Construction piling and any other type of construction work should only be undertaken by qualified piling contractors. It is crucial that piling is completed to a safe standard. There are many piling options available which you can discuss with your piling contractor. Make sure that you are clear about what exactly you are looking for and agree exactly what costs are involved in the piling project and how long it will take to complete. Do this before the work is underway so that both sides know where they stand.

Amazingly, no one was killed or even injured in the event, but both companies, who pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety Work Act, have been fined. The main contractor, Multibuild, who provided the stone platform on which the piling rig worked, have been fined £20,000 and ordered to pay £18,687 in costs. Balfour Beatty Ground Engineering Ltd, who were sub-contractor, responsible for carrying out the work, have been fined £25,000 and ordered to pay £17,676 in costs.

Dave Redman, the HSE Inspector, has said that, “It is every company’s responsibility to ensure that employees and members of the public are not exposed to danger from heavy construction machinery. There is extensive guidance governing safe working in this sector, and we hope today’s prosecution serves to remind people of their duties so that we don’t witness an incident of this kind again.”

Piling rig working platforms are made from granular material that is crushed and compacted. For extra support geotextiles are also used. The thickness of the platform is decided by several factors. The rig type including the model, manufacturer and also how the machine is set up for use. The soil type and soil strength; whether it is cohesive (clay) or cohesionless (sand, gravel, most chalks)

Piling rig working platforms should be at least 2m longer than the construction area any ramp platforms should be should be at a safe and suitable angle. If it was necessary to remove any obstructions and holes were left then they must be backfilled properly so that there are no soft ground areas.

Ensure a safe piling rig working platform by following these guidelines and serious accidents will be avoided.

At the time, leading industry experts claimed that private sector clients were well ahead of the public sector, mainly due to the fact that the government procures projects based on low price rather than quality and reputation.

The scandal prompted calls for an inquiry by the Office of Fair Trading, as piling contractors, and many other industry sectors felt the current situation was illegitimate.

A report in the Sunday Times revealed that the construction companies that co-operate with the OFT, will face much more lenient penalties.

More and more people are registering their interest in buying property, while the relative number of new properties available is still at an all time low. As a consequence RICS expect house prices to initially stabilize and begin to increase towards to beginning of next year.

The report revealed, that the number of chartered surveyors declaring a rise in new clients, has increased for the eighth consecutive month. The survey also found that over 50% of all surveyors that took part, felt that as house prices continue to stabilize, new developments will start again and subsequently, construction industries such as piling, underpinning and contracting as a whole will experience growth.

Chartered Surveyor, James Heath, commented: “Ultimately, we have experienced an uplift in the number client enquiries we have recieved, over the last quarter.Consequently, I do feel that the historic lows we have experienced over the last year will not be repeated into 2010.Yet, it is vital to remember that the stabilization of property prices, has been a direct  result of the lack of new properties being built. If the property industry is ever going to fully recover, development work needs to begin again. ”

However, recent pictures released by The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) confirm that from piling to underpinning  the construction of the 2012 Olympic Village is well underway.

Piling work has begun

The village will hold the ‘big five’ main areas of the Olympic Stadium, Aquatics Centre, Olympic Village, VeloPark and the International Broadcast Centre/Main Press Centre (IBC/MPC).

While initial plans for the Olympic village have been scaled down as a consequence of the recession, it will still be a sizeable development. Recent images reveal there will be space for nearly 20,000 beds, housed in eleven residential areas which will be converted into houses eventually. There are also plans for over 10 ha of recreational space, again which will be used productively after the games.

Matthew James, who worked at the Commonwealth Games held in Manchester 2003 comments: “The Athlete’s Village was such an important part of the games in 2003. The sophistication of that construction and the success of the development process, really set the tone for the whole event.”

Currently, the Olympic Village is providing employment for just over one thousand workers , however, this figure is expected to increase to just over four thousand as the games approach. Piling work has begun on all the major blocks and work on the Aquatics Centre is scheduled to start next month.