News in pictures

HS2 launches giant bridge-building machine

HS2 has launched a giant, 700 tonne bridge-building machine to help construct the the 3.4km-long Colne Valley viaduct in north-west London. Under the supervision of main works contractor Align JV (Bouygues, Sir Robert McAlpine and VolkerFitzpatrick), a 160m-long ‘launching girder’ will lift into position the giant concrete deck segments that form the viaduct’s arches.

JCB machines join Platinum Jubilee Pageant

JCB machines from landmark years of the Queen’s 70-year reign took centre stage at the Platinum Jubilee Pageant in London last month. The five diggers paraded down The Mall towards Buckingham Palace. JCB test site operator Georgina Williams, 30, of Derby drove a 2022 model powered by hydrogen (pictured).

Over and above: How Institute of Roofing CEO Kay Rose is on a mission to change the sector, p32

Graham campaigns to make all site defibs available to public

Contractor Graham, in partnership with the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, is urging all businesses to register their defibrillators onto the new UK-wide National Defibrillator Network to help save lives. The Circuit, developed by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) in partnership with Resuscitation Council UK, St John Ambulance and the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives, maps public access defibrillators across the UK.

Stepnell calls for skills boost

Stepnell has called on construction companies to collaborate to solve the skills shortage. More than 17% of employees at the contractor’s Midlands, East Midlands and Southern regional offices are classified as trainees or apprentices. The industry standard is 5%. The company has placed a focus on emerging talent to bridge the skills gap.

Joanne Conway new chair of FM Conway Group

Infrastructure services company FM Conway has announced the appointment of Joanne Conway to the role of chair of the FM Conway Group. Conway, daughter of late chairman and owner Michael Conway, has worked in the business for 21 years across a number of roles, including as a member of the FM Conway board since 2011.

MATT CHISNALL

Grade II-listed building restored after empty decade

Yorkshire construction firm Hobson & Porter has completed the £2.45m restoration of a Grade II-listed building in Hull that had previously sat empty for more than a decade. Built in 1881, 79 Lowgate has been transformed into a modern office building. It now features solar panels, energy-efficient heating and LED lighting.

Balfour Beatty and Ford in high-visibility construction suicide campaign

Balfour Beatty, Ford and the Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity have launched a campaign to combat suicide rates in construction. The Make it Visible campaign has created a specially designed hi-vis safety vest and mental health Transit van that will identify designated onsite support counsellors at construction sites across the country. Up to two construction workers are lost to suicide every day, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics.