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A look back at PlantworX 2015; a worthy successor to SED at its Whipsnade best.

Conservationists are using social media to oppose demolition. Should we fight fire with fire? Despite our inherent cynicism, the British people eventually rallied behind the London 2012 Olympics to make the Games one of the most engaging and unifying events in the nation’s history. Londoners happily point to iconic buildings such as The Shard, The…Read moreRead more

There is no shame in depression. I did not intend to write about Mental Health Awareness Week again. Come to think of it, I never set out to write about Mental Health Awareness Week yesterday either; but sometimes these things just happen. I thought a lot about that previous article overnight and I realise that,…Read moreRead more

Cracks within industry’s tough veneer where the light of humanity shines through. Thanks to my refusal to don a pair of rose-tinted bifocals before casting my eye over the demolition landscape, I have recently been accused – variously – of being anti-demolition, a doom-monger, a sensationalist and, most recently, a girl (I know, right?). Yet…Read moreRead more

Surely the time has come to end the minority rule of the industry. Let us start with a very quick maths lesson. Estimates suggest that the post-recession UK demolition industry employs somewhere in the order of 10,000 people across around 550 individual companies. The Institute of Demolition Engineers has around 400 members while around 160…Read moreRead more

The industry is one small step from true recognition and respectability. But… A man once told me that, for the UK demolition industry to achieve true recognition, credibility and respectability, it would need to be considered a viable career among educators and academics, and not merely a final refuge for the uneducated. That man was…Read moreRead more

Tyrants with too many statues and demolition firms with too many awards – Same thing. It’s going to take a paragraph or two to get to the crux of this but bear with me – I do have a genuine, demolition-related point to make and I shall try to make the journey as swift and…Read moreRead more

Why is so little being done to address the industry-wide skills gap? Redundancies and company closures were the most obvious symptoms of the recession that held the UK demolition industry in its grip for five years or more. But while these symptoms have largely eased, a less obvious but no-less-pernicious malady continues to ail the…Read moreRead more

PlantworX Awards sees demolition representation on both sides of the fence. Yesterday, the great and the good of the construction and demolition equipment industry gathered at The Gherkin in London to celebrate the winners of the 2015 PlantworX Awards for Innovation. I was honoured to have been selected as the chairman of the judging panel…Read moreRead more

Is the HSE doing enough to prevent contractors repeating past mistakes? We have all watched enough TV police and courtroom dramas to know how the judicial system works. A first offence for most crimes results in a slap on the wrist followed by a warm hug from a social worker. A second offence is treated…Read moreRead more