The current source of knowledge on demolition is the Best Practice Guidelines for Demolition in New Zealand. The Approved Code of Practice for Demolition will be revoked on Thursday 1st March 2012.

This code of practice has been prepared to inform employers and employees of precautions and safe practices that should be followed when carrying out demolition work.

Table of Contents

NOTICE OF ISSUE
FOREWORD
INTRODUCTION AND LEGISLATIVE REQUIREMENTS

1.1 The Building Act 1991
1.1.2 The Building Regulations
1.1.3 Acceptable solutions
1.2 A summary of the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992
1.2.1 Regulations
1.2.2 Approved codes of practice
1.2.3 Employers' duties
1.2.4 Hazard management
1.2.5 Information for employees
1.2.6 Employers to involve employees in the development of health and safety procedures
1.2.7 Training of employees
1.2.8 Safety of people who are not employees
1.2.9 Employees' and self-employed persons' duties
1.2.10 Accidents and serious harm (records and notification)

2. DEFINITIONS

3. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

3.1 General
3.1.1 Duties of owners and principals
3.1.2 Duties of employers (demolition contractors)
3.2 Health and safety inspectors
3.3 Construction work
3.3.1 Notifiable construction work
3.3.2 General safety provisions
3.3.3 Safety of mechanical plant, tools, and personal protective equipment
3.3.4 Safe use of explosives
3.3.5 Noise control
3.3.6 Fire protection

4. PRE-DEMOLITION CHECKS

4.1 Introduction
4.2 Site inspection
4.2.1 General
4.2.2 Adjoining buildings
4.2.3 Use of the building
4.2.4 Public services
4.3 Dangerous structures
4.4 Structural inspection
4.4.1 Building plans
4.4.2 Roof
4.4.3 Walls
4.4.4 Cantilevered structures
4.4.5 Basements, cellars, and vaults
4.5 Wells and underground storage tanks
4.6 Concrete structures
4.7 Special buildings
4.8 Demolition plan (method statement)

5. SAFETY PRECAUTIONS DURING DEMOLITION

5.1 General
5.2 Earthquakes, wind and vibration
5.3 Supervision
5.4 Plant, tools and equipment
5.5 Personal protective equipment (PPE)
5.5.1 Safety helmets and safety footwear
5.6 Protection of public
5.7 Unauthorised access to site
5.8 Noise control
5.9 Dust control
5.10 Demolition procedures
5.10.1 General
5.10.2 Scaffolding
5.10.3 Health
5.10.4 Disposal of debris and waste material
5.10.5 Fire prevention
5.11 Buildings
5.12 Prestressed concrete structures
5.13 Storage tanks
5.14 Underwater demolition
5.14.1 Underwater blasting
5.15 Demolition of fire-damaged buildings
5.15.1 Inspection prior to demolition
5.15.2 Temperature effects on the materials

6. METHODS OF DEMOLITION

6.1 Demolition by hand
6.2 Demolition with the ball
6.3 Demolition by pusher arm
6.4 Demolition by deliberate collapse
6.5 Demolition by wire rope pulling
6.6 Demolition by explosion or implosion
6.7 Demolition using power grapples and shears
6.8 Other methods

7. SAFETY USING MECHANICAL PLANT

7.1 General plant safety
7.1.2 Inspection
7.1.3 Maintenance
7.2 Front-end loaders, backhoes, excavators and bulldozers
7.3 Trucks
7.4 Using plant indoors

8. GUIDELINES FOR CLEANUP OF CONTAMINATED SITES

8.1 Introduction
8.2 Management of contaminated sites
8.3 Site control

9. HOUSE LIFTING FOR REMOVAL OR EXCAVATION UNDER

9.1 Introduction
9.2 General requirements
9.2 Precautions during jacking
9.3 Pigsties

10 DEMOLITION SAFETY CHECKLIST

10.1 Before work starts
10.2 During the course of the work

APPENDIX A: THE SAFE USE OF TOOLS AND PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT

A.1 Hand tools
A.1.1 Sledge hammers and picks
A.1.2 Chisels
A.1.3 Crowbars
A.1.4 Shovels
A.2 Power tools
A.2.1 Electric power tools
A.2.2 Pneumatic power tools
A.2.3 Petrol- or diesel-powered tools
A.2.4 Abrasive blade tools
A.2.5 Chainsaws
A.3 Personal protective equipment (PPE)
A.3.1 Protective clothing
A.3.2 Safety footwear
A.3.3 Safety helmet
A.3.4 Eye and face protection
A.3.5 Hearing protection
A.3.6 Respiratory protection

APPENDIX B: CUTTING AND WELDING

B.1 Personal protective equipment
B.2 Fumes and gases
B.2.1 Ventilation
B.2.2 Containers that have held combustibles
B.3 Safe use of cutting torches
B.3.1 Cylinder handling
B.3.2 Cylinder storage
B.3.3 Empty cylinders
B.3.4 Torch set-up
B.3.5 Hoses
B.3.6 Leaks
B.3.7 Start-up procedures
B.4 Safety in arc welding
B.4.1 Electric shock
B.4.2 Cables
B.5 Liquid oxygen

APPENDIX C: ADDITIONAL REFERENCES