demolition magazine - issue 6

DEMOLITION

ISSUE 6

The industry magazine like no other

We’vescouredtheglobe,soyoudon’thaveto

Thebestdemolitionproducts intheworld,thebestserviceintheUK

Call 01925 269911 | Click www.ecyhaulmark.co.uk

Get in touch, get sorted. Simple.

3

i n s i t e

Predicting the future is a difficult and thanklesstask. Just ask Microsoft founder Bill Gates whofamously stated that he could see no reasonwhy anyone would want a computer in theirhome. Or weatherman Michael Fish whoassured the nation there would be no hurricaneless than 12 hours before swathes of thecountry were levelled by unprecedented winds.Or Gordon Brown, once thought to be the mostastute Chancellor the UK has ever had, whoconfidently claimed that he had put an end tothe economy’s cycle of boom and bust justmonths before we slid into the most protractedrecession in living memory. The biggest problem with these infamouspredictions, aside from their poor timing andstaggering inaccuracy, is that they were allmade in ivory tower isolation. Michael Fishmight have been less dismissive of hurricanetalk if a tree had just landed on HIS car. So when we set about our market researchstudy into demolition market prospects for2014, we were determined to get our data from

EditorialMark Anthony - Mark Anthony [email protected] 456 166

Business DevelopmentJamie [email protected] 234 077

Sales ExecutiveDaniel [email protected] 234 077

General Enquiries01903 234 077

ManagementManaging Director Jim WilkinsonDirector Mark AnthonyDirector Jamie Wilkinson

CirculationSubscription [email protected] 234 077

Production, design & reproductionBarry Morgan - Down to a Fine [email protected] 259 737

Printed by Penscord Press, Gwent, UK

Published by ©Eljays44 Ltd - Business IntelligenceEljays44 Ltd. County House, 3 Shelley Road, Worthing, West Sussex BN11 1TT01903 234 077

Demoliton is published 6 times a year by Eljays44 Ltd.The 2013 subscription rate is £60 per year. Subscription recordsare maintained at Eljays44 Ltd. County House, 3 Shelley Road,Worthing, West Sussex BN11 1TT, UK.Articles and informationcontained in this publication are the copyright of Eljays44 Ltd andmay not be reproduced in any form without the written permissionof the publishers. The publishers cannot accept responsibility forloss of, or damage to, uncommissioned photographs ormanuscripts.

From the Horse’s Mouth

the coal face, straight fromthe horse’s mouth. Ourindependent researchteam spoke to demolitionprofessionals across the country and thepredictions made are not ours but theirs.Those predictions come from large multi-national organisations, smaller regionalcompanies, and even self-employed owneroperators. They come from managingdirectors, financial directors and humanresources managers. They come fromcompanies from within and without tradeassociations. And their comments were madeanonymously so they could speak from theheart and hopefully be as honest as possible. Whether their predictions are any moreaccurate than those of Messrs Gates, Fish andBrown, only time will tell. But one thing’s forsure. If anyone IS able to predict the future ofthe UK demolition industry, it is the people thatmade our unique survey possible. Mark Anthony

1

k i t ta l ks t u f f

4

Nothing on TV? Then pour yourself a large

drink, sit back, and let us entertain you with

the very hottest video footage in the

demolition firmament.

With each passing issue of Demolition

magazine, the quantity and quality of industry

video footage seems to improve exponentially.

And the latest line-up of films do nothing to

disprove that theory:

Bada Boom Boom - Twin-boom excavator

becomes a mind-bending Chinese reality:

http://tinyurl.com/mac8wxg

CDI drops bucket wheel excavator - Dual blast

takes out two quarry giants:

http://tinyurl.com/mmz836l

Demolition TV is

sponsored by

!"#$%&#$'()*#+%$+#",-)*$./01$!++(2-3%#$4#45#"$6)+7"3)2#$8"(9#"

:3,#$5##)$;#3'-)*$<-%&$%&#$+34#$=);#"<"-%#"+$>("$%&#$'3+%$?@$$A#3"+B$7+-)*$(7"$(<)$C('-2A$<(";-)*+

6>$A(7$3"#$&#"#$>("$%&#$'()*$%#"4B$C'#3+#$2&#29$7+$(7%D

!"#$%&"'()'*%E(&)F;#4('-%-()G-)+7"3)2#D2(4

+,'-%./010$2343"9F;#4('-%-()G-)+7"3)2#D2(4$

H#$3"#$0#4('-%-()$6)+7"3)2#$+C#2-3'-+%+B$3);I

!"#$%#&'()*+,-.(/"&-,0*1(!*"'.((2&-$13**'.(4,,-5(6789(:);((1<(=8>??(>8?@==(A(B<(=8>??(>8?9==-$C+#&#-,D'-E*F#1#*$A#$,+&"$0-G0*E((((!!!"#$%&'()(&*+(*,-./*0$"0&%

(

((

(((

(

((

(((

(

((

(((

(

((

(((

(

((

(((

(

((

(((

(

((

(((!!!"#$

-$C+#&#-,D'-E*F#1#*$A#$,+&"$0-G0*E(1<(=8>??(>8?@==(A(B<(=8>??(>8?9==

2&-$13** ( ( (!"#$%#&'()*+,-.(/ (

((

(((

$%&'()(&*+(*,-./*0$"0&

D'-E*F#1#*$A#$,+&"$0-G0*E(( (>8?@==(A(B<(=8>??(>8?9==

*'.(4,,-5(6789(:);( (/"&-,0*1(!*"'.(()*+,-.(/"&-,0*1(!*"'.((

((

(((

&%

Press-Ups – AR Demolition’s special projects

team get to grips with huge printing presses:

http://tinyurl.com/p36bbvy

Somewhere, under the rainbow - Brown and

Mason seeks legendary pot of gold in this

stunning new video: http://tinyurl.com/kvoappt

Wow, what a backdrop - Has there ever been a

better backdrop for a demolition contract:

http://tinyurl.com/me7uzpg

Shear Satisfaction - Howard Stott Demolition

contracts manager Ryan Noon on why his

company prefers Trevi-Benne:

http://tinyurl.com/kasamph

Demolition TV

5

Hightail – Formerly known asYouSendIt, Hightail started out as amedium through which to sendlarge files and documents. But its

online storage capabilities have sincecome to the fore, allowing you to store vastquantities of information “in the cloud” for readyaccess via your smart phone or tablet.

Bitcasa – Part online backup, partstorage app, Bitcasa sits on yourcomputer gradually uploading eachnew document from your harddrive to the cloud. On the upside,this means that you don’t have to

select which files to upload. On the downside, itmeans that you can quickly use up your freestorage allocation and will need to pay for the Proedition to continue uploading.

Evernote – If you’re a seriousstorage anorak, this is the app foryou. Evernote allows you to storeeverything from expense receiptsand photos to business cards of

contacts as well as files and documents. These can then be searched using keywords andtags. The only drawback is that it requires somededication to get the most out of its ability to storeyour entire life.

Dropbox – Despite our love ofEvernote, our app of choice this timearound is Dropbox. You can arrangeyour online storage much as youwould organise storage on your

desktop computer with files allocated to clients,contracts or anything else that takes your fancy. Of course, you do have to remember to upload thefiles you need manually. But in terms of volume offree storage available, and sheer simplicity, Dropboxis as close as you can get to taking your filingcabinet with you on your travels.

Storage Apps

The advent of laptop computers, tablets and smart phones together with the growing adoption of cloudcomputing means that we all now have the ability to work anywhere…so long as we can access the files anddocuments we need to do so. In this edition, we take a closer look at the iPhone and iPad apps that allowyou to ensure that you never again attend a meeting without the information you need.

s t u f f

App Happy

S T U F F

These boots aremade for… EVERYTHING

Objects of Desire

7

It is the perennial problem for the demolitionprofessional that splits his time between site andoffice. Do you risk getting mud on your expensiveloafers; or do you wear site boots with a suit andaccept the fact that you’re going to look a bit of alemon? But there is an alternative. I am talking, of course,about the Burford boot from Kettering-basedshoemaker, Loake Bros: a boot smart enough to graceany oak-panelled boardroom; a boot rugged enoughto bestride any site regardless of weather and groundconditions; a boot so English it would make SirWinston Churchill question his ancestry. How English, you say? As English as a countrygarden. As English as rainy summers, xenophobiaand sarcasm. If this boot could speak, it wouldsound like Terry Thomas and its first words would be“I say.” If this boot were a meal, it would be roastbeef served with lashings of English mustard. If thisboot landed in a foreign country, it would promptlystick a flag in it and claim it for the Queen. And let’s be clear. This is not some namby-pambycall to “Buy British” to jump-start our beleagueredeconomy. This is a rallying cry to buy English becauseit is the sensible and proper thing to do if (a) you are aman; and (b) have feet. Why? Well, for one thing, it originates inNorthamptonshire, home to just about all the besttraditional shoemakers in the country. For another,these bad boys are hand-made and it takes acollection of craftsmen, artisans and elves a full eight

weeks to convert a swatheof the finest cow wrapperinto footwear fit for a king. The Burford boot features aGoodyear welted designthat has been an intrinsicpart of the Loake range forsome 130 years. Perhapssurprisingly, the Goodyear

Welt has nothing to do withtyres. The “welt” is a strip of leather that is sewnaround the bottom edge of a shoe. This stitching (thewelt seam) attaches the welt to both the insole and theupper of the shoe. The welt is folded out to form apoint of attachment for the outer sole. The outer soleis sewn to the welt, with a heavy-duty lock-stitch seam. What does all this mean to the wearer? Simply, itmeans that the stitching runs around the outside of thesole rather than piercing the part under the foot,maximising thesole’s water-resistance andensuring that yourfeet remain as dryas a camel’shumour. Someone farmore intelligentthan me oncesaid that youshould invest in agood bed and a good pair ofshoes because if you’re not in one, you’re probably inthe other. And since no bed ever looked quite so goodtwinned with dark jeans, chinos, a business suit or(better still) tweed, I commit to you the Burford boot. PS – To avoid the whining wrath of the style-starvedand pernickety pedants of the safety police, theBurford boots from Loake DO NOT constitute PPEand ARE NOT suitable site wear.

Contrary to popular belief,there are some items of

clothing that are equally athome in the boardroom

and the site office, as MarkAnthony reports.

S T U F F

he problem with 99 percent of demolition booksis that they are (a) written by enthusiasticamateurs with a slightly worrying obsession withbig diggers, (b) written by someone with anagenda other than the sharing of information, or(c) best described as teaching granny to suckeggs guides.

The new book from Dr Terry Quarmby is,therefore, something of an oddity in that it is (a)professional and unbiased, (b) academic, and (c)thoroughly researched and supported.

Anyone that followed Quarmby through his highlysuccessful presidency of the Institute ofDemolition Engineers will know that the subject –the correlation between the growth insustainability and increased recycling and a risein demolition accidents – has been a long-timepassion. Indeed, readers may recall thatQuarmby was the driving force behind the Designfor Deconstruction article in the previous editionof this very magazine.

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first trulysignificant demolition book of this century.

8

If you are serious about demolition and see thebook’s £64 price tag as an investment ratherthan a cost, this book belongs on yourbookshelf…but only after you have read anddigested its contents.

The book is available from Amazon from thisURL: http://tinyurl.com/qee6baj

Brought toBook

state of

the

demolition

nation9

10

T h e S tat e o f t h e D e m o l i t i o n N at i o n

State of the Demolition Nation

There have been times, over the past five years,when it seemed that the recession actually wasan all-consuming bottomless pit of despair.Although landmark projects like the London2012 Olympics provided some respite, theindustry saw workloads plummet, marginsslashed and employment levels fall.

As the UK demolition industryfinally shows signs of shaking off

the recessionary shackles,Demolition magazine andDemolition-Jobs.co.uk

commissioned an exclusivestudy to gauge prospects for theyear ahead. Mark Anthonydelivers the mixed messages.

The sector also lost a few companies along theway, with Armoury Demolition and ControlledGroup among the more notable victims.

But in some parts of the country, the greenshoots of recovery – long feared dead - havebegun to poke their head above the ground.Workloads are on the rise in selected geographicpockets; and many companies are once again onthe recruitment drive, looking to replace theemployees lost when the recession first struck inreadiness for a long overdue upturn.

Against that background, Demolition magazinejoined forces with leading industry recruitmentportal Demolition-Jobs.co.uk to commission anindependent market research study to gauge theindustry’s confidence as it heads into 2014.

11

C&DWhy are C&D different to

the rest?l Approved trainers for NDTG, IOSH, and CIEH.

l Over 70 different training courses readily

available, including plant assessment.

l Courses written to suit your training needs.

l We train anytime, anywhere and any number.

l All trainers PTTLS certified.

l Behaviour training is a speciality

and we are Zero Harm approved trainers.

l Industry leading Stress Management

and Diversity courses.

l We will manage your training records

if required.

01902 686363www.demolishdismantle.co.uk

www.demolitiontraining.com

[email protected]

[email protected]

C&DCONSULTANCYTRAINING DIVISION

LOOKING FOR WORK?

Over a six-week period, the research team spoketo a number of demolition companies of allshapes, sizes and affiliations up and down thecountry, and the findings were every bit as variedas the companies themselves.

The study focused upon five key questions: • Was 2013 better/worse/the same as 2012? • Are you expecting 2014 to be better/worse/thesame as 2013? • What factors might boost prospects for 2014? • What is likely to be your biggest obstacle in2014? • Will you be employing more/less/the samenumber of staff in 2014?

Prompted by the feedback on these questions,we then conducted a smaller and less scientificstudy to analyse the key costs facing demolitioncontractors today and how they vary across thelength and breadth of the country. The findingsof that study are presented separately on Page00 under the Postcode Lottery headline.

That the main study highlighted a perceivedNorth/South divide will be a surprise to no-one.

The fact that at least one specific part of theSouth sees 2014 as a continuation of thedownturn might surprise everyone.

What follows then is the details of that study.We have used the respondents own wordsthroughout, although each respondent wasassured of their anonymity.


2012 to 2013When the recession struck in 2008, confidence felllemming-like off a cliff and new work opportunitiesnosedived. Sadly, the climb back to normality isproving to be just that; a slow and often painful ascent.

However, a good number of regions – notably theMidlands, South East and Scotland – report that 2013showed a marked improvement over 2012. But theseheadlines do not tell the full story. Far more telling arethe comments from respondents: “The Olympicshangover lasted much longer than we anticipated.

As a result, 2013 was only marginally better than 2012.But the market is still improving,” said one London-based respondent.

When the recession struck in 2008, confidence fell lemming-like off acliff and new work opportunities nosedived. Sadly, the climb back tonormality is proving to be just that; a slow and often painful ascent.

“Work has picked up since May but, prior to that, it was

the worst winter we have ever had to endure,” said an

East Anglian respondent.

While the feedback from the various regions varied– often wildly – there was one unifying theme thatis best summed up by a Hertfordshire-basedrespondent. “Turnover is up, but profit it not.Margins are still extremely tight.”

It is notable, also, that only two regions – Cheshireand Kent – claimed that 2013 was actually worsethan 2012.

What makes this feedback even more remarkableis that feedback from neighbouring territories –Manchester and Surrey respectively – reported anupturn.

12

“2013 was better than 2012but, frankly, it couldn’t have

been much worse”

“2013 was much better than2012. There are bigger and morecomplex jobs available. We arefeeling much more confident”

13

2013 to 2014By the time you read this, New Year’s Eve and the dawning of 2014will be approximately a month away. For many of the respondents,that is expected to signal a further improvement in their prospects.

But in several key areas – notably Kent, Yorkshire &EastAnglia - such positivity remains in relatively short supply.

““We are planning for 2014 to be worse. There is moreactivity out there but only in terms of tenders; not inactual work,” said a Kent respondent. “There is potentialfor 2014 to be better than 2013. But even during therecession, our operating costs for things like fuel andinsurance have continued to rise. So even if we see asharp upturn in workloads, our profits are still likely tobe down to a level we saw five years ago,” said oneperson in East Anglia. But it’s not all bad news; far fromit in fact. “2014 is already looking promising. There’smuch more activity in the marketplace and we don’tneed to win all of it for 2014 to be a good year,” said one Midlands-based respondent.

The most upbeat response, however, came from aLondon-based respondent. “2014 has the potential tobe a record year for us. We are investing already tomake sure we’re ready to match the demand.”

LOOK NO FURTHERWWW.DEMOLITION-JOBS.CO.UK

“Hopefully, we can maintainthe status quo but I fear that2014 will actually be worse”

“Since the middle of the year,

we have really hit the ground

running and there is no sign that

that is going to slow”


The BoostersThe shortage of affordable housing in the UK hasbeen a challenge for about as long as anyone canrecall. And for all the initiatives and schemes set inplace by successive Governments, the UK’s need foraround a quarter of a million new homes each yearremains little more than a pipe dream.

But with the threat of the next General Election nowon the horizon, the current coalition Government hasidentified housing as a potential vote winner and hasacted accordingly with a number of schemes designedto boost activity in the sector.

According to the latest figures from the NationalHouse Building Council, new home registrations in theUK have risen by 25 percent for the year up to andincluding August. The figures show continuedimprovement around the country compared to thesame period in 2012. In total 90,730 new homeshave been registered in the first eight months of 2013,compared to 72,740 last year over this period.

The increase in registrations over the course of theyear compared to 2012 are said to be proof of howvarious Government initiatives, such as the Help toBuy scheme, have helped in the delivery of newhomes across the UK.

On our first two questions, the answers were as varied and disparateas the respondents. But on the question of what is likely to boost

activity in 2014, the industry came together as one with a resoundingand almost unanimous answer: Housing.

This news will be music to the ears to the numerousrespondents that highlighted housing as the key totheir prosperity in 2014 and beyond:

“There are great signs within the housing market.Some major developers are back in the market andthat helps everyone,” said one London respondent.

Interestingly, a number of respondents cited anincrease in Government spending as key to their ownrecovery. This runs counter to the wishes ofChancellor George Osborne who has long stated thathe wants private finance rather than public funding tobuy the UK out of recession.

14

“The confidence from the Help to

Buy initiative will help boost the

construction market as a whole

and that is good for demolition,”

“Providing interest rates staythe same and the Bank of

England doesn't do anythingcrazy then things will improve.”

15

And while for some time that sounded like emptyrhetoric for “the cupboard is bare”, statistics fromleading market intelligence provider The BuildersConference suggest that Osborne’s prayers have beenanswered.

“The Government’s desire for the private sector to leadthe industry out of recession has finally become a realitywith privately-funded projects outstripping public-funded contracts for the first time in a long while,” saidThe Builders Conference CEO Neil Edwards at the end ofAugust.

But he too remains cautious. “In truth, there isevidence to suggest that we are now fast approachingwhat might be called a norm in demand. 2008 levelswere unrealistic and unsustainable; and while I amsure there are large parts of the industry that woulddearly like a bit more work and a lot more profit, myguess is that current levels of demand will become thenew status quo.”

LOOKING FOR EMPLOYEES?

C&DCDM-C services

for the

demolition

industryl CDM-C services for the demolition industry.

l Demolition consultancy on projects of all types.

l Method statements and H&S plans written.

l ISO 9001, 14001 and 18001 systems written.

l Site safety audits undertaken by NEBOSH certified auditors.

l A One Stop Shop for assistance with demolition projects.

www.demolishdismantle.co.uk

[email protected]

follow us on twitter

@johnwoodward

C&D

01902 686363 or 07870 404906


The Barriers“There is more and more paperwork year on year andthat slows everything down and contributes todwindling margins. There is a major problem in theindustry with companies placing suicide bids. Theydevalue the entire market and drive prices down.

“There are lots of different qualifications and there isa high cost involved with this. But there’s no extramoney on jobs to subsidise the increasing costs,” saida respondent in the North West.

“The training qualifications that each industry bodywant us to get comes at a huge cost to achieve andmaintain, and the goal posts are constantly moving.Something more universal or standardised would bebeneficial and would save on costs,” commented aSurrey-based respondent.

While these respondents highlighted the issue oftraining, several cited the lack of suitable workers toeven undergo the relevant upskilling.

If housing and private finance are the demolition industry’s ladders, thenbureaucracy, over-regulation, suicidal bidding, cowboy contractors and a

skills shortage are the snakes highlighted by the survey.

16

“How can we ever hope to make

proper money when there is

always someone out there

willing to work for nothing”

“There are not enough skilledand experienced people cominginto the industry. Our workforceisn't getting any younger.” “Insurance is always an issue, and buying the rightpolicy cover is very expensive. Employmentlegislation is geared towards employees and it’s verydifficult to do anything about it,” said a Midlandsrespondent. That view was echoed by a respondent inEast Anglia. “Employment law has removed ourflexibility. We used to be able to expand and reducestaff levels as workloads dictated. But there has beena tightening up of work laws. You can no longer hireand fire as needed.”

A number of companies cited rising fuel costs and acontinued lack of bank lending as a potentialstumbling block. But the overall concerns for 2014were, perhaps, best summed up by a respondent fromthe North East. “It’s the same problems as usual.Higher costs for training, fuel, insurance, landfill andFederation membership. At the same time, we arecompeting against companies that cut corners yetcontinue to win work from supposedly reputable andsafety conscious clients.”

17

LOOK NO FURTHERWWW.DEMOLITION-JOBS.CO.UK

Jobs for the BoysThe website has since helped a huge number ofpeople into new jobs in the UK and – rather moresurprisingly – in New Zealand, Australia and the US.

But, for all its best and altruistic efforts (unemployedworkers can advertise their availability to work free ofcharge), it could not prevent an industry-wide braindrain that saw demolition lose experienced andtrained staff in their droves.

So with prospects now looking up in most parts of theUK, are we set to see an upsurge in employmentlevels? Well, with the notable and unlikely exceptionof Kent, London and the South East is set to retain itsreputation as the employment hot bed well into theNew Year while key geographic areas such as Scotlandand the Midlands reported plans to rationalise.

“We are employing a lot more staff in readiness for2014,” said one upbeat London respondent.

Demolition-Jobs.co.uk was created in 2008 in an effort to help newly laid-off demolition workers back into employment within the industry

That view was balanced by another respondent fromthe capital who said: “We grew last year from 35 to40 staff so we will look to maintain that.”

A note of caution was sounded by an East Anglianrespondent: “It’s just too unpredictable to tell at themoment. We would like to retain our current staff levels but we just can’t be sure.”

“Having maintained the current

amount of staff since 2009, we

are not planning to change.”

“We’re trying to retain the staffwe have but if anyone leavesthen we won't be in a rush toreplace them.”


ConclusionsAnd, at the end of the day, what is true for acontractor in London might be utter nonsense to acontractor plying his trade in Newcastle. Equally, theemployment challenges faced by some outlyingregions will barely cause a blip in the worker magnetof London and the South East.

But there are some findings that are largelyrepresentative: l 2013 was generally better than 2012

l 2014 is expected to be better than 2013 in most(but not all) areas

l Fuel, insurance, employment and training costscontinue to be a major cause for concern

l Cowboy contractors, bid undercutting andconstantly changing training and qualificationstandards are, perhaps, the greatest source ofindustry frustration

l The industry is still struggling to attract skilledworkers and to maintain those that it has

Unfortunately, there is no quick-fix to what ails the UKdemolition business. Indeed, there are some aspectsof the modern demolition sector that are a double-whammy and vicious circle all rolled into one.

Attempting to get a consensus of opinion from 100+ respondents – eachwith their own specific challenges and concerns – was akin to herding cats.

Take, for example, the issues of insurance, training andcowboy contractors; three seemingly disparateelements of the business but all interlinked toultimately make life more difficult for the reputabledemolition contractor.

A contractor is struggling, chooses not to train his staffand, with lower overheads, wins a contract against areputable competitor. As a result, there is an accidentor, worse, a fatality. The insurance industry respondsby driving up premiums for the demolition industry.And so the reputable contractor not only lost the job,he is now being penalised financially for theinadequacies and shortcomings of the contractor thatstole the contract in the first place!

Until clients recognise the difference between ademolition contractor and a man with access to anexcavator and a hard hat (or are forced to do so vialegislation), these frustrations will fester and grow andthe UK demolition industry will remain trapped in theboom/bust cycle that has typified the sector for as longas most of us can remember.

Sadly, if our survey and the comments fromrespondents up and down the country are to bebelieved, the industry’s fate rests very much in thehands of just about everyone except the industry itself.

18

20


One of the unforeseen bi-products of theDemolition/Demolition-Jobs market perceptionsurvey was the perceived differences betweenindividual parts of the UK. While majorlandmark projects like the London 2012Olympics unquestionably favoured London andthe South East, the increasingly nomadic natureof the demolition business should have allowedcontractors from further afield to benefit fromthis and other opportunities.

So does the North/South divide still exist? Wedecided to take a closer look at some of the keycosts facing demolition contractors up anddown the country. And the straw poll findings –although by no means scientific – certainlysuggest a marked difference based upongeographic location.

Postcode Lottery

The three key costs that we focused upon were: • A qualified 360 excavator operator per day • Waste disposal per tonne • Fuel per litre

Although qualifications and working hours mightfluctuate from region to region and job to job,there was a significant difference on the dailycost of an excavator operator. A contractor inthe North East and South West of England wouldreportedly expect to pay £120 per day while inthe South East and East of England, the ratewould be £140 per day. That is a 16 percentdifference, depending purely upon location.

Similarly, quoted waste disposal costs variedfrom £75 per tonne in the North West and £80per tonne in the Midlands to as much as £100per tonne in the South East.

What you pay for labour, fuel and to dump waste could be markedlydifferent depending upon your location.

Mark Anthony conducts a straw poll and finds that the perceivedNorth/South divide might be more than just a perception.

21

But perhaps the most notable difference wasthe range of gas oil fuel prices across the UK.Although these are subject to fluctuationsseemingly based on nothing more than marketsentiment, the disparity is both significant andpotentially costly.

According to our vox-popstudy, contractors in theNorth East would expect topay around 65p/litrecompared to 67p/litre in theMidlands rising to 70p/litre inthe South East and as muchas 75p/litre in the East ofEngland.

That represents a 15percent difference in theprice of fuel depending ifyou ply your trade inNewcastle or Norwich. Butthat is merely the tip of anexpensive iceberg.

A mid-range (25 tonne)excavator running atmedium revs could burnsomewhere between 13

and 18 litres of fuel per hourand clock up as many as 2,000 hours per year.

That could mean that a contractor in the East ofEngland could be paying between £2,600 and£3,600 more per machine per year than anequivalent contractor in the North East.

Survey Says…

The Health andSafety Executiveintroduced thisnew guidanceback in January20101 replacingMDHS 100(three types ofasbestos

surveys; 1, 2 & 3) with HSG 264 (twotypes of asbestos surveys); Management surveysor Refurbishment and Demolition surveys (RAD).

Unfortunately however, some organisations andindividuals have taken a more precise approachseparating out the refurbishment anddemolition surveys effectively misinterpretingHSG 264 suggesting there are three types ofasbestos surveys (management, refurbishmentand demolition) causing uncertainty andproblems between clients, surveyors,contractors and the accreditation body UKAS2.

The HSE’s position3 specifies there are only twotypes (classes) of asbestos survey: 1 Management survey - For normal occupationpurposes as part of CAR 12, Reg 4, DTM4

2 Refurbishment and demolition survey (RAD) -Undertaken when carrying out anyrefurbishment or demolition work

The HSE guidance intentionally makes nodistinction between refurbishment anddemolition surveys as the nature, intention andmethodology is essentially the same (i.e. locateall asbestos in the effected premises includingwithin the fabric of the building). RAD surveysare by their very nature to be intrusive and mayvary in scope and scale e.g. ranging from minorrefurbishment covering part of one floor, to acomplete demolition including substructures. The key is to ensure the scope and brief for thesurvey is clearly understood, communicated andrecorded as part of planning the works; thesurvey report must record this under theexecutive survey i.e. the building is to becompletely refurbished etc.

S T U F F

22

As the constantly shifting legislative goalposts governing demolition andasbestos surveys move once again, industry expertWayne Bagnall provides a timely update on a new

explanatory paper on HSG 264.

HSG 264 advocates dialoguebetween the client and surveyors toensure a clear scope and brief isprovided; this should includedefining the extent and limits of thesurvey to avoid any confusion. Corecompetence, skills, training andexperience are essential elements fora successful survey. HSE provides astrong message on competency undersection 2 (HSG264, para 17); viz: l HSE strongly recommends the use ofaccredited or certificated surveyors forasbestos surveys. l The dutyholder should not appoint orinstruct an independent surveyor to carry out asurvey unless the surveyor is competent.

There are many indicators to assess competencei.e. 3rd party accreditation (UKAS ISO 17020Inspection), individual qualifications (e.g. P402or S301) and experience (min 6 months on thetype of survey being undertaken). Ultimatelyyou must be satisfied that their skills, trainingand experience are suitable for the project.

It is a client’s duty for all construction work onany pre 2000 buildings to provide an adequateRAD asbestos survey as part of the PCI5 underCDM.

Organisations and/or individuals may decide tobe more "specific" in describing the "type" of RADsurvey being carried out i.e. they may refer to itas a Refurbishment survey only or a Demolitionsurvey only. This may be helpful in explaining toclients the type of survey being conducted;however, it may lead to confusion in somequarters as the guidance does not technicallydifferentiate between the two survey types.

More crucially however, thetitle classification of thesurvey is much lessimportant than the content i.e. ensuring the correctscope of the survey isestablished and agreed.As previously explainedthere should be sufficientdialogue between the

client and the surveyor to ensure that thecorrect scope of work is agreed i.e. intrusive inall the areas and locations where refurbishmentor demolition is planned (HSG264, Para 70).The survey report should explain and detailexactly which areas have been included andexcluded respectively (HSG264, Para 136). Anyexamination by HSE Inspectors would seek toensure that the scope, scale and extent of thesurvey are adequate and that all relevantlocations and areas have been included andaccessed.

Wayne Bagnall MBE MSc CMIOSH MIDE MCMI Director

Demopedia

1 2nd edition issued in 2012 incorporatingchanges in The Control of Asbestos Regulations2012 2 United Kingdom Accreditation Services (ISO17020 Inspection etc) 3 HSG 264 Asbestos: The survey guide (2ndedition) - ISBN 978 0 7176 6502 0 4 Regulation 4; Duty to manage asbestos in non-domestic properties since April 2004

23

S T U F F

Buying a fake watch may be illegal but it isunlikely to be life threatening. Supplyingfake personal protective equipment (PPE)however could be the difference between lifeand death. The British Safety IndustryFederation (BSIF) is calling upon theconstruction and demolition industries toensure that only CE approved PPE is used toensure the safety of users.

24

PPE is defined in the Regulations as “allequipment (including clothing affordingprotection against the weather) which isintended to be worn or held by a person atwork and which protects him or her againstone or more risks to his health and safety,e.g. safety helmets, gloves, eye protection,high-visibility clothing, safety footwear andsafety harnesses” 2. The main requirementof the PPE at Work Regulations 1992 is thatpersonal protective equipment is to besupplied and used at work wherever thereare risks to health and safety that cannot beadequately controlled in other ways. Theproblem arises when organisations believethey are purchasing adequate PPE for theworkforce, when in fact the products may befake or illegal.

Sub-Standard

Unfortunately fake and illegal productsbeing manufactured and sold within the PPEindustry is an increasingly common problem.Over recent years, a plethora of items haveentered the market place, from gloves tohigh visibility vests, which have beenproduced using sub-standard materials.Often these products are finished such that,to the untrained eye, it is difficult, if notimpossible, to identify that they are fake.

Take That,Fake Hat

In light of the £14,000 finehanded down to builders’

merchant giant Jewson Ltd forsupplying hard hats that did notmeet shock absorption test EN397, the British Safety IndustryFederation is stepping up thefight against fake PPE. Mark

Anthony reports.

Earlier this year, for example, sub-standardsafety helmets believed to be of Asian originand marked under the brand name “Burly”and “MkII” found their way onto theinternational market. These helmets arecopies of the well-known MkII® safetyhelmet, a product manufactured by thereputable JSP® in the UK and should not beconfused as being one and the same. The“Burly” helmets do not meet therequirements of the British and EuropeanStandard, EN397. They are extremelydangerous; they must not be worn andshould be destroyed immediately.

Due to the purpose of the equipment, PPEneeds to meet stringent performancestandards. Quality, CE approved PPE meetsand often exceeds these performancerequirements and will, therefore, protectindividuals from hazards faced in theworkplace. The use of fake and illegalproducts could prove fatal.

“Many of these counterfeit products arrivein containers from the Far East and can bereadily purchased via online auction sites orfrom street markets. It is quite easy to buycontainers of ‘safety’ equipment direct andof course without the correct quality controlprocedures in place, the buyer will not havea clue what they are purchasing, therebyendangering lives,” says BSIF chief executiveofficer, David Lummis. “It is not surprisingthat buyers of PPE are now more wary aboutprocuring items as there is generalconfusion over certified products, mainlydue to the counterfeit items, falsifiedcertifications and the potentially confusingCE symbol that stands for ‘China Export’.Nevertheless, there are measures at hand toensure employers are buying and supplyingthe correct equipment.”

Combatting Counterfeits

Obviously the size of this problem issomething that cannot be fixed overnight.But measures have been put in place to helpcombat the counterfeit PPE trend. Ongoingcommunication between manufacturers andend-users is paramount.

The BSIF introduced the Registered SafetySupplier Scheme in 2009 that allowsmembers to identify themselves as havingmade a formal declaration that they areselling only products which are genuine andlegal. Under the Registered Safety SupplierScheme this independent audit is one of thekey requirements to independently verifyconformance; it is the BSIF’s belief that theindependent audit is a key part of therobustness of the scheme. The BSIF activelypromotes this scheme to its members andencourages end users to look for the shieldto guarantee compliance, performance andquality.

“Certified goods will always be paramountin the health and safety world and beingextra vigilant when looking after yourworkforce is essential when health and livesare at risk. By just being aware of the type ofcounterfeit items available on themarketplace and remembering that offersthat seem ‘too good to be true’ usually are,is a step in the right direction,” DavidLummis concludes. “Purchasing the rightPPE is a big responsibility and safetyequipment that doesn’t perform properlyisn’t just inconvenient, it may actually costlives.”

25

O n S I T E

Building owners Legal and General decided thatthe building could be better utilised and bring in agreater income if it was partially demolished andthen rebuilt.

The former IBMheadquarters in Lotus Park,Staines wil l be undergoinga careful, if rather noisytransformation during thenext year. Demoli t ion reports.

Glass Ceiling

26

Training

Health & Safety

ISO Compliance

Employment Law

Environmental

www.thsp.co.uk

industry, including:

Health and Safety Policies and Procedures

Site Safety Management

Risk Assessments and Method Statements

Health and Safety Training

Contact us now to see how we can help,

Tel: 08456 122 144

INDUSTRY SERVICE PROVIDER

For chosen developer Mansell Balfour Beatty, thedemolition of the pitched roof, effectively the thirdfloor, four plant room towers and externalstaircases before the 53 week reconstruction,meant bringing in Kent-based Lancebox for somedelicate and selective deconstruction work.

Additional Challenges

The existing 4,000 m2 building will be extended to6,000 m2 by removing the pitched roof andreplacing it with a new steel framed structure withcurtain walling, which will then become the newthird floor.

27

By building within the existing structure’s height,the new building will utilise the existing footingsand the internal roof supporting pillars, which willbe cut down to single storey height and a newsteel upper floor constructed.

Lancebox certainly has its work cut out for it as theexisting building has some interesting additionalchallenges to overcome.

The car park, which occupies the basement, has aroof that has been coated in several inches ofobsolete fire retardant material, all of which hashad to be removed by hand before being replacedwith modern fire protection.

The basement is also home to an electrical substation, which will eventually be moved to a newsite outside the main block. This, however, haspresented Lancebox with an additional problem ofdemolition on the floor directly above the substation.

28

O n S I T E

This floor is being reduced in thickness, but insteadof being able to use large scale demolitionequipment, Lancebox have been restricted to using diamond saws to cut the floor into sections.

Then a Kubota KX008 mini excavator armed with aRammer City breaker is used to remove theconcrete. Lancebox is also employing hot worksto cut through the rebar in the floor.

The basement also contains flood doors, which willhave to reinstated to protect the building as it sitson a flood plain, just yards from the Thames.

Outside a pair of high reach excavators of 26 and28 metres will be used to remove the roof andupper structure. A Volvo 360 with a Verachtertshear backed by a Cat 330B and a KomatsuEC240B (both also armed with shears) have beencompleting the removal of the external staircases.

Volvo Construction Equipment Division Volvo Group UK Ltd, Duxford, Cambridge CB22 4QX

Telephone: 01223 836636Fax: 01223 [email protected]

www.volvoce.co.uk

If you are looking for a range of top quality demolitions rigs, you’ve found it. From 21 to 70 tonnes operating weight, Volvo can offer you machines rigged on standard backacter or bespoke three piece equipment - fully guaranteed and armoured for all your demolition applications. And as they come from Volvo Construction Equipment you can be sure of unbeatable comfort and safety standards as well as the legendary Volvo Customer Support and after sales care.

YOUR BUSINESS. OUR HOME GROUND.

29

Stop, Thief

Before work started, the site was raided by thieveswho stole around £6,000 worth of armoured cable.This was the second time in as many months that a

Lancebox site has been targeted. Thieves managedto cut through padlocked security gates on thepublic footpath adjoining the site.

They then dragged the cable several hundred yardsto a waiting vehicle before loading it and driving off.

30

O n S I T E

The cable, all part of the now defunct airconditioning plant, was soon identified by police bythe unique bus bars that were also stolen at thetime. Site manager Danny Samworth said he didn'tmind too much as they were caught that afternoonhaving stripped down the cable for resale. “Savedme the job,” he joked.

Part of the eight-weekdemolition programme isthe removal of the four, 3-storey plant towers, eachcontaining the original airconditioning, lift shafts,stairs and a plethora of toilets scattered throughout

the building.

The plant will be relocated in oneplace on the third floor, in an arealess than a quarter of the size,with all the new amenities housedin one central core around a newlift shaft.

Because the demolition materialcannot be stored or used on sitefor the future development,Lancebox has had to take it offsite and store it for futurerecycling. The company hasalready removed over a hundred50 yard bins plus a fair few 120yard trailers.

Eventually the building will bereduced to two storeys byLancebox, which will also meanthe removal of the utility roomsand the supporting beams.These will be carefully cut throughby a 4 tonne excavator, and thencraned out of the building.

The building will be left as an openshell, minus its roof so that thefuture construction can take place.

Mutley Plant Service Ltd can supply all your work tools • big or small • new or used • sale or rent • with a deal to suit you.

Call 00 44 (0)1304 853938www.mutley.co.uk

Work tool sales & rental

31

www.bretec.com

Built in 1938, and paid for by the minersthemselves, the baths have stood empty andunused since the pit closed almost twenty yearsago. The building was at one point given Grade IIlisted status but after break-ins, thefts andvandalism, the site was declared unsafe and had tobe fenced off.

The demolition attracted national interest. A BBCtelevision crew has filmed progress on the projectfor a programme that is to be broadcast later in theyear.

“We were originally scheduled to start work somemonths ago but the demolition was delayed toallow swallows nesting in the building to rear theiryoung,” says contracts director David Wall. “Aspart of our preparation work on the site we savedeverything of historic interest including the huge

32

The historic pithead baths at Kiveton Park Collieryhave been levelled by a specialist team fromRotherham-based Ron Hull Demolition.After years of debate about the future of thederelict building - not to mention recent delayscaused by nesting swallows - the structure wasfinally taken down in just a matter of days. The lastpart to go was the landmark water tower.

Under the watchful gaze of aBBC TV crew, the team at RonHull Demolition has carried outthe sympathetic demolition ofthe historic pithead baths at

Kiveton Park Colliery.Demolition reports.

BathTime

o n s i t e

Royal Doulton troughs that were used when theminers filled their water bottles before goingunderground, as well as various signs and otherfixtures and fittings. They are going to severalmining museums and collections. We were evenable to re-unite one former Kiveton miner - 75-year-old George Smith - with the door of locker927, which he was allocated almost half a centuryago when he started work at the pit. I gatherGeorge is planning to hang the memento in hisshed.”

David Wall reports that – delicate salvage aside -the demolition itself has been very straightforward.“The buildings have all been brought down and theclear up operation is now underway. “Brickwork,concrete and rubble is being crushed on the site, aprocess that we are expecting to complete inanother week or so,” he concludes.

“Meanwhile metal, timber and other materials arebeing moved to the Ron Hull Group’s recyclingcentre in Rotherham. It is a zero-to-landfilloperation, so absolutely nothing is wasted.”

33

34

O N S I T E

A planned change of use for aprestigious building on London’sVictoria Embankment required

General Demolition todemonstrate all its engineering

know-how and diplomacy.

GeneralDemolitionDisplaysDelicateTouch

35

The former Associated Newspapers building at 50Victoria Embankment represents some prime realestate. But in order to bring it up to modernstandards to meet the technological andenvironmental needs of today’s commercial spaceusers, UK construction giant Morgan Sindallrequired the building to be stripped bare before amajor refit and refurbishment made the structureready for reoccupation in Spring 2014.

To tackle this complex and technically challengingtask, Morgan Sindall turned to Surrey-baseddemolition specialist General Demolition.

Gnat-UK Confined Space, Robotic Demolition and Concrete Cutting Specialists

GNATUK - Cost Effective Solutions for Rob otic Deconstruction and all aspects of Concrete Cutting, Diamond Drilling & Sawing Projects - FULL NATIONWIDE SERVICES tel 01748 826046

www.gnatuk.com

36

Soft Strip

“The contract startedwith the soft strip of allfive main floors, thelower ground floor andtwo basements alongwith the plant room onthe roof,” recalls projectmanager JamesMcKeown. “To ensurethat we met the client’stight project deadline,we had as many as 80men on site at onetime.

With the soft stripcomplete, the company then setabout de-cladding the building from the fifth floor down to ground level.

“The ultimate plan is to reclad the building in adarker stone finish that is more in keeping with theneighbouring buildings so we had to remove all theexternal cladding and glazing,” McKeowncontinues. “We were then left, effectively, withthe exposed columns and beams.” The scope of demolition works also called for theremoval of a pair of glass atria, an architecturalturret, six elevators and four stair cores.

According to McKeown, these elements requiredGeneral Demolition to employ all its structuralengineering and temporary works expertise.

O N S I T E

“The turret had to be supported and back-proppeddown to lower ground floor level.

The removal of the stair cores also required theinstallation of considerable temporary works toprop the structural steel elements back to the lowerground floor. All of this was designed in-house byGeneral Demolition and installed by our ownengineering team.”

Demolition Arisings

The removal of the external and internal claddingand glazing, together with the removal of around65 percent of the roof slab required the handlingand processing of hundreds of tonnes of material

37

without disturbing neighbouring buildings orcausing delays on one of London’s busiestthoroughfares. “Traffic management was a keyelement of this project,” McKeown asserts.

“All arisings were skipped out of the building usinga tower crane and deposited in our compound inCarmelite Street. We processed as much materialon site as we could to minimise vehiclemovements and disruption to local traffic.”

The company was also mindful of the impact thedemolition works would have on neighbouringoffices.

NEW & USED DUST SUPPRESSIONEQUIPMENT FOR SALE OR HIRE

www.aceplant.co.uk e:[email protected]

Tel: 01908 562191Fax: 01908 260461

HIT THE DUST

Tel: 01908 562191Fax: 01908 260461





“To minimise disruption during the demolition, weinstigated a programme of noisy hours working,carrying out breaking only between the hours of 8and 9 in the morning and 5 and 6 in the eveningand on Saturdays when neighbouring propertieswere unoccupied,” he adds. “We maintained anexcellent relationship with the neighboursthroughout the demolition process, and with theCorp oration of London whose code of practiceprovided the overriding template for our works.”

In keeping with General Demolition’s safe workingpolicies, the contract at 50 Victoria Embankmentwas completed with zero reportable incidents.

38

O N S I T E

If ever the UK demolition industry seeks toaddress the impending skills shortage with amedia campaign that shows what can beachieved with a mix of hard graft and steelydetermination, then Downwell Demolitionmanaging director Matt Phillips could be its posterboy.

Expelled from school at 15 for "disruptivebehaviour", he was surely destined to be anotherstatistic of the nation's educational shortcomings.But Phillips disruptive behaviour was probably littlemore than a physical manifestation of educationstanding in the way of ambition.

At the age of 16, he was cleaning bricks on ademolition site, literally learning the trade from theground up. By 17, he was involved in the softstrip side of the business. By 19, he had his ownexcavator and was sub-contracting for some of thebest known names in the south of England'sdemolition business. "I was always hungry andambitious. When I was cleaning bricks, I wantedto clean more and better than anyone else.

In the decade since Downwell Demolition opened its doors, thecompany has experienced the highs and recessionary lows. Now, withthe economy on the road to recovery, managing director Matt Phillipsis targeting a spot at the industry’s top table. Mark Anthony reports.

The Hunger Game

39

"We had a lot of magnetic signs, so while ourmachines were on a lot of high profile contracts,no-one ever knew they were ours," he says. Allthat changed with the formation of DownwellDemolition in October 2003.

Applying what he had learned from moreexperienced contractors and with the UKdemolition market still on a near-vertical growthcurve, Downwell Demolition hit the groundrunning, regularly achieving year-on-year turnovergrowth of 20 percent or more. Not that thisgrowth in any way sated his appetite for success.

The Hunger Game

When I was soft stripping, I wanted to be the bestat that. And while working as a sub-contractorgave me a good grounding and a deeper insightinto the business, I always believed I had what ittakes to be a principal contractor," he recalls. The fact that he is father to six children is furtherevidence that he doesn't do things by halves.

Growth Curve

By the time he put his principal contractor plan inplace at the age of 29, he had a team of menworking with him and a fleet of machines that werea common sight on contracts run by considerablylarger contractors.

40

However, what Phillips -and a good many of hismore experiencedcounterparts - didn't knowwas that the upward curvewas leading inexorably to thefinancial precipice of a globaleconomic meltdown.

Oddly, Phillips says that 2008did not drop his company intoa pit of economic despair. Infact, it would be another threeyears before the teeth of recession truly started tobite. And even then, it materialised not in massredundancies and a reduction in equipment fleetsize but in a gradual erosion of profits.

"We found ourselves working more for less and wewere having to compete ever more keenly on pricemerely to win work," Phillips asserts. "Butthroughout, we managed to maintain and evengrow our team. We never lost anyone throughredundancy and our team stuck with us even when times got tougher."

Right Hand Woman

A key part of that team is Sarah Clark, the personthat Phillips describes as his "right hand". Clarkhas been with Downwell Demolition for the pastnine years. And although her business card sayscommercial director, Clark's role is rather morecomplex than that title implies. First andforemost, she is Phillips' sounding board, theperson with whom he jointly makes the decisionsthat propel and steer the company. She is also the buffer between Phillips and the100-odd staff that might make up the Downwell

team at any given moment.When customers call thecompany's Kent office, it's likelyto be Clark that answers thephone; when there's an issue onsite, it is communicated first toClark who will then decidewhether it's worthy of troublingMatt Phillips.

But Phillips is quick to point outthat his is not a meritocracy. Infact, it seems the quickest wayto upset him is to describe him as "the boss". Witha style of management clearly informed by his"bottom-up" progression through the demolitionranks, Phillips holds that he is just a working man likeeach of his labourers, each of his operators, each ofhis contracts managers and estimators.

"The guys generally deal with Sarah first, but I run anopen door policy at all times," he insists. "I knoweach of the guys working for me personally, and theyregularly come to me with ideas, problems andissues. I wouldn't have it any other way."

O N S I T E

41

Constantly Driven

In truth, it is Phillips' man management skills thatset him aside from many of his competitors. Andonce again, this is almost certainly a hangover fromhis "coming up the hard way" route through thebusiness.

"I am a very good judge of character and very goodat spotting potential in people," he says. "When Iemploy a labourer, I do so in the hope that he might become a mattockman or top man.

When we take on anexcavator operator, Ihope that he mighteventually be acontracts manager.If they are willing to

work hard, there is no reason whyevery member of our team can't progressthrough the company. That said, I have yetto find anyone as driven and willing to graftas I am."

Despite these Jamie Oliver-esque concernsabout the work ethic of Britain's youth,progression is very much the watchword atDownwell. The company invests heavily intraining to improve the opportunities itprovides to its staff and to enhance the serviceit offers to its clients. And, even though hepresides over a sizeable and increasinglyrespected company with 10 years’ experienceunder its belt, Phillips himself remains driven:driven not by cash or the trappings of wealth; butdriven by his constant strive to be ever better.

When I ask him where he'd like DownwellDemolition to be 10 years hence, he says he hasno end goal in mind. His large family is alreadycomfortable, expensive cars apparently are not aspur, and he is notoriously bad at holidays,constantly calling the office to make sureeverything is in order.

But, if he does have an ambition, it is to measureup against what he considers to be the industryelite.

42

"I still consider it an honour to find myself on thesame tender list as the likes of Squibb Group andErith Group because I know they are very good,well-run companies," he insists. "Of course, Idon't like losing work to them. But if our pricescome out the same as a company of that calibreand the client chooses them over us, I can at leastunderstand it."

o n s i t e

We leave his office together; one of the sideeffects of Phillips' insatiable hunger for success isthat there's always another meeting to attend,another site to visit. Having heard the story of hiscompany's first decade in business, I suggest thathe should be proud of his achievements. He looks askance; not through false modesty orstrategic humility. As far as Matt Phillips isconcerned, he has nothing to be proud of becausehis work - making Downwell Demolition thecompany he believes it can be - is not yet finished.When you're as driven as Matt Phillips, it probablynever will be.

44

o n s i t e

Long before Super Saturday and the incredible featsof and Greg Rutherford, Jessica Ennis and Mo Farah,the 2012 Olympic Games had attracted considerabledomestic criticism that they were too “London-centric” and suggestions that any subsequent legacybenefits would be enjoyed most within the nation’scapital.

Try telling that to Mark Nicholls of Apex Demolition.Despite being based in Peterborough – which is quitea long way outside the M25 – Apex Plant Hire wasselected as one of the Games’ preferred suppliers ofplant and equipment. “At the height of our activities,we were turning over a quarter of a million pounds

Levelling the Flatlands

per week on the Olympics site,” Nicholls recalls.“While the likes of Erith Group took care of thedemolition works, it was our excavators, dumptrucksand dozers that cleaned up afterwards.”

Buoyed by this experience and significant injection ofcash, Apex has targeted the demolition business in itsown right with the formation of Apex Demolition inJanuary 2012 and the appointment of experienceddemolition man (and Nicholls’ brother in law) PhilHayden to drive the new company forward.

Skills Shortage

With the Olympics now a bright but distant memory,part of Apex Plant Hire’s equipment fleet was sold, theproceeds being reinvested in the demolition start-up.

Apex Demolition might be a relative newcomer on the demolition frontline, but it isalready making waves in its native East Anglia and beyond, as Mark Anthony reports.

45

“We were determined from the outset thatour demolition equipment should be state-of-the-art,” explains operations director PhilHayden. “We have invested in full demolition

specification excavators from Doosan and Komatsuand matched them with the very latest attachmentsincluding a shear from Northerntrack and a new AtlasCopco hammer.”

This “best-possible” philosophy is extended to thecompany’s focus on training. Nicholls is already amember of the Institute of Demolition Engineers withHayden set to follow in 2014. The company is a fullypaid-up member of the National Demolition TrainingGroup; one of the team – Leon Baxter – hassuccessfully completed his Demolition Supervisorcourse; and three more Apex operators have beenthrough their CCDO course permitting them tooperate high reach machines up to 15 metres.

Levelling the Flatlands

But Nicholls insists that finding suitable staff is one ofmany challenges facing Apex Demolition as it scalesthe industry ladder. Despite being in a part of thecountry often overlooked by larger national demolitionfirms, Nicholls reports that operators in particular arehard to come by.

“Demolition is growing more technical, regulated andbureaucratic by the day. And the skilled staff neededto work in that environment just aren’t there. I can’tremember the last time I met a decent excavatoroperator under the age of 30,” he insists.“Demolition is just not attracting the young talent itwill need in the future. We have assembled a team oftrained and experienced operators. They are greatfor now, but I do have concerns about where the nextgeneration of demolition professionals will comefrom.”

Apex Demolition might be a relative newcomer on the demolition frontline, but it isalready making waves in its native East Anglia and beyond, as Mark Anthony reports.

“We are pretty risk averse as a company but we alsorecognise that we have to speculate to accumulate,”Phil Hayden says. “In under two years, we haveevolved from a start-up company working as a sub-contractor to being recognised as a principalcontractor in our own right. You have to invest inequipment and personnel to make that leap.”

Risk Averse

Despite the constant challenge of finding suitable staffto match its ambitions, Apex Demolition hasmaintained an impressive upward growth curve sinceit became a stand-alone entity in January 2012. In itsfirst full year of operation, the company turned overaround £100,000. In 2013, that is likely to top half a million pounds. Still relatively cash rich from the post-contract sale ofits Olympics hire fleet, the company has continued toinvest, spending upwards of £2 million on tippers, anew Volvo tractor unit and a new low loader to servethe company’s growing demolition activities andthose of its Fengate Waste transfer station.

O N S I T E

46

ROTAR ENGINEERED TO GRAB ATTENTION AND EVERYTHING ELSE

THE PLANT MACHINERY SOLUTIONSEPARATION/CRUSHING/MIXING/WASHING/SCREENING/RECYCLING/DEMOLITION

01606 83 55 44www.worsleyplant.co.uk

THE PLANT MACRUSHING/MIXING/WTION/ARAARATION/SEP

1606 83 55 440yplant.orslewworsle..www.ww

Y SOLCHINERCHINERY SOLTHE PLANT MATHE PLANT MACHINERSCREENING/RECSHING/SHING/SCREENING/RECACRUSHING/MIXING/WCRUSHING/MIXING/WA

1606 83 55 44.ukocyplant.

UTIONY SOLCLING/DEMOLITIONYSCREENING/REC

CLING/DEMOLITION

As the company prepares for its third full year as ademolition contractor, Hayden and Nicholls are underno illusions about their next big step.

Indeed, one of the primary reasons for running ApexDemolition as a separate company was to satisfy theNFDC’s specious annual turnover rules. “Ourambition for 2014 is quite simple,” Mark Nicholls

concludes. We want Phil to qualify as an IDEmember, and we want the company to qualify as anNFDC member.”

Given the company’s impressive growth to date,those ambitions look well within Apex Demolition’sreach.

47

48

o n s i t e

Robinson & Birdsell Ltd recently carried out thecontrolled explosive demolition of a pair of towerblocks on behalf of client Hull City Council. Thetower blocks - Milldane and Ashthorpe - weresituated on Hull’s Orchard Park Estate and were 22and 20 storeys respectively. The demolition wascarried out with minimal impact to the localresidents and environment.

The blocks sat 700 metres apart, were constructedof in-situ re-inforced concrete for the first 12 floorsand changed to in-situ concrete and no finesconstruction for the remainder. Built in the 1960’sthey housed between 114 and 120 families.

A decision was taken during the design phase byRobinson & Birdsell to carry out the explosivedemolition of both tower blocks simultaneously.

DoubleDestruction

Robinson & Birdsell Ltd hasdemonstrated its explosivedemolition expertise with a

controlled double blast that hasaltered the Hull skyscape.

This in turn created a commercial saving for theclient by minimising evacuation costs, with theadded benefit of reducing the environmentalimpact and disturbance to the residents.

An extensive soft strip was completed inaccordance with the programme to allow the pre-weakening process to be undertaken to the fiveidentified blast floors on both structures. On eachof the five blast floors a total of 26 pre-weakeningbreakouts were undertaken. This element of theworks was designed by Robinson & Birdsell’s in-house explosives engineer in conjunction with anindependent structural engineer.

Exclusion Zones

Two safety exclusion zones were developed inpreparation for the blowdown day. From theoutset, a resident liaison officer was appointed toact as a direct link between all 304 residentialproperties within the identified exclusion zones,stakeholders and other third parties. Regularresident drop-in meetings were held to answer anyquestions and queries. A bespoke website wasalso put in place to share the works informationwith residents in order to maintain regularcommunication to reassure and comfort residents.

49

DoubleDestruction

On the day of the blowdown, the evacuation of thesafety exclusion zones was manned by a total of46 SIS trained security guards, with an additional26 traffic and beat officers provided by the police.The exclusion zones required the evacuation ofover 800 people by Robinson & Birdsell’s liaisonteam along with additional staff provided by thelocal housing authority to a nearby evacuationFood, entertainment and refreshments wereprovided to those who utilised the evacuationcentre. The evacuation commenced at 8.00 am,with both zones taking approximately three hoursto clear, providing a completely unoccupied zoneprior to blowdown.

Ten minutes before blowdown, a number of mainroads were temporarily closed by the police toenforce the exclusion zones and minimise any riskand inconvenience to traffic.

The event took place at 12 noon with the clean-upcommencing at 12:10 pm which utilised severalroad sweepers along with a number of mobile jetwashing units. The area was sufficiently clean andboth debris piles were declared safe by 1.15 pmenabling residents back into their properties withminimal inconvenience. Meanwhile teams startedto recover all the barriers associated with theexclusion zone which was completed by 4.00pm.

The project was completed without anyenvironmental or safety incidents and to the totalsatisfaction of the client, local community andimmediate businesses essential to WRAP anddemolition protocol. Robinson & Birdsell recycled97 percent of the entire buildings and theircontents, in line with our recycling targets.

50

k i t ta l k

The cultural and recreational centre was opened onErfurt's Moskauer Platz in 1984. The three-storeyconcrete building with its restaurant, two halls, alibrary, a bowling alley and other rooms offered7000 residents on the Moskauer Platz and manyother people from Erfurt an extensive variety ofactivities. The centre was closed in 1997 and,after many years of vacancy, has now been torndown. A modern community shopping centre is tobe built on the site for completion by Easter 2014.

Gebrüder Kirchner GmbH ofElxleben in Germany has used a

number of new Doosanmachines for the demolition of acultural and recreational centreon the Moskauer Platz in Erfurtin Germany. Three crawler

excavators, a wheeled excavatorand a wheel loader from

Doosan were used on the job.

A period of eight weeks was planned for thedemolition. Within this time period, GebrüderKirchner GmbH ripped down the concrete building,recycled the demolition debris and subsequentlycompressed it for reuse in the new building. To do this job, Gebrüder Kirchner GmbH chose twoDoosan DX300LC excavators, one of which is anew Stage IIIB compliant DX300LC-3 model, aDX255LC-3 crawler excavator, a DX190W wheeledexcavator and a DL420-3 wheel loader. Themachines were mainly used for demolition andloading work and for feeding the mobile demolitionsystem. They were in action for eight to twelvehours each day and proved to be very efficientduring this time.

André Kirchner, the company's Managing Director,had the following to say: "We purchased all themachines over the past two years. After ourextremely positive experiences with the firstDoosan machines with regard to performance,reliability and the comparatively low dieselconsumption rate, and also our great satisfactionwith the service provided by BVG Dachwig, wedecided again on Doosan for our new purchases."

Quintupletof Doosans

k i t ta l k

52

Anyone that has ever spied an AR Demolitionexcavator in the wild will know that the company isnot above a little customisation. All the cabs areemblazoned with the pink ribbon Breast CancerAwareness logo, for example, and most carry thenickname of the operator within: Simmo, Mr Tickleand Foxy among them.

But the latest machine to bear Foxy’s stamp (realname Jonathon Wyeth) has taken customisation toa whole new level. The reduced tailswing VolvoECR235DL was supplied in full demolitionspecification regalia.

And yet the AR Demolition engineering crew hasbroken out a large and impressive box of tricks toturn a seriously good demolition excavator into agreat one. The first thing you notice is the blue and whitechevron rear end with the AR Demolition nameresplendent in silver. Above that sits an in-housedesigned and installed “boxing ring” guard rail thatensures that Foxy doesn’t take a tumble whenrefuelling or carrying out his daily maintenancechecks.

Equally visible is the AR Demolition-liveriedextending ram guard that runs a good way up themachine’s boom and protects the hydraulic ramsfrom impact and stray reinforcing bar. Just belowthe ram guard is the now-familiar OilQuick couplerthat is a fixture of almost all the excavators in thecompany’s growing fleet.

Foxy sits behind a new in-house designed cabguard that borrows heavily from the traditional Volvo design.

Pimp My RideAR Demolition has tricked out itslatest Volvo excavator with more

bells and whistles than theaverage bell and whistle

emporium. Mark Anthonypopped along to check out

Foxy’s new ride.

53

“The problem with a lot of cab guards is that theyare either so close to the cab that it’s impossible toclean the windows, or so far away that theoperator is effectively looking through a tunnel,”says AR Demolition’s Richard Dolman.“We built ours in house for optimum visibility, but it can swingopen to allow Foxy to keep hiswindow clean.”

Less obvious “pimping” sits justbelow the cab. The toolbox hasbeen extended and enclosed whilethe machine’s belly plates havereceived additional reinforcementand protection. Even themachine’s undercarriage has notescaped the attention of theengineering team. “We havedesigned and installed weldedand bolted rebar traps that sit just above the undercarriage,” Dolman explains.

“Now, when a piece of rebar and concretebecomes entangle in the undercarriage, theseguards effectively strip the concrete off and leavethe rebar to fall harmlessly to the ground.” Although the machine has not yet been across aweighbridge, Foxy believes that the extensivecustomisation has probably added more than atonne to the Volvo ECR235DL’s standard 25 tonneoperating weight. But he’s not complaining. “Ispend more time in the cab of this machine than Ispend at home so it’s important that the machineis kitted out correctly for the job,” he concludes.

The Key Changes 1 Anti-fall “boxing ring” rails 2 Extending ram guard 3 Rebar traps 4 Swing-open reinforced cab guard 5 Extended and enclosed toolbox and reinforcedbelly guards 6 OilQuick coupler To see this unique machine in action, pleasevisit: http://tinyurl.com/nspdv48

��

��

�

�

k i t ta l k

Hot on the heels of signing upas a distributor of Genesis

attachments, BPH Attachmentshas announced a new

distribution agreement withProlec. Under the terms of theagreement, BPH Attachments

will offer the complete range ofProlec equipment which isdivided into three LOLER-compliant product groups:

ProSafe; ProLoad; andProGrade.

The ProSafe range of safety systems is designed toensure equipment on which it is installed is able tooperate within safe operating parameters during lifting and slewing operations.

54

BPHAttachmentsAdds Prolec

The product line affords plant machinery such ashydraulic excavators, loading shovels, materialhandlers, telescopic handlers and road railexcavators monitoring and protection either withinthe manufacturers’ limits or more restrictive onesrequired for specific tasks. For demolitionoperations a dedicated Rangemaster system isavailable for high reach demolition rigs. TheRangemaster monitors the machine’s envelope andprovides an audible warning to the operator if thisenvelope is at risk of being exceeded. Prolec’s ProGrade machine guidance systems aredesigned to enhance the performance ofconstruction plant deployed in applications such asmass excavation, grading, dredging, piling,trenching, ditching, and waterway construction. The company’s ProLoad range of on-boardweighing products improve the productivity, safetyand compliance of material handling operations ina wide range of applications. “By offering new and existing customers a productwhich can improve safety and machine productivitywe are confident the ProLec range of equipmentwill prove popular,” says BPH sales directorMatthew Bastable.

56

k i t ta l k

The hydraulic breaker, thatmainstay of the demolition

arsenal, turns 50 this year. AndAtlas Copco is in celebratorymode. Demolition reports.

Many HappyReturn Lines

It is now 50 years since Krupp Berco Bautechnik -acquired by Atlas Copco in 2002 – revolutionisedthe demolition business by developing the rig-mounted hydraulic breaker, taking out a patent in1963. The first machine, the HM 400, attractedhuge interest at the Hannover fair in 1967 andmore than 2,000 units were subsequently sold.

The aim was to save time and labour in demolitionand mining operations where, at that time,pneumatic tools were widely used. The newconcept, which allowed one person operating arig-mounted hydraulic breaker to do the sameamount of work as several operators withpneumatic tools, was highly successful. Indeed, itmarked the start of a major transformation in theconstruction and mining industries.

Today, hydraulic breakers are in generaluse and dozens of manufacturersaround the globe produce machines ofthis type under a large number ofdifferent brands. Tens of thousands ofmachines are sold around the worldeach year.

“It is our belief that there is always abetter way of doing things. Thatinnovative spirit is a vital part of AtlasCopco's identity, a vital part of ourway of conducting business,” saysGordon Hambach, Product LineManager for Power Demolition Tools,Atlas Copco Construction Tools. “It isalso the driving force, which hasmade us a leader in our industry.Innovation is the ultimate driver forlong-term profitability and growth.”

57

Caterpillar Work Tools hasintroduced the MP300Series, a new generationof Multi-Processors. “This new generation ofMulti-Processors usespatent pending boosterand speed valvetechnology and a patentpending jaw lockingsystem, which translates tolower costs for customers and lower emissions forthe environment" says Richard J. Hermann,Commercial Manager, Caterpillar Work Tools. The new MP300 Series builds on the success of itspredecessor and is compact and light inconstruction, yet incredibly strong in cutting andcrushing capability. The housing's strong rotatorprovides a continuous 360 degree rotation thatallows it to carry out demolition tasks quickly andprecisely from any angle. Each Multi-Processor can be equipped with a wideselection of interchangeable jaws: Concrete Cutter

k i t ta l k

58

(CC); Demolition (D); Pulveriser (P); Shear (S);Universal (U); and Tank Shear (TS). With onecommon housing and a properly selected sets ofjaws, a contractor can achieve exceptionalflexibility with minimum investment, andaccomplish most tasks encountered on ademolition job. The various jaws can be quicklyinstalled or changed, thanks to a new patentpending jaw locking system. Instead of takingabout 25 minutes to change the jaws with theprevious Series, it now takes 10 minutes with onlybasic tools needed.

Cats havejaws tospare

demolition magazine - issue 6

Documents