UK car park collapse highlights new media benefits.
Partly because we tend to take the demolition contractor’s side and partly because the final findings have yet to be released, we have no intention of raking over the causes of the car park collapse in Southend earlier this year.
Instead, we will highlight two key factors that this incident highlighted. First, the news of the occurrence was on Demolition News before the dust had actually settled. In years gone by (and in some areas of the trade media today) such news might have taken weeks or even months to make it into the demolition domain. But the power of the Internet and a desire to be constantly in tune with the very latest news meant that we revealed this incident in a matter of minutes and that you – our loyal readers – then read and shared the details in your droves.
But another key industry trend highlighted by this incident was, in fact, the response of the contractor – Elvanite. While in the past, contractors would have been keen to keep any such incident on the low-down until after an investigation had taken place, Elvanite admirably chose to air its thoughts in public almost immediately. This new transparency was, perhaps, the most notable change in the industry this past year.
No accident is good; but if a contractor is willing to set aside its ego and personal pride to increase the knowledge base of the wider industry, then it is surely to be applauded.
