Several years ago, I was visiting a demolition site in the south of England. It was a large site; large enough to warrant a dedicated on-site canteen. After a morning touring the site, the managing director of the demolition company involved (who shall remain nameless) and I adjourned to said canteen, both of us craving…Read moreRead more
Comment
Comment – What the Hell happened to us…?
In defence of demolition
Even though Fred Dibnah made his TV debut some 44 years ago, to the British public at large his is still the face of demolition. That same general public are convinced that the demolition industry regularly blows stuff up willy-nilly, and yet explosive demolition accounts for a tiny fraction of all demolition work undertaken on…Read moreRead more
Opinion – No way to treat our greatest asset
Join the demolition or construction industry, they said. It will be great, they said. We’re hip and groovy, welcoming to all genders, sexual preferences and ethnicities and we “totally get the whole mental health thing”, they said. That might be what it says on the industry recruitment posters or what is implied during industry interviews….Read moreRead more
Fuel theft – The gift that keeps on taking
If criminal gangs really are as organised as investigating authorities would have us believe, then they must have recruited some of the best and most eminently employable business development heads in the country. There is, it appears, no money-spinning opportunity that can escape their steely gaze. When the imposition of a Landfill Tax made it…Read moreRead more
Don’t shoot the messenger…
There was one and there may be more poison pen letters circulating through the hallowed halls of the NFDC. But it/they didn’t originate here. You can read the original letter here: https://tinyurl.com/3yyzme3b
Farewell to an old and trusted friend…
Today marks the day that the UK demolition and construction sectors bid farewell to their fuel of choice for the past 60 years. And, despite the sectors’ environmental ambitions, it is a day of mixed emotions.
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
Comment – Open in the event of a downturn
During the After Show Party on Friday’s episode of The Break Fast Show, the question of the day was this: “Is the UK construction sector heading for a recession?” The simple answer to this question is, of course, yes. It always is. Any time the sector enjoys a peak, it pays to scan the horizon…Read moreRead more
Comment – Divided. Conquered.
For decades, the demolition and construction industry has carved itself into little fiefdoms; exclusive members clubs that were open to a few but closed to the many. The scaffolders are over there in their scaffolding silo; the piling contractors are over there in theirs; the groundworkers in theirs and – of course – at least…Read moreRead more
Opinion – Red Dawn, Red Dusk
So the Russian bear has awoken with a sore head from its hibernation and is once again threatening those around it. For those of us that lived through the 1980s – a period in which every movie villain spoke with a thick Russian accent – this surely comes as no surprise even though it appears…Read moreRead more
