The Association says this follows recent publicity where thrill-seekers climbed a tower crane in Southampton and posted videos of their stunt on the Internet. Chief Executive Colin Wood said, “Construction sites and construction plant can be hazardous places for the untrained. These irresponsible publicity seekers just do not consider the unnecessary stress and upset this stunt would have caused for innocent people if it had gone wrong. They also do not consider the impact on the emergency services that may have to put themselves at risk to rescue trespassers who get into trouble.”

The Health and Safety Executive provides information on site security at www.hse.gov.uk.

Many of the attachments from the current batch supplied, which includes five MB 1200E medium breakers, six MB 750E medium breakers, ten SB 302 small breakers and one HC 350 compactor, are already in use on the Crossrail project, which will see 26 miles of new rail tunnels constructed under London. Much of the equipment from the future order is destined for use in the construction of the new nuclear power station at Hinckley Point near Bristol.

Lynch says that the Atlas Copco equipment provides two benefits that are of particular importance for the Crossrail project. The first is high productivity, as the attachments are used alongside the main tunnel boring machines and must be able to keep pace with their rapid progress. The second is quiet operation, as much of the tunnelling is being carried out beneath residential and commercial buildings. The breakers incorporate Atlas Copco auto control valve, energy recovery and dampening systems, which are designed to prevent vibration.

Pictured from left are: Kevin Prince, General Manager, Atlas Copco Construction & Mining and Merrill Lynch, Operations Manager and Liam Moore, Attachments Manager, for Lynch Plant Hire & Haulage.

Over 70 cyclists set out on Thursday, 30 May, and this Sunday will meet up with other charity riders from throughout the UK & Europe, converging on Blackheath Common. From there they will cycle as a whole unit for the last ten miles through the streets of London, to lay a wreath at the Cenotaph.

The Wheelie Tyred team of five is captained by Ian Hancock, whose company is responsible for the design and management of the Clements website.

“When Ian first mooted it, I was all for it,” said Clements MD Jim Longstaff. “It is a fantastic cause and we have numerous ex-servicemen and women in our industry. We were happy to commit to become a primary team sponsor. I’m not built for cycling myself (and they couldn’t get a top to fit me anyway), but I am happy to be closely associated with the guys and what they are doing.”

Donations can be made online at www.bmycharity.com/Pedal4HeroesWheelieTyred

The total value of these new orders is reported to be approximately £2.2m and, with other A-Plant depots expected to add more 6.0kVA generators shortly, the total value could soon increase, according to SDMO.

A-Plant’s Gareth Conley said, “The fact that SDMO sets are fully compliant with Tier 3 regulations is a significant factor in our decision to purchase. The 6.0kVA unit is an ideal site generator, being very quiet, and the long run tank makes it very popular with our construction clients.”

The hirer already has a fleet of nearly 200 Tier 3 compliant generators from the SDMO Rental Compact range, in a power band between 10kVA to 150kVA.

The purchases include 431 excavators, ranging from 1.5 tonne minis to 24 tonne machines from Hitachi, CAT, New Holland, Komatsu and Kubota; 361 dumpers from Thwaites, Wacker Neuson, Terex and Ausa; rollers supplied by Amman Equipment , CAT and Hamm; Manitou and CAT telehandlers; and ten Volvo delivery trucks.

Joint MD Martin Fitzpatrick said the investment is in response to increased activity in construction projects across the UK, as well as on-going and future projects such as Crossrail, Thames Water’s AMP6 investment programme, and planned nuclear power station development. He added: “Our customers are seeing an increase in work and, subsequently, we see an increase in demand for plant. The growth of the company has put us in a perfect position to invest in new machinery and will allow us to meet demand as the construction industry continues to slowly grow”.

One Call, which has its head office in Enfield, operates from eight depots across the UK and teams up with Newcastle-based Nixon Hire for contracts north of Leeds. A new depot was recently opened in Oxford.

Achilles, a global provider of integrated supplier management and supply chain solutions, works with organisations to help them establish carbon reduction improvements within their organisations and with suppliers.

Aggreko says the Cemars accreditation recognises its efforts in actively measuring its operational carbon footprint, and taking active and tangible steps to reduce this. This includes initiatives to limit electricity consumption at Aggreko offices and sites across the UK, implementing a green travel policy, and phasing-in a vehicle fleet with substantially improved fuel consumption.

In addition, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) recently presented Aggreko UK with a Gold award at its Health and Safety Awards 2013, for its long-term commitment to this area of operational activities.

Among the machines ordered are one-tonne class JCB 8016 and 8018 mini excavators, which have just gone into production following their international launch at the Bauma construction equipment trade fair in Munich

JCB Chief Executive Officer Alan Blake pictured, said: “This is the biggest volume deal of the year for JCB from a UK customer and we are absolutely delighted that A-Plant has ordered such a significant number of machines. It is a huge vote of confidence not only in the quality, reliability and fuel efficiency of JCB’s products, but also in the UK hire market.”

The deal was announced on opening day of the Plantworx construction equipment exhibition taking place at Stoneleigh in Warwickshire, which runs until Thursday, 16 May.

Employing around 45 members of staff, the site is also the location for Nationwide’s customer service centre for the central region, which will work in tandem with a further six depots across the Midlands and East Anglia. The company’s former main depot in Birmingham was damaged by fire, prompting it to relocate employees and equipment to a temporary location. Peter Douglas, Executive Director – Operations, describes the new facility as “one of the largest MEWP depots in Europe”.

The competition is an annual scheme devised by the CPA to recognise talented youngsters on plant mechanic apprentice schemes in 11 colleges across the UK. There are separate prizes for Level 2 and Level 3 students, and a total of 22 regional winners will attend the award ceremony at 11am on the first day in the Hospitality Area. From these finalists, two National Winners will also be chosen, one at each level.

The prize for each winning apprentice will be a £500 voucher for a mechanics toolkit. A further £500 will be presented to the two national winners.

Richard Noble is currently working on the Mach 1.4 Bloodhound SSC (super sonic car) project, which aims to travel at a speed in excess of 1,000mph in trials expected to take place next year. It will be driven by Wing Commander Andy Green, who set the current record of 763mph at the controls of Thrust SSC in 1997. The project also hopes to inspire future generations to take up careers in science and engineering.

MD Steve Hitchen said: “It is important to encourage and train new young and enthusiastic people who will be the next generation of hire managers. Those we have taken on appear to be settling in very well and we are delighted at their thirst for knowledge and willingness to learn.

“This is the second phase of apprentices to join One Stop Hire, as we employed three fitters through Cskills (the awarding organisation of CITB-ConstructionSkills) a couple of years ago. One has already graduated and is a fully-fledged member of the fitting team at our flagship Manchester depot. As there are many hire companies with an ageing work force, it would be great if more would take part in schemes like the SAS. Young people like these have a lot to contribute.”

Dromad was also announced as the winner in the Company of the Year (up to 5 outlets) category at the recent HAE Awards of Excellence 2013 ceremony held in London.

The company has added several models of Kubota machines, including KX015-4, KX61-3, U48-4 and KX080-3 units, in the 1.5, 2.5, 4.7 and 8 tonne classes respectively.

Michael Colmer commented: “There’s no denying that business in the construction market over the last few years has been extremely tough and very competitive. However, the fact that we are expanding our fleet to cope with demand can only be a good thing. I hope now the industry has turned the corner, and that business will continue to pick up as confidence is restored and more and more construction projects get off the ground.”

David Rawlins, RoSPA’s Awards Manager, said: “RoSPA firmly believes that organisations that demonstrate commitment to continuous improvement in accident and ill health prevention deserve recognition. A-Plant has shown that it is committed to striving for such continuous improvement and we are delighted to honour it through the presentation of an Award.”

Chairman Sir Anthony Bamford, pictured, said: “In view of the continued fragility of the global economy, which has led to renewed slowdowns in emerging and developed markets, JCB’s results in 2012 are extremely encouraging. They not only demonstrate the resilience of our business, but highlight the importance of continued investment in products, facilities and customer service.

“While construction equipment markets in many parts of the world remained weak, that has been more than offset by strong growth for our agricultural products, particularly in materials handling. Despite continued uncertainty, particularly in European economies, 2013 has started satisfactorily. We are expecting some growth this year but how much will depend on the pace of the global recovery.”

Vehicles in the liveries of GAP and HSS are being shown on the Isuzu Truck stand.
Representing the manufacturer’s Grafter range is a 3.5 tonne N35.150 4×2 rigid model supplied to GAP, which specified the twin rear wheeled truck with a drop side body and a rear tail lift. It will join an existing Isuzu fleet that is used by the hirer for towing payloads of up to 3.5 tonnes, predominantly plant on low-loader trailers.

Also on show is a 7.5 tonne Forward truck adapted for HSS to meet the needs of a specific rail maintenance contract. It is fitted with a 6.1m box body, with curtains fitted to the nearside only, and a 1.5m rear tail lift. Other safety features include a side scan system, a reversing camera with in-cab monitor, a kerbside view lens on the nearside door window, and wide view mirrors on both sides.

The publication explains how the use of such equipment while cutting kerbs, paving or blocks can produce significant amounts of dust. This will contain very fine dust called respirable crystalline silica (RCS), exposure to which can cause serious health problems. The leaflet (ISBN: 9780717665464) explains how RCS dust can affect health and what to do to control the risks. For more details visit www.hse.gov.uk.

The contract is for an initial period of three years, starting from 1 April. Speedy will act as National Grid’s managing agent in order to supply and co-ordinate all hired plant and equipment requirements for carrying out work on its gas and electricity networks. The contract will be fulfilled through utilisation of both Speedy’s own fleet and through sourcing, co-ordination and management of third party service providers.

Graeme Wilson will be based in Falkirk and has more than ten years’ industry experience, having been recruited from national construction equipment supplier, Oswald Record. “I will be looking to introduce the product range to hire companies across the region,” he said. “The fact that all our equipment is manufactured in-house in Sheffield is one of our key strengths, and one which I will be highlighting.”

MD Ken Waller added: “We are confident that Graeme’s experience will be an asset to us as we look to expand our supply through Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man and beyond.” Fairport’s product range includes compaction equipment, vibrating pokers, power trowels, hydraulic pumps and block splitters, and the company uses locally sourced materials and suppliers wherever possible.

Morris Site Machinery has taken part in the event for the past three years. “We have now planted an average of two trees for each of our employees, which we are very pleased with,” said Phil Winnington. “Achieving our ISO14001 environmental certification in 2010 has cultivated a strong, companywide environmental ethic at Morris Site Machinery, from how we run our premises to the machinery we manufacture.”