4. Pre-demolition Surveys
Engineering surveys should be carried out prior to commencement of demolition work. Engineering surveys should include structural stability, existing services and the presence of hazardous substances.
In assessing the structural stability of the building or structure to be demolished, the Safe Working Load( SWL), taking into account debris accumulation, weight of machinery and / or other anticipated dead and live loads, should be determined by a Professional Engineer. Caution should be taken to ensure that floors are not loaded up to a level which exceeds the SWL. Precautionary measures include( but not limited to) the use of steel ramps, limiting the level of accumulation of debris, etc. Where demolition work would render floors, walls and other structural elements unstable, adequate shores and / or braces should be installed.
Steel ramps.
Effort should be taken to identify, from as-built drawings, if asbestos-containing materials are present in the building( s) / structure( s) to be demolished. If unsure, it should be assumed that asbestos-containing materials are present, or an asbestos survey can be conducted to ascertain that the building / structure to be demolished does not contain asbestos( refer to the section on Asbestos Management on page 11).
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