Latest news with #Devereux
IOL News
16-07-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Local construction industry braces for major changes to Construction Regulations
Construction workers putting in a shift at Freedom Park. Image: Picture: Supplied South Africa's construction industry faces upcoming adjustments to the Construction Regulations proposed in 2024. These proposed changes were said to be designed to significantly improve health and safety oversight on building sites while shifting more legal responsibility onto both contractors and, critically, their clients. 'These amendments are not just regulatory housekeeping,' says Petra Devereux, Executive Director of the Master Builders Association Western Cape (MBAWC). 'They represent a structural shift in how the industry views and manages risk, particularly in how responsibility is shared across the entire project team from client to contractor to designer.' The draft regulations, which build on the current 2014 version, were said to reflect the evolving complexity of the built environment, the need for greater safety and a stronger emphasis on accountability. With consultation closed mid-June, industry leaders, including MBAWC, have been vocal in responding to the draft. The first set of construction-specific regulations was introduced in 2003 in response to an unacceptably high number of site-related injuries and fatalities. These were updated in 2014 and are now under review again to keep pace with modern construction methods and increasing project complexity. One of the key features of the new draft is a stronger emphasis on client and designer responsibility. The proposed changes make it clear that safety begins at the drawing board. 'From a practical and legal perspective, these amendments shift accountability upstream,' says Devereux. 'Clients, referred to as 'Givers of Work', will now be legally required to provide detailed pre-construction information, conduct risk assessments before the project starts, and ensure the competency of everyone on site. It's a far more integrated and preventative approach.' Contractors will also see a rise in compliance obligations. The draft regulations propose the appointment of a Construction Health and Safety Manager, who must be registered with the South African Council for the Project and Construction Management Professions (SACPCMP), to be responsible for health and safety in specific areas designated to the person. 'The appointment of this person is not mandatory and will be based on the size and potential hazards of each project,' says Deon Bester, occupational health and safety (OHS) manager, MBAWC. 'However, there is some relief for smaller contractors with respect to the appointment of a Health and Safety Officer. The wording has changed from "must appoint" to "may appoint", depending on the level of risk." From the outset, the regulations aim to align more closely with international best practice by embedding safety into the project lifecycle. However, some industry experts have highlighted gaps, most notably with the absence of ergonomics risk assessment from contractor duties, and lingering ambiguity in how "competence" is defined and enforced. Still, the proposed requirement for formal and documented risk assessments, with regular reviews and mandatory monthly audits, was said to represent a significant step forward in proactive site management. For Devereux, this institutionalisation of safety roles is significant. 'Appointing qualified safety personnel will institutionalise oversight and could, in our view, directly reduce incidents,' she says. One of the most debated aspects of the new regulations is the increased liability placed on clients. Developers and clients will now bear joint responsibility for ensuring site safety, and failing to provide adequate pre-construction information or verify contractor credentials could result in criminal charges. 'The message is clear: safety is no longer the sole domain of the contractor,' says Chandré Abrahams, chairperson of the MBAWC Marketing Committee. 'Clients need to be actively engaged, from design inception through to construction. It's not just about what's being built, but how it will be used and maintained over its entire lifecycle.'# This could reshape client-contractor relationships entirely, with contracts requiring new clauses around safety oversight, budgeting for compliance, and more formalised collaboration with design teams. 'We hope this marks the beginning of a continuing and evolving collaborative and informed relationship between clients and contractors,' Abrahams adds. 'It's also an opportunity to elevate client understanding and create safer, more sustainable outcomes across the board.' The draft regulations represent a clear step forward in improving safety and accountability in South Africa's construction sector. But the shift will require adjustment from training and certification to the adoption of digital systems and new internal processes. 'The proposed changes are necessary and largely constructive,' says Devereux. 'Clarity, practicality, and phased implementation will be critical to ensuring that they don't inadvertently exclude smaller players or create unintended bottlenecks.' MBAWC said the regulations aim to reduce site incidents and improve design-stage foresight; their successful implementation will depend on the industry's collective commitment to evolve and on regulators' willingness to listen to and incorporate on-the-ground feedback. 'There's no one-size-fits-all answer,' concludes Devereux. 'However, if implemented effectively, these regulations could establish a stronger foundation for a safer, more accountable, and more professional construction industry. "I also hope it will foster greater collaboration between clients and contractors and support ongoing client education, ultimately benefiting the entire industry.' Meanwhile, the Council for the Built Environment (CBE), in collaboration with the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI), will, on Saturday, hold a media briefing by the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Dean Macpherson, following a meeting with the families of the victims of the George building collapse. During the closed-door meeting with the families, the Minister will provide feedback on the investigation completed by the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) into the circumstances that led to the building's collapse, in which 34 people lost their lives and 28 others were seriously injured. The Minister will also discuss possible follow-up actions to be taken. INDEPENDENT MEDIA PROPERTY
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Sapling Spirits seek US investors to fund Stateside entry
UK vodka firm Sapling Spirits is looking to raise more funds to support a possible entry into the US. The business, which promotes its 'climate positive' credentials, is hoping to attract £5-7m ($6.8-9.5m) from investors. So far, the company, set up in 2018 and with a presence in the UK and continental Europe, has raised around £4m. Ivo Devereux said he and fellow co-founder Ed Faulkner have sourced potential production partners, as well as a possible glass manufacturer and wheat suppliers. 'We've got a shortlist of about six distillers. We're planning to go out next month or the month after to go meet with them. We found a glass manufacturer and suppliers that can produce organic wheat. That's taken us about seven months to get to that stage and we're hoping in the next couple of months we can really quickly get things over the line for a February launch next year,' Devereux told Just Drinks. The company, which has held early discussions with US distribution giant Southern Glazer's, has yet to finalise which states it will target, although Florida and New York are being considered. 'We think the demographic [in Florida] would be very well suited to Sapling in terms of our liquid and our sustainability credentials,' Devereux said. 'New York because it's a state that you kind of have to win in. If you don't, then you're kind of seen as a brand that hasn't really made the States work.' Outside the UK, Sapling Spirits has earmarked the US, the Netherlands and Italy as its three principal overseas markets. The London-based company, which already sells in Italy, entered the Netherlands in April. 'From a strategic perspective – and I guess a cultural perspective as well – if we can prove the brand works in a southern European market, a northern European market and the US and we invest properly in them, you can think laterally and say 'Well, if it works in Netherlands, we can make it work in Germany and the Nordic countries [and] if it works in Italy, we can make it work in Spain, Greece,'' Faulkner said. 'We think that from creating brand value, focusing on those markets, hiring great people in-market and building the brand properly is better than sending pallets to 20 distributors in 20 different countries and hoping that they manage to shift it somehow.' Sapling Spirits is targeting sales of 24,000 nine-litre cases this year, which Devereux said would equate to around £4.5m in revenue. In the UK, the company first focused on 'specialist' retailers and 'high-end' on-trade accounts. Two years ago, Sapling Spirits launched its vodka on online grocer Ocado and it now counts Waitrose as another retail customer. Last year, the business secured a contract with pub group Young's. 'We started conversations with [UK pub groups] Mitchells & Butlers, Fuller's. The same goes with retail,' Devereux said. 'Our first step out, as it were, of specialist retail from the Fortnum & Masons and Selfridges was to go to Waitrose where we felt like the demographic, the price point, was most aligned. We now feel confident, based on the way it's gone with Waitrose and the relationship we've got there, that we can take that next step. Sainsbury's next really is kind of where we're looking at, we're in conversations with.' "Sapling Spirits seek US investors to fund Stateside entry" was originally created and published by Just Drinks, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Washington Post
27-06-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Spring 2025 All-Met Players of the Year
The Washington Post has been recognizing the top high school athletes in the D.C. area for more than 100 years. These are the best of the best from the Spring 2025 season. See all of our Player of the Year selections, as well as links to complete teams, below: Ren Devereux, utility, Sr., St. John's | Starring for the area's most dominant team, Devereux helped lead the Cadets to a third straight Washington Catholic Athletic Conference title and ninth in 10 seasons. He allowed only four runs in 42 innings, good for an ERA of 0.67 with 67 strikeouts and an opponent batting average of .119. Devereux went 8-0 despite pitching through a schedule that featured numerous nationally ranked opponents, earning WCAC player of the year and D.C. Gatorade player of the year honors. Also a middle-of-the-order bat frequently playing first base, he hit .360 with a team-best 38 RBI. He signed with Penn State. Baseball first team, second team, honorable mention Claire Radford, P, Sr., Leonardtown | For Leonardtown to defend its Maryland Class 4A title, the Raiders needed a stellar season from their ace. Radford delivered, collecting 252 strikeouts and posting a 0.59 ERA in her final season to lead her team to a second consecutive state championship. The South Carolina Aiken commit shined when it mattered most, fanning 16 batters to clinch a 5-0 win over Churchill in the state final. In a season in which three teams from the Southern Maryland Athletic Conference won championships, Radford led her team to its first SMAC title with an 11-strikeout performance against eventual Class 3A champion Chopticon and was later named conference player of the year. Softball first team, second team, honorable mention Owen James, D, Sr., The Heights | At the beginning of this season, James wasn't necessarily interested in playing college lacrosse. But after a dominant senior season, the Division I offers became hard to ignore. James, who is committed to Navy, scored 28 goals with a long stick and totaled 132 groundballs and 67 forced turnovers. When he was asked to take faceoffs, he won 52 percent of them. James was named the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference player of the year for posting those stats at his position and leading The Heights to a five-win improvement over 2024 and a winning record overall. Boys' lacrosse first team, second team, honorable mention Sophia Stoltz, A, Sr., Stone Ridge | Stoltz earned first-team All-Met honors last season, but the senior upped her game this spring. A four-year varsity starter and four-time all-conference selection, Stoltz led the Gators to a third straight Independent School League championship by scoring 80 goals in 23 games. The North Carolina signee also had 18 assists to finish her senior year with nearly 100 points. She tallied three goals in the ISL championship win against St. Stephen's/St. Agnes. Girls' lacrosse first team, second team, honorable mention Quincy Wilson, Jr., Bullis | Wilson continued shattering records en route to his fourth consecutive Athlete of the Year award between the indoor and outdoor seasons. Wilson won the 400 meters again at New Balance Nationals Outdoor and anchored the Bulldogs' 4x400 relay team to another victory. In April, he ran the fastest 400 split in Penn Relays history (43.99 seconds) and anchored the lineup that broke a 40-year-old national 4x400 record. The gold medalist's best open 400 time was 45.27 seconds, the second fastest in the country during the outdoor season. Boys' track and field first team, relays, honorable mention Sydney Sutton, Sr., Bullis | A repeat Athlete of the Year selection from the indoor season, Sutton dominated the track once more to cap an illustrious Bulldogs career. Her 200-meter time of 22.70 seconds was the third fastest in the country this season. At New Balance Nationals Outdoor, she placed second in the 400 (51.23) and 400 hurdles (56.04), with both times beating the previous meet record. Sutton was also a member of Bullis's 4x400 relay, which was the fastest in the country, and the best local 4x100 and 4x200 relays. Bullis won all three relays at New Balance. She will run at Florida. Girls' track and field first team, relays, honorable mention John Balkey, MF, Sr., Riverside | The engine of a team that sat on top of The Washington Post's local rankings for nearly the entire spring, Balkey scored 13 goals and added 12 assists while helping the Rams hold opponents to just six goals all season. Behind his leadership, the Rams marched to another state tournament before falling in a Class 5 semifinal. After years spent as a linchpin for one of the area's top public programs, he will take his talents to George Mason. Boys' soccer first team, second team, honorable mention Lilli Lubic, MF, Sr., Independence | Lubic did it all in her senior year for the Tigers, racking up 32 goals and 20 assists to lift Independence to its second Virginia Class 5 title in three seasons. The Delaware signee scored two goals in the state final and totaled a whopping 75 goals and 55 assists in her four years at Independence. Girls' soccer first team, second team, honorable mention Cyrus Zia, Sr., St. Albans | After four years spent dominating local competition, Zia leaves the Bulldogs' program with a sterling legacy. He closed out his high school career in style this spring, earning a fourth straight D.C. State Athletic Association singles title. The Georgetown commit finished with a 17-1 record, including several massive wins over the Interstate Athletic Conference's best, cementing himself as one of the most decorated high school tennis players the area has seen in years. Boys' tennis first team, honorable mention Ruhika Bhat, Sr., Poolesville | Bhat was undeterred in her quest for a Maryland Class 2A singles title. The Falcons' top singles player didn't yield more than one game in any set this season, posting a 20-0 record en route to county, region and state titles. Her dominance helped Poolesville earn its fourth straight state title, extending the Montgomery County program's reign over its classification. She is committed to Georgetown. Girls' tennis first team, honorable mention Madi Bell, Sr., Lake Braddock | Bell dominated competition throughout her high school career, earning this award for the third time. The Pittsburgh signee won the all-around competition at the district, regional and state meets. She also finished first on beam (9.750) and bars (9.925) at states, leading Lake Braddock to a fourth straight Virginia Class 6 championship. In the state all-around competition, the 0.7 difference in score between Bell and the second-place finisher was bigger than any other gap among the top 20. Gymnastics first team, second team, honorable mention Logan Reilly, Sr., Bishop O'Connell | Reilly proved himself one of the best golfers in the area this year — both in the high school ranks and beyond. The senior excelled in every match he played, including his 1-under-par 36-hole round at Woodmont Country Club this month that left him just two strokes short of qualifying for the U.S. Open. For O'Connell, Reilly averaged a staggering 33 shots per nine holes, went undefeated in match play and was the low individual scorer at the Washington Metro tournament. He is committed to Auburn. Golf first team, second team, honorable mention Boys' rowing first team, best boats, honorable mention Girls' rowing first team, best boats, honorable mention
Irish Independent
04-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
‘There's been designs I thought were brilliant and only sold five in three years', says Dirt Bird artist
But Sarah Devereux, the Dublin-based artist behind the irreverent The Dirt Bird brand, can be hard to miss with her colourful, florescent designs. The 35-year-old has made a name for herself for her modern and subversive take on Irish expressions and culture seen on jewellery, accessories, clothing and classic decorations. Ms Devereux, originally from Co Carlow, has been selling her works online and across various Dublin markets such as the Fumbally in the Liberties or Le Zeitgeist Flea in Phibsboro. She describes The Dirt Bird as 'always somewhat separate, more of a persona than a brand'. 'I have such a weird relationship with The Dirt Bird because I feel like I created it, but I'm unsure of how much of that creation was conscious or unconscious,' she said. 'It's such a colourful person to put into the world, whereas I'm more introverted. I think The Dirt Bird is the part of me that is very much a performer. 'It's very humour based, ridiculous and over the top,' she added. The brand has been breaking codes and conventions since its inception when Ms Devereux was a student in NCAD. 'The Dirt Bird first emerged in the second or third year of college. I was doing an exhibit and chose to do it in the toilet of the gallery instead,' she said. 'I was definitely pushing the envelope. I really set out to be bold and shocking, and I loved it.' ADVERTISEMENT That penchant for shock and boldness saw her coined The Dirt Bird, and since then, Ms Devereux has been 'pushing her out into the world'. Showcasing her work to potential clients at markets is nothing new, even if her very first foray didn't go according to plan. 'I was a young child and I'd set up a table outside my house where I basically sold all my toys to my neighbour for a shiny coin,' she said. 'I then desperately cried at her front door, asking for them back the next day when I fully realised what I had done.' As an adult, Ms Devereux recalls her first big market at the Dublin Flea, just across from the 3Arena. She remembers it as the start of the belief The Dirt Bird would become something, but said not taking rejection of her product as a rejection of herself has been a 'learning curve'. 'You can still be surprised by who will actually be engaging with the stall and buying something. I've gotten somewhat better at figuring it out,' she said. 'They could be enthusiastic, chatting to you for twenty minutes and then say bye without actually buying anything. 'Some people might not say a word and you'd think, 'Oh god, they don't like anything here', and then they spend fifty quid.' The cost of living crisis has also forced her to think about the balance between 'what sells' and 'what her humour likes'. 'I love colour and silliness and I might go bolder or more political. Sometimes that works and sometimes it doesn't. There's been designs where I thought they were brilliant and then sold five in three years,' she said. Her 'Gas B**ch' design found on t-shirts and pins is her most successful and 'literally pays her gas bills'. 'There's a quote that says if you're doing what you love, you're not working a day in your life, but it's rather if you work with something you love, you never fully clock out.' Among her inspirations is growing up in her native Carlow and seeing plates with the late American president John F Kennedy 'in every home'. She has since created unique screen-printed plates filled with beloved Irish colloquialisms. 'I'd also include Ann Doyle and Nadine Coyle in some of my works,' she added.
Scottish Sun
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Man, 28, dies suddenly after collapsing during Great Bristol Run half marathon
RUNNING TRAGEDY Man, 28, dies suddenly after collapsing during Great Bristol Run half marathon Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A MAN has died after collapsing during the Great Bristol Run half marathon. Jon Devereux, a 28-year-old runner collapsed during the event on Sunday. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Jon Devereux collapsed during a half marathon in Bristol Credit: Getty His cause of death is unknown. A statement from the Great Run Company said: "It is with great sadness that The Great Run Company confirms the death of a participant at the Great Bristol Run on Sunday, 11 May 2025. "Jon Devereux, aged 28, collapsed during the event, received immediate medical treatment, and later passed away in hospital. "His next of kin have been informed. "The entire team involved in organising the Great Bristol Run extends their heartfelt condolences to Mr Devereux's family and friends. "In accordance with the wishes of the family, no further details will be released. "The cause of death will be determined later, pending medical examination."
