2026 UK Fencing Awards – Entries Now Open & Industry Support Building
Entries are now open for the 2026 UK Fencing Awards, and we’re already seeing strong engagement from across the industry.
Taking place on 12th November 2026 at Old Trafford, Manchester, the Awards continue to be a key date in the fencing calendar — celebrating excellence, innovation and professionalism across the sector.
We’re delighted to confirm the continued support of our category and event sponsors, with leading organisations from across the industry backing this year’s awards. Their involvement highlights the importance of recognising high standards and outstanding achievement across all areas of fencing.
Award categories include:
- Agricultural & Equine Fencing
- Domestic Fencing
- Gates & Barriers
- Industrial
- Sports & Education
- Security
- Temporary Fencing & Hoarding
- Highways & Railways
- Supplier of the Year
- Project of the Year
- Apprentice of the Year
- NEW: Women in Fencing
👉 Enter now: www.afiorg.uk
We are also inviting nominations for the Lifetime Achievement Award, recognising individuals who have made a lasting impact on the fencing industry.
📩 Submit nominations to: info@theafi.co.uk
Stress Awareness Month
One in four people in the UK will experience a mental health issue at some point. While most conditions are mild and treatable, anxiety and depression are particularly common and can arise from both personal and work-related challenges.
Preventing work-related stress, depression and anxiety is a legal duty, it’s good for business and it’s the right thing to do. By being proactive, you can improve productivity, reduce sickness absence and help retain valued workers.
But how, as an organisation, do you achieve this?
The AFI, HSE and partners will be sharing ideas and insights to further support you in effectively managing work-related stress, such as:
- the financial and operational impact of work-related stress
- the common challenges organisations face due to work-related stress
- how modern working practices can affect stress levels
- evidence based approaches to identifying and addressing risks
Free HSE webinar: Work-related stress – your questions answered
Tuesday 14 April at 1:00pm (BST)This webinar will explore the practical steps organisations can take to strengthen their culture, reduce work-related stress and create healthier, safer working environments. HSE’s Human Factors specialists will explain common challenges, share evidence-based approaches and outline what good practice looks like in real workplaces.
Construction Products Reform
The Construction Products Reform White Paper sets out system‐wide reforms to strengthen the regulatory framework for construction products. These include a new licensing regime for testing and certification bodies, new requirements for product information, and greater enforcement powers for the national construction products regulator.
For construction products not covered by designated standards, there is also a consultation on the introduction of a General Safety Requirement for Construction Products that will place specific obligations on businesses to ensure that these products are safe. We will be discussing our response to the White Paper at our next Building Safety call on Tuesday 28 April, and your nominated Building Safety representative should have received the details directly. MHCLG is also hosting two webinars to outline the reforms in the White Paper on Tuesday 14 Apriland Tuesday 5 May. The deadline for responding to the White Paper is Wednesday 20 May.
The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) has published details of the enforcement actions it has taken under the Construction Product Regulations 2013 in the last six months. The OPSS releases a summary of enforcement actions twice a year, along with product safety alerts, reports and recalls as required, and members are advised to check the information on a regular basis to ensure that the products they are using or specifying have not been subject to any enforcement action.
The Plant Pedestrian Interface Working Group has updated Raising the Bar 3 Plant Pedestrian Interface.
You are invited to read the attached draft and reply to the consultation questionnaire. Raising the Bar 3 Plant Pedestrian Interface Consultation Questionnaire – Fill in form
The consultation comments will be reviewed by the authors before finalising the document.
The questionnaire will be open for consultation from today. Deadline is Friday 24 April 2026.
If you have any questions on the process, please contact Dave Riley david.riley4@amey.co.uk 07536 083712.
Fleet Safety Update: It’s not just about compliance – The practicalities of ensuring your drivers are fit to drive
The duty of care owed by a business to its drivers is undergoing a significant transformation. How does that affect you as an employer or a manager?
The traditional reliance on annual licence checks is no longer sufficient to shield an organisation from liability, or to ensure public safety. We are seeing a move toward a ‘shared responsibility’ model that acknowledges the fluid nature of human health.
The core challenge lies in the invisible risk: the gradual or episodic health shifts — ranging from neurological conditions to temporary cognitive impairments — that standard checks fail to capture.
To mitigate these threats, employers, fleet managers, operations and safety managers must transition to a proactive framework that prioritises medical transparency and policy-driven oversight over simple documentation.
What are you missing? Fitness to drive and medical conditions fleet safety focus
ACCESS THE DRIVER MANAGEMENT TOOLS AND RESOURCES
A reminder that The Health & Safety Event is partnering with Driving for Better Business to deliver the The Driver Safety Zone this month.
The Driver Safety Zone will provide invaluable information and expert support to any safety professionals and driver managers who need to understand how they should be managing work-related road risk.
Sessions include:
- Road Risk Myth Busters: What everyone thinks is true… but isn’t
- What Went Wrong? Using incident investigation to reduce risk
- Culture on the Road: Why driver behaviour is still the biggest risk
- Fit to Drive? Confronting the health risks we overlook
- The Government’s Road Safety Charter: What Does It Mean for Your Business