Related insights: Construction and Engineering

Construction and the face covering conundrum

16 Jul 2021
There is a lot of discussion about masks at the moment as, from 19 July, we will not be legally required to wear these in England. The Government is leaving the decision on whether or not to wear masks down to businesses and individuals. But how do construction businesses make this decision? If you tell your workers "no masks at all", some (especially the vulnerable) may be anxious and refuse to work - but equally, can you really tell your workers "you must wear one" if the legal requirement to do so is lifted? How do you balance safety against risk? 
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Just at the start: the Building Safety Bill

08 Jul 2021
The Building Safety Bill (the Bill) was laid before Parliament on Monday 5 July. It is likely to take 9 to 12 months to gain Royal Assent and pass into law. It is on any account a substantial piece of legislation: the Bill itself is 218 pages long and taken together with its explanatory notes (257 pages) and supporting documentation dealing with delegated powers, impact assessments, draft regulations and so on the whole package weighs in at an impressive 852 pages. In the pre-digital era it would have made a substantial thump when it landed on your desk.
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Building safety guide

Building safety - the story so far

16 Jun 2021
Changes to building safety aren't just about cladding. They're about creating a thread of responsibility for safety throughout a building's life. This guide is a comprehensive overview of building safety and the story so far.
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Defects and limitations

26 Apr 2021
Whilst the tragedy at Grenfell Tower and the subsequent Inquiry have focused attention on issues in relation to defective and unsafe buildings, in particular those with defective cladding, such cases are by no means unknown and have been the subject of decisions by the Courts for many years. There is now, however, a renewed focus on these issues and indeed a number of cases have come before the Courts recently which have been prompted or affected by the Grenfell tragedy. Such cases will no doubt be a feature of the Courts' business for many years to come. It is instructive to review some of the more recent cases to see some of the issues that commonly arise in such cases and how the Courts have been dealing with them. 
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Construction and the Scottish Elections

23 Apr 2021
The Scottish electorate is going to the polls again, to elect Members to the Scottish Parliament. As part of our re:build Britain series, we have reviewed the manifestos published by each of these political parties, and picked out some of the highlights on what they propose in respect of some key construction issues – namely green energy, infrastructure, and housebuilding.
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Government proposes changes to MEES to help implement EPC band B by 2030

19 Apr 2021
Buildings are responsible for around 31% of carbon emissions in the UK. Reducing their energy consumption is therefore one of the major challenges in the race to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Last month the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) issued two consultations concerning the energy efficiency of non-domestic property. Here we bring you up to date on the latest proposals relating to Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES).
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