risk management: demolition
Demolition –
assessing the risks and
planning for safety
John Thoday, Managing Director of The Health & Safety
People, outlines the safety issues that structural engineers
should be aware of during a demolition project
D
emolition work can be a very
dangerous activity if it is not
handled in the correct manner.
Only by conducting a thorough risk
assessment of all the work-related
dangers, identifying the possible hazards
at the worksite and of the activities to be
carried out, is the process made safer.
All demolition works fall within the
scope of the Construction (Design and
Management) Regulations 1994 (CDM).
Therefore before a demolition project
begins a competent planning supervisor
must be appointed, in order to ensure
that all those involved in the design
phase of the project pay adequate atten-
tion to reducing risks, both to the workers
involved in the project and to the general
public. The planning supervisor is respon-
sible for ensuring that an initial health
and safety plan is drawn up before any
contractors are appointed to carry out the
work. This plan is designed to draw
together all the information gathered
from the client and the designers during
the early planning stages of the project,
in order that health and safety issues are
made clear to potential contractors.
Designers are expected to address
safety issues at each stage of the demoli-
tion process and are in a unique position
to reduce the risks that arise. They have
a key role to play in providing
information for the initial health and
safety plan. Structural engineers are
ideally placed to fulfil this role due to the
skills and knowledge they possess. Not
only do they have a thorough under-
standing of the design and materials
used in a wide range of structures, they
also have an appreciation of the weight
load that each building can withstand,
putting them in a perfect position to
influence the reduction of risks.
Structural analysis
The first stage in the demolition process
involves an initial structural analysis of
the building to be demolished and an
identification of any potential hazards
such as the presence of hazardous mate-
rials or contaminants. For example, it is
not uncommon for older buildings to
contain asbestos in insulating board,
cladding, flooring or roofing materials.
The whole investigation process will be
extremely detailed, even analysing the
land on which a structure stands and
Car park being
demolished
(Photo courtesy
Babtie)
3 August 2004 – The Structural Engineer|19
taking into account any other buildings
that may have stood there before. If, for
example, a gasworks installation stood in
the same spot previously, flammable
toxins that could easily ignite, such as
toluene, may still be present in the
ground.
Following on from the structural
analysis and of equal importance, is to
ensure that any parties requiring notifi-
cation, such as local authorities and in
particular the environmental health
officer, are properly informed before the
demolition process is commenced, as the
demolition techniques that will be
allowed will vary from area to area. In
many densely populated city or urban
areas, for example, restrictions may be
imposed to control noise or air pollution,
which will influence the type of demoli-
tion technique selected. A more
commonly used demolition method
chosen for these heavily built-up loca-
tions is deconstruction. This process will
involve the careful bit-by-bit dismantling
of a structure with a wide range of
machines from hand-held breakers to
cranes.
The possible collapse mechanism of the
structure is a further determinant in
deciding which demolition technique to
use. The structural engineer will be
perfectly placed to assess the behaviour
of a structure during its collapse and will
make suggestions regarding the safest
and most efficient method to protect
surrounding properties. The structural
engineer’s knowledge is also crucial
during the pre-weakening stage, where
inspections can highlight whether any
structural members can be removed to
maximise the overall effectiveness of the
actual demolition action, without affect-
ing the short-term stability of the struc-
ture.
The choice of demolition technique is
not a precise science, however, and those
parties responsible for the final decision
may choose a method simply because it
was used successfully on a similar struc-
ture in the past.
Before the demolition process begins
an assigned party (the Principal
Contractor) needs to be appointed to take
responsibility for health and safety
during the complete duration of the
demolition work. The Principal
Contractor assumes responsibility for the
health and safety of those parties
involved, such as demolition or sub-
contractors and also those indirectly
involved, such as members of the public.
In addition to the CDM Regulations
which place a number of requirements on
those nominated as responsible for health
and safety on a project, there is also an
obligation to comply with a number of
other regulations. These include the
Management of Health and Safety at
Work Regulations 1999, Manual
Handling Operations Regulations 1992,
Personal Protective Equipment at Work
Regulations 1992, Construction (Health,
Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1996,
 risk management: demolition
Provision and Use of Work Equipment
Regulations 1998, Lifting Operations and
Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 and
the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and
Dangerous Occurrences Regulations
1995.
These requirements were put into
place to improve the overall management
and co-ordination of health, safety and
welfare throughout all stages of a
construction or demolition project.
Equally important is adherence to the
British Standards codes of practice,
particularly BS 6187:2000, the code of
practice for demolition work.
After the designers’ assessment of the
risks, the contractors involved in the
project also need to conduct their own
assessments of the risks involved in their
work; ideally they will seek the advice of
the structural engineer. Once these risk
assessments have been completed, docu-
mentation needs to be drawn up in the
form of a method statement to provide all
those parties involved in the demolition
process with a clear outline of all the
procedures they will have to undertake
and any potential hazards or problems
they may encounter. It will summarise
what they are going to do, how they are
going to do it and the safety implications
of each individual activity. It may sound
simple, but it is the key to their devising
a safe method of work.
Once the technique for demolition has
been chosen an initial preparation of the
building should be conducted before the
actual demolition is commenced. This will
involve the decommissioning and soft
stripping of any materials, fixtures and
fittings from the building, which could
involve anything from elevator lifts to
communications equipment. It is essen-
tial to ensure that any services such as
gas and electricity are disconnected
before the demolition process is
commenced.
‘It appears that the more obvious
the dangers the greater the
likelihood that an inherent safety
culture will develop’
Demolition zones
If the explosive charge demolition tech-
nique is selected it is essential that
adequate exclusion zones are put into
place. However, the size of these exclusion
zones is often subject to personal inter-
pretation. There are sources of guidance
on how to minimise the risks from such a
demolition technique. For example, The
Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
provides best practice guidelines on the
use of safe exclusion zones when employ-
ing explosive charges for demolition,
which recommend exclusion zones to
consist of four component parts:
• the plan area, covering that area of the
structure to be demolished;
20|The Structural Engineer – 3 August 2004
A small opening • the designed drop spot where the bulk
approx. 20ft of the structure is designed to drop;
wide, was left for • a predicted debris location, as the zone
the rubble to where the remainder of the debris from
leave the site the structure is likely to come to rest;
(Photo courtesy • a buffer area between the predicted
Babtie) debris area and the exclusion zone
perimeter.
This advice certainly helps but there are
no guidelines regarding the size of the
four areas that make up this total exclu-
sion area. It is entirely up to the individ-
ual to make his/her assessment on the
day.
Other considerations
Other areas to consider in regard to work
on the demolition site are the wearing of
personal protective equipment (PPE) and
the safe operation of equipment. In the
area of PPE, there is advice available
regarding the types of clothing that can
be worn for added protection, but this
tends to be limited. The Health & Safety
Executive issues guidance notes for the
wearing of safety helmets in the construc-
tion industry, which is of equal impor-
tance on the demolition site, but less
information is available regarding protec-
tion for other areas of the body.
Yet it soon becomes obvious after the
risk assessment process that workers will
require further protection at the demoli-
tion work site. One such area concerns
the wearing of respiratory protection. It is
essential that the correct types of mask
are worn during and in the aftermath of
the demolition process and that they are
robust enough to protect against the
presence of contaminants. For some types
of work, particularly asbestos removal
operations, specialised respirators will be
required. Additionally, although it may
seem obvious, the wearing of high visibil-
ity clothing is also critical to ensure that
all workers on site can be clearly seen at
all times. The correct specification of PPE
is vital and it is crucial that those individ-
uals assigned responsibility for PPE
before a demolition project begins, ensure
that everyone on site has the right
protection.
Careful thought should also be given to
the types of equipment used during
demolition work. For example, the risk to
workers regularly using hand held break-
ers is very real. Constant exposure to the
vibration caused by these power tools can
lead to permanently disabling injuries in
the hands and arms of users, including
conditions such as vibration white finger
and carpal tunnel syndrome.
Advice on how to reduce the threat is
now available. For example, the HSE is
encouraging employers to manage the
health risks posed to their employees
from hand-arm vibration at work. It
recommends a number of steps. Firstly,
many manufacturers are now recognising
the risk that high power tools present
and many now offer products that emit
lower levels of vibration, but it would
require a bit of research to identify these.
Alternatively, best practice procedures
should be put into place limiting the
amount of exposure time each individual
has with these types of power tools.
Rotation schemes can be implemented to
ensure that users are regularly swapped
over whilst using the same piece of equip-
ment.
In general, however, the demolition
industry should be praised for the health
and safety standards that it maintains on
site. Generally, it is safer to venture on to
a demolition site than a construction site.
It appears that the more obvious the
dangers the greater the likelihood that
an inherent safety culture will develop.
Credit also needs to be given to the
developments in technology that have
also made demolition work safer. More
demolition work is now done by machines
than ever before, including high-reach
machines, tower and high cranes,
hydraulic attachments and even remotely
controlled machines and robotic devices
which take people away from the front
line of the demolition work site.
The creation of a health and safety
plan and an accurate assessment of the
risks before commencing a demolition
project is absolutely crucial if the process
is to be a smooth one. However, it is a
common misconception that the extra
time taken at the beginning of a project
to implement a health and safety plan
will actually lengthen the whole
timescale of that project; the opposite is
actually true. Time-savings can be
achieved as it is less likely that problems
will be encountered if they are already
highlighted.
In the long run the implementation of
an effective health and safety plan not
only protects all those professionals
involved in a project but also improves
their reputation, as there will be fewer
accidents on site. As a consequence they
will be more likely to pick up repeat
business. se
• Further information on health and
safety within the demolition process
from: The Health & Safety Executive
(www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/conindex.htm);
The Health & Safety People (16A Market
Square, Sandy, Beds, SG19 1HU; tel:
01767 682 800; email:
enquiries@healthandsafetypeople.com;
web: www.healthandsafetypeople.com).