Precast manufacturer Tobermore Concrete Products has been fined £160,000 at Londonderry Crown Court after production team leader Colin Thomas was fatally crushed on 26 April 2023 at the HESS1 block manufacturing line at its Lisnamuck Road plant. Thomas entered a fenced pit area for cleaning when a horizontal latch conveyor restarted, trapping him between the moving conveyor and fixed structure because the line had not been fully isolated and locked out. HSENI found unclear interlock zoning, absence of safety light sensors on HESS1 despite their use on similar lines, and inadequate supervision of cleaning and maintenance practices.

Circular, UK-made steel is being promoted as a route to cut embodied carbon in buildings and infrastructure while reducing exposure to volatile global supply chains. By using scrap-based electric arc furnace production and designing for disassembly and reuse of beams, columns and plate, contractors can lower lifecycle emissions compared with imported basic oxygen furnace steel. For geotechnical and civil teams, specifying circular steel in piles, retaining structures and frames will increasingly be driven by client net-zero targets and whole-life carbon assessments.

Sripath Technologies is marking 20 years of supplying specialised asphalt additives and modifier technologies to the global road construction and maintenance sector, with a focus on performance and cost efficiency. The company’s portfolio includes products such as rejuvenators and polymer modifiers designed to improve rutting resistance, fatigue life and workability, while enabling higher reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) contents. Its long-term commercial track record signals growing confidence in engineered additives as a route to more durable, lower‑carbon pavements without major changes to existing plant or laying practices.