Demolition and Renovation Hazards

Planning and carrying out demolition and renovation safely, followed through the invented demolition of the Norwood Block and renovation of the occupied Halvorsen Building in San Antonio, Texas: the hazards and who controls them, pre-demolition and engineering surveys, hazardous materials surveys and abatement roles, asbestos work classes and enclosures, lead, PCBs, mercury, refrigerants, fuel tanks and contaminated soil, silica, mold and dust control, locating and isolating services, structural stability and the sequence of demolition, mechanical demolition and exclusion zones, strip-out in occupied buildings, debris chutes, floor openings and falls, and protecting the public, noise and emergency planning, under OSHA Subpart T, the asbestos and lead standards, the asbestos NESHAP and Texas DSHS rules.

HSE-372 12 lessons · 4 h 11 min ▶ Video lessons coming soon

Offered by HSM University · Safety Training

This is the American version of this course. See the Canadian version.

What you'll learn

Describe the hazards of demolition and renovation, the requirements of OSHA Subpart T, the asbestos standard and the asbestos NESHAP, and how the owner, consultants, contractors and controlling contractor share control.
Plan and use an engineering survey of a structure and its neighbors, including load paths, condition, alterations and special elements, and turn it into a demolition plan with hold points.
Explain how a hazardous materials survey is done, what it must look for, how its results become an abatement specification, and how clearance releases an area for demolition.
Describe the health effects of asbestos, the classification of asbestos work by risk, and the controls used for friable and non-friable removal, decontamination and waste.
Identify lead, PCBs, mercury, refrigerants, fuel tanks and contaminated soil in older buildings and apply the controls for each, including avoiding torch cutting of lead-painted steel.
Control respirable crystalline silica, mold and dust in demolition and renovation, including water, local exhaust, enclosed cabs, containment and negative pressure.
Locate, disconnect, confirm and record services before demolition, provide separate temporary services, and isolate circuits, pipes and fire protection safely in renovation.
Apply the principles of structural stability during demolition: top-down sequence, loads before supports, wall stability, floor loads, direction of fall and prestressed elements.
Set up and work around demolition machines and cranes safely, including guarding, stable platforms, attachments, exclusion zones and crane limits.
Plan interior strip-out in an occupied building, keeping exits, fire separations and fire protection working and separating the work from occupants.
Move debris safely through chutes and floor openings and protect workers from falls and falling debris as demolition opens edges and holes.
Protect the public and neighbors from falling debris, traffic, dust, noise and vibration, and plan and practice emergency response for demolition.

Course content

12 lessons · 4 h 11 min total · final exam

1 Demolition and renovation: the hazards and who controls them 22 min · quiz
2 Pre-demolition surveys and the engineering survey 21 min · quiz
3 Hazardous materials surveys and abatement roles 21 min · quiz
4 Asbestos in demolition and renovation 21 min · quiz
5 Lead, PCBs, mercury and other hazardous materials 21 min · quiz
6 Silica, mold and dust in demolition and renovation 22 min · quiz
7 Services, utilities and isolation 20 min · quiz
8 Structural stability and the sequence of demolition 21 min · quiz
9 Mechanical demolition and equipment 21 min · quiz
10 Interior strip-out and renovation in occupied buildings 20 min · quiz
11 Debris chutes, floor openings and falls during demolition 21 min · quiz
12 Protecting the public, noise and emergency planning 20 min · quiz
E Final exam 20 questions

Requirements

HSE-370 Construction Site Safety Essentials

Recommended background. You can start any course at any time.