Looking back: John Woodward attempt to stimulate interest in demolition careers

As the IDE announce the new degree in demolition engineering we look back to a Construction News article when John was trying to stimulate interest in demolition as a career.

Here's an excerpt:

"With the shackles of austerity being gently released and an impending election just around the corner, it is little surprise to see a range of major infrastructure projects receiving the go-ahead in our towns and cities.

Multi-million-pound transformational schemes have been unveiled and state-of-the-art CGIs have painted emotional pictures of places we would all love to work, rest and play in.

However, to create this new vision we have to carefully demolish existing buildings or unwanted structures and, if we’re not careful, this is where problems may start."

You can read the rest over on the Construction News website.

IDE & Wolverhampton University join forces to deliver the first ever Demolition Engineering Degree course in Europe and Asia

Following years of work by a select education committee of IDE Council Members, the institute is now just weeks away from announcing the launch of the degree and the signing of the articles of agreement from both parties.

The signing of the articles will take place in the Mayor's Parlour at Wolverhampton Civic Centre with the Vice Principal of Wolverhampton University and IDE President Duncan Rudall FIDE putting pen to paper to seal a nine year agreement to deliver MSc and BSc qualifications in Demolition Engineering.

The University will deliver the core elements of the course with IDE trainers Terry Quarmby, Duncan Rudall, Mike Kehoe, and John Woodward delivering the specialist demolition sections.

Meetings over the next few weeks will finalise the course content and delivery format with a view to the first MSc courses commencing in September 2017, following full ratification from the University, with BSc courses set to follow in 2018.

The course content will be such that the MSc will be open to existing demolition engineers who wish to obtain an academic qualification in demolition engineering, while the BSc will be tailored to school leavers who want a career in demolition via academic qualification, a route that was impossible until now.

This is a milestone in the history of the IDE and will set the industry on a similar footing to ICE and IStructE.

IDE Autumn Seminar happening September 25th, join us there

The IDE Autumn Seminar is being held on September 25th this year. That's less than a month to go, but still plenty of time to book a place or reserve some exhibition space.

The venue is:

One Great George Street,
Westminster,
London SW1P

If you would like to book places, please get in touch with the IDE directly by emailing info@ide.org.uk or phoning 01634 816255. Here's the flyer promoting the event:

To train or not? Surely to train!

Over on the IDE website, member Stephen McCann has written an article entitled "To train or not to train, for that is the question," and it's well worth your time to read.

Here at C&D we endorse the views of Stephen, but as a training organisation you would expect us to do so. However we would say that we believe that a properly trained workforce is safe, efficient and will make you far more money than the amount you invested into the training.

NDTG and C&D train the current and future demolition industry workforce to improve standards across the industry.

"Keep Calm - I was trained by C&D"

Former IDE President Tony Hurley dies following long battle against cancer

It is with great sadness that I have to announce to readers of this page that Former IDE President Tony Hurley has last week. Tony was IDE President from 1992-1994.

Anyone who knew Tony, as I did, will know what a fantastically knowledgeable man he was, with a great Northern sense of humour and someone who helped to change demolition to the industry it is today.

One of my memories of Tony is sitting in his car at Chelmsley Wood, Birmingham looking across at the Ron Hull high reach that was painted to look like a giraffe and Tony's comment that "It nods it's head a bit but it is bloody tall and it will get the job done safely". He was spot on with both observations, it certainly did "nod it's head" but it was the first high reach that I saw and it got the job done.

Recently I have only seen Tony at IDE AGM's and luncheons or seen his photograph in the occasional article in the media when he has met other former IDE Presidents Richard Vann and Charles Moran at his house in Spain. Every year that he was able to Tony attended the IDE AGM chatted to all and sundry, drank a few drinks and regaled us with demolition stories of the old days.

The news of his death came from Andrew Dale who visited Tony a couple of weeks ago in Spain only to find that his health was failing and he was a shadow of his former self.

Tony was a true gentleman and will be sadly missed not only by his lovely wife Christine, family and friends, but also by the UK Demolition Industry to which he gave great service over the years.

One in a million.

Please take a few minutes to read his "Memoirs of a Demolition Man" as it makes fascinating reading.

IDE Autumn Seminar announced for September 26, book your place!

The IDE has announced that the Autumn Seminar is set to take place this year on Friday, 26th September. The venue is the Telford Theatre at One Great George Street in the City of Westminster.

The seminar kicks off at 9:30am and runs until 4pm. IDE President Steve Jack will be there to welcome you from 10am, and by attending you will achieve your core IDE CPD (6 hours). Presentations will be given following the Welcome Speech and again at 2pm after lunch. There will also be time to network with fellow attendees.

If you would like to attend, then please complete the Booking Form 2014 before returning it to the IDE offices along with payment (full details of what to do are contained in the booking form). The cost is $150 (no VAT) per person.

IDE Golf Day 2014, book your place today

As highlighted earlier this week on our sister site Demolish & Dismantle, we're entering Spring time, and that can only mean one thing: it's time to book your place on the IDE Golf Day 2014.

This year the golf tournament will be held on the 18th June at the London Golf Club. The day starts at 10am with bacon rolls followed by tee off at 11am. Following a full 18 holes of golf you are invited to attend a dinner and awards ceremony starting at 5pm.

Those of you wanting to attend need to pay £60 before June 1st. If you're interested then it's simply a case of filling out the booking form which you can download from the IDE website.

C&D appointed by NDTG to deliver the first ever Demolition Management course in Gibraltar

Readers of this website will know that C&D are proud to be members of the NDTG and that we deliver their courses throughout the UK. But you may not know that we are also involved in course development with NDTG.

We are currently revising the Demolition Manager Black Card course and have now been appointed by NDTG to prepare and deliver a four day course for demolition managers in Gibraltar. The course, which will run from 3-6 February 2014, is based upon a mixture of content from the UK Demolition Manager course and the popular C&D two day course currently being delivered to major clients around the UK.

Content will include UK legislation, British Standards, CDM and how it applies to demolition, demolition techniques in 2014, why NFDC contractors with IDE members will ensure competency and a number of group exercises to allow candidates to discuss projects, interact with each other and build on the skills learnt during the course.

Sophie Cox (NDTG Manager) and John have been working with the Gibraltar client since 2010 to make this course happens and here at C&D we are delighted that Sophie's efforts have been successful.

Does training before an important exam increase the chances of passing it?

The IDE have found that those enrolled members of the institute who attend the preparation day increase their chances of passing the exam significantly and they have, therefore, decided to offer the preparation day in Scotland for the first time on Friday, 30th August 2013.

The prep day will be hosted by Dr Terry Quarmby and John Woodward and full details of how to book are available by contacting maureen@demolitionengineers.net

C&D Breaks Out New Training Course

One of the UK’s leading demolition training providers – C&D Consultancy – has introduced a new training course to help companies and their operatives get the most out of their hydraulic hammers.

C&D Consultancy, the demolition training specialist headed by John Woodward - immediate past president of the Institute of Demolition Engineers - has unveiled a new training course aimed squarely at owners and operators of hydraulic hammers.

Built around the Rammer training manual and backed by the Finnish hydraulic hammer giant, the new course has been developed to ensure the safety of operators and operatives whilst gaining maximum productivity and working life from the breakers.

“Operator misuse, abuse and neglect are universally accepted to be the single biggest cause of hydraulic hammer failure within the demolition sector,” Woodward says. “Our training course is designed to overcome that problem by demonstrating best operating and maintenance practice to ensure that the operator is safe, that the breaker performs to optimum levels, and that wear, tear and failure are minimised.”


Woodward says that some of the course content is based upon known principles and working methods and is designed to reinforce best practice. “Trying to break off too much material, levering the material with the tool, or hammering in the same position for a prolonged period will all impact upon the life expectancy of both the breaker and the tool,” Woodward asserts. “The training course will show operators how to approach specific tasks while covering items such as hammer, carrier and hydraulic hose checks, pre-start site checks, correct greasing procedures and general hammer care.”

Woodward says that, although the training course is based upon the Rammer training manual, the course is open to companies running any breaker brand and is not limited purely to demolition applications. “Regardless of manufacturer or specific application, the challenges of optimum safety, productivity and reliability remain the same,” Woodward concludes. “By learning correct procedures, it is possible to increase hammer productivity and extend the life of the breaker. With so many demolition sites, mines, quarries and recycling operations reliant upon a hydraulic hammer, a small investment in operator training can have huge benefits.”

C&D Consultancy trainer is upgraded to MIDE

Roland O'Connor, one of C&D's registered trainers for NDTG courses, has continued with his own training over the last few months and is now a Full Member of IDE.

Roland is well known for delivering training courses in asbestos awareness, environmental awareness and IOSH Managing Safely, but not many people know that he has also taken and passed the NDTG Demolition Manager course, the IDE entrance exam, and has now completed his professional interview to become a full member of IDE.

If you need training of any sort over the next few months then why not ask for Roland when you book your courses via john.woodward@demolishdismantle.co.uk