Add a demolition fix to your musical mix.

Regular readers might recall that we announced just last week that our new (almost daily) podcast series Demolition News Radio was available both online and via Google Play Music.

Well, we just hit the big time. We have taken our rightful place alongside Elvis Presley, David Bowie, The Sex Pistols and the mighty Ultravox. Demolition News Radio is now on iTunes.

That means that you can add a demolition fix to your music mix; and you can take us with you wherever you go.

You can find Demolition News Radio in the podcast section on iTunes OR you can just hit this link. There are 12 episodes there already and we’re adding more including an extra-large edition tomorrow.

Furthermore, just as soon as the platform allows it, we will be extending Demolition News Radio to include audio interviews with key demolition men and women across the world.

So tune in, turn on and check out Demolition News Radio. And don’t forget to hit the subscribe button to be notified when each new episode drops.

Today is the 1st anniversary of my demolition accident. This is the story of that fateful day.

On 22 August 2016, I headed off for work. By the time I returned home, my face was damaged, my eyesight impaired, and my respect for the potential dangers of demolition renewed.

This is the story of the day I was involved in a demolition accident, and of the far-reaching implications of that split-second event:

DSR Demolition dedicates implosion to colleague.

The successful completion of any explosive demolition contract is always a heady mix of pride and relief. But the blast that brought down the six-storey Rishworth Street car park in Wakefield on Sunday was doubly special for all those involved.

Ten minutes before Rotherham-based contractor DSR Demolition hit the button, the company heard that one of its machine drivers Kevin Forrest – who has been off work for several months battling cancer – sadly passed away a few hours before. The company dedicated the blast to Kevin Forrest’s memory.

And what a tribute. After five weeks of drilling, roping, wrapping and planning, the six storey concrete structure came down precisely as planned. The drilling pattern, delay sequence and roping system designed by MD Simon Ogden ensured a compact pile.

DSR Demolition reports that the successful blast was a team effort. “We had a good team assisting with charging up – Dick Green and Ian Beasley – and we were supervised by C&D Consultancy who were principal designers for our client Wakefield Council and who were part of the key team on the day,” the company says.

Fast forward to the nine minute mark on the video below to see the successful blast:

Bridge demolition to start six months after deadly crash.

The Texas Department of Transportation will begin demolition work on the Interstate 40 bridge over Bushland Road on Monday, nearly six months after a deadly crash involving a tractor-trailer that resulted in major damage to the structure.

The bridge was damaged on Feb. 27 when a tractor trailer driven by Arnold Delarosa, 48, of Mission, crashed through a guard rail and plummeted to the ground between the eastbound and westbound lanes, crashing into the structural supports that hold up the westbound lanes of I-40.

The bridge went through more than a month of inspections from area and state engineers to determine how much damage had been done, what repairs were needed and the best course of action.

The bridge partially re-opened on March 7, allowing a single lane of traffic to cross the bridge in the westbound lanes after bridge inspectors from local TxDOT offices and Austin engineers determined the bridge was structurally sound and could withstand legal traffic loads.

Read more here.

Detroit reinstates contractor it banned for mishandling asbestos at demolition sites.

A Detroit city official declared two weeks ago that demolition contractor Jesse Brown would never work in the city again because of his history of mishandling asbestos.

But now a city panel has voted to reinstate Brown and allow him to resume bidding on demolition contracts as part of Mayor Mike Duggan’s aggressive push to tear down 40,000 blighted structures across Detroit.

Duggan spokesman John Roach confirmed Brown’s reinstatement in an e-mail Wednesday to the Free Press, while also suggesting the vote may be reconsidered.

“The city’s health director, Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, has requested a special meeting of the board to reconsider last night’s vote,” the e-mail read.

Man killed by falling debris as roof collapses.

A demolition worker was killed Friday afternoon when part of a concrete roof fell on top of him.

The large warehouse at 29th and Mead was being demolished in sections, said Wichita fire battalion Chief Scott Brown. Brown said he did not know if the portion of the building the man was in was meant to have come down at that time.

The man, who was about 50 years old, was discovered by co-workers. The Wichita Fire Department was able to remove the body from the rubble using heavy lifting equipment.

“A whole roof came down, and it came down in pieces,” Brown said.

Sunday morning blast sparks revitalisation of Wakefield’s Civic Quarter.

DSR Demolition, ably assisted by explosives veteran Dick Green, carried out the explosive demolition of the Rishworth Street multi-storey car park yesterday morning.

The implosion is part of a wider plan to revitalise the city’s Civic Quarter and attract investment into architectural gems including the former Crown Court and Police Station buildings on Wood St.

Video captures all the action of overnight possession.

On Monday night, crews began the night-time demolition of the old Norwalk Boulevard/San Antonio Drive bridge.

This excellent video from Caltrans captures the best of the action:

Housing association opens gate on one of UK’s biggest demolition contracts of 2017.

Shoreline Housing Partnership is pressing ahead with plans to demolish six blocks of flats in Grimsby’s East Marsh area.

According to construction news portal Construction Enquirer, the housing group has started the hunt for suitable demolition contractors to do the job, which is set to be one of the biggest demolition contracts let this year.

The housing charity said renovating the six blocks would not be cost-effective and would still only provide buildings with the same energy efficiency as when they were first built.

A firm decision has yet to be taken on whether to opt for explosive demolition or tear down.

It is envisaged that just Tennyson House is suitable for explosive demolition, although contractors are open to submit explosive demolition proposals for another four blocks – Albion House, Nelson House, Garibaldi House and Thesiger House.

The sixth Bevan House is too close to an existing building, meaning it will be demolished using mechanical means.

Read more here.

Bridge falls as cameras roll.

Earlier this week in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, a section of a 64-year old bridge being torn down to make way for a new structure unexpectedly collapsed, endangering the Union Pacific tracks which run beneath it.

Demolition crews had been working on the bridge since Monday, taking down the Grand Avenue bridge piece by piece.

Around 8 pm crews at the south end of the bridge were pulling a girder out of the bridge when it got hung up on an anchor on a middle pier, between Seventh Street and the edge of the Colorado River, said Police Chief Terry Wilson. The pier buckled and then collapsed. The video below shows the collapse as captured on a live stream set up by Colorado Mountain College, located nearby.

Read more here, or view the astonishing video below: