CYBER WARNING
Cyber attacks in the construction sector accounted for nearly 6 per cent of all incident responses from cybersecurity specialist Kroll during the first quarter – double the percentage in Q1 2023. In its latest quarterly Cyber Threat Landscape Report in May, Kroll said:
“The reason for these rising attacks may be because the industry involves many digital sign-ins via mobile devices on sites. An employee may be more likely to fall for a phishing lure if they are receiving the email on the road, making them potentially less vigilant about the signs of a fraudulent email.”
SMOOTH CRIMINALS
Small tools were highly coveted by thieves last year, with nearly two in five respondents to a security firm’s survey of 500 site workers reporting them to be among the top items stolen from construction sites.
ROOM SERVICE
Project starts in some non-residential sectors are beginning to tick up, led by hotel and leisure schemes. These rose by 11 per cent in the three months to 30 April compared with the previous three-month period.
TWIN THREATS
One in five respondents to a survey of main contractors, subcontractors and suppliers in the UK construction market has identified interest rates and inflation as the biggest threats to their businesses.
£152.5m
The turnover reported by contractor Masterson Holdings in its latest annual accounts covering the year to 31 August 2023, up 11.5 per cent on the year before.
583
The number of buildings more than 20 storeys high under construction or in planning in London, according to industry forum New London Architecture.
16%
The collective increase in turnover experienced by mechanical and electrical contractors between 2022 and 2023, as reported by the Building Engineering Services Association.
5.1m
The number of working days lost in the construction sector last year due to employees’ poor mental health, insurance company QBE estimates.
THINGS CAN ONLY GET BETTER
Workloads across various construction sectors in the first quarter of the year either rose by more or decreased by less than in the final quarter of 2023.
