Sector
Demolition is some of the most unforgiving work in the industry — asbestos, sudden structural collapse, silica dust and plant working metres from people. It demands surveys before tools, exclusion zones that hold, and documentation that stands up. We keep your sites safe, your RAMS sound and your principal contractor satisfied.
The landscape
Demolition sits firmly within the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 — but the hazards are sharper than almost anywhere else on a construction site. Before a single panel comes down, the law expects a pre-demolition survey, a structural appraisal and a written demolition plan signed off by a competent person. BS 6187:2011, the code of practice for demolition, is the benchmark the HSE measures you against. These are the risks that define the work, and the regulations that govern them.
Asbestos kills more workers than any other single cause in the trade. The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 demand a refurbishment & demolition survey before work starts, and a licensed contractor for higher-risk removals. No survey means no start — full stop.
Premature or uncontrolled collapse is the classic demolition killer. A structural appraisal and a sequenced demolition plan — top-down, deconstruction or controlled collapse — keep the structure predictable at every stage, exactly as BS 6187 requires.
You cannot plan what you haven't surveyed. Asbestos, services, hazardous materials and structural condition all need establishing up front under CDM 2015 — and the pre-construction information passed to everyone who needs it.
Respirable crystalline silica from concrete, brick and stone is a recognised carcinogen with a strict COSHH 2002 workplace exposure limit. On-tool extraction, water suppression and properly fit-tested RPE are non-negotiable controls, not nice-to-haves.
People and demolition plant must be kept apart. Hard barriers, exclusion zones sized for the work, a competent banksman and clear traffic-management routes stop the struck-by incidents that the HSE sees again and again under PUWER 1998.
The code of practice that ties it together — survey, appraisal, method selection, sequencing and a written plan from a competent person. Work to BS 6187 and you're working to the standard inspectors and principal contractors expect.
How we help
Dominic Gibbons CMIOSH has managed health & safety on live, high-hazard sites — handling principal-contractor duties, briefing crews and standing in front of HSE inspectors. With demolition, the margin for error is razor-thin, so the support is hands-on: asbestos-awareness and management, soft-strip and demolition RAMS, dust and RPE controls, exclusion-zone and banksman procedures, and the documentation principal contractors actually ask for.
We help you commission the right survey, read it properly and brief the workforce — so duties under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 are met before anyone lifts a tool.
Task-specific risk assessments and method statements for each phase — soft strip, structural demolition and clearance — written to BS 6187 and briefed to the crews who use them.
Practical COSHH 2002 controls for silica and dust, with qualitative face fit testing so every tight-fitting mask actually seals and protects the operative wearing it.
What's included
From the pre-demolition survey to the final RIDDOR-clean handover, we slot in wherever you need cover — take a single piece or hand us the lot.
We review your refurbishment & demolition asbestos survey and structural appraisal, flag the gaps, and turn them into a workable demolition plan.
Phase-by-phase risk assessments and method statements written to BS 6187 and CDM 2015 — soft strip, structural works and site clearance.
Segregation, traffic-management and banksman procedures under PUWER 1998 that keep people and plant apart and the struck-by risk controlled.
Qualitative RPE face fit testing for silica and asbestos work under COSHH 2002 — so masks seal, and your records prove it.
Independent, structured inspections with photographic evidence and a prioritised action list you can actually close out.
Root-cause investigation when something goes wrong — RIDDOR 2013 reporting handled and lessons embedded so it doesn't recur.
Build, support and internally audit an ISO 45001 occupational H&S management system that frameworks and clients respect.
Calm, expert backing during an HSE visit or an improvement / prohibition notice — we help you put it right, fast.
How it works
No 200-page binder nobody reads. We get under the skin of the job, build the controls that fit it, and keep them living until the last load leaves site.
We review the asbestos survey and structural appraisal, walk the site and map the real hazards — what's coming down, in what order, and who's at risk.
We write the demolition RAMS to BS 6187, set the exclusion zones and banksman procedures, and lock in the dust, silica and RPE controls under COSHH 2002.
We brief the crews, run scheduled inspections, keep the documents live for the principal contractor, and stay on the phone right through to a clean handover.
In demolition, the survey is the safety plan. Find the asbestos and understand the structure before you start — and the rest of the job becomes predictable.Dominic Gibbons, CMIOSH
Related
The regulations, standards and codes of practice that shape demolition compliance — and the services that keep you on top of them.
Got a job to bring down?
Whether you need a competent person on call, demolition RAMS written or an exclusion-zone plan sorted, tell us about the site and we'll get straight to it.
