Horrific accident robs man of hard-earned retirement To the best of my knowledge, I have never met David Whitfield. As far as I am aware, neither our professional nor personal paths have ever crossed. In fact, despite the length of time I have spent writing about this industry and my hard-fought online omnipresence, he probably…Read moreRead more
Comment
Comment – Another life ruined…
Comment – Happy 70th birthday to JCB
As JCB celebrates its 70th birthday, we look back at our own memories of a Great British company. I first visited the JCB World Headquarters in April 1989, and to say it was a flying visit is the understatement of the Century. I was part of the two-man route-finding and navigation team that successfully steered…Read moreRead more
Comment – Proud to be a part of history…
DemolitionNews joined the throng for a truly memorable event at Red Road. Rab the ice cream man will have been delighted that he chose to drive his ice cream van up to Rosemount yesterday as hundreds of men, women and children gathered to watch the Red Road implosion (and, apparently, to eat ice cream). It…Read moreRead more
Comment – Abandoned amity…
Has the recession undermined the camaraderie that once made the demolition industry unique. When the 2008 recession struck, it hit the demolition industry like a financial tsunami, washing away some; causing irrevocable harm to others. In a vivid demonstration of Darwinian Theory writ large, only the strong (or, in some instances, the astute or fleet…Read moreRead more
Comment – BRIGHT idea…
Please give generously to remember one of the industry’s good guys. If there was any justice in the world, Richard Comley would now be basking in the afterglow of his National Demolition Training Group chairmanship and, just as likely, be bracing himself for a run at the Institute of Demolition Engineers’ presidency. However, the unforgiving…Read moreRead more
Comment – We need to talk…
Talking about something other than booze, birds and football might just save a life. Today, 10 September, is World Suicide Prevention Day. This is a subject that is close to my heart having lost a business partner to suicide a few years back. But it is also a subject that should be close to the…Read moreRead more
Comment – Red Road is not the answer…
Why the tower blocks should come down, despite the migrant crisis. Only those of us with a lump of granite where our heart should be will have failed to have been moved by the pictures of Aylan Kurdi’s lifeless body lying abandoned on a beach; a visceral and unforgettable image that encapsulated the migrant crisis…Read moreRead more
Comment – To sleep the sleep of safety…
Insufficient sleep impairs the brain like alcohol. So are your workers getting enough kip? I am not a morning person. Until I have several cups of coffee and a scan of the morning’s headlines on board, I am generally best avoided. I have always admired those early risers that can apparently cram 48 hours into…Read moreRead more
Comment – The worst possible epitaph…
The true human cost of a demolition company that lost its focus. I honestly thought I had written all there was to write about the late lamented Euro Dismantling Services, the once formidable but sadly defunct multi-national decommissioning and demolition company. Along with the wider trade press, I had charted the company’s highs. When the…Read moreRead more
Comment – Why take the chance…?
Yet another bridge collapse throws spotlight onto unnecessary desire to keep roads open. There are certain things in life that are just so ludicrously dangerous that they should require no formal risk assessment as they just scream “DON’T!” – Understating your body weight just prior to a bungee jump for example; sleeping with the wife…Read moreRead more
