Buried oil tanker leads to pollution prosecution.

A demolition company which buried an oil tanker loaded with heating oil on its premises has pleaded guilty to pollution offences. L A Moore was prosecuted by the Environment Agency for allowing toxic chemicals to pollute a controlled water- course at its premises near Wells.

The company is said to have allowed a quantity of heating oil to leak from the tanker. It entered a guilty plea to the charge when the case was put before South Somerset Magistrates in Yeovil on Monday.

The court heard that L A Moore Limited committed the offence of “causing poisonous, noxious or polluting matter, namely heating oil, to enter controlled waters” on or before March 4, 2008.

Read the full story here.

Demolition News is backing a new campaign to raise awareness of Prostate Cancer.

As someone who works in and around the demolition business, an almost exclusively male environment that is often too macho for its own good, I am all too aware of the potential dangers of poor health care and, in particular, the threat of prostate cancer.

So, to help raise awareness of prostate cancer in this rough, tough business, I am going to be backing a fun campaign that requires me (and you) to do nothing more than that which we all do each day naturally: grow facial hair!

The Movember campaign (which was brought to our attention by those fine people at SCG Supplies) is a month-long campaign that is encouraging individuals and teams to help raise awareness by growing that sign of US steelworkers and 70s porn stars; a moustache.

During the month of “Movember”, I will be establishing a razor exclusion zone around my philtrum in support of this excellent campaign.

So how can you help?

You have two choices. You can either sign up as part of the Demo Boys team and grow your own ‘tache (assuming you’re male), or you can simply make a donation right here.

This is a fun campaign but behind it is a very serious message and we are sincerely hoping to both raise some money AND help spread the word.

Demolition News unveils its brand new Used Equipment listing.

These are exciting times for Demolition News. Not only are subscriptions on the rise (particularly in the US and Australia) but our visitor levels are rising almost daily. And so, apparently, is our reputation in the industry.

We were delighted when Caterpillar and JCB joined our Business Directory. We were ecstatic when Sandvik chose to become the sole sponsor of our This Week in Demolition newsletter. And we’re similarly excited about our latest announcement: the launch of our new Used Equipment section right here on Demolition News.

This Used Equipment page is a joint venture with Mascus, one of the world leaders in used demolition and construction equipment.

At present, while there are a vast number of machines from the UK and Ireland, the number of used machines from the US is currently limited. However, Mascus reports that it is about to sign a deal with a US company that will see an influx of some 5,000 US-based machines onto the site.

Furthermore, whether you’re an existing Mascus user or not, if you use the bar at the top of the page to link through to the Mascus website to sell your own used equipment, you will be helping to fund the ongoing growth and development of Demolition News.

So whether you’re buying or selling, please check out the brand new Demolition News Used Equipment “yard”; and let us know what you think.

Two suspended in Indian “premature demolition” investigation.

The Chennai Corporation on Wednesday suspended an assistant executive engineer and a junior engineer of the Basin Bridge zone for their alleged involvement in demolishing nine blocks of the communicable diseases hospital in Tondiarpet last week before tenders were finalised.

According to official sources, the two and the executive engineer suspended a couple of days ago were supported by the contractor, who won the annual maintenance contract (AMC) for the 14th ward. The demolished buildings were the administration and admission blocks; wards 1, 6 and 7; special ward 8, the para-medical course building, the medical lab and a kitchen all in an area of 1,301.16 sq m.

“We have suspended the AEE and JE who also did not store the demolished materials tonnes of timber, steel and iron girders worth lakh of rupees. Following the TOI report, we traced the materials and took them to the corporation workshop in Elephant Gate,” a senior official told TOI.

Read the full story here.

University of Wyoming demolition “exposed public to asbestos”.

Demolition work at the University of Wyoming scattered a material containing asbestos and might have exposed the public to the carcinogen, state officials said.

The project at the Bureau of Mines Building on the main campus in Laramie caused suspect materials to be “scattered all over the outside of the building where the public could be exposed,” according to the violation notice issued Sept. 28 by the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality.

The notice siad the university failed to conduct an asbestos inspection, provide notification and remove a regulated asbestos-containing material before demolition. The university also failed to use trained personnel to remove the material and didn’t adequately wet it down or place it in leak-tight containers ahead of disposal, the notice states.

Read the full story here.

Shock News: US city awards contract based on experience, not price.

Hats off to the Hannibal City Council which has shown the foresight and fortitude to award a contract to “the most experienced bidder” for a building demolition rather than the low bidder at a short meeting Tuesday night.

The city recently learned that portions of the second floor had given way at 520 Broadway, a building that shares a wall with one adjacent to it at 100 N. Sixth St. Because of the significant safety hazard the building posed, the city recommended Don Martin Construction to demolish it, citing that company’s speed and success at taking down similar buildings for the city.

Don Martin Construction had submitted a bid for the job of $42,420. The low bid of $38,000 was submitted by Bricker Excavation. A third bid had been submitted by Amer-Yenom for $53,670.

Read the full story here.

City officials finally give green light to Deutsche Bank demolition.

The toxin-tainted Deutsche Bank building, a constant reminder of the 9/11 terror attacks, can finally be cleared from Manhattan’s skyline, with the city’s approval yesterday of a long-sought demolition plan.

While the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. has declined to set a timetable for the project, documents included in the Buildings Department’s demolition permit shows the expected completion date as Dec. 31, 2010 — far later than what had been promised.

LMDC officials recently conceded that the latest plan for demolishing the tower would take longer than their earlier estimate of six months. But they have refused to set a timetable, saying only that it would be well before the end of next year.

Read the full story here.

Initial feedback on the AT&T Danville contract suggest a wide bid spread….again.

Demolition News understands that Danville city officials have now opened the bids from some nine contractors, all eager to land the contract to demolish the AT&T building. And, as we suggested yesterday, the bid list shown exclusively to us highlights yet another broad bid spread.

The handwritten document clearly shows that there were nine bidders vying for the contract and that Brandenburg looks to be the high bidder at $253,000. The bids then range right down to just $111,000 and $128,000 from two as yet unnamed contractors.

It is, of course, possible that these initial bids will require clarification as the days go on. But, based on recent experience, it would come as no surprise if the contract were let for half the value put on it by the highest bidder.

Trade magazine Contract Journal names EDS UK demolition contractor of the year.

Euro Dismantling Services earned the judges’ praise for striving to do things differently. “They are really applying science to demolition and it is a reflection of their approach that they call themselves a dismantling contractor,” said one judge.

Further details here.

Sellafield seeking bids for £140 million decommissioning and demolition work.

Sellafield is advertising for up to four contractors to take on its £140m decommisioning, demolition and waste streaming framework.

The four year deal is split into three lots and contractors are invited to bid for all or individual disciplines with work expected to start in June 2010 and be complete by 2014.

Demolition work, worth £4m, includes waste segregation.

Further details here.