And so, predictably, the Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) crisis has come home to roost. The Government’s policy of educating our young and treating our sick in schools and hospitals procured and constructed as cheaply as possible has now turned around and bitten politicians on their pasty, privileged posteriors.
Concerns over RAAC have been common knowledge in demolition and construction circles for years, which suggests that (a) government has been slow to act and that (b) maybe construction does not have the ear of government in the way in which it once did.
Whatever the background, a good many children that saw their education interrupted by COVID-19 and the resulting pandemic could now experience further disruptions while crumbling and cancerous concrete is removed from their schools.
For the removal of that concrete, government and local authorities will look to the demolition industry; the same demolition industry that those same government and local authorities are clamouring to outlaw over embedded carbon concerns.
Assuming they can resist the temptation to greet government calls for help with a collective call of “no”, demolition contractors could now find themselves in familiar territory: in the eye of a political storm.
Even setting aside the challenge of working under the glare of media cameras, it will not be a smooth ride.
The RAAC removal and remediation works looks set to take place while schools and hospitals remain live. Even before they arrive on site, demolition contractors may be required to subject their staff to Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks (formerly CRB checks).
In all likelihood, demolition contractors will then be required walk that fine line between restricted working hours and an unreasonably tight completion deadline.
And then there is the RAAC material itself. The reason for its removal is that it is already crumbling on its own, like the concrete equivalent of a McVitie’s HobNob biscuit. According to a demolition expert we spoke to on Friday last week, the mechanical removal and crushing of RAAC will convert it into something akin to powder. So what happens to that powder? Can it be recycled, reused or repurposed? If it is crushed and mixed with more traditional concrete and demolition arisings, does it undermine the quality and “cleanliness” of that material? Would a client be happy to have crushed RAAC powder in a piling mat? And if the material has no further purpose, will local authorities work with the industry on its disposal?
Even though the industry has been aware of the issue for a while, it has been thrust into the public spotlight quickly. As a result, many of these questions have yet to be answered.
But one thing is clear. The removal of RAAC will be carried out against the clock. So, from the moment demolition contractors are given the green light, the pressure will be on.
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