ALCOA‘S ALL-STAR BLAST CAST ANGLESEA DEMOLITION, TAKE 2
Ex-military explosive experts called in to finish job and topple old power station
ALCOA will bring in international ex-military subcontractors to ensure the successful explosive demolition of the decommissioned Anglesea power plant after a botched first attempt, it’s been revealed.
It’ll be a no-holds-barred approach next week to make sure the demolition goes off without a hitch.
ALCOA will bring in international ex-military subcontractors to ensure the successful explosive demolition of the decommissioned Anglesea power plant following a botched first attempt, the CFMEU has revealed.
The construction union’s safety manager Dr Gerard Ayers has outlined the noholds-barred approach to ensuring the second attempt to demolish the old power station goes off without a hitch.
This includes the hiring of new subcontractors, who are due to undertake a second demolition attempt next week.
“They’ve got a mob coming out from the UK who are much better equipped to do this type of work and much better experienced,” Dr Ayers said.
“The first guys were more inclined to use things you’d blow up in terms of say quarrying and mining; these guys are experts and specialists in structures — and a lot of these peo- ple are ex-military, so they’re using military-style plastic explosives.”
Dr Ayers also outlined the process to be undertaken to ensure the success of the demolition, after a first attempt failed to bring down the main boiler building on May 30, despite a year of planning.
“They’ve done a full mock up… so it’s much more comprehensive than the original,” Dr Ayers said.
“They load all the explosives in with a remote control bobcat, place it at the foot of each column — there are seven — then there’s a window where they have to get people to physically place the explosive on the column.
“Once they’re all in place, they then have to wait for the right wind and weather so it blows away from Anglesea.
“Once that opportunity presents itself, those people then go back in and set the detonators on, it’s all done by remote control, so there’s no wires.
“The elephant in the room is obviously the asbestos… when the dust goes away they’re going to have drones going over to see if they can see any asbestos, and once that’s deemed safe they’ll have hy- gienists go in there to look at it.”
This week Alcoa annnounced demolition works ks would be undertaken in the he first week of October — only if winds were blowing away from m the coastal town.
“The activity may be auddible in Anglesea for approxiximately 10 seconds and is expected to sound similar to the first demolition, like claps of thunder,” the aluminium giant’s statement warned.
“It is expected to generate localised dust that will be vis- ible for a short period, that will l move away from town.
“Asbestos and dust moni- toring will be in place during g and after the demolition ac- tivity.
“Monitoring during and d since the first demolition acctivity has shown no cause for or concern — no airborne asbesstos fibres have been detected above … exposure standard.”
The station and mine closed in 2015 before being subject to a 12-month asbestos removal program.
“... These guys are experts and specialists in structures — and a lot of these people are exmilitary, so they’re using militarystyle plastic explosives.” CFMEU SAFETY MANAGER DR GERARD AYERS