Industry veteran decries four-fold hike in training costs. Along with death and taxes, a skills shortage within the UK demolition and construction sectors is one of life’s great certainties. Now that the industry is returning to work full-time after the COVID-19 crisis, it is likely that we will once again find ourselves hampered and hamstrung…Read moreRead more
Comment
Comment – Shooting ourselves in the foot…?
Comment – When death is too familiar
Did you know that modern cruise ships have on board a temporary morgue? It is not advertised in the glossy brochures advertising 5-star dining on the ocean wave whilst journeying effortlessly to far-flung destinations. And it is located way below decks. But trust me, they do. It makes sense, I guess. Given the average age…Read moreRead more
Comment – Only the good die young…
That old cliché – only the good die young – doesn’t hold water, does it? I know it’s a nice thing to trot out when a beloved friend or family member checks out prematurely; and if that phrase helps friends and family cope with their passing, then that is fine and dandy. But in practice,…Read moreRead more
Comment – Criminal injustice…
A digger driver has just been jailed for five years and four months after he went on a rampage through the reception of a newly-built hotel. According to the prosecution, John Manley caused more than £440,000 worth of damage when he drove a mini excavator through the hotel in Liverpool. If that was the full…Read moreRead more
Four years on…
Didcot – I will be silent out of respect; but I will be vocal out of anger and frustration. Earlier this week, I took a phone call from a researcher at a national radio station. “Hi Mark,” the researcher said. “Are you aware that this weekend marks the fourth anniversary of the Didcot disaster?” Am…Read moreRead more
Comment – The What and the Why…
In less than a month, the industry will pause once again to reflect on the loss of four of their demolition brothers in what still ranks as the worst demolition accident in living memory. It will be the fourth time the industry has done so since the catastrophic collapse of the boiler house at Didcot…Read moreRead more
Comment – Consistently inconsistent…
Fine handed down after site fatality highlights fickle nature of legal system. It is just 48 hours since I – like so many before me – labelled the law an ass. But with uncustomary haste, the legal profession has today proved itself so be so much worse than that. With a single ruling, it has…Read moreRead more
State of Emergency…?
According to Wikipedia, a State of Emergency is defined as “…a situation in which a government is empowered to perform actions that it would normally not be permitted to do. Such declarations alert citizens to change their normal behaviour…” Now I realise that the UK demolition industry does not have its own stand-alone government as…Read moreRead more
Curse of the keyboard warrior…
This is NOT a Halloween tale. But it is a horror story. Just under a week ago, a demolition crew in New Orleans was waiting for the sun to come up to allow them to make their final preparations ahead of a high profile explosive demolition job that would be watched live by thousands of…Read moreRead more
Comment – So what IS the answer..?
The UK demolition industry has reached a crossroads. An industry friend and sparring partner has recently read my somewhat controversial article “where’s your fury” in which I lambasted the wider demolition industry for its ongoing failure to address accidents and curtail fatalities. Having read the article in question, that friend asked me – simply –…Read moreRead more
