Pub demolition prosecution…

“…work done in a haphazard way and ultimately unsafe manner…” A building development company and its director have been sentenced after unsafe demolition work took place at a former pub in Bexley. Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard that on 22 June 2016, the former Ye Olde Leather Bottle pub was completely demolished without appropriate action taken…Read moreRead more

Button’s CMA fears…

NFDC CEO “very worried” about potential impact of collusion investigation. National Federation of Demolition Contractors CEO Howard Button has admitted that he is “very worried” about the possible impact of the ongoing Competition & Markets Authority investigation into possible collusion within the UK demolition industry. Speaking exclusively to DemolitionNews, Button says the investigation could “jeopardise…Read moreRead more

Danish cartel laid bare…

Three companies accept penalties in ongoing cartel case. In what is yet another development in the multiple cases about cartels in the demolition industry, three demolition companies have accepted penalties totalling DKK 6.4 million (approx £760,000). Also, three senior employees of two of the companies have agreed to be fined DKK 125,000 (approx £15,000) each…Read moreRead more

Firm fined over glass injury…

Loss assessor suffers laceration to Achilles tendon. G O’Brien & Sons (Nationwide Demolition Contractors) Limited has been fined after a nearby worker was seriously injured on a demolition site in Durham. Newton Aycliffe Magistrates’ Court heard that on 22 February 2018 the company was demolishing two semi-detached properties as part of a project to renovate…Read moreRead more

Firm fined over flashover burn injuries…

Man suffered electrical burns after crowbar is thrown at electrical equipment. Two companies have been fined after a worker received serious electrical burns during demolition work. Chelmsford Magistrates Court heard how on the 12th April 2017, two demolition workers employed by sub-contractor R B Haigh & Sons were removing electrical distribution equipment from a switchgear…Read moreRead more

Illegal method blamed for fatal collapse…

Plan not authorised but “performed surreptitiously, in disregard of city ordinances”. The owner and contractors on a Miami Beach building that collapsed during demolition were accused in a worker’s wrongful death suit of using an illegal work method when the structure crashed in a plume of dust and debris. The Marlborough House was being demolished…Read moreRead more

Detroit cleared…for now

Investigator clears city demolition programme of wrongdoing. Controversial meetings between city officials and specific contractors to discuss federally-funded demolition work before public bidding didn’t violate written rules, but they weren’t transparent and gave the impression of “preferential treatment,” an independent investigation has ruled. The findings from an investigation of Detroit’s Office of the Inspector General,…Read moreRead more

Anger over Didcot defence…

Demolition man escapes jail after assault, claiming “misplaced guilt” over Didcot disaster. A demolition man has avoided a custodial sentence following an assault that left another man with a fractured skull after claiming that his life had spiralled downwards following the Didcot disaster. In the early hours of 5 May 2017 at The County pub…Read moreRead more

Contractor indicted over bribery claims…

Man stands accused of bribing Cleveland officials for preferential treatment. An Ohio demolition contractor was indicted by a federal grand jury on Tuesday on charges that he bribed the former chief of the city of Cleveland’s demolition bureau to get a leg up on city work. Eric Witherspoon, the head of Arick’s Environmental Services and…Read moreRead more

Firm fined over asbestos clean-up…

Contractor fined after using vacuum cleaner on asbestos A Norwich-based contractor has been fined £90,000 for carrying out unlicensed asbestos cleaning work. Norwich Magistrates’ Court heard how the company began a project to refurbish parts of Rose Lane Business Centre in Norwich, including a former kitchen and canteen. Works started in late April 2015 and…Read moreRead more