Growth in Irish Construction Slowing in 2015

According to the Ulster Bank Construction Purchasing Managers’ Report, growth rates in the Irish construction sector continued to slow in February 2015.

Simon Barry, Chief Economist at Ulster Bank commented “The February  2015 results point to a notable loss of momentum in Irish construction last month. This follows the large decline in January 2015 and takes the growth to its weakest in eighteen months.

Housing activity stagnated last month, a marked turnaround from the record rates of expansion recorded last year. It could be that this weakness is linked to the recently introduced Central Bank mortgage lending regulations.

Overall, while the Irish construction industry remains in recovery mode, it is clear that the sectors recovery dynamic has weakened considerably in the early part of this year”.

New Workplace Vehicle Safety Campaign

In February 2015  the Health and Safety Authority launched a new campaign raising awareness about going on autopilot when using workplace vehicles.

In 2014 28 deaths reported to them involved vehicles which were an increase from the previous years.

Deirdre Sinnott, Senior Inspector with the Health and Safety Authority said, “The purpose of this campaign is to flag the dangers of switching off mentally or going on autopilot when operating workplace vehicles such as forklifts.  These vehicles are often driven in confined areas with co-workers in the immediate vicinity. It’s vital for vehicle operators to keep their focus and stay alert”.

This is the radio ad which accompanies the campaign

Dublin Airport Expansion Plans

With news of new routes to Dublin, the DAA has announced recently a €20 million expansion project at the northern end of the airfield.  This will increase the aircraft parking and help the airport expand further. The new area being developed covers about 67,500 square metres , which is about the same size as 15 football pitches.