Demolition Toolbox Talk
Every other job on a site is holding something up. This is the only one where the structure is being made weaker on purpose, by people standing on it.
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The talk, read this out
Before anything else: has anybody here seen the engineering survey for this building? Not been told about it. Seen it. It has to exist in writing before a single wall comes down.
The first requirement comes before demolition starts. An engineering survey shall be made by a competent person of the structure, to determine the condition of the framing, floors and walls and the possibility of unplanned collapse of any portion of it. Any adjacent structure where employees may be exposed gets checked the same way.
And the employer shall have in writing evidence that such a survey has been performed. In writing. That line is the difference between a survey and somebody having had a look, and it is the first thing an inspector asks for after an incident.
If the building has been damaged by fire, flood, explosion or anything else, and people have to work inside it, the walls or floor shall be shored or braced. A damaged structure is not the same job as a sound one and it does not get the same plan.
Every service line goes off before work starts: electric, gas, water, steam, sewer and anything else, shut off, capped or otherwise controlled outside the building line, and the utility company gets told in advance in each case. Anything that must stay live gets temporarily relocated as necessary and protected.
Then the part that kills people who did everything else right. It has to be determined whether hazardous chemicals, gases, explosives or flammable materials have been used in any pipes, tanks or equipment on the property, and where that is apparent or suspected, testing and purging happen and the hazard is eliminated before demolition starts. A cutting torch into an old tank is a complete story with one ending.
Openings are the day to day risk. Where anybody could fall through a wall opening it gets protected to a height of about 42 inches. Floor openings not used as material drops get covered with material strong enough to carry any load that could land on it, secured so it cannot shift.
Where debris is dropped through a hole without a chute, the area below is completely enclosed with barricades at least 42 inches high and at least 6 feet back from the projected edge of the opening above, with warning signs posted at every level. Nobody works in that lower area until the dropping stops upstairs.
And glass. Where a hazard exists from fragmentation of glass, that hazard shall be removed. Not taped, not avoided. Removed, before the machine gets near it.
Point at these before anybody starts
A talk delivered in a trailer is a meeting. Stand where the work is and put a hand on each of these.
- The written engineering survey. Ask where it is and who the competent person was.
- Every utility, and how anybody here knows it is actually dead rather than switched off somewhere.
- Any tank, drum or pipe on site that nobody can say what was in it.
- Every floor opening, and whether its cover would hold a loaded barrow.
- The drop zone below any material hole: barricades, distance, signs.
- Any glazing still in a wall that is coming down today.
The rules that apply
- Prior to permitting employees to start demolition operations, an engineering survey shall be made by a competent person of the structure to determine the condition of the framing, floors and walls and the possibility of unplanned collapse, and of any adjacent structure where employees may be exposed. The employer shall have written evidence that the survey was performed.
- Where employees must work inside a structure damaged by fire, flood, explosion or other cause, the walls or floor shall be shored or braced.
- All electric, gas, water, steam, sewer and other service lines shall be shut off, capped or otherwise controlled outside the building line before demolition starts, with the utility company notified in advance.
- Where hazardous chemicals, gases, explosives or flammable materials are apparent or suspected in pipes, tanks or equipment, testing and purging shall be performed and the hazard eliminated before demolition starts.
- Wall openings through which employees could fall shall be protected to a height of approximately 42 inches, and floor openings not used as material drops shall be covered with material substantial enough to support any imposed load and secured against movement.
- Where debris is dropped through holes without chutes, the area below shall be completely enclosed with barricades at least 42 inches high and at least 6 feet back from the projected edge of the opening, with warning signs at each level, and no removal below until debris handling above has stopped.
Ask the crew
Three questions, answered out loud by name. This is the part that tells you whether anybody was listening.
- Who did the engineering survey on this building, and where is the written evidence of it?
- Which utilities are confirmed dead, and confirmed by whom?
- Where is the drop zone, and who is allowed in it while material is coming down?
Close with this
Everything on this job is designed to fall down. The only question is whether it does it on the day somebody chose.
A talk nobody signed for is a talk that, as far as anybody can later prove, never happened. Use the free toolbox meeting sign in sheet in PDF, Word or Excel, or print the PDF above, which already has the signature lines on it.
Questions people ask
Does a small strip out need an engineering survey?
1926.850(a) is written for demolition operations and does not carve out small ones. The practical test is whether the work affects the condition of framing, floors or walls, or could cause unplanned collapse of any portion of the structure, because that is what the survey is for. Non structural strip out is usually outside it, and anything touching structure is not.
What makes somebody a competent person for the survey?
The subpart C definition: one who is capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards in the surroundings or working conditions which are unsanitary, hazardous or dangerous to employees, and who has authorization to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them. For a structural survey that means real structural competence, not a job title.
What about asbestos and lead in a demolition?
They are separate standards with separate duties and they bite before demolition starts, not during. Asbestos is 1926.1101 and lead is 1926.62, and the survey work they require is what stops a demolition crew making a whole building into a dust hazard in an afternoon.
More toolbox talks
TOOLBOX TALK: DEMOLITION
Attendance
Everybody who was present signs, including subcontractors and anybody visiting the site.