Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2016L00409:body:0:p14
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2016L00409
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 34515–37504

at or outside the building line, before demolition work is started.

In each case, any utility agency involved should be notified in advance and its approval or services, if necessary, obtained.  Any service retained for the demolition work should be adequately protected as required by the relevant authority (for example the protection of overhead electric lines).

Underground essential services

Regulation 304:  Where there are underground essential services that may be disturbed by the work, the demolition contractor must take all reasonable steps to obtain current information on the services prior to commencing work and:
    * have regard for the information
    * keep the information readily available for inspection under the WHS Act
    * make the information available to any principal contractor and subcontractors, and
    * retain the information until the excavation is completed or, if there is a notifiable incident relating to the excavation, 2 years after the incident occurs.
The available information about existing underground essential services may not be accurate. Therefore it is important that demolition methods include an initial examination of the area to be demolished.

Figure 1 Underground essential services exposed by 'potholing'

Further guidance on underground essential services and how to locate them is available in the Code of Practice: Construction work.

4. CONTROLLING RISKS IN DEMOLITION WORK

4.1 The building or structure to be demolished
The person conducting a business or undertaking in control of the demolition work should consult with the designer and/or the principal contractor if appointed where reasonably practicable, to obtain a written report specifying the hazards associated with the design and the structure in the planning stage of the demolition work. Specific hazards may be outlined in a demolition plan.
The building or structure to be demolished and all its components should be maintained in a safe and structurally stable condition so as to prevent the unexpected collapse of part or all the structure. Temporary braces, propping, shoring or guys may need to be added to ensure that stability of the structure is maintained.
The position, depth and type of basements, wells and underground storage tanks should also be determined as should the contents of any storage tanks.
Adjoining properties and structures also need to be considered, as do the existence of easements, right of way, boundary walls and other encumbrances.

4.2 Hazardous chemicals and materials
Regulation 49: A person conducting a business or undertaking at a workplace must ensure that no person at the workplace is exposed to a substance or mixture in an airborne concentration that exceeds the exposure standard for the substance or mixture.
Demolition work may involve workplaces or structures that contain or have contained hazardous materials including chemicals. Hazardous materials include lead, asbestos, polychlorinated biphenyls