Connell Brothers were appointed by Client’s Lafarge Cement UK to demolish their redundant depot situated in Widnes, Cheshire. The project involved mainly the demolition and site clearance of six 1500/2500 ton cement silos and other associated buildings including two steel silos. Great care and attention had to be given to the surrounding land users throughout the project. A café was situated at the depot entrance, to the west were railtrack sidings and the surrounding land to the south was owned by Tanhouse Garage Limited. It was for these reasons that precautions had to be taken to prevent nuisance and inconvenience to the owners of these premises and to the public in general. One of the main areas of concern due to the inner concrete cement make up of the structures and also because of their sheer height was dust.

It was for these reasons that Connell Brothers incorporated the use of various control measures. The silos were initially pre cleaned prior to demolition, then a jet powered water spray was fitted to the boom of the specialist long reach excavator in order to suppress the levels of dust throughout the works. This was done in conjunction with the use of a banksman working along side the machine driver and led to levels of dust being kept to a minimum. Further background re assurance monitoring was also conducted by Connell Brothers independent Health and Safety Advisor.

The project also called for careful removal of dangerous asbestos substances namely Asbestos sheets, gaskets and floor tiles. Connell Brothers adopted a professional approach adhering to the guidelines set out in HSG 210 & 213 – "Asbestos Essentials" and HSG 189/2 – " Asbestos Cement."

The Management called for regular Safety Audits of the site, weekly Tool Box Talks with regards to safety, regular Method Statement Induction courses for all Operatives on site, fortnightly Progress and Safety Meetings with Lafarge. Regular auditing was undertaken to ensure that the Project Management procedures were followed. The 9 week Project was completed on time to the client’s full satisfaction with no injuries, accidents, or incident to members of staff or the public..

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