04.12.2014

Is this the best way?

Spotted by a reader in London today, a lone man dismantling a gasometer from a large boom lift.

The method used looks decidedly dodgy in that the large chunks of steel are cut free and then allowed to drop. The piece we saw in a video naturally hit the structure and bounced towards the boom, but thankfully did not come close enough to interfere with it.
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The cutting begins on the upper chords of the top ring

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The top gives way and the beam is only retained by the lower chords which are then cut

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Down she goes bouncing against the vertical supports

You cannot help wonder if this is the best way to do the job, and what the method statement must look like? It is obviously a high profile job visible for miles around. Clearly it saves the need for a crane, which has its own additional risks, but looks like one for the Death Wish series.