Controlled Demolition, Inc sets date for chimney tower to topple.

The old PRR steam plant (now owned by Amtrak), located next to 30th Street Station in downtown Philadelphia, is in its last month of existence.

At 7:30am on Sunday, November 8 (back-up date November 15), the plant’s towering chimney, a landmark behind Penn Coach Yard for over 70 years, will be dynamited and dropped by Controlled Demolition, Inc. into a narrow opening between the CSX high-line viaduct and the SEPTA tracks.

Further details here.

Implosion brings end to life of 77-year old steel truss bridge.

A Louisiana bridge is no more. Demolition experts imploded the 77-year-old U.S. 190 bridge connecting Livingston and East Baton Rouge parishes on Wednesday.

The center span collapsed right on target into the Amite River. The Louisiana State Police Emergency Services Unit and the Department of Transportation and Development regulated the explosion.

The rusting, steel truss bridge had to be demolished because it was in the path of a new bridge for eastbound traffic being built across the river, said Dustin Annison of the state Department of Transportation and Development, The Advocate reported.

Read further details here or watch the video below.

Norwich company fined after fall breaks employee’s spine.

The UK’s Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted Tim Philpott, trading as Philpott Demolition and Recycling, of Spinney Close, Long Stratton, Norwich, for his role in the incident on 20 April 2007.

Philpott pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 between 21 March 2007 and 9 May 2007.

The court heard that Gediminas Vasiliauskas was removing old roof tiles and timber from a former aircraft hangar at the site when the incident happened. Mr Vasiliauskas broke his spine in the incident and had to have a metal disk inserted into his back. He was unable to work for a year following the incident and during that time he also lost his sense of taste and smell.

Read the full report here.

Demolition News has placed the first item on its Christmas wish list.

Dear Santa,

I know it’s only October but I wanted to get in real early to make sure you saw my letter.

In the main, I have been a really good boy this year. I have tried, whenever possible, to write only nice things about people and while I may have upset a few people along the way (some US contractors and demolitionforum to name but a few), I did so with the best intentions. And when I have sent PR people notes saying their contributions were crap, I honestly meant it as constructive criticism.

So with that in mind (and notwithstanding any further misdemeanors I may commit between now and 25 December 2009 for which I apologise in advance), can I please put my name down for a set of these….please.

Thank You

PS – I promise not to publicise your failure to adhere to safe working at height practices if you can sort this out for me.

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.