With farmers bidding for demolition work, how does this industry safeguard its future?
Pardon me if this comes across as a bit of a rant but, frankly, I am angry; spitting feathers, foot-stamping, likely to tear someone a new one angry. I have just got off the phone from a good friend of ours, a US contractor of some repute, who has just been knocked back on a major contract comprising a significant degree of asbestos abatement with the following line from his would-be client:
“Well, you guys are a fairly big operation and will cost too much. We’re looking to local guys. There are a few farmers who have shown an interest”
I hardly know where to begin. Setting aside the fact that the unnamed client in question is apparently willing to risk inflicting Mesothelioma upon his fellow human beings in order to save a few dollars, what does this say about the public perception of the skill required to do demolition properly and safely?
Moreover, it is almost exactly a year since our audio interview with Ray Passeno and Mike Taylor of the US’ National Demolition Association (NDA) in which Taylor said he was well aware of the phenomenon of non-demolition companies – Bob’s Landscaping, as Taylor tagged them – bidding for and winning demolition work. And yet, non-demolition companies are continuing to make inroads into this business of ours.
So what can be done? Well, here in the UK, the National Federation of Demolition Contractors is embarking upon the first of a series of Demolition Day seminar events that are designed specifically to remind major UK clients, main contractors and local authorities why they should (a) use a professional demolition company and (b) why that company should be backed by a trade association that operates a rigid Code of Conduct and which actively audits its membership to ensure best practice.
But is this enough? I am not condoning protectionism here. Nor am I proposing that demolition workers go buy themselves a combine harvester and play farmers at their own game. But what demolition contractors do is highly technical and highly skilled. It requires training and considerable experience to do it properly. Indeed, there’s no difference between the training, skill and experience required to demolish a building containing asbestos than, say, fixing the brakes on a car or instaling a gas appliance in your home. So would this client be happy to hand over the keys to his house and car to a local farmer to save a few dollars?
The fact is that, despite its considerable advances, this industry is still perceived as a bunch of hairy-ass guys who knock stuff down or blow stuff up. With that kind of public perception, it’s little wonder that some country bumpkins can climb down off their tractor and steal the work from under the noses of genuine demolition contractors.
Have your say: We’d love to hear your views, whether it’s about work you’ve lost to a local restaurant owner or suggestions on how you believe this industry can safeguard what is rightfully ours. Please click here to join the discussion.
