ongoing market pressures.” He added: “The sharp fall in July’s Construction PMI to its lowest reading since May 2020 is a clear warning sign. It suggests that the outlook for the rest of the summer is more uncertain, particularly for privately financed projects. “The Bank of England’s decision to cut interest rates to 4% in early August may offer some relief for borrowing costs and help revive sentiment in housing and commercial markets, but it will take time for any benefits to feed through to activity on the ground. “Maintaining this recovery will require both the continued stability of public-sector investment and a gradual strengthening of confidence in private-sector demand.” Read More

Turnover jumped 24% to £151m for the year to 30 November 2024, driven by repeat business and single-source procurement from clients increasingly adopting McGee’s value-led delivery model. But the employee-owned group’s operating margin plunged to 6.3% from 13.1% as delayed project starts inflated carry costs for plant, haulage and support services. The board described the outcome as “sub-optimal” despite comparing favourably with sector peers. Seb Fossey, Group Managing Director, said that the focus would now be on consolidating operations at the current scale while targeting value-led profit growth. He said that McGee continued to invest heavily in self-delivery capacity, expanding its piling and excavator fleets and growing its stock of bespoke shoring and façade retention systems. Cash at year end rose to £16m slightly ahead of the prior year. In the year, McGee distributed £885,355 (2023: £619,343) via the employee ownership bonus scheme to around 350 staff, amounting to an average payout of around £2,500. A £7.5m dividend was paid to the parent company during the year. Read More

The brownfield site bought from Engie has already undergone extensive remediation and holds outline planning permission for 2,300 homes. The development will include an all-through school, riverside park, commercial space, and homes across a range of tenures including affordable, PRS, and open market sale. Greg Fitzgerald, Chief Executive of Vistry Group, said: “This major acquisition perfectly plays to the strengths of the Group – regenerating a large brownfield site into thousands of high-quality, mixed tenure homes, whilst using our placemaking skills to create a thriving new neighbourhood.” Read More

Swansea Council has appointed the contractor to complete detailed designs and market testing for the five-storey development, which will house up to 800 workers. The project, part of the wider regeneration of the St David’s site, will see high-quality offices above ground-floor commercial space for food, drink or leisure. The council will occupy one floor, with the remainder let to public and private sector tenants. Development partner Urban Splash and manager RivingtonHark are also on the team, with Swansea Council retaining ownership of the building. Designed by shedkm, the scheme will feature a blue roof for urban drainage, an intensive green roof to boost biodiversity, and PV panels to cut carbon emissions. Construction is due to start in spring 2026, finishing in summer 2027. Read More

The proportion of students passing construction-related T levels has risen, data released today (14 August) shows. A total of 107 students qualified with onsite construction T levels, out of 125 enrolled on courses across the country, according to provisional Department for Education (DfE) data. Meanwhile, 506 passed their building-services engineering course, out of 539 who attempted it. Only 317 students took the course in the previous academic year, while 138 took onsite construction. The pass rate for onsite construction was 85.6 per cent, with building-services engineering seeing 93.9 per cent of participants qualify. Both courses had a lower pass rate than the national average of 95 per cent. Last year’s pass rate for onsite construction was 80.4 per cent, with building services seeing a 93.1 per cent level of success. This year, onsite construction had the second-highest rate of unclassified or failed grades, behind only design and development for engineering and manufacturing with 17.3 per cent. In December 2024 it was announced that the onsite T level, introduced in 2021, would be scrapped in future academic years due to insufficient demand. Onsite construction T levels include bricklaying, painting and decorating, plastering, and carpentry and joinery, while building-services T levels incorporate electrotechnical engineering, plumbing and heating engineering. The DfE said its data should be treated with caution because T Levels are still in their rollout phase. In March, the National Audit Office said the government should boost the number of students taking T Levels and do a better job of raising awareness of the technical qualifications. Read More

Investigators at Didcot Power Station in 2016 Police investigating the Didcot Power Station disaster claim they are making “significant and meaningful progress” in their investigation. Four workers died and five others were injured at the Oxfordshire facility, which was being prepared for demolition when part of the building collapsed on 23 February 2016. Michael Collings, 53, was found dead that day, while the bodies of fellow Coleman & Company employees Chris Huxtable, 34, Ken Cresswell, 57, and John Shaw, 61, were recovered from the site over two weeks in late August and early September that year. A joint investigation by Thames Valley Police and the Health and Safety Executive was launched immediately afterwards. More than nine years on, no one has been charged and no specific safety lessons have been released to guide the industry to avoid a repeat. No explanation of what caused the disaster has yet been provided. This week, a Thames Valley Police spokesperson said: “Thames Valley Police continues to lead a joint investigation between ourselves and the Health and Safety Executive. “Our dedicated joint investigation team continues to make significant and meaningful progress to investigate the collapse at Didcot Power Station and provide answers to the families who lost their loved ones. “We continue to provide regular updates to the families on our progress and maintain close contact with the Crown Prosecution Service.” Investigators are looking into potential corporate manslaughter offences, as well as gross negligence manslaughter and serious breaches of the Health and Safety Act. Earlier this year, Chris Huxtable’s daughter, Tia Huxtable, 20, who was 11 when her father, from Swansea, died, told Construction News she was still hoping justice would be served. “I never want this to be forgotten about as the health and safety experts need to make sure that this never happens again,” she said. Sadie Cresswell, one of Ken Cresswell’s daughters, said in February 2025: “All we can do is wait and hope justice prevails at some point for our beloved, hardworking dad, husband and grandad. Bless the Didcot four.” Coleman and Company, now known as Colemans, has repeatedly said in its accounts that it does not believe it was responsible for the cause of the incident. Read More

The investigation into the death of George Gilbey, who fell from a roof he was working on last year, is now being led by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The 40-year-old was on a job in Shoeburyness, Essex, on 27 March 2024, when he fell to his death. An inquest has previously heard that he had been working on a roof when he fell through a plastic skylight. In a statement, Essex Police said two men who had been arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter would face no further police action. “Essex Police have confirmed their investigation into the death of George Gilbey last year has concluded,” the force said. As a result, the HSE will now lead the investigation into the incident. HSE inspector Natalie Prince said: “We have been a part of this inquiry from the outset, and we will continue to thoroughly investigate George’s tragic death as the lead agency. “This will aim to establish if there have been any breaches of health and safety law. “We are in regular contact with George’s family and our thoughts remain with them at this time.” Gilbey, who appeared on Gogglebox and Celebrity Big Brother, had been working as an electrician on a warehouse project at the time of the tragedy. Read More

Google search interest for the term “altcoin” has surged to its highest level since 2021 as of August 2025. This spike aligns with a strong cryptocurrency market rally, led by Ethereum trading above $4,500 and Bitcoin nearing $120,000. Increased retail investor enthusiasm, altcoin ETF filings, and corporate crypto treasury diversification are fueling the renewed interest. The surge in altcoin searches signals growing attention towards alternative cryptocurrencies and may indicate an emerging altcoin season marked by rising trading activity and market volatility. We’d Love to Hear Your Thoughts on This Article! Was this writing helpful? Read More