Total Reclaims is working 120 feet in the sky

The Nottingham Post recently featured work on Lenton Flats by C&D customer Total Reclaims Limited. The job requires scaling 16 flights of scaffolding stairs in order to reach the top, some 120 feet in the air.

So far four floors have been removed using electro-hydraulic breaker Brokks. One floor is dismantled at a time, and one concrete panel at a time. The flats were 17 storeys tall, but Total Reclaims has got that down to 13 in just 8 weeks. When they reach 11, then the Brokks work stops and a 360 excavator with a 35 metre reach takes over to demolish the rest.



Source: Nottingham Post

120 foot Abbey Court tower block is slowly getting shorter

Tower blocks are usually destined to be imploded, but there's situations where that's either not desirable or even possible. In the case of the 120-foot high Abber Court tower block in Lenton, Nottingham, a team of demolition workers from Total Reclaims are demolishing it a floor at a time.

Each day the team climbs up 16 flights of scaffolding stairs to reach the top and continue their work. It's already 28 feet shorter than when they started, which account for the top 4 floors.

In total the contract has created 24 jobs, including 4 apprentice positions, and is using a Brokks electro-hydraulic breaker to take down the concrete panels the building is constructed from one at a time. There was 17 floors in total, and when they get that down to 11 the crew moves out and the 360 Excavator moves in to finish the job quickly.

When the block is down, Nottingham City Homes will begin building 400 council homes.

Source: Nottingham Post

Demolition worker fined for causing severe leg injury

Devon Stoner, a 44 year old demolition worker employed by Sloane Demolition Ltd., has been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive.

In January last year Mr Stoner entered a 360 excavator on the site of a two-storey building that was being demolished in Kent. Four other men were present sorting and reclaiming bricks. Mr Stoner started the excavator, but could not control it.

The uncontrolled movements of the machine managed to knock over a wall. A co-worker could not move away from the wall quick enough and suffered severe injuries to his leg. The injury was so bad, the man now walks around with a steel plate in his shin and ankle. At the time, his shin was completely shattered and his ankle broken.

The blame for the incident lies with Mr Stoner who was both untrained and unauthorized to use the machine by his employer. After pleading guilty to breaching section 7(a) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, a court ruled he pay a £500 fine and undertake 120 hours of community service.

That's little compensation for his co-worker who has to live with the consequences of Mr Stoner's actions in what was a completely avoidable incident.

Source: HSE