Demolition method statement

A risk assessment should be made by the contractor undertaking the demolition - this risk assessment will be used to draw up a method statement for inclusion in the health and safety plan. A written method statement will be required before demolition takes place. The contents of the method statement will include the following  

Other risk assessments, such as COSHH, personal protective equipment and manual handling, should be appended to the method statement. 

The isolation of all services (gas, electricity and water) which feed the site is essential before any demolition takes place. Contact with the appropriate service provider will be necessary since sites often have a complex of feeds for many of its services. The local authority and surrounding properties also need to be informed that services are to be isolated. 

Over recent years, more rules and regulations have been introduced concerning the disposal of construction waste and this topic is covered in more depth in Chapter 16. Proper arrangements must be made with a reputable waste disposal contractor for the disposal of demolition waste. If hazardous substances are included in the waste, then specialist waste contractors should be used. Only registered disposal sites should be used and records kept of each load. 

The site should be made secure with relevant signs posted to warn members of the public of the dangers. 

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Health and safety file - this is a record of information for the client which focuses on health and safety. It alerts those who are responsible for the structure and equipment in it to the significant health and safety risks that will need to be dealt with during subsequent use, construction, maintenance, repair, cleaning and demolition. Method statement - this is a written document laying out the work procedures and sequences of operations to ensure health and safety. It results from the risk assessment carried out for the task or operation and the control measures identified. If the risk is low, a verbal statement may suffice. 

Outline the factors to consider when undertaking a pre-demolition survey of a construction site prior to drawing up a demolition method statement. 

Outline the main areas to be addressed in a demolition method statement. 

Asked to outline the main areas to be addressed in a demolition method statement some candidates simply listed items instead of providing an outline. 

The plan of work, sometimes called the method statement, should specify that, so far as is reasonably practicable, asbestos and/or ACMs are removed before demolition or major refurbishment begins. 

All demolition operations fall under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations (CDM) and therefore require a systematic approach to the operations. Specific details relating to demolition will appear in the construction phase health and safety plan, the fire plan, demolition risk assessments and method statements. 

Any demolition work must be conducted by a competent company ensuring that all persons involved with the work have received adequate training, are familiar with the method statement and operate to a permit to work system. 

To describe the safe system of work which such a risk assessment shows to be necessary, a method statement may be required for example for demolition work, the erection of steel structures and asbestos removal. Method statements will be discussed later in this chapter, but it is worth observing at this point that risk assessments are used to generate method statements which are themselves a stated sequence of events designed to minimise risks by giving advance warning, knowledge and information to the recipients. 

Although there is no officially-sanctioned definition of what constitutes demolition for the purposes of CDM, and the triggering of the need for method statements, an unofficial rule of thumb which can be followed with some confidence is that demolition proper involves the taking down of load-bearing structures and/or the production of a substantial quantity of demolished material - about 5 tonnes as a minimum. This rule attempts a practical definition based on the level of risk attached to the work. A stricter interpretation would mean that the removal of any part of a structure could be classed as demolition work, and a result of its being followed would mean there would be very few projects which did not fall within the scope of CDM clearly not what was intended. 

Using information supplied, prospective contractors should carry out a survey in sufficient detail to identify structural problems, and risks associated with flammable substances or substances hazardous to health. The precautions required to protect employees and members of the public from these risks, together with the preferred demolition procedure, should be set out in a method statement (see below). 

In order to comply with section 2(2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 in relation to the provision of a safe system of work, the production of a method statement is recognised as necessary for all demolition work. Because of the special demolition needs of each structure, an individual risk assessment must be made by the employer undertaking the work, in writing, to comply with the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. 

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