The report that echoed around the world. It is less than a week since we published our preliminary report on the catastrophic scaffold collapse in Reading, and already the article has become our most-read and most-shared story of the past 12 months. Even though it was written to address a British incident and a British…Read moreRead more
Comment
So many questions…
Comment – Didcot’s end draws closer…
…and why we won’t be showing it. For some, it will mark the beginning of the end. For others, it will be merely the opening pages of a final chapter almost four years in the making; another painful reminder of an avoidable tragedy that unfolded to claim the lives of four working men back in…Read moreRead more
Comment – An industry tarnished
Millions of man hours without incident. But the public will know us for this. All the meetings, seminars and conferences. All the training courses, CPD points, toolbox talks and site inductions. All the advances in equipment and technology. All the supposed benefits of site audits and Health & Safety Executive policing. All the strides made…Read moreRead more
Calling the “Thought Leaders”
Time to take a step back in order to look forward. Many moons ago, back when I still believed that wordsmithery might hold the key to my fame and fortune, I met with a business consultant. Much of what he said was nonsense; advice regurgitated from some source or another that he would trot out…Read moreRead more
Comment – Unrealistic Expectations
Demolition is a vertical market; the number of attendees at DemoExpo 2019 merely reflects that. I will get to our look back at last week’s DemoExpo exhibition shortly. But first, I would like to lay before you a very quick maths lesson. It will be very short, use round numbers and the simplest of terms…Read moreRead more
Comment – Collusion probe creeps closer…
Competition & Markets Authority net closing across construction sector. I can tell you precisely where I was when I received a tip-off that a number of UK demolition firms had allegedly been raided by anti-collusion investigators. I was at the Messe Munchen exhibition centre in Munich during the Bauma 2019 show, on my way to…Read moreRead more
Comment – Sleepwalking towards disaster…
Why I believe the UK demolition industry could be heading for a fall. I am worried. Now anyone that knows me will tell you this is perfectly normal. Worried is my default state. I worry about everything. But in this instance, I am not worried about me, my family, my friends or even my football…Read moreRead more
Comment – Don’t be fooled…
It’s April Fool’s Day but the HSE is being deadly serious, apparently. Thankfully, the Health and Safety Executive waited until after noon – traditionally the cut-off point for April Fool pranks and hoaxes – before issuing today’s article reminding demolition and construction firms of the need to review their processes. Apparently, the article was prompted…Read moreRead more
Comment – Victim of circumstance…
Why we need to look beyond the company owner when a demolition firm fails. In the immediate aftermath of a fatal site accident, you will often hear people say “no-one sets out to kill their fellow demolition workers”. It is a cliché, but it is also true. Demolition companies invest huge amounts of money training…Read moreRead more
Comment – Harmony restored…
The NFDC has a new president; and a positive outlook to go with it. Day and night. Black and white. Chalk and cheese. And now to this list of polar opposites we can add the 2018 annual general meeting of the National Federation of Demolition Contractors and the 2019 annual general meeting of the National…Read moreRead more
