News in Brief – November/December 2006

A new website, designed, built, run and maintained by the SCI on behalf of The Step Change in Safety Team, has been launched. The site brings together information from companies, contractors and trade associations involved in off-shore oil and gas exploration and production.

Since updating the CDM regulations, the Health & Safety Executive has asked the industry to write the guidance documents. Six working groups have been established under the Construction Industry Advisory Committee to develop guidance for: client; coordinator; principal ontractor, designer contractor and individual worker. The documents are likely to be published in January 2007.

SCI ICT has released a new version of its cellular beam software, CELLBEAM Automate V6. The package is distributed by Westok and contains a module which enables the fire design of cellular beams by adjusting material properties as the member is taken through the ISO fire curve temperature profile.

The Specialist Engineering Contractors (SEC) Group has updated its list of clients not using retentions. A full list is available on the Group’s website www.secgroup.org.uk Rudi Klein, SEC Group’s Chief Executive, estimated that over 12% of the industry is a retention-free zone.

All steelwork contractor companies applying for BCSA membership must now undergo a technical audit visit to be repeated every three years. An interim audit in the two years between full audits will be needed.

Irish contractor SIAC Construction has acquired Bison Structures, the steel division of the Bison Group.The company is now known as SIAC Tetbury Steel and will continue to be managed by the existing executive team with all employees remaining in place.