A trip down memory lane… Thursday, 16th January 2014

Three years ago today, C&D’s founder John Woodward visited Smestow School to speak at their school assembly as part of a government initiative called ‘Inspiring The Future’, which encouraged UK engineers to devote some of their time to promoting engineering as a future career choice.

The talk was designed to encourage school leavers to consider a career in demolition in which John showed the audience examples of both high reach and explosive demolitions and how ground-breaking technology is taking the industry to new heights.

He spoke passionately about the myths and stereotypes surrounding the industry, comparing the media’s view of demolition to that of teenagers – outdated and, ultimately, completely wrong.

John also used examples of where demolition has cleared the past to make way for the future, citing London 2012 as a case in point where the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) demolished a former industrial site in Stratford, East London to clear the ground ready for the construction of Olympic Park, which included a main stadium, aquatics centre, velodrome, three sports arenas, a hockey centre and accommodation for competitors.

John’s talk had an immediate impact on one particular student who contacted C&D a few days later to enquire about the possibility of work experience.

That young man was Matt Birch, who now works full-time with C&D as a trainee demolition engineer.

It’s amazing what a little bit of inspiration can do.

Inspiring the Future gets a major upgrade

Inspiring the Future, the government scheme setup to get industry leaders volunteering and visiting schools, a scheme our very own John Woodward has been a part of, has been in touch to inform us of a major upgrade.

The scheme now counts 18,500 volunteers on its roster, representing 5,000 organisations who have spoken to around 450,000 young people. The upgrade makes it much easier for the 7,500 teachers taking part to find and contact a volunteer. Volunteers also have a much easier time with regards to messages. They can now respond instantly to messages via their email rather than having to log-on.

Inspiring the Future is a brilliant scheme, proven by the 2013-14 Annual Review, which goes into detail about what exactly it has achieved in such a short period of time. We urge you to take part and recommend it to other industry professionals.

John's Primary Futures talks get featured!

We are very pleased that one of John's Primary Futures talks is featured on the Primary Futures website. You can view it by clicking the link below:

http://www.inspiringthefuture.org/media/23607/primary_futures_day_tipton_green_junior_school.pdf

John's work for Primary Futures is also featured on the Education and Employers website, including video and links to the images associated with the venture included below:



Photos available here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/edu_employers/sets/

Finally, there's an excellent article on the NAHT website discussing the Primary Futures initiative and how it boosts the aspirations of thousands of primary school children. It's well worth a read:

http://www.naht.org.uk/welcome/news-and-media/key-topics/curriculum/primary-futures-national-initiative-to-boost-pupils-aspirations/

Primary Futures hailed as a huge success!

At the beginning of May John was delighted to be taking part in the Primary Futures Project, which launched at Birmingham University. A couple of week on, and the project is being hailed as a huge success.

Primary Futures has been in touch with John and the other launch speakers to thank them for their participation, but also to confirm that after just 24 hours, the Primary Futures site had had over 100 schools signing up! They also shared picture of the speakers interacting with the children who attended, and we've included John's pictures here.


What Primary Futures needs now is volunteers. If you'd like to get involved, or just to see what the project is all about, please visit the Primary Futures website.

Former IDE President John Woodward continues with his work in schools giving career advice on the demolition industry

John Woodward enrolled upon the Inspiring Futures scheme, launched by the government to get industry leaders to visit schools on a volunteer basis to talk to pupils about their career and future employment opportunities, and he has completed three school visits so far as well as the UK Press Launch of the Primary Futures scheme which replicates Inspiring the Future in Primary Schools.

John's talks have already inspired pupils to consider a career in demolition as the images included here show, and John is now continuing with his series of talks on Thursday 15 May at the City of Wolverhampton Progression Week at Wellington Road College Campus where his talk will run from 10am until 11am.


Demolition is a great career choice as IDE members "Remove the past to make way for the future"

If you would like to share your work experiences with schools why not pop over the Inspiring the Future website today and register as a volunteer.

John Woodward to speak at Smestow School, Wolverhampton on Careers in Demolition Engineering

Some time ago John enrolled on a government initiative that encourages UK engineers to give up some of their time and visit schools to promote engineering as a career, and following that enrolment Smestow School in Wolverhampton asked for him to speak at the school assembly on Thursday, 16th January.

The talk will be to encourage school leavers to consider a career in Demolition and will include examples of high reach demolition and explosive demolition.

The promotional flyers for the school are reproduced below. Click the second one to see it full size with clear, readable text.

Guest Post: Children exposed to asbestos at increased risk of asbestos disease

Below is a guest post from David Trenbath, the Digital Marketing Manager at Birchall Blackburn Solicitors. The company runs the National Asbestos Helpline at www.nationalasbestos.co.uk providing expert advice to those suffering from asbestos related diseases. They are also aiming to get over 1,000 signatures on their online petition to to campaign for a global ban on asbestos.

The piece below covers the amount of asbestos materials within school buildings, and the risks they pose to children:

In June 2013 The Committee on Carcinogenicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment released a statement on The Relative Vulnerability of Children to Asbestos Compared to Adults.

The facts

There are 24,372 schools in England. It is estimated that more than 75% of these schools have some buildings which contain asbestos-containing products. Where there are asbestos-containing products there is risk of exposure. When asbestos is present and is disturbed or damaged, risk of exposure can increase.

The Committee noted that all forms of asbestos are carcinogenic to humans and there is good evidence that childhood exposure to asbestos can cause mesothelioma in later life.

The Committee and the case studies

The Committee reviewed case reports in relation to children exposed to asbestos who then went on to develop mesothelioma. They were provided with a review of studies which included where the exposure to asbestos occurred through parents having occupational exposure, exposure in the home or environmental exposure.

The Committee looked into national mesothelioma mortality rates and rather alarmingly noted that although mortality rates in men are declining (the rate for those born in 1945 is much higher than for those born in 1955) this is not the case for women. The Committee speculates that this is because the majority of mesothelioma in women is the result of environmental or para-occupational exposure to asbestos which may have occurred before the age of 20 and possibly before the age of 10.

The Statement asserts that the younger a person is when they are exposed, the greater the risk of developing mesothelioma, which reflects the latency of the disease as younger people are more likely to live long enough for the disease to manifest itself.

The Conclusion

The Committee acknowledges that the data is limited and therefore it is not possible to say whether children are intrinsically more susceptible to asbestos-related injury. However the Committee recognises that due to the increased life expectancy of children when compared to adults and the long latency period of mesothelioma, children are therefore at an increased lifetime risk of developing mesothelioma. The Committee estimates that a five year old child exposed to the same level of asbestos as a 25 year old adult is predicted to have a 3.5 times greater chance of lifetime risk of developing mesothelioma and this estimate jumps to 5 times more likely when compared to a 30 year old adult.

When these assertions are taken in consideration with the number of schools in our communities containing asbestos the results are alarming.

The National Asbestos Helpline is committed to providing help for asbestos disease sufferers and their families across the UK. Help us join the fight for a global ban on asbestos. Sign our online petition at lobbyingforlife.co.uk.

715 cancelled school building projects to have major impact on UK construction & demolition industries

The news has been filled this week with details of plans to cut school building projects. In total, this affects 715 schools and the $55 billion Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme.

The consequences of this decision not only affects the schools, but has a major impact on both the construction and demolition industries within the UK. This is 715 projects that no longer need any demolition work, and 715 lost construction contracts.

The UK Contractors Group (UKCG) has responded to the decision by stating that they already argued the BSF programme could be simplified, and that contractors have been paying unnecessary costs because of it. They now plan to work with the government to conduct some sample projects in 14 areas so as not to waste the expenditure that has already gone into specific projects. The outlook seems to be clarification is required from the government going forward, and UKCG working to deliver efficiencies in line with government requirements.

We have uploaded a list showing the mpact this has had on BSF schools by local authority, you can download the list here (PDF)

We have also uploaded the speech given in parliament by Education Secretary Michael Gove. You can download it here (PDF)

Rush for new schools means more "sound and thoughtfully designed" buildings being demolished

English Heritage is desperate to see a number of classic buildings saved from demolition due to a rush to build new schools.

It is thought instead of taking the time to restore existing buildings the demolition option is being taken and quick new builds are replacing them.

The Partnership for Schools team, which has a £20 billion programme for rebuilding, also seems to be failing on promises. Half of that budget is meant for restoration work, but Building Design magazine carried out a survey that found 70% of the projects are new builds.

The reality seems to be that in a rush to provide more schooling facilities the government and local government is destroying perfectly good and beautiful old buildings.

Lady Andrews, chair of English Heritage, said:

"Local education authorities need to strike the best balance between replacement and refurbishment. The latter is often the more environmentally sensitive and effective solution. It uses the assets of the community, minimise requirements for new materials and cut demolition waste. It also helps to reinforce people's sense of belonging and local identity."

Source: The Guardian