Manchester-based P.P. O’Connor has issued an official statement on the partial building and scaffold collapse that occurred in the city centre on Friday afternoon.
The statement reads:
“On Friday 24th October at approximately 2.00 pm, we had a structural collapse at a site in Manchester, this follows encountering an un-foreseen structural failure associated with a latent defect in the building 1 week ago.
The unforeseen structural failure meant that it was appropriate to halt demolition work on Friday 17th October. This enabled us to consult with our independent structural engineers and put forward further contingency arrangements in preparation for a partial collapse. Demolition works then continued maintaining a strict exclusion zone in anticipation of such an event.
We are pleased to confirm that our contingency plans were observed and instigated at the time of the collapse and there have been no injuries to our workforce or members of the public. The resulting debris associated with the collapse was fully contained within the footprint of the site.
We are in dialogue with the HSE and Building Control whilst we continue to make the site safe and progress with demolition.”
