News

LABC's Lorna Stimpson explains how LABC is responding to the need for standardised practices across the profession. (Published in RICS Building Control Journal). 

Increasingly, the building industry has become part of a wider national and international business involving many large manufacturers, distributors, professional designers, architects, engineers, property owners, developers, main contractors and subcontractors.

In 2014 Shane Wilkinson was killed on site when an unsecured trench wall collapsed on top of him at a building site in Collyweston. The father of five was completely buried in the rubble, and despite the best efforts of fellow workers, he died at the scene.

Brexit could prove disastrous for the delivery of new homes and infrastructure unless transitional arrangements are put in place to allow the construction industry to easily draw on EU workers while it skills up a domestic workforce in greater numbers.

The DCLG have established the Building Safety Programme to identify buildings which are of concern following the fire at Grenfell Tower.

There is a dedicated web page for local authorities, landlords and other interested parties responsible for building safety in England and it includes:

On 27 April, building industry stakeholders gathered at the Energy Technology Centre of Nottingham University where the long-awaited new air tightness testing (also known as air pressure testing) technology, the PULSE unit, made its first appearance.

From 1 July 2017, reaction to fire cable with a Reaction to Fire requires a Declaration of Performance (DoP) and CE marking under the Construction Products Regulations (CPR). The Approved Cables Initiative (ACI) has developed an online video campaign to highlight CPR requirements and how they affect the cable industry.

With an ageing work force there are many initiatives being put into place to attract younger generations to join the construction industry. As with anything, first impressions are a key factor when forming an opinion on someone or something.

Rebecca Thompson FCIOB, a specialist in heritage conservation and lecturer in building studies, became the 114th President of the Chartered Institute of Building on 19 June 2017. She is only the second female ever to hold that position.

It might seem strange to be talking about flood resilience at a time when a water drought appears to be the news of the moment. However, flash floods from dry ground and the inevitable winter storms are likely to feature in the headlines at some point during the year.

This is because more than one in six households and businesses in England are currently at risk of flooding; with 2.4 million properties from river or coastal flooding and 3 million from surface water.

Hertfordshire Building Control, the new amalgamation of 7 of the 10 Hertfordshire local authorities, has hit the ground running and registered an exciting new partnership under the LABC Partner Authority scheme.

Many readers will be aware of The National Association of Chimney Engineers (NACE), which is a leading authority on all matters relating to flues and chimneys.