Need to know

The CIS amnesty comes to an end on October 19. Firms which submit late tax returns after that date will be liable to £100 minimum fines and could risk losing their gross payment status. All subcontractors used under the scheme have to be recorded and submitted to HM Revenue & Customs. New CIS came into force in April and the Revenue granted the six-month grace period so that contractors could get used to the system.

www.hmrc.gov.uk/new-cis/faqs-penalties.htm

Time to treat waste

From the end of this month all waste must be treated before it goes to landfill and all liquid wastes will be banned from landfills. Liz Parkes, head of waste at the Environment Agency, said: ‘If your waste does go to landfill, check to see if it is already being treated. If it isn’t you will need to treat it or ensure that your waste management company does this for you. If you produce liquid waste that goes to landfill, you will need to speak to your waste management company about alternative options.’

www.environment-agency.gov.uk/landfilldirective

Get smart on safety

New guidance for clients on how to comply with recent changes to the CDM safety regulations has been launched by the Health and Safety Executive. The Quick Guide for Clients on the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 is free to download at www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg411.pdf

Industry guidance is also available free from the Construction Skills website at: www.cskills.org/healthsafety/cdmregulations/guidance/

Read our interview with the chairman of the CIOB’s health and safety advisory committee .

The green roof Research body CIRIA has published its latest guidance on the use of green roofs and walls. It discusses the effectiveness of the systems and provides advice on their design, construction and operation. It also highlights some ‘quick wins’ for the built environment by incorporating nesting and roosting boxes for birds, bats and other animals.

www.ciria.org/acatalog/C644.html

A guide on how to run global engineering and construction projects has been published by specialist Research and Markets. It offers advice on project management from finance through to completion and offers country- and region-specific information on cultural issues, legal systems, bid estimates, scheduling, business practices and productivity improvement.