Case Studies
Collapse of Silo Bins During Demolition
There was an uncontrolled collapse of a row of silo bins during their demolition at an old mill. The concrete silos under demolition comprised a rectangular array of silo bins, each being approximately 3 meters across and over 30 meters high. The silos were supported on a grid of concrete columns.
The original few rows of bins were constructed in the 1950s. The remainder were built a few years later. There were no structural connections between them. Demolition of the silos started at one end of the silo structure on a row by row basis.
During demolition of the silos, one of the rows of silos collapsed during demolition of the adjacent base slabs and supporting columns of the silos and the machine operator sustained serious injury.
Cadogans provided an opinion on Health and Safety matters arising out of the accident during the demolition work. The issues addressed were as follows:
- Whether or not the hammering of the base slab by the machine operator could have been sufficient external interference to cause the collapse of the 8th row of silos.
- Comment on the mechanism of failure as described in HSE’s report.
- Any conclusions that can be drawn from the investigations carried out by the HSE.
The issues were considered and analysed and an opinion was given based on the appropriate regulations.
