West Midlands Lithium Car Battery Plant
Coventry Council has been approved to build a lithium car battery plant in the West Midlands at Coventry Airport. It will cost £2.5bn and start producing in 2025. It is 530,000 square metres and powered by renewable energy for example wind and solar. It will produce new batteries and recycle used ones.
HS2 Roman Figure Found During Excavations
A Roman figure in the shape of a human dating from as far back as 43AD was found during excavations preparing for HS2 in Buckinghamshire. The carving was found in a soggy ditch and is wearing a tunic. It is well preserved due to the low oxygen conditions but has lost the end of its arms and legs.
Internet Connectivity for New, Temporary and Challenging locations…
For new, temporary and challenging locations why not consider the EMS i-MO OptiBond solution? Delivers fast / resilient aggregated 4G and / or fixed line services to site in days. Delivers fast no-fail internet instantly. The system is widely used on difficult to serve and new commercial and infrastructure projects. See www.ems-imo.com
Smart motorway rollout halted because of safety concerns
MPs and motoring groups have lobbied to suspend the rollout of ‘smart’ motorways along stretches of the M3, M25, M62 and M40 until 5 years of safety data has been gathered. Plans to remove the hard shoulder along stretches of these motorways have been the subject of dispute because of the number of people who have died when their vehicle broke down because they could not find a safe place to stop. Money has been allocated to creating more refuge spots and technology to monitor traffic but for now no new motorways will be converted. Work already started along the M1, M4 and M6 will be completed.
Award-winning wearable technology
North London Heat and Power Project deployed beable® Wearable to keep workers safe and productive; it facilitates physical distancing as well as interaction tracking. Co-developed by Electronic Media Services and COMIT Projects and funded by Innovate UK, the new technology has been well received and plans to further rollout with greater functionality are underway.
Work to Commence on Zero Carbon Scottish Hospital
UK Construction growth slowed in December as inflation reached 5.1% its highest point in a decade. Energy prices are set to rise 50% this year and inflation to peak in Spring at 6%. However, another story said that construction buyers reported the strongest rise in new orders in December due to materials coming back into supply after yearlong shortages.
Tenders will go out in March for suppliers to build NHS Lanarkshire’s new £500m hospital which is expected to be completed in 2028. It is expected to the first hospital in Scotland to be completely net zero carbon for the build and operations phases.
More info and apply for the tender here.
High levels of mental distress and a reluctance to seek professional help among UK construction workers
A new study funded by a research grant from B&CE Charitable Trust carried out by by Mates in Mind and the Institute for Employment Studies (IES) says that a third of construction workers suffer from anxiety and work-related stress leading to non-prescription drug and alcohol use. Intense workloads, the pressures of COVID-19 and materials shortages as well as a reluctance to discuss mental health because of stigma attached to the topic, means too many construction workers are not getting help they need to deal with work pressures. The suicide rate in construction is three times the national average and two construction workers take their own lives each day. Mates in Mind has free training and resources to workers and managers, find out more here.