Long reads

While the industry tries to improve women’s PPE, other minority groups’ needs remain overlooked It took several months for Leena Begum to even visit a construction site. The apprentice feared she would have to compromise her Muslim faith by wearing the personal protective equipment (PPE) provided. Islam requires women to…

Analysis of the 20 largest construction firms’ boards shows women are still underrepresented and ethnic diversity is woefully lacking. Keith Cooper reports It’s no secret that construction lags behind many other industries when it comes to the gender and ethnic mix of its workforce. Official employment figures for the first…

CN looks into the main parties’ manifestos as the UK general election approaches As the UK prepares to vote on 4 July, how have the main political parties’ manifestos approached the construction sector? Infrastructure The Conservative manifesto criticised “frivolous legal challenges” against big infrastructure schemes, after a five-year term in…

Hundreds of organisations have signed the Conflict Avoidance Pledge. CN examines whether or not it can make a real difference Six years ago, a group of industry figures announced their plan for helping to resolve contractual disputes without expensive legal fights. They wanted to gather as many players as possible…

T levels and modern apprenticeships are the newest contenders to step onto the training stage. CN looks at how they are performing against the competition It’s no surprise that Steve Umbers is a fan of apprenticeship training. His 20-year career path through the construction industry has taken him from being…

Apprentice requirements imposed by local authorities on contractors are backfiring – leaving some trainees out of work and firms out of pocket Amid the cacophony of politicking before last month’s local elections, you may have heard candidates promising to create “local jobs for local people”. Politicians are acutely aware of…

The Design and Build element of the JCT 2024 suite of contracts was unveiled in April – but do lawyers think it represents meaningful change? It’s been eight years since the construction industry saw the launch of the previous suite of Joint Contract Tribunal (JCT) documents. At that point, events…

As the industry awaits the Grenfell Inquiry phase-two report, Dr Bernard Rimmer asks whether the builder-developer business model needs a complete overhaul It looks as though the final report of the Grenfell Inquiry could be presented to the government this summer, so perhaps now is the time to reflect on…

With three large employee-owned companies entering administration in the past year, CN asks if the model has inherent weaknesses Buckingham Group, Readie Construction and Michael J Lonsdale are among the biggest contractors to have gone under in the past 12 months. Factors identified by directors of these firms include inflation,…

Asbestos was banned 25 years ago, yet thousands are still dying as a result of its presence. CN examines the long legacy of the former go-to building material and whether enough is being done about the dangers it poses today Roofer Liam Bradley and his co-workers had just finished removing…