Later this week, I am due to speak to the BBC yet again about the Didcot Power Station disaster that happened in February 2016. Unlike many of their colleagues in the wider media, the BBC thankfully hasn’t forgotten the incident that claimed the lives of four men on that fateful day. We are fast approaching…Read moreRead more
Accident
Opinion – The forgotten fatalities
Massive compensation for injured worker
News portal Construction Enquirer is reporting that a worker who lost his leg during a demolition site accident has won a multimillion-pound compensation claim. Damien Bundock, 29, was crushed by machinery that weighed three tonnes when he was working on a demolition project in June 2017 for construction firm S Walsh & Sons at a…Read moreRead more
Comment – The scales of justice are imbalanced
The life of a roofer is worth 27 times that of a demolition worker. That is surely the implication of a pair of recent fatal accident prosecutions: in the case of a roofer, the fine levied against the company involved was £135,000. In the case of the demolition worker, the fine was just £5,000. I…Read moreRead more
Paltry fine for power station fatality
A £5,000 fine has been levied against a demolition contractor after an employee – Gary Robertson – fell to his death when a rusty pipe bridge platform collapsed. The incident happened on 6th February 2019 at Longannet Power Station, Fife. By September 2020 the contractor concerned – Brown & Mason Ltd – was in administration…Read moreRead more
The Break Fast Show #328
In today’s show: As McGee Group sets aside £2.4 million to cover fines arising from the price-fixing probe, you have your say on the CMA fallout. As one of the eight NFDC companies that have admitted involvement in price fixing is fined over the death of a worker back in 2019, we ask: What price…Read moreRead more
Comment – Time to grow a pair…
I have been a vocal advocate for the sharing the details of near-misses, incidents and accidents. I fully endorse the initiative started by incumbent Institute of Demolition Engineers’ president Richard Dolman to share those details as widely as we currently share best practice. And I am firmly of the belief that each incident, accident or…Read moreRead more
Swingate House collapse – Reaction…
24 hours after the catastrophic collapse of Swingate House in Stevenage, Demolition News looks at the collapse and the wider implications for the industry.
BREAKING NEWS – Swingate House building collapse…
We are receiving news that a tower block in Stevenage in Hertfordshire has collapsed this morning while undergoing demolition. There are no reports of casualties at this time. We are checking news wires and contacting the local emergency services and will bring you more as we receive it.
Multiple prosecutions over demolition death
Four men have received suspended prison sentences after a worker died following a church collapse. Scaffolder and father-of-two Jeff Plevey (picured above) was crushed to death at the Citadel Church, Splott, as he worked on its demolition in July 2017. The men were sentenced for offences related to health and safety breaches. Four firms, of…Read moreRead more
A Damning Indictment
How far has the demolition industry really come if the HSE considers it necessary to issue a reminder that buildings can become unstable during demolition? And just how professional is an industry in which accidents and fatalities are greeted not with a scream of outrage but with a shrug of resignation and familiarity?
