News & Insight
Notes from the working world.
Plain-English writing on safety, quality, ESG, compliance and the sensible use of technology.
America wants the delivery. Where should the driver sleep?
The goods have arrived. The driver still needs somewhere to stop. Truck parking is part of the working supply chain.
7 Oct 2026 · 5 min read
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A quiet hour is a start. What about the other hours?
Keep the quieter session people value. Then ask which parts of its welcome could last beyond the hour.
30 Sep 2026 · 5 min read
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The machine still works. Its digital support has retired.
One machine, two ages: the work it can still do and the support its digital systems still receive.
23 Sep 2026 · 5 min read
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Somebody used to do this for a living
Jordan Nugent on the work that automation leaves behind: the compensating, connecting and cleaning that sits in no plan and on nobody’s job description.
19 Sep 2026 · 11 min read
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The ISO 9001 deadline is 30 September 2029
It was set twelve days before the standard was published, in a document almost nobody could find. We reported that it did not exist. This is the correction.
16 Sep 2026 · 6 min read
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ISO 9001:2015 was withdrawn today
The sixth edition landed on the day it was promised. The more useful question is what a working quality system leaves behind when the auditor asks.
16 Sep 2026 · 5 min read
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The most important structure on site might disappear
The project is remembered for what remains. Some of its most consequential decisions concern what will disappear.
16 Sep 2026 · 5 min read
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Memories fade. The reason we started Logincident has not.
Gary Davison on the problem that started Logincident fourteen years ago, and why it still looks like a good reason to build a business.
15 Sep 2026 · 5 min read
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Repair, rebuild or replace? The real cost of keeping old equipment running
When should a machine shop repair, rebuild or replace aging equipment? A closer look at capability, downtime and the work behind a new machine purchase.
7 Sep 2026 · 5 min read
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After the flood, should everything go back as it was?
After a flood, restoring a home can also be a chance to reduce future damage. Explore resilient repairs, Build Back Better and the homeowner's experience.
7 Sep 2026 · 5 min read
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The lowest bid isn't always the lowest-cost project
Two contractors can price the same drawings while imagining different working conditions. The difference matters long before a change order arrives.
7 Sep 2026 · 5 min read
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Can your building pass the summer test?
Summer comfort is becoming a test of a building's usefulness. Why UK property teams need to consider shading, operation and people together.
7 Sep 2026 · 4 min read
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When AI produces the answer, what makes someone a good engineer?
A polished explanation arrives. Then someone asks the question it never considered. What should engineers learn when first answers become easier to produce?
7 Sep 2026 · 5 min read
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The next big construction opportunity might already be standing
A column, a façade panel, an old telephone exchange. What changes when construction starts by asking what is worth keeping?
7 Sep 2026 · 5 min read
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Your worst-performing site might be your busiest
One depot has five times as much rework as another. Add workload, then job mix, and the apparent performance story changes twice.
7 Sep 2026 · 6 min read
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If nobody can reach the bolt, is it good engineering?
The part is ready. The fault is understood. Getting to it is an expedition. A discussion about the maintenance job hidden inside the design.
7 Sep 2026 · 5 min read
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Everyone wants more apprentices. Who has time to teach them?
Construction needs more apprentices. Who makes time to teach them? A practical look at mentoring, site pressures and the people developing the next generation.
7 Sep 2026 · 5 min read
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Your incident reports doubled. Is that bad news?
Incident reports have doubled. Before the dashboard turns red, ask whether the work has changed, the reporting has changed, or both.
7 Sep 2026 · 6 min read
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The last mile has a kerbside problem
A delivery can arrive on time and still have nowhere to stop. Why UK last-mile logistics needs receivers, streets and vehicle choices to work together.
7 Sep 2026 · 5 min read
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The ribbon is cut. Now who makes the building work?
A new building needs more than an opening day. Why training, commissioning and clear responsibility matter to US property owners and facilities teams.
7 Sep 2026 · 5 min read
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The hardest part of manufacturing might be changing what you make next
Small orders can demand big preparation. Why changeovers, skilled judgement and flexible production matter to Britain's specialist manufacturers.
7 Sep 2026 · 5 min read
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A stronger roof changes the insurance conversation
What does a stronger roof change about home insurance? Explore FORTIFIED, storm evidence and the distinction between resilience, credits and coverage.
7 Sep 2026 · 5 min read
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One life event. How many public services?
Residents experience life events, not departmental boundaries. What Tell Us Once and service-design guidance suggest about better public-service handovers.
7 Sep 2026 · 5 min read
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The truck is on time. The load isn't ready.
Truck driver detention is more than a disputed fee. A look at loading-dock delays, realistic appointments and responsibility across US freight operations.
7 Sep 2026 · 5 min read
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What is the high street for now?
What makes a high street worth visiting on an ordinary Tuesday? Explore shops, services and shared spaces that give Britain's town centres a purpose.
7 Sep 2026 · 5 min read
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Made in America takes more than a factory
Bringing production to the U.S. takes more than a factory. Explore the suppliers, specialist capabilities and commitments that turn ambition into output.
7 Sep 2026 · 5 min read
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When the library becomes the town's backup plan
Public libraries can help communities through heat and disruption. But a credible role needs clear limits, partners, staff and resources behind it.
7 Sep 2026 · 5 min read
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The sale isn't over when the package arrives
A return tests the promise behind a purchase. Explore how US retailers can connect customer convenience with the product's next journey.
7 Sep 2026 · 5 min read
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Signal, noise, and the trouble with a busy dashboard
A 1948 paper about telephone lines, and what it says about the wall of green on your screen.
24 Jun 2026 · 5 min read
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How a small thing becomes a serious one
Serious incidents are the last link in a chain. The earlier links are usually in plain sight.
5 Jun 2026 · 5 min read
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The quiet power of the checklist
A bomber, an index card, and a surgical study that cut deaths by roughly a third.
21 May 2026 · 6 min read
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What last year’s numbers cannot tell you
The injury count tells you how last year went. It is quiet about what happens next.
30 Apr 2026 · 5 min read
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In praise of a good form
Nobody dreams of designing a better form. A good one is among the kindest design there is.
9 Apr 2026 · 5 min read
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The art of catching a mistake before it travels
Every barcode ends in a digit whose only job is to catch a lie. A small idea, beautifully cheap.
19 Mar 2026 · 5 min read
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ESG, with the noise turned down
Strip away the jargon and a sustainability report has a sensible, ordinary job to do.
26 Feb 2026 · 5 min read
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The moth in the machine
In 1947 a computer was stopped by a moth. What the engineers did next is a lesson in honest records.
5 Feb 2026 · 4 min read
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Plain English is a safety feature
When an instruction can be read two ways, eventually someone reads it the wrong way.
22 Jan 2026 · 5 min read
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Keeping a level head about AI
The loudest voices say AI changes everything, or nothing. The useful answer is quieter.
8 Jan 2026 · 5 min read
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One short email when there is something genuinely worth reading. No selling, no spam.
