No matter how many safety measures and watertight procedures are in place, we can’t deny that demolition jobs can be risky and dangerous.

When you’re dealing with tonnes of debris and building materials, even the smallest mistake can cause an incredible amount of damage – not to mention risk the health and well-being of everyone around.

We’ve put together a few examples below to remind us that demolitions can go very wrong, very fast – especially if you don’t take all the necessary precautions. That’s why it’s always worthwhile getting your demolitions done through a reputable demolition company like ours here at 3D Demo.

A DIY Close Call

DIY demolitions are never a good idea, especially if you don’t have proper experience and expertise in demolitions.

Yes, you’ll probably save money by avoiding professional fees. But you’ll also be risking thousands of dollars of damage to surrounding property. Or worse, risk your life and the lives of those around your building.

This DIY demolition of a silo may be a funny incident now, but it’s also a clear reminder that DIY demolitions are extremely dangerous. Even more so if you don’t use the right demolition techniques for the job!

The man in the video was very lucky to not get hurt, and it’s easy to see just how bad this could have gone.

Falling the Wrong Way

Sometimes, even months of careful planning and evaluation can lead to unexpected – and costly – demolitions.

Here’s a common example of disastrous demolition – a large structure falling over in the wrong direction. The demolition of this silo in Denmark was going according to plan even after the detonation of the explosives. Until it went the other way.

As the bottom of the silo gave way, the rest of the silo slowly toppled in the opposite direction of where it was designed to fall, crashing toward the library and cultural centre in the lot beside it. Thankfully, no one was reported hurt, and most of the library and cultural centre were fine (aside from being filled with dust and debris and a part of the building being damaged).

Ooops…Wrong House

You may have read about this story when it made the rounds in the news a couple of years ago. But it’s worth looking at again if you want a reminder of just how devastating a small mistake can be in demolition.

A demolition company was hired to demolish an old house in Bankstown in Sydney, and the house was brought down without much trouble.

But they realised they made one mistake: They demolished the wrong house.

It turns out the crew were supposed to demolish the property beside the house they just tore down. The mix-up was caused by the torn-down building having the wrong house number on its mailbox. The workers saw the number on the mailbox and assumed that this was property they were supposed to demolish – and off they went.

What this example shows is that even a small mistake – even something as little as a wrong assumption – can lead to disastrous results in demolition.

Undetected Crack

When you’re demolishing something as big an industrial smokestack, everything needs to go perfectly. Otherwise, it can be disastrous – as this incident shows.

An old power plant smokestack was being demolished and rigged with explosives by professionals to bring it down. Like so many demolitions gone wrong, everything was going according to plan until it started falling the wrong way. After the explosives detonated, the smokestack leaned the wrong direction and fell on top of power lines and back-up generators nearby. This caused a reported loss of power in parts of the town for more than two hours. Fortunately, no one was reported hurt in the incident.

Experts think the disaster was caused by an undetected crack on one part of the tower that caused it to topple in the wrong direction.

This goes to show that everything in a demolition needs to be evaluated and checked over multiple times with extra safety and precautionary measures in place.

Work with Professionals Who Go the Extra Mile

If you have a demolition project up ahead, save yourself the trouble and go with professionals who have the experience and expertise to get the job done safely.

In Brisbane, 3D Demolition are recognised as demolition professionals you can trust. We work according to Australian Standard AS2601-201 (The Demolition of Structures), and we always comply with council guidelines and Workplace Health and Safety regulations. Safety will always be our top priority, both for our team and for the people and structures around your building.

If you want to find out more about how we can demolish your building safely and properly, contact us today to talk to one of our specialists.