Demolition magazine issue 4 by Mark Anthony

ISSUE 4

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Elevating Safety Standards The Health and Safety Executive's annual tally of those poor souls that went to work on a UK construction or demolition site and failed to return has been published. And while the headline rate shows a 20 percent fall in fatalities - 39 this past year compared to 48 last year there is no cause for celebration. The fact is that the combined construction and demolition industries remain even more proficient in the art of killing than John Wayne Gacy. It is telling that the annual fatality stats were published by the HSE on the same day it declared its concern over "poor working practices" in the dismantling and demolition of elevators. There is no surprise in that proclamation - We have reported previously on at least one industry death that could be directly attributed to lift dismantling duties.

What is surprising, however, is that it has taken the entire industry so long to arrive at this overdue conclusion. Virtually every building in the UK above two or three storeys has an elevator within it. Their existence should come as a surprise to no-one and, having spent years dealing with lifts and lift shafts, best practice should surely be second nature by now. Certainly, the explosive demolition sector is well-versed in the special challenges in dropping a lift shaft. If, as the HSE suggests, elevator demolition is a life-threatening issue, the demolition training sector needs to act, and act fast. And it needs to do so not with meetings, working parties and sub-committees, but with decisive and immediate action. Mark Anthony

Editorial Mark Anthony - Mark Anthony Publicity markanthony@markanthonypublicity.co.uk 07973 456 166

Management Managing Director Jim Wilkinson Director Mark Anthony Director Jamie Wilkinson

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Jobs for the Boys

A relatively young recruitment company is targeting the demolition industry. And its secret weapon is merely giving the industry what it wants. Mark Anthony reports.

When I was invited to Number 8 Groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s west London headquarters, my head was filled with preconceptions and prejudices about the role of recruitment companies and agencies in the modern demolition world. The office would likely have a couple of Porsches parked out front.

Formidable back row: Zinzan Brooke (left), Peter Hart (centre) and Trevor Mills (right)

Organic Development The reason that Number 8 Group works so differently from its rivals is that, unlike those rivals, it was a client first and a recruitment company second. “I ran a construction company and I was sick and tired of receiving a constant barrage of calls from recruitment companies that could not or would not take no for an answer,” recalls group operations director, founder and naturalised Kiwi Peter Hart.

Despotic and sharp-suited directors would preside over an army of 20-something drones who were beating their bleeding fingertips numb to meet call targets in the First World equivalent of a sweat shop. As is so often the case, I was wrong on every count. The main men behind Number 8 Group are all casually dressed. The air conditioned main office is a picture of calm and tranquillity with inbound calls seemingly outnumbering outgoing calls. And there’s not a Porsche anywhere to be seen. And the differences don’t end there. Number 8 Group actively trains many of the demolition operatives on its books to ensure that they have CCDO accreditation to meet the modern demolition contractor’s requirements. The company works alongside its clients, not only supplying staff across all levels of the demolition trade but also helping clients factor the labour element into complex tender pricing. And the company says that its key area of expertise lies not in the supply of low-end “cannon fodder” labour but in the provision of experienced, qualified and reliable teams of men.

Hart’s original idea was to utilise the large group of antipodean workers he had gathered together, placing them on UK construction jobs for companies other than his own. But the development of the company has been “organic” and, just a few years later, Hart oversees a company with a genuine focus on demolition and a temporary workforce that comprises a huge number of British workers alongside those drawn from Eastern Europe, the Antipodes and beyond.

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Perfect Storm And work it does. The company’s client portfolio already features several member of the industry’s London elite including Keltbray and McGee; and with an NFDC Associate Membership now tucked into its back pocket, the company has truly set its sights on the wider demolition business. Their timing could scarcely have been better. As demolition companies re-emerge from their recessionary slumbers, many of them with workforces reduced by the effects of the economic downturn, there is a growing demand for temporary yet experienced labour. In addition, the recession and its aftershock has forced many contractors to move further afield in search of work, far from their traditional sources of temporary labour. And with the Government threatening £10,000 per man fines for companies found to be employing illegal overseas workers, Number 8 Group finds itself on the right side of a perfect storm.

Working alongside Hart almost from the outset is one Zinzan Brooke; one of the best rugby players ever to have pulled on the famous All Black jersey and whose squad number gives the company its name. But this is no celebrity endorsement or sleeping partnership. Brooke was involved in construction before, during and after his illustrious rugby career and plays an active role in the company. It may be 16 years since he retired from international rugby, but he still cuts a formidable presence. I am shocked to discover that he is precisely 12 days older than me. Completing the Number 8 Group back row is managing director Trevor Mills who brings with him over 20 years of front-line recruitment experience. “When I came to see the company, it was clear that the traditions and rules of the recruitment business meant nothing to them. They were working very closely with clients, not badgering them on the telephone and it seemed to work,” Mills recalls. “And it continues to work today.”

“We actively vet our workers to ensure that they speak English and that they are legally allowed to work in the UK,” Hart continues. “We have been burnt in the past so our screening process is extremely robust. It has to be. It is our reputation on the line.”

Number 8 Group has already made significant inroads, but Trevor Mills says there is more to come, particularly for those demolition firms willing to work in partnership. “We are working towards a position where we don’t just assemble a team of workers but will help train them in advance either to ensure that their qualifications are up to date or to match the training requirements of a specific contract or client,” he concludes. “In that way, we can deliver a team that a client will be proud to call their own.”

Learning Curve Hart says that his company has been through a steep learning curve in dealing with the migrant workers that now make up a significant proportion of the UK demolition workforce. But he believes the demolition industry itself still has much to learn in the field of recruitment. “There are still some companies in the demolition business that think they can pay site operatives £7 per hour. Legally, perhaps they can. But experience shows that those workers are likely to be unqualified and unreliable. It really is a false economy,” he asserts. “Similarly, a lot of companies still tend to leave their recruitment to the very last minute, calling us on a Monday evening when they require workers for the next day. Sometimes we will be able to fulfil that need, but not always. And if we can it will be with whatever workers we have available. With a little more notice, we can assemble an experienced and qualified team of managers, supervisors and operatives.”

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C O N S U LTA N C Y TRAINING DIVISION

01902 686363 www.demolishdismantle.co.uk www.demolitiontraining.com john.woodward@demolishdismantle.co.uk jill@demolishdismantle.co.uk

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App Happy Plant & Tool Hire Apps There was a time when an out-of-area contract would dictate a visit to the library to scan a copy of the Yellow Pages for details of local plant and tool hirers. Then came the Internet which put this information on our desktops. The latest phase in this evolution is a series of mobile apps that supposedly put all of that information in the palm of your hand with some even recognising just where in the UK you’re located. And plant and tool hire companies have been falling over themselves to be pioneers in this exciting new field. But just how good are these new apps? To find out, we put five under the video spotlight. A-Plant – Everything you’d expect from one of the UK’s premier plant hire companies. Visually striking, well branded and comprehensive equipment details makes for a worthwhile app. Our only complaint was that the order form did not automatically populate with the chosen equipment. A small missed opportunity in an otherwise excellent app. To view our video review of the A-Plant app, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/mbyauy5

HSS Hire – Strength in depth on the branch front is balanced by a workaday app that requires the user to have an HSS catalogue readily to hand for scanning purposes. Great if you do, an awkward throwback to the days of pen and paper if you don’t. To view our video review of the HSS app, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/ly662a2 Speedy Hire – Another app that claims virtual reality and scanning capability but which falls down badly when trying to identify and order an item of equipment. This was the only app that didn’t have a comprehensive list of available equipment and was the lowest scored of the bunch. To view our video review of the Speedy app, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/lf8ck4w

Hewden– Our favourite by a country mile, the Hewden app is the benchmark by which all others should be judged. Equipment and local branches could not be easier to find; requests for more information on specific items of equipment throws up details spec sheets; and the email to order facility automatically recognises the equipment you’re most interested in. Pick of the bunch. To view our video review of the Hewden app, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/oj43zdv

H.E. Services – Smooth operation and easy to find equipment and branch locator areas make for a worthwhile app that contains some good but limited information on the extensive range of machines available. One of the better efforts. To view our video review of the H.E. Services app, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/khll4hc

Video reviews were carried out in conjunction with www.diggersanddozers.com.

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Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Amore

specialising in the dismantling of steel mills, factories, and other steel structures. And he is so enamoured of Italmek - his preferred brand of steel shear - that he has one tattooed on his bicep. Now THAT is brand loyalty.

In our last full edition, we featured the heavilyinked Shawn Kidder who had declared his love of all things demolition with some extensive tattoos up both arms. Well, it appears he is not alone. Over in the Brescia region of Italy, Luigino Zanardini runs a small demolition company

DEMOLITION

Made in Finland

Introducing the Avant way of demolition

AVANT Tecno (UK) Ltd.

Manor Farm, Bridgham, Norfolk, NR 16 2RX Tel (01953) 714 896 Fax (01953) 714 897 E-mail: sales@avanttecno.co.uk

www.avanttecno.co.uk 9

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QuickFire In honour of our unrequited love of Twitter, in each edition we will bring you a Tweet-style interview with a leading demolition personality. This time around, the QuickFire spotlight falls upon Micor Ltd managing director, Michael Corridan:

Favourite food? Good Italian

What is the one thing you take with you everywhere? Like most modern demolition contractors, I can’t be without my smartphone. Favourite gadget? My iPad, particularly now that I have embraced the Twitter revolution (@micordemolition)

Nicest place you've ever been The Maldives; the closest thing to heaven on Earth. What time to you start work? That’s often dictated more by the client than by me but typically 7.00 am Do you have a morning ritual? Porridge and strong coffee – The breakfast of champions

Favourite or dream car? A Mercedes SLS AMG grand tourer. We can all dream.

If you didn't work in demolition, what would you be? A Black Cab driver as, apparently, I know my way around London better than most.

Favourite book? Confessions of An Economic Hitman, by John Perkins

What aspect of demolition to you most enjoy? Changing the landscape for the better.

Favourite sports team? Saracens rugby team

What aspect of demolition would you change? The public’s perception of what we do.

Last holiday destination? Tignes, Northern Alps, France.

What would be the first thing you'd do if you were King for a day. Get paid for tendering!

Favourite item of clothing? Canada Goose Parka

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Demolition TV

Your regular round-up of the good, the bad, and the downright ugly in the world of online demolition videos. Demolition TV is sponsored by In each edition of Demolition, it is our intention to bring you the very best demolition video footage available on the World Wide Web. We have a great collection for you in this issue so pour yourself a coffee, crank up the volume, and enjoy: • Boom! Pow! Blam! Contract manager channels 70s Batman in greatest explosive demolition demonstration EVER: http://tinyurl.com/kxlxwdq

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CD &

12 6

www.demolishdismantle.co.uk john.woodward@demolishdismantle.co.uk follow us on twitter @johnwoodward

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High on the Agenda The death of six people in a Philadelphia building collapse allegedly caused by an operator high on marijuana has put the issue of random drink and drugs testing back on centre stage. Employment lawyer Aron Pope looks at the possible implications. Demolition companies should be reviewing their policies on drug testing employees following the recent tragedy in Philadelphia: an excavator operator, who was allegedly high on marijuana, has been charged with six counts of involuntary manslaughter after the remains of a four-storey building crushed an adjacent charity shop with shoppers and workers inside.

The legal position Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, employers have a duty to ensure a safe place of work and safe systems of work for their staff. When considering substance misuse, this should include having clear rules about coming to work under the influence of alcohol or drugs and about drinking alcohol or drug taking while at work. However, there is no strict requirement to carry out testing of staff.

There is a risk of such incidents occurring in the UK and, were that to happen, demolition firms would almost certainly face compensation claims and criminal charges of corporate manslaughter. To reduce this risk, firms should consider implementing a process of regular and random drug testing of those staff operating heavy equipment.

Guidance about drug and alcohol testing is also contained in the Employment Practices Code, published by the Government's Information Commissioner's Office. This explains that: • When embarking on tests of these nature, firms must ensure that the benefits justify any adverse impact. To achieve this, an impact assessment ought to be carried out. The policy should only be implemented if the benefits for your business are found to outweigh the impact on staff; and • Post-incident testing is more likely to be justified than random testing. Failure to comply with the Employment Practices Code may also amount to a breach of the Data Protection Act 1998 in which case the Information Commissioner’s Office can investigate, conduct audits, issue enforcement notices, and in the most serious cases impose fines of up to £500,000.

Random testing of employees is more likely to be justifiable if there is a strong health and safety reason, as is the case where demolition staff operate heavy machinery. In contrast, it will be harder to justify testing for employees who are office-based, because there is a lower risk of danger to life in their workplace activities. Alternatively, where an employer reasonably suspects an employee is under the influence of alcohol or non-prescribed drugs at work, (e.g. after an incident, or if the individual exhibits abnormal behaviour or appearance) they may be able to justify “post-incident” testing of individuals.

Is it justified? Because of the intrusive nature of testing, employers must have a good reason to justify a policy of testing staff and should always consider whether there is a less intrusive means of monitoring employees.

Employers should keep in mind, however, that testing should be confined to ensuring safety at work, rather than to reveal any use of substances in an employee’s private life.

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Policy planning A HSE investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident is now underway. This may lead to prosecution for offences under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. It is important to note that an individual (such as a director of a company) may be prosecuted for gross negligence manslaughter.

Helen Clifford of Leigh Day & Co. the firm acting on behalf of Radulescuâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s family said that Radulescu â&#x20AC;&#x153;had insufficient trainingâ&#x20AC;? and she is hopeful that criminal charges will be brought on that basis. Aside from a finding of negligence and potential criminal liability, the contractor will face financial repercussions. It is likely that there will be a substantial increase in their employers liability insurance premium as a result of these claims. Contractors and employers will undoubtedly await the outcome

There is also the possibility that the Crown Prosecution Service could prosecute an employer for corporate manslaughter under the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007.

with some trepidation. Be Aware Implementing a programme of random drug testing will not be popular amongst staff. As such, employers must be alive to the risk of potential claims arising from implementation:-

• Breach of contract – Consent is required for testing. If an employee refuses to consent and the employer proceeds anyway or disciplines the employee for refusing to consent, this may give rise to allegations that the employer is acting in breach of the implied term of trust and confidence, and that the employee has been constructively dismissed.

• Discrimination – Reasonable adjustments may be required to modify testing procedures which cause a disabled person to be disadvantaged. For example, would a disabled person fail to pass the test because of the medication they are taking? Where an employer decides to test only certain categories of employee (e.g. those operating heavy machinery but not those based in the office), there is a risk of complaints of indirect discrimination.

• Enforcement – If an employee refuses to consent to testing, this can be treated as a misconduct offence. However, if disciplinary action results in a dismissal, the employer may well face complaints of unfair dismissal. If there is mass objection to the policy, employers should be mindful that backtracking (whilst an easier option) might make worse cultural issues within the firm and increase the risk of tragedy on a demolition site. Compensation for a claim of unfair dismissal is currently capped at £74,200 based on the claimant’s lost earnings, plus a basic award calculated in the same way as a statutory redundancy payment. Compensation for a successful claim of discrimination is also loss based, but is not subject to any cap.

For example, if you only test machineoperators and the majority are black, there is a risk of indirect race discrimination if you do not test office workers and the majority are white. An employer can defend a complaint of indirect discrimination if it can justify the difference in treatment. This is where the impact assessment ought to be extremely useful.

Aron Pope is an employment lawyer at Fox Williams LLP

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Objects of Desire A Love Supreme

There was a time when the purchase of a Skoda would have been just cause for derision and abuse. But oh boy have times changed? Mark Anthony has his preconceptions destroyed.

When I was at school in the 1970s, we had a whole bunch of jokes about Czech-built Skoda cars. What do you call a convertible Skoda? A skip. Why does a Skoda have a heated rear windscreen? To keep your hands warm while youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re pushing it. But as my grey hair and wrinkles testify the 1970s were a long time ago and, if anything, the changes at Skoda have been remarkable and considerably more positive. The company has been a part of the Volkswagen Group since 2000 and the cars now look and perform more like those of their parent company than the snigger-inducing Skodas of old. Even so, when I heard that former IDE president John Woodward had bought a Skoda Supreme Estate and that he was keen to show it off, I will admit that I was reaching for the joke book even while I was seizing the keys from his pocket while he was busy at the recent DemoExpo.

No Joke So it saddens me enormously to report that the car is no laughing matter. Indeed, while it is a bold manufacturer that calls its latest model Supreme, this is one questionably-named vehicle that lives up to its ambitious billing.

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For non-petrol heads, let’s start with the way the car looks. It is a strikingly attractive car – this model’s deep plum colour scheme accentuating the Audi-esque lines. And while it is a big estate car, it sits lightly on its 17-inch alloy wheels appearing sporty rather than battle cruiser-like. The car’s attractive front boasts a fresh new look with a significantly wider grille, restyled bumpers, front wings and bonnet. And bi-xenon headlights with integrated LED daytime running lights make their debut on this model too.

OK, it’s not the kind of thing that in itself make the Skoda worth buying.

Under the hood lurks a wolf in sheep’s clothing two litre TDI engine that hums like a distant swarm of bees at idle but which roars into life when the pedal hits the metal. The manufacturer claims a top speed of 131 mph and a 0-60 speed of just over 10 seconds. Given that I was effectively driving a temporarily stolen car, I didn’t get a chance to test those claims, but a spin in the Skoda Supreme suggests that there is plenty of power to justify such claims.

Wide Open Space But it’s the car’s interior that delivers the real shock and awe. The rear luggage bay is almost large enough to host a five-a-side football match and comes pre-equipped with rails and straps to hold valuable laptops and luggage in their place. It is so large and cavernous that I swear I heard an echo when I was talking into it. The boot also houses a very smart touch. The internal light on the left of the luggage compartment pops out to become a handy LED torch.

But such attention to detail is typical of a car in which the designers seem to have thought of just about everything.

Want another example? Take a look inside the rear door on the passenger’s side. There, tucked neatly into a purpose-designed slot within the door is an umbrella. Again, not a deal-clincher, but a nice touch nonetheless. What is a possible deal-clincher - at least for anyone with gangly teenage passengers – is the rear passenger area which boasts class-leading levels of leg-room. Just think, a journey with the teenage kids that doesn’t leave a kneecapshaped dent in your spine. Bearing in mind the specification of car – sat nav, multiple airbags, brain-freeze inducing air conditioning – the price will come as a pleasant surprise: Just under £23,000. And if that pleases your bank manager, he’ll love the fuel consumption numbers that Skoda claim to be in the 50 mpg range. So what we have is a car that – badge notwithstanding – could pass for an Audi, which includes the types of bells and whistles you’d expect to find on a Lexus, and which boasts space than a Travelodge deluxe room. And at £23,000, that really is no joke.

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Bringing Struc to Deconstruc Those that attended the recent DemoExpo at Armacâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s facility in Solihull will have heard John Underwood of the Health and Safety Executive give a very clear presentation on the issues with temporary works in demolition and the attention that the HSE are paying to this. What was made clear in the presentation is that the HSE will be looking for evidence that demolition contractors are operating in line with the requirements of the Construction Design and Management Regulations 2007. Underwood stated that regulation (copy below) was a particularly strong requirement. When read with regulation 29, there is a clear need to assess the capacity of the structure to deal with the demolition process: STABILITY OF STRUCTURES 28.â&#x20AC;&#x201D;(1) All practicable steps shall be taken, where necessary to prevent danger to any person, to ensure that any new or existing structure or any part of such structure which may become unstable or in a temporary state of weakness or instability due to the carrying out of construction work does not collapse.

With the Health and Safety Executive about to turn its focus onto temporary works, Swanton Consulting director Tim Lohmann takes a closer look at this complex field and the role of the structural engineer in demolition.

(2) Any buttress, temporary support or temporary structure must be of such design and so installed and maintained as to withstand any foreseeable loads which may be imposed on it, and must only be used for the purposes for which it is so designed, installed and maintained.

DEMOLITION OR DISMANTLING 29.â&#x20AC;&#x201D;(1) The demolition or dismantling of a structure, or part of a structure, shall be planned and carried out in such a manner as to prevent danger or, where it is not practicable to prevent it, to reduce danger to as low a level as is reasonably practicable.

cture ction

(2) The arrangements for carrying out such demolition or dismantling shall be recorded in writing before the demolition or dismantling work begins. The profession of structural engineering as described by our institution is "that branch of engineering which deals with the scientific design, the construction and erection of structures of all kinds of material". In the following article, I will describe the role that the structural engineer can play in the demolition process and also how a process to demonstrate compliance with regulations 28 and 29 can be developed. STRUCTURE The primary requirement for a structure is that it can transmit the loads applied to it back to the ground. This is achieved by having an arrangement of structural elements (walls, floors, columns and beams) that are strong enough to carry the applied loads, and that these are arranged in a shape that is stable. One important consideration is that newer buildings have been designed so that removing one element does not cause a collapse of a significant portion of the building. STABILITY Structures are subject to loads from the side, these can come from the wind, from imperfections in the original construction, from the way the building is loaded vertically or from the action of machinery on the building.

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The ability of the building to resist these loads comes from either strong points or from making the connections rigid. The strong points can typically be stair or service cores in buildings or braced bays in industrial buildings.

The demolition process puts loads onto structures that were not anticipated at the time of design. Floors are often asked to carry much higher loads than their design capacity, and this in turn loads the other structural elements more significantly.

When as structural engineers look at buildings that are going to be demolished our initial approach is to assess how the building is currently stabilised and then how we can work with this ensure it remains stable during the demolition process. When demolishing these structures it is important to assess the form of the stability arrangements and then to make sure that the demolition works back to the stable part. If this is not feasible it is relatively simple to introduce new strong-points with internal bracing.

Whilst analysis can deliver some assessment of the strength of the structure we often supervise load and material testing regimes that are able to demonstrate significantly higher load carrying capacity than can be delivered by analysis alone.

STRENGTH Most structural elements are stronger than their design capacity. However, that reserve of strength is part of the design process where we take a lowest sensible material strength and apply a worst credible combination of loads. In earlier practice either the strength was reduced or the load was increased to provide a suitable margin. In modern practice both the loads are increased and the strength is reduced to give more efficient structures.

Some of the loads that the demolition process causes are obvious â&#x20AC;&#x201C; debris on floors, machinery on floors where some are less obvious â&#x20AC;&#x201C; bursting stresses on lift-shafts full of crushed material, wind loading increases as one end of the building is opened up, higher lateral loads from long reaching. DEMOLITION Most experienced demolition teams have developed an understanding of how structures behave whilst they are being demolished. They understand the processes of demolition and have developed methods for taking down many types of structure.

The design of many structural elements is not always driven by strength, as vibration, deflection, thermal and acoustic properties also come into play.

However it is now more important than ever that you can demonstrate that the proposed methods and loadings that the structure is subject to during demolition can be safely carried without leading to unplanned collapse.

A structural engineer is able to determine the likely capacity of a structure to carry loads by an assessment and testing. The more thorough this process is the more certain we can be about the capacity of the members to carry load.

There are two main routes to ensuring that you can demonstrate this. Firstly each contractor should have a robust temporary works procedure in place which works in accordance with codes of practice and regulatory authority guidance.

The second is to ensure that you can demonstrate that where the temporary works procedure identifies the need you have had an appropriate assessment or design undertaken and that the findings of that are implemented in the demolition methodology. Procure the supply and installation of any temporary works required as a result of the investigation, assessment and design.

TEMPORARY WORKS PROCEDURE There is a British Standard (BS5975) which covers the management of temporary works as well as the design of falsework. It is a good document and was written following a series of collapses of temporary structures. It has been revised recently and it appears that if you are not working to its requirements you are in breach of regulation 29 of CDM.

Inspect these thoroughly before they are put into use, and issue an appropriate permit to load Inspect them thoroughly on a regular basis throughout their use Ensure that they are redundant before they are taken out of use and issue an appropriate permit to strip/unload.

The procedure to be followed hinges around making one named individual the Temporary Works Coordinator for each construction or demolition project. This individual is responsible for a wide range of responsibilities under the standard and they can delegate the tasks but not the responsibilities to named supervisors.

Record and provide feedback on each of the above stages. It is made clear in the standard that the TWC should be provided with sufficient resource (time, money or staff) to undertake the role and also that they have sufficient authority to suspend work should there be a concern regarding temporary stability.

Each organisation must appoint a Designated Individual who is responsible for appointing competent Temporary Works Co-ordinators. This should be a senior, board level, individual with extensive experience.

SUMMARY An experienced structural engineer is not there to make life hard for the demolition contractor. As part of a team he can advise on methods and sequences that may not only make the scheme safer but can deliver significant cost and time savings as well.

The temporary works co-ordinators main roles are to Identify the items of temporary works associated with a scheme, these would always include the temporary stability of the structure. Sufficient time should be allowed to review and resolve these.

The issue of temporary works within demolition is now at the forefront of HSE work in the field and it is vital that you have a proper procedure and competent staff in place.

Appoint competent people to undertake investigation, assessment and design work and to get this checked.

Stuff

Busman’s Holiday Australian Paul Ryan withstood a barrage of British Lions and Ashes cricket jibes are he toured a couple of London demolition sites recently. Mark Anthony was the chief instigator.

Paul Ryan’s visit to the UK could scarcely have been timed any worse. On the day of the Australian demolition contracts manager’s arrival in London, his compatriots were being put to the sword by an English bowling attack that left the visitors looking as floppy and green as the hats they wear through protracted periods in the field.

A few phone calls later and we had compiled a schedule of sites for him to visit and, equally importantly, fellow contract managers to speak to.

Fortress Wapping The first stop on Ryan’s tour was the former News International building close to Tower Bridge where Barking-based Squibb Group is at the beginning of a two-year programme to demolish the vast former home of some of the UK’s best-known newspapers. The premises, once dubbed Fortress Wapping, was once the home of The Times, The Sun and, of course, the News of the World.

But Ryan was here to check out a form of demolition that involved neither batting nor bowling. A few weeks ago, his employer – Brisbane-based Rosenlund Contractors – contacted us to say that Ryan would be in the UK for a vacation and was keen to check out just how UK contractors went about their work.

Stuff person,” he says. “There isn’t really a formalised training regime yet. But we tend to follow the UK’s lead so it is probably only a matter of time.”

Remarkable Similarities Despite this, Ryan was struck more by the similarities between the UK and Australian approaches. Very little in the working methods at the News International site were markedly different to Australian methodologies; the PPE regime was much the same; and the handling and processing of waste was almost identical.

And yet, 30 years on from the industrial dispute that resulted from its opening and despite the more recent News of the World hacking affair, Fortress Wapping is probably still best remembered as one of the key battle grounds upon which British trade unions were defeated, changing the country’s employment landscape forever. The fact that the Fortress Wapping was the brainchild of Australian-born media magnate Rupert Murdoch was not lost on Ryan. As we walked the now barren halls that were once the home to hundreds of journalists and printers, Ryan admitted that the Australian demolition sector is still in its infancy. “We’re a relatively young country and we’re only just facing up to the challenges of things like high rise demolition,” he says. “We are working on an 18-storey block on the Gold Coast at the moment, and that is one of the tallest demolition jobs ever undertaken in the country.” Although he admits that the Australian demolition sector is as heavily policed as it is in the UK, he says that there is currently a gap in the industry’s training. “Most training is done in-house with knowledge being passed down from an experienced

Perhaps the greatest similarities, however, came to light in the site office where Ryan spent some time with some of the Squibb Group team. Talk quickly turned to the challenges of PQQs, clients that employ you for your expertise and then tell you how to do things, and the client/contractor hierarchy in which – it seems – the demolition contractor is always wrong. Some things, it appears, are universal.

Once again, Ryan had much in common with his UK opposite number, the pair quickly bemoaning the high cost of PPE and the challenges of working in close proximity to the general public and – in Micor’s case – beside one of the West End’s most popular theatre shows.

Student Exchange

So what did Paul Ryan learn from his whistle-stop tour of the UK capital? “In Australia, we believe that the UK has the most experienced and mature demolition industry in the world.

From Fortress Wapping it was a quick scoot across town to meet up with Michael Corridan of Micor Ltd which is currently tackling a challenging and confined space demolition contract immediately outside Victoria railway station and directly above Victoria underground station.

There are already a lot of Poms working in Australia, sharing their knowledge and experience but we still have a lot to learn,” he concludes. “It would be great if we could create some kind of ‘student exchange’ programme between the two countries.”

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ON SITE

BAM Nabs Tower Marine demolition might be a highly specialised field of endeavour. But, as Mark Anthony reports, construction giant BAM Nuttall opted for the DIY approach when faced with the partial demolition of a First World War tower two miles off the point of Hayling Island It is often said that the term â&#x20AC;&#x153;military intelligenceâ&#x20AC;? is the greatest oxymoron in the world. And certainly the history of the Nab Tower that stands askew in the approach to the Solent suggests anything but considered foresight.

Built in 1920, it was originally planned to be one of a string of towers linked by steel sonar nets designed to keep German submarines out. But when towed into position above the Nab Rocks from which it draws its name, it sank prematurely and came to rest listing by two degrees. The other towers were never built. During the Second World War, Nab Tower saw service as an anti-aircraft battery with a gun mounted on the roof deck. For much of the remainder of its history, the 22 metre high tower was used as a manned lighthouse, the light on top used purely to highlight the presence of the tower.

Naval Folly Despite a near 100-year history as a naval folly, current owners Trinity House has no plans to remove it entirely, even though rumours abound of a naval torpedoing exercise to clear the tower once and for all. Instead, the Nab Tower is to be reduced in height through a controlled demolition and removal of the upper 10 metres, including the steel lattice work that once crowned the tower, and the concrete roof deck that once housed an antiaircraft gun. The contract for the removal of the upper portion of the tower was awarded to BAM Nuttall which – much to the chagrin of the wider demolition business – chose to undertake the demolition work itself. “We did speak to one demolition contractor about the possibility of sub-contracting the work but, having planned the works, we believed that we would be more sympathetic to the portion of the tower that is to remain in place,” says BAM Nuttall’s Jonathan Pitt.

ON SITE “As far as we could tell, their plan was just to flood the job with men. We could just as easily do that ourselves.” And that is precisely what an 11-man BAM Nuttall team has done. After many months of planning, the demolition phase effectively began with the delivery and assembly of a 15 tonne crawler crane on the Nab Tower’s upper deck. This crane was then used to haul into place sections of a 25 metre job tower crane that would be responsible for getting equipment onto the island and for getting materials and debris off again. “One of the key challenges was installing the tower crane through a vertical shaft running through the core of the tower,” recalls Pitt. “Even though we knew the tower itself was not vertical, the tower crane and the 10 m3 concrete base upon which it was built had to be.”

Heavily Corroded With the tower crane in place, the lattice work and associated timber – a total of around 80 tonnes in all – was removed and lowered onto a Multi Cat for transfer back to land for segregation, processing and recycling.

A 1.5 tonne mini excavator equipped with a hydraulic hammer was then craned onto the roof deck which â&#x20AC;&#x201C; aside from arisings being craned onto a waiting boat - is being removed in traditional top down fashion.

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on site

Waterborne Lifeline

At the same time, the heavily corroded steel skin of the tower is being removed by oxy-propane cutting methods. “Some of the skin is so rusty that we could remove most of it with a sledgehammer. But, as on any contract, safety is paramount so we are cutting down the steel in a controlled manner.” The steel panels, some of which weigh more than a tonne, are lowered directly onto the waiting boat. “At the sea bed, the tower is about three times the width,” Pitt explains. “But the part above the water line has nowhere to stockpile materials so, wherever possible, we deposit them straight onto the boat.”

That boat – on hire from Williams Shipping – is the lifeline of the entire Nab Tower demolition process. It brings men, machines and supplies in and takes out debris each day. Despite the location of the tower and some particularly ferocious swells at the beginning of the year, the BAM Nuttall has lost virtually no time to the weather. That said, the contract is scheduled to end in March 2014 but BAM Nuttall is hoping to finish by October when the bad weather is due to start again. For all the specific challenges of tackling a partial demolition two miles out to sea, BAM Nuttall is well ahead of contract schedule and its team has clearly grown accustomed to a demolition role as opposed to their more traditional construction one.

The new ZAXIS-5 range

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STUFF The company says that CDM Regs apply just the same in both cases and health and safety systems are also replicated. Perhaps the only real difference between this and the usual BAM Nuttall works is the type of traffic. Not many inner city construction sites are visited by jet skiers, sea kayakers and dive crews.

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Rise of the Super Towers

R i s e o f t h e S u p e r To w e r s

Rise of the Super Towers Techniques are failing to keep pace with the surge in super-high tower blocks that could require demolition in the next 25 to 35 years. Mark Anthony reports on an industry facing a nearvertical learning curve.

R i s e o f t h e S u p e r To w e r s Like millions of people around the world, I watched in horror as the tragic events of 9/11 unfolded before my eyes live on TV. Once I had grasped the sheer magnitude of what I was witnessing, I began to wonder about the evacuation and rescue procedures for buildings that had truly earned the skyscraper nickname. As the second tower fell and the death toll rose inexorably towards a previously incomprehensible and unprecedented final tally of close to 3,000 souls, it was clear that rescue methods and technology had failed to keep pace with the vision of architects and the innovation of the engineers.

Sense of Helplessness When an infographic diagram arrived on my desk showing the massive residential buildings that have sprung up in Dubai, Australia, Russia and the US, I was reminded of the sense of helplessness the firefighters of 9/11 must have felt. If experience has taught us anything, it is that today’s vision of construction innovation is tomorrow’s demolition headache. The problem, of course, is that as these super towers have grown ever-taller, the life expectancy of both commercial and residential properties has grown ever-shorter. In London, where space is at a premium, the demolition of 25 year old buildings is far from unusual. Apply that logic to Dubai – home to eight of the 15 tallest residential buildings in the world - and the global demolition industry is looking at a learning curve of literally vertical proportions. Just think about that for a second. The Burj Khalifa in Dubai tops out at 830 metres tall; half a mile in old money. That’s almost 10 times the reach of the highest high reach excavator ever to turn a track in anger (not that we’re proposing high reach as a suitable method).

Logistical Nightmare The logistics – not to mention the cost – of putting a crane half a mile in the air would be the first challenge. And finding a demolition-savvy operator willing and able to work at such heights would be an additional and sizeable hurdle. And how do you get men and machines to the upper floors and debris down again. Does a half-mile man-lift elevator even exist? If it doesn’t, the “lucky” contractor working on this imaginary project would have to employ super-fit Marathon-running crews, establish base camp halfway up the tower, or accept that half of each working day would be lost just getting men on station at the building’s summit. And, given the potential wind-rip at those heights, just how do you get thousands of tonnes of rubble to ground level without covering the entire city in dust?

If the building was imploded (again, not our preferred method), the exclusion zone would be the best part of a mile and could actually encroach into a neighbouring Arab state. Even if such a thing were contemplated, the resulting pile of debris would likely be larger than the current world record implosion. And seriously, who wants to pick away at 50 storeys of rubble anyway?

You certainly can’t just drop it down a disused lift shaft – Debris falling 400+ metres would hit the ground like a bomb going off and could undermine the structure itself. It is clear that any such reverse construction is going to require the development of new techniques and new methodologies that – to the best of our knowledge - have not yet been invented. So rather than applying our own limited brainpower to solve this dawning conundrum, we called upon the expertise of some of the best minds in the demolition business to let us have their thoughts on the challenge facing future demolition generations:

All of which points towards deconstruction (or reverse construction) as the only feasible demolition method currently available to us. But even here, current technology, experience and expertise falls a long way short.

R i s e o f t h e S u p e r To w e r s

Bill Moore, Brandenburg: Despe from Italy has already developed a system for high rises (http://tinyurl.com/kawttss). An alternative would be to figure out a way use the building's freight elevators, lowering the overhead pulleys as work progresses. Or convert the freight elevator into an interior material hoist with sufficient capacity to bring mini excavators and skid-steers up to the work areas.

Rick Wilson, Paragon Worldwide/TKC This is a futuristic challenge requiring a futuristic solution. I would like to see the development of top down systems composed of lightweight composite materials that designed to self-adjust for building height and stresses â&#x20AC;&#x201C; engineered for quick assembly. This system would allow more floors to be encapsulated and reduce or eliminate the need for additional support equipment to include tower cranes for material movement operations.

Exterior walls could be "folded" in and debris could go down either on the freight elevator/material hoist or, after removing the elevator cars and rails, down the passenger elevator shafts. The reverse of new construction whereby a tower crane is used might also be possible. Instead of new materials being brought up, debris would go down over the side of the building in skid pans or roll-off boxes.

It is clear that these super towers will place specific demands upon the deployment of equipment. I would like to see innovative electrohydraulic lifting systems â&#x20AC;&#x201C; again engineered with composite materials - for both interior and exterior applications and equipment mobilisation to the top floors. These could work in conjunction with ultrahigh speed robotic demolition machines and attachments to feed footprint recycling and downsizing systems for material movement. These might feed self-expanding and sealing composite demolition chutes for both internal and external applications with internal dust suppression systems that will continually filter and recycle the water for the misting system applications.

Mark Coleman, Coleman and Company 40 years ago, the high reach excavator hadnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even been thought of, so who knows what we will have at our disposal 40 years from now. But, based on current knowledge, I would advocate deconstruction or, more specifically, reverse construction. Also, you cannot assume that any of the temporary works used in the construction will be safe to use for demolition, tower crane bases for example. It is highly likely that design codes will have changed yet again by the time of demolition.

Typically, buildings like to be demolished in reverse order of construction. Pretty much all buildings of this height will have been constructed using a structural steel frame. So the standard text book way to demolish these structures as we know now would be self-climbing erecting tower cranes erected up the side/sides of the building or with in the lift cores. The patent glazing/curtain walling would be removed as it was installed with special lifting gear using suction pads. With the steelwork dismantled and lowered, concrete floors cut out and lifted or broken from the deck with the deck then cut out after concrete removal.

The lifts could be left on during soft strip while the rest of the project gears up for the main demolition. Of course resource levelling would need to calculated to determine how many lifts would be needed for personnel access/egress to upper floors along with redundancy should there be issues with of one or more of the lifts being used. The remaining lifts would then be used for preselected material segregation and removal from site.

But reverse construction may not be as easy as it sounds. These buildings have been designed depending on their height - to deal with horizontal forces (mainly wind) in many different ways. The most common is a mass damper where the sway and stability of the building is counter balanced like a big pendulum. It is, therefore, vitally important to understand how this pendulum works when reducing the height and weight of the tower and causing instability

Craneage would also present lots of issues. Firstly, the crane would need to be secured to the side or internal core of the building gaining lateral stability and ensuring that it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get blown over in the high winds. Wind at this height is stronger but, more importantly, changes quickly so what may be OK at one level can be different at another level particularly if you lower past an exposed point.

R i s e o f t h e S u p e r To w e r s We would probably need welfare facilities on multiple levels to save time moving up and down the building. Emergency evacuation would require a large number of high speed external lifts. The disconnection of the sprinkler system would need to be phased so the building is protected throughout the demolition process.

Another key craneage consideration is the weight of crane’s rope which can drastically reduce the SWL capacity. A typical wire rope weighs 6kg/m. On very tall/deep construction (ultra high sky scrapers/mine shafts) the loss in SWL can be quite considerable – a multiple sheaved crane, lifting 200 metres could be around five to ten tonnes. Very long crane drops are also effected by wind.

Jacking down methods are likely to become more common place, and I can certainly see Despe’s Top Way Down system being used in the right environment more and more.

A possible solution would be to lower a shorter distance where another crane takes over and the lift is repeated. An Intermediate lifting platform would be useful for lifting and lowering of material. The safety and welfare consideration on a project of this nature would also be unlike anything we have ever seen.

The key, of course, is designing the structure with demolition in mind; creating structures that can be lowered down into the basement and demolished at that level or even slid out in pre-cut sections that formed part of the design.

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Derby Double In advance of the controlled explosion of Dundee’s Derby Street blocks, the world’s media focused its attention on the potential risks to a church that sat between the two towers. But any fears reckoned without the experience and expertise of Safedem. Demolition reports. After almost 20 years of multi-storey demolitions, Dundee City Council awarded its last two tower blocks to local company Safedem. Since 1995, Safedem has steadily changed the skyline of its hometown, demolishing over 40 tower blocks across the city during this period.

Demolition Sandwich Standing at 27 storeys, the Derby Street blocks were built in an area surrounded by sandstone tenements with ornately carved date stones from the 1800's. However it was a relatively modern 1970's structure - St Martins church, located between the blocks - that most captured the media’s attention. Prior to the blast, the church was widely described as the potential “meat in a demolition sandwich”.

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Derby Street is located in the Hilltown area; aptly named as the sloping site saw the tower blocks built off a heavy duty podium structure that resembled the support legs from the nearby Tay bridge. The slope was such that at the east end of the structure the 850 mm thick columns were nine metres tall. At the west end they were just three metres.

All these cross walls had to be drilled so each building had in excess of 5,000 drill holes (a standard block is closer to 2,500 holes), each drill hole housing an individual charge and delay detonator.

Collapse Mechanism When assessing the structures and the nearby buildings to remain, it was obvious that each structure required its own unique collapse mechanism. The north block needed to be initiated at the east end and directed to the east towards the nearby main road.

The internal floor plan of the structures was also highly unusual, with maisonette style homes spread over three floors, with the centre of the structure offset from the main living areas.

The south block needed to come straight down and then rotate away from the church ensuring the debris came to rest away from St Martins towards a series of four-storey buildings that form part of Safedemâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s overall demolition project in the area. Due to the proximity of the church a protective screen constructed of scaffold was erected at the gable of the church.

Heavily reinforced concrete walls divided the rooms every 2.75 metres. A total of 37 heavily reinforced cross walls at any one level made this one of the most rigid tower blocks Safedem has ever encountered.

The evacuation of this heavily populated city centre location was carried out by Safedemâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s highly experienced Community Liaison Team. Hundreds of residents were temporarily evacuated and catered for in the dedicated rest centre, ensuring the demolition could proceed within the target time window.

ON SITE

On initiation, and in front of thousands of onlookers, the two structures dropped as designed in a safe and controlled manner. On inspection of the church, part of the 14,000 tonnes of rubble from the north block had come to rest against the scaffold protection screen. The screen had ensured there was no structural damage to the church, although there was some minor damage to a fire escape area to the rear of the church building. This minor damage was repaired in just a few days. "I was disappointed to see the minor damage at the church fire escape area because the standards we set ourselves are so high,” says Safedem managing director William Sinclair.

“However, these were Dundee’s tallest structures and their construction was both complex and rigid. I am delighted they are safely down having collapsed as designed. This project required real team work from a number of agencies and real thanks must go to not just the hardworking Safedem team, but also to Dundee City Council and Police Scotland who worked with us every step of the way to deliver another safe and successful blowdown in Dundee."

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No Junk in this With its reduced tailswing back end, the new Hitachi Zaxis 225USRLC is the machine antithesis of Jennifer Lopez. But what this machine lacks in back end it more than makes up elsewhere. Mark Anthony ogles the machine’s skinny rear. Let’s be clear from the outset. The new Hitachi Zaxis 225USRLC excavator is never likely to win the Rear of the Year contest. The Zaxis-5 series machine that hightailed it from a relatively low-key appearance at the recent DemoExpo straight onto a Wooldridge Demolition site in the heart of leafy Surrey features a short rear-end designed to minimise the impact damage so common on confined demolition sites. And, in truth, the site chosen for the 26 tonne machine’s first proper outing in Wooldridge colours could not have been more appropriate. When we caught up with it, the unit was in the midst of the two-week demolition and site clearance of a multimillion pound house in Virginia Water, Surrey, a mere seven iron from the fairway at the famous Wentworth Golf Club. To describe the location as Millionaire’s Row is like saying Andy Murray is “quite good at bat and ball”; my visit to the site was delayed while a neighbouring house took delivery of a shiny new Lamborghini. Glamour of the setting aside, however, this was as tight a site as you’d see in any city centre.

Secret Revealed At first glance, there’s very little to mark the 225USRLC as different from any other model in the Zaxis range that has held the UK excavator market in its thrall for the past decade or so. The orange livery is familiar to all, as is the sturdy build and demolitionready specification that has made Hitachi the brand of choice among a large number of UK demolition fleets. It’s only when you step around the back of the machine that its secret is revealed. With a rear swing radius of just 2.0 metres, this is a machine that is sorely lacking in the booty department. That’s good news generally as rear-end impact damage is the bane of the demolition fleet manager’s life. It was even better news on the Virginia Water site where it was operating within the footstep of an admittedly large house, surrounded on three sides by a week’s worth of brick rubble and demolition debris. Reduced and zero tail-swing machines are nothing new; and they’re hardly a demolition innovation either. But what makes the Hitachi machine remarkable is that its lack of back-end looks less and afterthought; more planned and deliberate.

s Trunk

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Reduced tailswing machines are often like nonalcoholic lager: missing one tiny ingredient but just plain wrong. That’s not the case with the Zaxis – The reduced swing does nothing to spoil the lines of the machine. It does nothing to impair its stability either. Running over brick rubble and sixpass loading an on-highway tipper, the 225USRLC appears balanced and does not perform the backend hop dance so familiar on some machines whose bottoms have been thrust forward or lopped off entirely.

On the Inside The Hitachi machine is powered by a Stage IIIB compliant Isuzu diesel engine developing 122 kW at 2,000 rpm together with 655 Nm of torque. The engine can be operated in any one of three modes including a new E (economy) mode that is said to shave 25 percent off standard fuel consumption levels when compared to its Zaxis-3 series predecessor. But just because it’s less thirsty doesn’t mean that the machine lacks oomph. Indeed, the Zaxis-5 series machine benefits from Hitachi’s TRIAS hydraulic system that is said to help deliver additional power and performance without turning the fuel gauge into a makeshift fan. Wooldridge added its own tweaks to the hydraulic spec of the machine, specifying factory-fitted double-acting and proportional rotation circuits.

As a nod to its tough demolition environment, the Wooldridge machine also features a two-piece demolition cage, heavy-duty belly plates, side skirts, bucket ram guard and vandal guards. It would be stating the obvious to say that Hitachi has manufactured a high-end machine in the Zaxis-5 225USRLC. Likewise, it would be a truism to say that, with a few relatively minor modifications, Wooldridge has turned an accomplished excavator into a proper demolition machine. But when that machine gets admiring glances from a guy taking delivery of a Lamborghini, you know the manufacturer and the owner got it just about right.

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Swiss Banks on A Swiss demolition contractor’s decision to buy a new high reach excavator before it even existed has paid handsome dividends. Demolition reports.

The first-ever full factory specification Volvo EC480D HR D-Series high reach demolition excavator has started work in Geneva, Switzerland. Demolishing a block of former administrative offices overlooking the Rhone River in the heart of the city, the Volvo EC480D HR was ordered last year by excavation and demolition specialist HTP while it was still on the drawing board. “When we made the decision to invest in the Volvo EC480D HR it didn’t actually exist. It was just some information on paper so we didn’t have the possibility to see it with our own eyes,” explains HTP founder and managing director Yves Huguenin. “Importantly, the engine was new and where we wanted to be in terms of emissions, the hydraulics had been optimised; everything was new and we felt it was a good machine for us and of the right size. Furthermore we knew and trusted Volvo. Now we have the machine on site I would say I am delighted with our decision.”

n Volvo

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Environmental Considerations The former government offices front the busy Rue du Stand with its tramline, pedestrian pathways and road traffic, so it is a challenging project and requires very careful attention. “There is a protective screen along the front of the four-storey building but this is only really for small fragments and dust and certainly wouldn’t contain any large scale debris,” says HTP site manager Thierry Truffat. “This is a highly controlled demolition requiring precision and great care. The Volvo EC480D HR is enabling us to conduct a safe deconstruction with real efficiency and high productivity.”

And this was one of the key factors that led the company to purchase the Volvo D-Series EC480D HR. Stage IIIB compliant, the machine meets the stringent emissions requirements without additional exhaust gas filtration having to be fitted as an aftermarket extra. “For me the deciders in choosing the Volvo EC480D HR were that it’s a brand new machine with a new engine that’s Stage IIIB compliant. The machine is also strong and it has sufficient reach in terms of height,” Huguenin continues. “When making this investment, we looked at several brands. While the pricing was not that different, the Volvo stood apart in regard configuration and in terms of emissions.”

The new machine has been entrusted to one of his longest-standing employees. “He has worked in Switzerland for over 25 years and was one of our first employees,” Huguenin continues. “Just watching him in the EC480D HR you can see it’s a good and operator friendly machine. You only need to look at his eyes and you can see that he’s comfortable and calm. The machine is not stressing him or presenting unexpected surprises.” The demolition will create some 2,000 m3 of material. Some 900 m3 of this will be crushed on site and re-used for site preparation and construction of the new building. The remainder will be removed for recycling. The environment, both in terms of waste and also exhaust emissions is at the forefront of contract awards in Geneva, so companies such as HTP take it extremely seriously.

“We anticipate that it will suit the confined conditions that we often face in Geneva and believe it is of the correct capacity and specification to handle the type of buildings with which we generally work.”

All Quiet The Volvo machine has also helped with another set of emissions: noise. “On this site, noise restrictions mean we are able to work from 07:00 through to 19:00 with a one hour shut down from 12:00 to 13:00,” site manager Truffat reports. “Mind you; this is much less of an issue with the Volvo high reach unit nibbling away at the building than with breakers, which are much noisier. At this early stage we are very happy with the EC480D HR and it certainly meets our requirements. Of course, we will learn more as time goes by and the machine works on more sites.”

According to existing city plans, Geneva will see a great many buildings demolished in the coming years and with the Volvo EC480D HR now heading its fleet HTP is optimistic that it can be at the forefront of this redevelopment process in the city. “The Volvo EC480D HR also opens the door to selective demolition, which again will be important going forwards as a number of buildings in Geneva are constructed to such a high standard and are in such tight confines that only this type of work will be possible,” Truffat asserts. “Certainly with the Volvo high reach unit I believe we have greater potential to work on more sites. We now have the capability to work on projects that were previously beyond our reach because the buildings were too high.”

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Genesis Turn it on Again

Attachments manufacturer Genesis has entered into a partnership with BPH for the sale of its mobile scrap and demolition shears in the United Kingdom. The BPH Attachments appointment builds on the success of Blue Machinery (Fuchs) Ltd and will offer the full line of Genesis products and provide service, rental and product support. “BPH Attachment’s focus on and experience in the demolition and recycling industries make them well-suited to represent Genesis Attachments in

the UK,” says Genesis UK regional manager Tony Tite. “This partnership will provide customers with excellent service as well as a wide variety of rental and sale package options." As part of its continued growth, BPH Attachments Limited recently expanded into larger, well equipped facilities in Billingshurst in Kent, enabling the company to continue providing committed sales, aftersales support, servicing and repairs on a national level.