Legal

Two former Balfour Beatty employees have pleaded guilty to "major fraud" against the United States, relating to falsified records of military housing maintenance, it has emerged. The US Department of Justice announced this week that Rick Cunefare, 61, of Glendale, Arizona, and Stacy M Cabrera, 47, of Converse, Texas, pleaded…

The National Open College Network (NOCN) is taking legal action against the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) over problems with the Construction Plant Competence Scheme (CPCS). Adult learning body NOCN bought the skills cards scheme from CITB in a deal worth around £3.5m in March 2019, operating them under its…

A new "one-stop shop" to protect workers from modern slavery and low pay has been proposed by the government. The organisation will combine efforts to tackle modern slavery, safeguard the minimum wage and protect agency workers, replacing three organisations in the process. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy…

An asbestos-removal contractor has been fined £150,000 after a worker was fatally injured and another seriously injured in a gas explosion during pre-demolition works. Workers from Glasgow-based Enviraz were removing a boiler and pipework at the former Pastoral Centre in Bonkle Road, Newmains in Wishaw when the explosion occurred on…

Nexus, the company that operates the Tyne and Wear Metro, has been fined £1.5m after a maintenance worker was killed by electrocution from an overhead cable. John Bell, 43, died in July 2014 while working at height carrying out maintenance work on high-voltage cables at a depot in South Gosforth.…

Gleeds has set up a new dispute advisory business as it anticipates a growing number of contractual claims in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The consultancy said it has extensive experience working with insurers, loss adjusters, lawyers, forensic accountants and other specialisms but has not previously provided a dedicated…

Grosvenor is suing Balfour Beatty for £4.4m over alleged defects in a 13-storey building in one of Liverpool city centre’s flagship developments. Grosvenor Liverpool Fund, an investment vehicle set up by the Grosvenor Group, has lodged a claim against Balfour Beatty and a subsidiary over what it says were problems…

A director who allowed thousands of tonnes of waste to be illegally deposited in a former quarry has been jailed for more than two years. Mark Foley, 63, allowed hazardous material to be dumped at Stowey Quarry, a former limestone quarry, near the Chew Valley reservoir in Somerset. He operated…

Arup staff have been warned to check their bank accounts for signs of unusual activity after the consultant’s payroll provider was hit by a cyber attack. According to law firm CEL Solicitors, the names, bank account numbers, sort codes and other personal details of its staff were stolen by hackers…

From today, contractors will have to take on self-employed people they use consistently as PAYE staff. Those that are unprepared will face trouble with HMRC, a tax expert has warned. The IR35 change was announced in 2018 and large contractors are understood to have done extensive preparation for the new…