LAWR

May 2015 Local Authority Waste & Recycling 19 CONSTRUCTION & DEMOLITION he UK demolition industry has spent more than two decades striving to remove man (and woman) from the workface. This admirable desire to remove people from potential harm has given rise to unprecedented equipment innovations, including: high-reach excavators capable of demolishing tower blocks 90 metres in the air from the relative comfort of an air-conditioned operator's cab; and demolition robots that can work in potentially hazardous applications whilst the operator controls them from a safe distance of 50 metres or more. All this innovation has worked spectacularly well; demolition accidents and fatalities have been in virtually constant decline since this kind of equipment came into being. But that's only one side of the story. There has been a worrying spike in more minor accidents - cuts and graces, dust and contaminants in the eyes. Dr Terry Quarmby is the former president of the Institute of Demolition Engineers. He says the legislative and financial need to achieve higher and higher levels of recycling and materials re-use has forced man back into direct contact with potentially harmful materials such as scrap metal. In an intensive study, Quarmby argues that there is a direct correlation between the upturn in recycling and a recent upsurge in minor accidents. In his book Safe, Healthy and Sustainable Demolition, Quarmby notes: "Sustainable demolition activities are at the forefront of the government's policies on waste reduction, increased recycling and T Prompted by legislation and driven by potential profit, demolition contractors have become the trendsetters in the field of recycling and waste minimisation. But at what cost, asks C&D Consultancy's John Woodward. The unseen cost of higher recycling rates " There is a direct correlation between the upturn in recycling and a recent upsurge in minor accidents " reclamation of waste building products at the end-of-life cycle. Whilst the UK construction industry boasts reduced accident and incident rates, the demolition sector's rates are in the ascendency. Despite the demolition sector's increased use of mechanical methods for structural demolition, the prolonged and labour-intensive method of stripping out buildings by hand remains a major risk and causal factor for injuries." Quarmby's research also points the finger of blame for this rise in accidents at the seemingly inexorable desire for greater recycling levels. In years gone by some materials were considered waste not because they were impossible to re-use but because their recovery was both time-consuming and prohibitively expensive. Today, however, the industry abides by the mantra: 'If it can be recycled, it must be recycled.' An additional reason for this increase in minor accidents is the mobile and nomadic nature of the demolition industry and its constant desire to reduce its carbon footprint. Of course, in an ideal world, all demolition arisings would be hauled to a transfer station or recycling yard where materials could be segregated and processed in a safe, controlled environment. In the real world, most demolition contracts cannot afford such luxuries. Some materials have to be left on site, requiring segregation to take place at source; the cost of hauling materials to a transfer station is often prohibitive; and some demolition contracts are over long before a suitable system of materials processing can be set in place. According to the annual waste returns statistics from the National Federation of Demolition Contractors, UK demolition contractors are regularly achieving recycling rates that are upwards of 95%, making them the global leaders in their field. But any sense of pride at having become the benchmark by which other industries' recycling performance is judged must surely be tempered by the knowledge that these remarkable recycling rates have a human cost. John Woodward is founder of the C&D Consultancy and former president at the Institute of Demolition Engineers Recycling rates have improved but minor accidents have increased

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