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d
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SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER2014
ASSOCIATIONS
NFDC at altitude
T
he2015NFDCAnnualConvention
took itsnormal format over the
weekendofAugust 22-25, 2014,with
delegates and their companions (spouses and
dependants) arrivingonFriday22. Formal
eventswere restricted to theSaturday,with the
normalNFDCbusinessmeetingheld in the
morning.
During themeeting, an announcement
ofmajor interest to the audiencewas that of
thedate andvenue for the2015DemoExpo,
which is tobeheld at JMould’sReading
facilityon June26-27. First held atArmac’s
ArdenBrickwork sitenear Solihull, this event
proved amajordraw for theUK industry and
hopefully the2015 eventwill prove equally
popular.
Following themeeting, thedelegateswere
treated to aguided tour of thenearbyLiebherr
factory atTelfs,where crawlerdozers, loaders
and telescopichandlers areproduced. For the
demolition audience, therewas anopportunity
toget theirhands on a954high reach that
was on staticdisplay alongwith a sampleof
the company’s other equipment types in the
factoryyard.
After an afternoon at leisure, the evening
saw the traditional black tie galadinner.Of
notewas thepresentationof anhonorary
lifetimemembership tooutgoingNDA
executivedirectorMikeTaylor,whowas
makinghis final appearance in that capacity.
NDA updates
Demolition
SafetyManual
TheNational Demolition Association has
completed its fifth revision of its OSHA-
funded Demolition SafetyManual. All
regularmembers of the Association
have received a copy and additional
copies are available for sale at www.
demolitionassociation.com/store_home.
asp
One key update is to chapter seven,
which covers equipment safety. In
conjunctionwith the UK’s NFDC, theNDA
has now included a new section on crusher
safety in the chapter. TheNFDC developed
the information for its own Crusher Safety
Guidelines and this was in turn reviewed by
the Construction&Demolition Recycling
Association.
According to outgoingNDA Executive
DirectorMike Taylor: “With recycling
being an important part of the demolition
process, safety when using a crusher is
vitally important. This new section provides
youwith the latest safe practices when
using a crusher, including information
on hazard analysis, machine set-up and
inspection, general operations, Lock Out/
Tag Out procedures and dust control.”
Berlin date
confirmed
The Deutscher
Abbruchverband has
confirmed the 2015
date and venue for
its annual conference
in Berlin, probably the largest single
gathering of demolition professionals
anywhere in the world. The venue will
once again be the Intercontinental Hotel
in that city, with the 21st such annual
event taking place on the 6th and 7th of
March, 2015.
The DA says that some 20
presentations will bemade during
the one-day technical conference,
covering a range of topics from the
latest technological developments and
innovations through to hazardous waste
removal, recycling, health& safety and
accident prevention. Site reports and
information on relevant German legal
changes will round the programme off.
As was the case this year, simultaneous
translation into English and Frenchwill be
provided. According to the DA, the full
technical programme for the conference
will be released by the end of 2014.
This year’s event sawmore than 700
delegates gather at the Intercontinental
Hotel, withmore than 80 exhibitors
displaying their wares to this audience
during the course of the event.While
organised by the DA, the event is open to
all comers.
He andhiswifeNancywere suitably surprised
by the formal acknowledgement of their long-
standing connectionwith theNFDC.
Thedaytime thenext daywas spent at
leisure (apart from those golfing,whohad
a suitably early rise afterwhatwas for some
avery latenight) and formal eventswere
brought to a closeby abuffet stylemeal
followedby a spectacular fireworksdisplay.
■
TheNFDC held its annual convention at the
spectacular venue of the Liebherr InteralpenHotel
near Innsbruck over theUK’s August bank holiday
weekend.
D&Ri
briefly reports
Following the businessmeeting, delegates got the
opportunity to get their hands on a Liebherr 954 high
reach following a tour of the nearby Liebherr facility
The Liebherr InteralpenHotel is surrounded by themajesty of the Austrian Tyrol
NDA president Jeff Kroeker and his partner Stacey
are followed byNFDC presidentWilliamSinclair, wife
Tracey andmother Peggy (the three obviously sharing
a family joke) as they enter the Gala Dinner
PhilippeBoehrer and DarrenBennett, representatives
of main sponsor Liebherr, address the business
meeting on the Saturdaymorning
