Another day in paradise

November 3, 2025 Long Form

Andy unlocks the gate just after six-fifteen, the yard silent in the hazy dawn light. A grey Ford sits where it always does in the car park, its driver’s door closed, ice criss-crossing the windscreen.

He pushes through the site office door and shudders. He didn’t expect it to be colder inside than outside. He’s not had to worry about it before.

He flicks on the tiny heater which slowly begin to spread some warmth and the familiar smell of burning dust through the portacabin.

Seven mugs sit unwashed in the sink from three days ago. From before the weekend. From before.

This article continues on Demolition Insider. Please use the link below to access this article FOR FREE.

The Break Fast Show #1029

November 3, 2025 Video

In today’s show: Introducing the Powerplus PP380 excavator; Caterpillar scales the Summit; forging strong bonds with Dynapac; and MBI’s rotating pulveriser gets the munchies.

PLUS in today’s edition of Mark’s Morning Monologue: Another day in paradise.

Start your day the demolition way!

Join us every weekday morning at 10am GMT for The Break Fast Show – the daily LiveStream that brings the demolition and construction industry to life.

It’s news, debate, discussion, and insight all rolled into one, with a line-up that keeps you informed, entertained, and involved:

  • Latest Industry News – the stories that matter, delivered fresh each morning.
  • Question of the Day – Sometimes serious, sometimes profound, often ridiculous.
  • Mark’s Morning Monologue – thought-provoking takes on the issues shaping our industry.
  • Interactive Chat – your comments, questions, and insights are a vital part of the show.

Whether you’re on site, in the office, or on the road, The Break Fast Show is the smartest way to stay connected to the world of demolition and construction.

Tune in live. Join the conversation. Be part of the community.

Didcot – A decade of dawdling

November 3, 2025 Accident, Didcot

As we prepare to mark the 10th anniversary of the catastrophic collapse at the Didcot power station – a disaster that claimed the lives of four demolition workers – the time has surely come for the industry to confront a troubling reality.

Six years ago, DemolitionNews reported on a Thames Valley Police prediction that the investigation “could run for years.” That has proven to be a profound understatement, leaving families without closure and an entire industry without critical safety lessons.

This grim milestone is not just a time for remembrance; it is a time to question a system that allows investigations into workplace fatalities to stretch on for the better part of a decade. The prolonged silence from authorities is not just a delay in justice for the fallen; it is a systemic failure that compromises the safety of every worker on every demolition site today. It is time to demand a better, faster, and more transparent process.

This article continues on Demolition Insider. Please use the link below to access this article FOR FREE.

Disincentive to Work

October 31, 2025 Long Form

In the UK, we often hear people saying that there is no incentive to work. We have a welfare state that was created to look after the needy and the vulnerable, but that system is widely exploited by the lazy and the feckless. At least according to the Daily Mail.

Whether or not that is true is open to debate. What is clear, however, is that we – as a nation – have knowingly disincentivised work. Even the most honest and hard-working are expected to jump through hoops, circumvent countless barriers and obstacles, and even pay for the privilege of earning a crust.

Here in the demolition and construction sector, that scenario plays out on a daily basis. In fact, it begins even before we can start work.

This article continues on Demolition Insider. Please use the link below to access this article FOR FREE.

The Break Fast Show #1028

October 31, 2025 Video

In today’s show: K-Tec lifts the lid on its latest scraper; the fundamentals of compaction, with Volvo; fleet optimisation made easy with Cat tech; and CM Labs, revisited.

PLUS in today’s edition of Mark’s Morning Monologue: A disincentive to work.

Start your day the demolition way!

Join us every weekday morning at 10am GMT for The Break Fast Show – the daily LiveStream that brings the demolition and construction industry to life.

It’s news, debate, discussion, and insight all rolled into one, with a line-up that keeps you informed, entertained, and involved:

  • Latest Industry News – the stories that matter, delivered fresh each morning.
  • Question of the Day – Sometimes serious, sometimes profound, often ridiculous.
  • Mark’s Morning Monologue – thought-provoking takes on the issues shaping our industry.
  • Interactive Chat – your comments, questions, and insights are a vital part of the show.

Whether you’re on site, in the office, or on the road, The Break Fast Show is the smartest way to stay connected to the world of demolition and construction.

Tune in live. Join the conversation. Be part of the community.

What’s in a name?

October 30, 2025 Long Form

“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet”. It’s a very famous line from Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, and it basically means: It doesn’t matter what a thing is called; it doesn’t change what it is.

I was reminded of that line earlier this week when it was announced that construction equipment giant is planning to change its name to Landcros. More specifically, I was reminded of that line by the reaction of many in the industry to a transition from a name that is universally known and widely respected, to something that doesn’t even appear to be spelled correctly.

So, with nothing better to do, I decided to have a dig through corporate history for examples of where a name change proved to be a good thing; and a few where it didn’t.

This article continues on Demolition Insider. Please use the link below to access this article FOR FREE.

The Break Fast Show #1027

October 30, 2025 Video

In today’s show: Cat 395 face shovel goes to work; sewers made simple with Kemroc; digging deep in Ireland with Kobelco; and we’re heading back to Kentucky to Connect with Work Tools.

PLUS in today’s edition of Mark’s Morning Monologue: What’s in a name?

Start your day the demolition way!

Join us every weekday morning at 10am GMT for The Break Fast Show – the daily LiveStream that brings the demolition and construction industry to life.

It’s news, debate, discussion, and insight all rolled into one, with a line-up that keeps you informed, entertained, and involved:

  • Latest Industry News – the stories that matter, delivered fresh each morning.
  • Question of the Day – Sometimes serious, sometimes profound, often ridiculous.
  • Mark’s Morning Monologue – thought-provoking takes on the issues shaping our industry.
  • Interactive Chat – your comments, questions, and insights are a vital part of the show.

Whether you’re on site, in the office, or on the road, The Break Fast Show is the smartest way to stay connected to the world of demolition and construction.

Tune in live. Join the conversation. Be part of the community.

Construction Sport podcast

October 29, 2025 Video

While those in the corridors of power prevaricate and procrastinate about the mental health crisis that has taken hold in the UK demolition and construction industry, Steve Kerslake and Construction Sport are out there, in the trenches, with people that are suffering the most.

So I was delighted to have been invited to make a guest appearance on the Construction Sport podcast.

Although it was the mental health issue that led me to participate, the conversation was wide ranging, taking in subjects as diverse as the Didcot Disaster, the industry’s ongoing gender imbalance, and electric construction equipment.

The resulting podcast is the best part of two hours long, so I would strongly recommend that you save it for a long drive or a long walk.

But a massive thank you to Steve, Alex and the rest of the Construction Sport team for making me so welcome.

When power matters

October 29, 2025 Long Form

There’s nothing quite like the smell of bacon frying in the open air; unless, of course, your camping stove runs out of gas. I learned that lesson the hard way, sitting beside a silent lake with a very hungry mate and a very empty gas canister. It wasn’t exactly a life-or-death situation, but it did get me thinking about how much we rely on power — and how quickly things fall apart when it’s gone.

Fast forward a few years and the same lesson repeated itself, this time in an airport departure lounge. My electronic boarding pass was ready, my flight home was calling, and my phone battery was as dead as the bacon stove. Again, no great disaster. But it was another reminder of how fragile our digital, battery-powered world really is.

Now take that same principle and drop it onto a construction or demolition site. Picture an electric excavator, its battery gauge hovering near empty, just as an emergency unfolds. Or a demolition machine that runs out of charge at the worst possible moment. The industry’s rush toward electric power is rightly celebrated; cleaner, quieter, greener.

But in our eagerness to plug in, have we stopped to ask what happens when the power runs out?

This article continues on Demolition Insider. Please use the link below to access this article FOR FREE.

The Break Fast Show #1026

October 29, 2025 Video

In today’s show: Hitachi will become Landcros – We find out why; we’re heading back to Kentucky and entering the Rock Zone; managing a dispersed equipment fleet using Cat technology; and the Hydrema DT6 is designed for tight spaces.

PLUS in today’s edition of Mark’s Morning Monologue: When power matters.

Start your day the demolition way!

Join us every weekday morning at 10am GMT for The Break Fast Show – the daily LiveStream that brings the demolition and construction industry to life.

It’s news, debate, discussion, and insight all rolled into one, with a line-up that keeps you informed, entertained, and involved:

  • Latest Industry News – the stories that matter, delivered fresh each morning.
  • Question of the Day – Sometimes serious, sometimes profound, often ridiculous.
  • Mark’s Morning Monologue – thought-provoking takes on the issues shaping our industry.
  • Interactive Chat – your comments, questions, and insights are a vital part of the show.

Whether you’re on site, in the office, or on the road, The Break Fast Show is the smartest way to stay connected to the world of demolition and construction.

Tune in live. Join the conversation. Be part of the community.