Demolition safety checklist

Site: ______________________ Date: ____________ Checked by: ______________________

01Surveys and plan

Structural survey done, with floor safe working loads set by a PE, including debris and machines.
Asbestos survey done for a building built before 1 January 1991, and any asbestos removed by an MOM-approved contractor. WSH (Asbestos) Regs
Demolition plan on site: sequence, method, machines, supervision and debris plan.
PE method statement on site for removing columns, beams, floors or other load-bearing parts. Construction Regs reg 72
Adjacent structures assessed, and shored or braced where they could become unsafe. Construction Regs reg 71

02Permit and preparation

Permit-to-work issued by the project manager for this floor or area, and displayed. Construction Regs regs 10 to 15
Exterior glass and cladding removed. Construction Regs reg 70(1)(a)
Gas, power, water, steam and other lines shut off and capped, or moved and covered if they must stay live. Construction Regs reg 70
Building checked and confirmed empty of people.
Crew briefed today on the sequence, the collapse zone and the stop-work signal.

03Sequence and stability

Work going top down; all work above this floor finished before its supports are weakened. Construction Regs reg 73(1)
Walls hacked from the top in small sections, never from the base.
With hand tools, no wall left more than one storey above the floor people are working on. Construction Regs reg 73(4)(b)
Props or braces in place under any slab or wall that will lose its support.
Nothing left standing overnight that wind or vibration could bring down. Construction Regs reg 73(3)

04Machines and zones

Collapse zone marked and barricaded, and empty of people and equipment before work starts. Construction Regs reg 76(4)
Where two or more machines work the same structure, they work in the same direction under one plan.
Machines moved between floors on proper ramps or by crane, never on rubble ramps.
Operators trained and competent for the machine they are using.

05Debris and openings

Debris cleared regularly; floors not loaded past the PE's safe working load. Construction Regs reg 50
Chutes fully enclosed, side openings closed, discharging into a gated 2 m enclosure or a 2 m skip. Construction Regs regs 53, 55
Debris drop openings enclosed or barricaded, with warning signs below. Construction Regs reg 52
Water spray in use at the point of breaking to keep dust down.

06Public and access

Barricades and warning signs along every pavement and road next to the work. Construction Regs reg 75(1)
Catch platforms or a full external scaffold in place for exterior wall and roof demolition. Construction Regs reg 75(2)
Protected access and egress routes open and clear of falling material. Construction Regs reg 74
Open edges guarded where anyone could fall more than 2 metres.

Legal requirement

Under Singapore's Construction Regulations 2007, demolition is high-risk construction work and needs a permit-to-work issued by the project manager. Supply lines are shut off and capped and exterior glass and cladding removed before work starts. Load-bearing parts come out to a professional engineer's method statement. Adjacent structures are kept stable, collapse zones are barricaded, and catch platforms protect people below exterior walls and roofs. MOM requires an asbestos survey before demolishing a building built before 1 January 1991.

This is practical guidance, not legal advice. Laws and codes of practice change; always check the current official text and your site's own procedures.

Demolition safety checklist

01Surveys and plan

02Permit and preparation

03Sequence and stability

04Machines and zones

05Debris and openings

06Public and access

Sources and further reading

Related reading

Demolition safety: what supervisors need to know

Toolbox talk: demolition

How to report a workplace accident in Bangladesh