Jet Demolition excels at the most technically-demanding projects
Specialising in the heavy industrial and large commercial space, Jet Demolition prides itself on being able to undertake the more challenging demolition projects. It also excels at technically-demanding projects that require the highest levels of safety and quality.
“We have taken a long-term view of the business, and have focused our practices on delivering work to international standards, within an optimised timeline, and to the strictest quality and safety requirements,” Jet Demolition Contracts Manager Kate Bester (N. Dip. Civil Engineering) comments.
“We also undertake the more difficult remediation projects,” she adds. For example, Jet Demolition is trained and certified to work with hazardous materials, and therefore is able to offer radioactive decontamination of contaminated steel and concrete. Its clients are mainly multinational companies in the mining, power, and heavy industrial sectors, and range from governmental institutions to private companies.
Commenting on the state of the demolition industry in South Africa, Bester points out that there is “a fair range of demolition companies that react directly to the demands of the market. In any market there is a hierarchy of needs established at tender stage, and contractors react accordingly. In an instance where the lowest possible price is the foremost requirement, the danger is that quality and safety are a trade-off at execution. Safety is non-negotiable in our business.”
The health and safety considerations of demolition projects are somewhat comparable with those of the general construction industry, with one fundamental difference. In the vast majority of construction projects, the contractor has the opportunity to build from the ground up. The foundations are followed by the supporting columns and secondary supports, all building toward the highest and most dangerous point, while having the security of knowing exactly what the supporting structure looks like.
Demolition is the exact opposite, where the majority of projects work from the most dangerous or difficult point of a structure towards a point of safety on the ground. Therefore Jet Demolition has adopted a non-negotiable approach to safety. “Our business, our reputation, and our industry is based on engineering methods focused on the safety of persons,” Bester stresses.
Over the past 28 years, Jet Demolition has developed a comprehensive Integrated Safety Management Programme, which has resulted in the highest level of safety performance in the industry. In its annual 2019 NOSA audit, Jet Demolition scored 98.14%, one of the highest achievements internationally in the commercial construction industry.
Jet Demolition focuses on clients with high standards and expectations, and strives to exceed those expectations. At present, the industry is under immense strain, ebbing and flowing somewhat in line with the construction industry. Economic and developmental growth in the construction sector generally leads to large demolition projects, either to make space for new developments, or to retire old infrastructure that is then replaced with new.
“With the scale and complexity of the projects we undertake, we are fortunate to attend conferences abroad attended by global industry leaders,” Bester highlights. For example, the World Demolition Summit is an unparalleled opportunity to learn from other leading companies globally and, more importantly, to foster long-standing relationships. “It is not uncommon for one contractor to reach out to another half-way across the world to ask for advice, or to ask for an honest opinion on a certain aspect of the works. We are fortunate to be part of a community of contractors with a common goal and interest in driving improvement globally, and grasp at any opportunity to collaborate and contribute thought leadership to our industry,” Bester concludes.
