And Rye makes five

Demolition downturn claims another high profile victim.

Hertfordshire-based Rye Demolition has become the latest UK demolition company to call in the administrators amidst increasingly difficult trading conditions within the industry.

The news comes hot on the heels of the demise of demolition peers Squibb Group, McCormack Demolition, Wooldridge Demolition and Blucon, and brings to five the number of UK demolition companies to go under in the space of just four months.

It is understood that the decision does not impact those employed by Rye Plant Hire which was founded in 1995, 11 years before the creation of Rye Demolition. DemolitionNews understands that Rye Plant Hire is working with Rye Demolition clients to see any outstanding projects to completion. It is not known at this time how many jobs might be lost as a result of Rye Demolition’s administration.

In addition to the many high profile demolition projects undertaken by Rye Demolition in recent years, the company had also made huge strides within the environmental sphere; establishing what it described as “The Sustainable Standard”. In keeping with that standard, Rye was among the first UK demolition companies to make the switch to HVO fuel across its extensive equipment fleet.

It is understood that efforts had been made to restructure Rye Demolition. But it was unable to do so in time to to save the company.

Director and founder Simon Barlow is currently the second vice president of the National Federation of Demolition Contractors. But the demise of his demolition company surely calls into question his ability to retain that position, at least in the short term.

The Break Fast Show #670

In today’s show: We’re taking a closer look at the latest generation of JCB backhoe loaders in the company of none other than the JCB Digger Girl’ how Caterpillar is simplifying log loading; Demolition – Suspended; and Boom time at JCB.

PLUS Sunward throws shapes ahead of its appearance at Intermat 2024.

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The Break Fast Show #669

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PLUS Bomag goes remote on its new trench compactor.

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The Break Fast Show #668

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PLUS We are entering the realm of Trackzilla.

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Firm fined over ceiling collapse fatality

A company has been fined £450,000 and the firm’s director has received a suspended prison sentence after a labourer was crushed to death at a site in the Midlands in 2019.

Simon Briggs, principal director of Stonehurst Estates Ltd, was sentenced to 23 weeks’ imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, for a health and safety offence following the death of 49-year-old Oleksander “Sasha” Rudyy at a development site in Hockley, Birmingham.

Site foreman Vasyl Bychkov was also sentenced to 130 hours of unpaid work after previously pleading guilty to failing to take reasonable care for the health and safety of others at the site.

The company, Stonehurst Estates Ltd, was fined £450,000 after pleading guilty to corporate manslaughter and a health and safety offence. The firm was also ordered to pay costs of £167,601.

Stonehurst Estates Ltd worked on the sensitive structure without a proper plan and sequence in place, despite safety measures being known and readily available to the company.

None of the men working on the building, including Bychkov who was onsite at the time, had any expertise in demolition work, and there was no risk assessment or safe system of work in place for the task Rudyy was undertaking.

Read more here.

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Worker buried by ceiling collapse

Court hears of “woeful” safety standard.

A worker was crushed to death beneath a falling ceiling at a building site where health and safety measures were described as ‘woeful’. Oleksander Rudyy was killed at the scene in Vittoria Street, Hockley on May 8 in 2019.

The 49-year-old, known as ‘Sasha’, was not a ‘builder by trade’ but was using a grinder tool to remove nine rods within a building called the Coal Store, Birmingham Crown Court heard. But he was not aware they were crucial to the support of the structure.

Rudyy had been working with another colleague at the time. Prosecutor Michael Burrows KC said: “As he cut the last rod the wall and brick floor above them collapsed upon them. Both were buried.

Rudyy was covered by a solid wall of bricks. Other workers tried to free him. Police, ambulance and other emergency services attended.

“After 20 minutes they managed to remove Rudyy from the rubble. He had a metal bar impaled in his shoulder. There were no signs of life. Efforts were made to resuscitate him but at 6.18pm he was pronounced dead.”

Stonehurst Estates and Vittoria Apartments, both based at Danehill, Sussex, have pleaded guilty to corporate manslaughter and a further health and safety offence. Stonehurst’s sole director Simon Briggs, aged 61, from the same address, and supervisor Vasyl Bychkov, aged 45, from Clapham in London, have also admitted manslaughter, while Bychkov has confessed to an additional health and safety offence.

Mr Burrows told the court the site at Vittoria Street was to be redeveloped and the Coal Store building was to be removed. He said: “Stonehurst Estates decided to save costs by doing the demolition itself.”

The sentencing hearing continues.

Read more here.

The Break Fast Show #666

In today’s show: To celebrate our 666th show, we are going full Beast Mode and featuring some of the biggest machines on the planet from the likes of Caterpillar, Komatsu and Liebherr.

We also get the low down on the new Stage V Teleskid machines from JCB; and we’re checking out what Hitachi has in store for Intermat 2024.

PLUS you can take part in our second JCB prize giveaway.

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In today’s show: We’ll show you what we got up to at JCB’s World Headquarters; we’re going Down Under with a massive Liebherr excavator; we’re in South Africa to take a look behind the scenes at the Bell Heavy Industries factory; and JCB breathes new life into its most iconic product.

PLUS we will see one of the new models that Bomag will be rolling out at Intermat 2024.

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