HAPPY NEW YEAR
Welcome to the New Year!!
What will it hold for you?
The forecast for 2013 in the construction industry is looking better than 2012 with continuing low interest rates and predictions they will drop further along with recently announced government incentives for new residential constructions we should see an increase in new home approvals in the new year.
The construction industry will also be dealing with the implementation of the new WHS harmonisation laws that were passed in parliament in November and came into effect as of the 1st of January. These will have a big impact on how residential construction projects are run and managed. For those companies that have been pro-active in ensuring they have good OH&S practices the changes will be minimal, however for those businesses that are further behind the changes could be quite substantial.
There were also increases in fines for breaches of the new WHS legislation. With a maximum fine of now $3 000 000 ($3 million) there are even more reasons to get your WHS processes in order. These also came into effect as of the 1st of January 2013.
Technology is also on the move, no real surprise there. With the release of microsofts new tablet called surface and the new ipad 4 with the speed of a 4G connection now available there are many new ways to improve your productivity and streamline your systems. Why carry a car full of paper files around when it can all be accessed on the go via a tablet and be instantly updateable?
From the team at SiteBook we wish you a happy and safe New Year.