Demolition News Radio

Earlier this week, the UK's Office for National Statistics reported that 749 construction workers had committed suicide during 2022. With the demolition and construction industry facing a mental health pandemic, the latest episode of our podcast asks if AI has a role to play in combatting stress, depression and suicide; whether it might be able to help overcome feelings of loneliness and isola...

In the first two episodes of this series, we focused on the potential downside to the construction industry’s adoption of AI such as job losses and redundancies and greater levels of worker scrutiny. But, in this episode, we are going to focus on how the constant monitoring of workers could actually help see lives.

In this second episode of AI on AI, we delve into the ethics of AI and ts adoption by the demolition and construction industries; how AI might help overcome language and literacy problems; and how AI could act as a mentor and training aid, transferring the knowledge of industry veterans to less experienced workers.

Journalistic protocol dictates that, if you want to know something, you go straight to the source. So when I wanted to know more about AI and its potential impact upon the demolition and construction industry, I decided to go straight to the AI itself; ChatGPT4 omni. In this exclusive video, ChatGPT4 omni acts as both expert guest and co-host as we discuss artificial intelligence and its potential...

Eight years after four men were killed in the worst accident in UK demolition history, Thames Valley Police and the Health and Safety Executive ,have STILL not delivered any answers, explanation or closure. 

So there I was at Plantworx, minding my own business and watching some attachments being put through their paces on the AugerTorque stand. A young guy comes up to me and we get to talking.   A few minutes later, he is picking my brains about social media while I am picking his brains about attachments. He’s a nice guy.   Very enthusiastic.   We get on well. Turns out, that young guy was William Fo...

Construction giant Mace has just published a new report entitled Closing the Circle in which it lays out its hopes and fears, plans and aspirations for a sustainable construction industry of tomorrow. Refreshingly, while some within the built environment seem keen to push demolition to the very edge of acceptability, Mace believes that demolition has a vital role to play. But it also suggests that...

The world's first (and only) demolition ghost story, resurrected for Halloween 2023.

Tilt rotators. They are probably the single most divisive item in the field of construction plant and equipment. There are some operators that love them and that would refuse to work without them. And there are some that believe the use of a tilt rotator makes them less of an operator; less of a man even. Despite those reservations, tilt rotators have proliferated. Visits to the Bauma exhibition i...

John Lynch was elected President of the National Federation of Demolition Contractors (NFDC) back in March, less than 24 hours after the Competition and Markets Authority handed down fines of almost £60 million to 10 NFDC member companies for their part in a bid-rigging and price-fixing scandal. In his first interview since his election, Lynch comes out fighting and sets his sights on rebuilding t...

Imagine sitting down with Willi Liebherr to talk about how his father designed the mobile tower crane. Or being granted an audience with Lord Bamford to learn how his father Joe perfected the backhoe loader that would forever sport his father’s JCB initials. Well, during a trip to the Bobcat facility in the Czech Republic, I was given just such an opportunity. Together with a couple of other peopl...

On Friday 28 April, Ann Mackay should be celebrating her wedding anniversary. Instead, she will be attending a Workers Memorial Day event in her native Scotland. She will be there to remember her husband John who – together with Tommy Williams – died in an horrific demolition accident at the former Teesworks facility in Redcar back on 19 September 2019. Three years and seven months after John and...

Under normal circumstances, the 20th anniversary of a consultancy company is not something I would get too excited about. It might be big news for them but it’s not generally a big deal for the rest of us. C&D Engineering Consultancy is different. The company is so closely allied to the UK demolition industry that its 20-year history is interwoven into the very fabric of the sector. Many of th...

Welcome to the first-ever episode of our brand-new show – Construction Equipment News – Your up-to-the-minute resource for the latest and greatest developments in the field of construction and demolition equipment. In this week's episode: Kobelco launches a pair of new mini excavators: https://tinyurl.com/ycyc8jf7 Caterpillar unveils the latest additions to its range of rotary cutters: https:/...

An investigation into bid-rigging, price-fixing and collusion within the UK demolition industry has finally delivered its findings after more than three years. Three company directors have been disqualified and ten companies have received fines that total almost £60 billion. But while this marks the closing of the Competition and Markets Authority investigation, at least for now, the story may be...

Developers in the City of London will henceforth be asked to consider alternatives to demolition at the earliest stage of the planning process.     Meanwhile, a Labour peer has tabled an amendment to the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill currently before Parliament that could make it mandatory for ALL demolitions to require planning permission.   You can read more below: City...

On 23 February 2016, the boiler house at the Didcot A Power Station partially collapsed, killing four demolition workers:  Michael Collings, Ken Cresswell, Christopher Huxtable and John Shaw. Seven years on, the investigation into their deaths remains ongoing. To mark this tragic anniversary, DemolitionNews hosted a dedicated LiveStream in memory of the four men. This is a recording of that L...

I recently produced a film on the impending removal of Grandfather Rights under the CSCS Card Scheme.   That video prompted groundworker Ollie Gunns to produce his own film for his growing social media audience.   Given that we both had such strong feelings on the subject, I reached out to Ollie with a view to recording a podcast together.   I have picked the highlights of that conv...

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the key to machine learning and to machine autonomy.   But just how good is it?   In this latest episode of Tech 4 Sites, we put it to the test and find it to be staggeringly good.   So make sure you stick around for the big reveal at the six minute mark. If you enjoyed this episode, if you got value from it or if you would like to help support t...

Depending on your viewpoint, robots are the keys to man’s freedom from labour or a mass unemployment event just waiting to happen; the inevitable next step in human development or the first step towards a dystopian future.   Regardless of your viewpoint, there can be little doubt that the robots are coming.   And one of the key areas they’re targeting is demolition and construction....

The New Year is just a few weeks old and it already looks set to be a challenging 12 months filled with financial woes and workload lows.  But there will be highlights too.    In this special one-off LIVE show, Mystic Mark Anthony breaks out his crystal ball in an attempt to see the future for the demolition and construction sector. If you enjoyed this episode, if you got value from...

Ben Wade is just 17-years old.   But he has set his sights on inspiring the next generation of construction professionals. If you enjoy this episode, please be sure to follow Ben on Instagram - @bentheoperator And please be sure to subscribe to this channel.   Better still, please leave us a review.

The demolition and construction industry is facing its biggest change since mechanisation - The switch from traditional diesel fuel to a new and largely unproven future fuel.  Quite what that fuel might be is still open to discussion.    But, having experimented with electric and hydrogen fuel cell technology, construction equipment giant JCB looks set to pioneer and pursue a hydrog...

Are you concerned about the threat from the environmental lobby over embodied carbon?   You should be. In this new series, we will be looking at an issue that has been described as the greatest single threat to the demolition industry status quo. Please consider subscribing to this podcast. If you would like to speak to the author - Mark Anthony - you can book an appointment here . If yo...

At Bauma 2022, Bobcat showcased a number of new machines and innovations that place it at the very cutting edge of demolition and construction equipment development.   In this exclusive conversation, we caught up with Bobcat's John Christofides to find out how Bobcat maintained its high level of innovation and product development even during the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting lockdown.