A £500 fine has been imposed on McGrath Building & Joinery Contracts Ltd after HSENI found serious asbestos management failings during refurbishment of the Sacred Heart Chapel in Boho, Co. Fermanagh in November 2023. Investigators concluded the principal contractor did not adequately plan, manage or monitor works under Regulation 13(1) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2016, particularly around identifying and safely removing licensed asbestos. The Enniskillen Magistrates’ Court conviction signals continued regulatory focus on CDM-compliant asbestos surveys and licensed removal on small refurbishment projects.

Nuclear Waste Services is exploring an unmanned, highly automated design for the UK’s planned deep Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) for higher-activity radioactive waste, potentially removing routine human presence from underground vaults and access tunnels. Concepts under review include remote-operated emplacement systems, autonomous guided vehicles for waste packages, and fully automated ventilation, monitoring and backfilling operations. For geotechnical and civil designers, this points to layouts, shaft and drift geometries, and ground support that must accommodate robotic handling, long-term remote inspection and minimal maintenance access over many decades.

A magnitude 7.0 earthquake near Yakutat, Alaska, has generated over 160 aftershocks in 24 hours, with shaking felt across southeastern Alaska and into Yukon and British Columbia, raising concern for ageing port, pipeline and road embankment infrastructure on soft coastal sediments. USGS reports shallow crustal rupture along the Fairweather–Queen Charlotte transform system, with peak ground accelerations locally exceeding typical design levels for older structures. Geotechnical teams are prioritising rapid reconnaissance of slope stability, liquefaction-prone deltaic deposits and critical lifelines, including fuel terminals and regional airstrips.