Following the Didcot Power Station incident in February, the National Federation of Demolition Contractors (NFDC) has confirmed that it will lead a project to write and publish industry guidance about the planning, preparation and use of explosives in demolition.
One person died and three further bodies have not yet been found following the collapse at the Oxfordshire power station, on 23 February. Five more people were injured in the blast.
Demolition was taking place at the time of the collapse and recent reports state that work to clear the debris from the site has been halted because contractors have reached a 50m (164 ft) “exclusion zone”.
Along with the Institute of Demolition Engineers and the Institute of Explosives Engineers, the new NFDC guidance “will draw together and update existing material from a wide variety of sources.”
Speaking to SHP, the NFDC said: “The National Federation of Demolition Contractors are delighted to have been asked by the HSE to prepare the Explosive Demolition Guidance Notes. The committee, formed by the NFDC is chaired by William Sinclair a very experienced explosives engineer, and backed by the IDE and IEE.
“This important document is a high priority for the industry, and will be ready for publication later in the year.”
In a statement the HSE said: “The Didcot incident on 23rd February 2016 has highlighted a demand from clients and contractors outside the highly specialised but small explosives engineering community for information about the planning, preparation and use of explosives in demolition.
“The NFDC has kindly volunteered to lead a project, assisted by specialists from the Institute of Demolition Engineers and the Institute of Explosives Engineers, to write and publish guidance on this subject. This will draw together and update existing material from a wide variety of sources.”
The HSE has confirmed that it is currently investigating two cases of failed implosions in April. One involved the failed blow-down of two 14-storey blocks of flats in Seaforth, Liverpool, and the other involved the failure to demolish a disused pit-tower at a former mine in Harworth, Nottinghamshire.
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Why isn’t William Sinclair down at Didcot, using his skills & industry experience to help get our men out!
WHAT DIDCOT EXPLOSION?
Your title of this article is misleading -please clarify or correct me.
Thanks in advance
WHY is SHP (or anyone) not asking the real questions on this incident?
Why has there been no explanation as to why the “reportedly” unstable element of the remaining structure was not blown down immediately to free up the rescuers to retrieve the remains of our brothers and return them to their families in a decent time frame?
What has slowed this exercise down to this ridiculous extent???
Bureaucracy? Poor(spineless) Leadership? Commercial pressure WHAT!
As an illustration;
I had a case in Canada where an employee was trapped under the back wheels of a laden dump truck for over 2 hours. The on site team were prevented by Police and Fire/rescue dept 1st responders (who claimed authority over the incident on arrival) from getting him out quickly by using a big Cat dozer to overturn the vehicle away from the casualty thereby giving him, at least, a chance of treatment and survival with treatment by the waiting medical guys! This proposed method of freeing the trapped person was not in the textbook and those in the authority would not allow the site team to go for it (on pain of prosecution) and insisted on waiting for a more senior person to attend and make a decision. By the time that person arrived and had ordered a crane and set it up for the lift the injured person was already dead and still under the wheels!
Will SHP ask questions??