777 Group – Best Practice Under Pressure (The Following is a Promoted Article) The demolition sector has undergone major transformation in the last 20 years; with increasingly demanding standards in regards to anything from health and safety to rates of recycling, as well as advances in technology, those unwilling or unable to evolve run the risk of falling by the wayside. At the forefront of innovation, 777 Group exemplifies where the sector ought to be and takes the idea of best of practice to the next level. Founded in 1964, and with over 50 years’ experience, 777 Group’s ambition always remains to improve transparency and working practices within the demolition works sector. 777 has stayed true to its ethics of responsibility and currently stands as one of the UK’s leading demolition and environmental specialists. With adjoining divisions dedicated to recycling and health and safety, the firm stands as one-stop-shop in all aspects of deconstruction and, as such, it continues to attract a wide variety of clients in the commercial, industrial, retail and leisure and residential property sectors. Whilst the ability to undertake all works and thereby financially de-risk a project is undoubtedly compelling for clients, The 777 end-to-end service also allows greater control over a project’s realisation and, specifically, how health and safety as well as environmental impact are managed. Health and Safety has been a key area of investment for the firm and something which Mike Pearce, Managing Director of 777 Group, stresses is its “number one priority”. As well as putting in place stringent health and safety policies on-site, adequate training has been crucial to maintaining such an ethic. As Mike explains: “We have a very progressive attitude to ensuring staff are suitably qualified; for example, all our labourers, operatives and supervisors are all enrolled in the NDTG qualification scheme. Part of our ability to ensure contracts are fulfilled to the highest standards is based on giving staff the best training available. Failure to do so would not be a consideration.” As a further measure of assurance for clients, 777 Demolition is also an accredited member of a horde of health and safety specific associations, including: Constructionline, Achilles, NFDC, ARCA, the British Safety Council (BSC) and Worksafe Contractor to name a few. Whilst each has a significant role to play in ensuring standards of safe working practice are maintained and continually improved, Mike Pearce pinpoints membership with CHAS as crucial for both effective health and safety management and business prosperity. Indeed, in order to tender for business with many of the company’s clients, our CHAS accreditation has been a pre-requisite and thus sustaining association membership is a means of remaining competitive. All projects require high standards of H&S but one particular project that springs to mind which required strong health and safety certification was the demolition of the IMAX complex in Bournemouth. Located on the town’s sea front in a busy retail and leisure district, the demolition project required attention and diligence from the outset so as not to present risk to either the neighbouring properties or the passing public. And having acquired an infamy with residents owing to its gargantuan size eclipsing the bay from view, locals were in full throng as 777 Demolition’s giant, high-reach demolition rig arrived on site and work commenced. Maintain absolute control throughout, the firm managed to carry out all works within the building’s original footprint –employing ring-fenced, manned access system of entry to mitigate risk to the public. In spite of the physical limitations of the site, 777 was nonetheless able to conduct waste management in much the same way as any project, as Mike Pearce highlights: “By carefully planning the process of deconstruction we were able to safely demolish the building and ensure material was segregated in a timely and efficient fashion. Felled material was separated and stockpiled by a 30 tonne excavator equipped with a rotating grab attachment. In all, some 13,500t of waste was separated and removed from the site with 3000t of steel and 8000t of concrete successfully recycled. Recycling rates exceeded 97% despite the restrictive nature of the site.” As becomes clear, 777 Group is not just favoured for its leading position on health and safety but furthermore, its capability when it comes to recycling and environmentalism. As support for greener methods of development (and demolition) increases, the firm’s attention to recycling becomes an ever greater asset for clients and some now even demand it. Doing more than simply meeting requirement however, 777 has proven it is capable of exceeding expectations in every respect – including rates of recycling. Following initial assessment and the identification of waste streams, the company puts in place a Site Waste Management Plan (SWMP) to run concurrently with health and safety procedure as well as time and cost schedules. Abiding by each, 777 delivers projects on time, on budget, to specification and with strong values of health and safety and environmentalism. Delivering high-value, high quality workmanship on some of the most ambitious demolition projects throughout the UK of recent years, the 777 Group continues to rise in stature within the industry. With well-founded growth ambitions for 2016 and beyond, and with express commitment to industry standards as well as acuity when it comes to innovation, the firm will doubtless remain strides ahead of the competition for years to come.