4. CONTROLLING RISKS IN DEMOLITION WORK
4.5 Powered mobile plant
The use of powered mobile plant such as cranes, excavators and bulldozers, requires the preparation of a SWMS before work commences.
A high risk work licence is required to operate some types of powered mobile plant, such as some cranes, elevating work platforms or forklifts.
Whenever powered mobile plant is to be used for demolition work, traffic management arrangements should be implemented to prevent collision with pedestrians or other mobile plant.
CRANES Cranes may be used in demolition work for a number of purposes, including:
• lifting and lowering plant and / or materials
• lifting and lowering personnel work boxes
• holding suspended loads.
Cranes require a licensed operator. An operator may also need other competencies for specialist work.
If cranes are used to suspend loads that are to be cut and then lowered to the ground, it is important for the loads to be accurately calculated. It may be necessary to cut samples in order to determine the weight per unit length or area. Where this occurs, the safe working load of the crane should be reduced by 50 per cent to allow for miscalculations in the test weighing. A similar approach should be followed where weights cannot be determined with reasonable consistency and accuracy.
4.6 Removal of debris
The person conducting a business or undertaking and / or the principal contractor in control of the workplace must manage the risks to health and safety arising from the storage, movement and disposal of construction materials and waste at the workplace.
Debris should be progressively removed to prevent any build up that could affect the integrity of a suspended floor of the building or structure, affect workplace access and egress, become a fire hazard, or cause a health and safety hazard.
Demolished materials should not be allowed to fall freely unless they are confined within a chute( or similar enclosure), shaft and / or exclusion zone.
A debris drop is a debris pile that is enclosed and where the risk of an object striking workers or the public has been eliminated. Debris drop zones should be clearly identified and any area where there is a risk that a worker or other persons at the workplace might be injured by falling or rebounding debris should be fenced or barricaded to prevent access.
If demolished materials are allowed to fall through internal floor openings in multi-storey buildings, such as lift shafts and / or debris drop zones, the following should apply:
CODE OF PRACTICE | DEMOLITION WORK 21