Demolition and Damaged Structures

Demolition is the act of tearing down existing buildings and structures. It can be as simple as removing a portion of a house for a renovation project or as complex as demolishing a multi-storey building. Over the years, demolition work has evolved from a mainly manual process to a heavily mechanical one. Some tasks still have to be done manually and now the majority of loss time injuries in demolition are from musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Simple and practical work methods to reduce the risk of overexertion have helped to lower the injury rates in this sector. However workers are still exposed to a variety of other occupational hazards including falling structures and materials, dust, asbestos, lead, hazardous noise levels, hot work and potential of falls from heights.

Owners must determine if there is any asbestos that may be handled, disturbed or removed during the demolition or dismantling process. Please see Designated Substance -- Asbestos on Construction Projects and in Buildings and Repair Operations, O. Reg 278/05 to get a full description of the legal duties concerning working safely near asbestos. Owners must supply the demolition contractors with a designated substance report as well. The Occupational Health and Safety Act states that:

Duty of project owners
30. (1) Before beginning a project, the owner shall determine whether any designated substances are present at the project site and shall prepare a list of all designated substances that are present at the site.

It is a good idea to not only provide a list but to locate where the designated substances are located and provide that information to the demolition contractor.

Remember there may also be local by-laws regulating demolition projects as well as other provincial regulations such as environmental rules that must be followed.

When a structure is so damaged that it becomes and hazard and endangers workers because of the potential for a partial or complete collapse, it must be braced and shored. Appropriate safeguards must be in place to prevent injuries of those near damaged structures or the demolition site.

Progressively install safeguards from the safest areas towards the damaged structure, so that workers establishing the safeguards are not endangered. [O. Reg. 213/91, s.212]

Only workers who are working on the demolition, dismantling or moving of a structure can be in, on or near that structure. There must be barriers to prevent people from coming near or inside the remaining parts of a structure when the demotion or dismantling is stopped. Workers can only enter such a structure if it can support the worker and will not collapse. [O. Reg. 213/91, s.213]

Before demolition, dismantling or moving of a structure, [O. Reg. 213/91, s.214]

appropriate safeguards must be in place so that people on or near the demolition site are not injured,
all gas, electrical and other services must be shut off or disconnected and remain so if they could endanger workers and other people, and
toxic, flammable or explosive substances must be removed.

Demolishing and dismantling of a building or structure

The listed rules below do NOT apply when any of the following are being used in the demolition process, a heavy weight suspended by cable from a crane or similar hoisting device, a power shovel, bulldozer or other vehicle, and the use of explosives. [O. Reg.213/91, s. 215(1)]

When using a mechanical device, it must be operated from a point as far as is practical from the building or structure being demolished. [O. Reg. 213/91, s.215(2)]
When a swinging weight, like a wrecking ball, is being used, the weight’s supporting cable must be as short as possible or restrained so it will not touch other buildings or structures. [O. Reg. 213/91, s.215(3)]
Demolition and dismantling will begin at the highest point of a structure and work towards to the lowest point, unless this procedure would be dangerous to workers. [O. Reg. 213/91, s.216(1)]
When leaving the skeleton structural frame in place, masonry and loose material must be removed systematically and continuously from the highest to the lowest points. [O. Reg. 213/91, s.216(2)]
Any work above a tier or floor must be completed before the tier supports or floor are affected by the work of demolition or dismantling. [O. Reg. 213/91, s.216(3)]
Before demolition, all glass on an outside wall, such as windows and doors must be removed or protected to prevent the glass from breaking during demolition. [O. Reg. 213/91, s.217] Mechanical demolition is often used so that glass can be demolished during the process, not before.
Masonry walls must be removed in reasonably level courses. [O. Reg. 213/91, s.218]
When working on a masonry wall, do not loosen or allow material to fall when they could endanger a person or the structural stability of a scaffold, a floor, or other support of the building or structure. [O. Reg. 213/91, s.218]
When removing material, while standing on top of a wall, pier or chimney, there must be flooring, scaffolding or staging provided on all sides of it that is not more than 2.4 metres below the place where the worker is working. [O. Reg. 213/91, s.219]
Before a truss, girder or other structural piece is disconnected, it must be relieved of all loads, other than its own weight, and have temporary support. [O. Reg. 213/91, s.220]
Basements, cellars or any excavated area left, after the structure above is removed, must have fencing along all the open sides or be backfilled to grade level. If the basement or cellar has a roof, floor or solid covering with fastened planks to cover open areas, fencing or backfilling is not necessary. [O. Reg. 213/91, s.221]

Housekeeping

Waste from a demolition project must be taken to a disposal area and reusable material to a storage area at least once a day and as often as is necessary to keep the site safe for workers and others. [O. Reg. 213/91, s.35] Please note that Ontario has a waste sorting and recycling regime covered in Ontario Regulations 102/94 and 103/92.

Garbage and recyclable materials must be lowered by chute into containers. Alternatively, these materials can be lowered by crane or hoist. Any materials falling freely during the demolition or dismantling must fall into designated enclosed areas. People must not have access to these designated areas. [O. Reg. 213/91, s.35(3)]

Chutes must: [O. Reg. 213/91, s.35(4)]

be adequate for their jobs and rigidly secured;
be enclosed on four sides when its slope is more than a gradient of one in one;
have a gate at the bottom if it is necessary to control the flow of material.

The entrance to a chute: [O. Reg. 213/91, s.35(4)]

cannot allow any material to spill when materials are being deposited into a chute,
if it is at or below floor level, it must have a curb that is at least 100 millimetres high,
cannot be more than 1.2 metres high,
must be closed when not being used, and
must be designed so that people cannot or are discouraged from entering the chute.

At the end of every chute there be must a container or an enclosed, barrier, or fenced-in area. [O. Reg. 213/91, s.35(4)]

Construction Projects

O. Reg. 213/91

Part II GENERAL CONSTRUCTION

Section 35 Housekeeping

35. (1) Waste material and debris shall be removed to a disposal area and reusable material shall be removed to a storage area as often as is necessary to prevent a hazardous condition arising and, in any event, at least once daily.

(2) Rubbish, debris and other materials shall not be permitted to fall freely from one level to another but shall be lowered by a chute, in a container or by a crane or hoist.

(3) Despite subsection (2), rubbish, debris and other materials from demolition on a project may be permitted to fall or may be dropped into an enclosed designated area to which people do not have access.

(4) A chute,

(a) shall be adequately constructed and rigidly fastened in place;

(b) if it has a slope exceeding a gradient of one in one, shall be enclosed on its four sides;

(d) shall discharge into a container or an enclosed area surrounded by barriers.

(5) The entrance to a chute,

(a) shall be constructed to prevent spilling over when rubbish, debris and other materials are being deposited into the chute;

(b) if it is at or below floor level, shall have a curb that is at least 100 millimetres high;

(d) shall be kept closed when the chute is not in use; and

(e) shall be designed so that any person will be discouraged from entering it.

Section 212 Demolition and Damaged Structures

212. (1) If a structure is so damaged that a worker is likely to be endangered by its partial or complete collapse,

(a) the structure shall be braced and shored; and

(b) safeguards appropriate in the circumstances shall be provided to prevent injury to a worker.

(2) Safeguards shall be installed progressively from a safe area towards the hazard so that the workers installing the safeguards are not endangered.

Section 213

213. (1) Only a worker who is directly engaged in the demolition, dismantling or moving of a building or structure shall be in, on or near it.

(2) If the demolition or dismantling of a building or structure is discontinued, barriers shall be erected to prevent access by people to the remaining part of the building or structure.

(3) A worker shall enter only the part of a building or structure being demolished that will safely support the worker.

Section 214

214. (1) No building or structure shall be demolished, dismantled or moved until this section is complied with.

(2) Precautions shall be taken to prevent injury to a person on or near the project or the adjoining property that may result from the demolition, dismantling or moving of a building or structure.

(3) All gas, electrical and other services that may endanger persons who have access to a building or structure shall be shut off and disconnected before, and shall remain shut off and disconnected during, the demolition, dismantling or moving of the building or structure.

(4) All toxic, flammable or explosive substances shall be removed from a building or structure that is to be demolished, dismantled or moved.

Section 215

215. (1) Sections 216, 217, 218 and 220 do not apply with respect to a building or structure that is being demolished by,

(a) a heavy weight suspended by cable from a crane or similar hoisting device;

(b) a power shovel, bulldozer or other vehicle;

(d) a combination of methods described in clauses (a) to (c).

(2) The controls of a mechanical device used to demolish a building or structure shall be operated from a location that is as remote as is practicable from the building or structure.

(3) If a swinging weight is used to demolish a building or structure, the supporting cable of the weight shall be short enough or shall be so restrained that the weight does not swing against another building or structure.

Section 216

216. (1) Demolition and dismantling of a building or structure shall proceed systematically and continuously from the highest to the lowest point unless a worker is endangered by this procedure.

(2) Despite subsection (1), the skeleton structural frame in a skeleton structural frame building may be left in place during the demolition or dismantling of the masonry if the masonry and any loose material are removed from the frame systematically and continuously from the highest to the lowest point.

(3) The work above a tier or floor of a building or structure shall be completed before the support of the tier or floor is affected by demolition or dismantling operations.

Section 217

217. No exterior wall of a building or structure shall be demolished until all glass is removed from windows, doors, interior partitions and components containing glass or is protected to prevent the glass from breaking during the demolition.

Section 218

218. (1) Masonry walls of a building or structure being demolished or dismantled shall be removed in reasonably level courses.

(2) No materials in a masonry wall of a building or structure being demolished or dismantled shall be loosened or permitted to fall in masses that are likely to endanger,

(a) a person; or

(b) the structural stability of a scaffold or of a floor or other support of the building or structure.

Section 219

219. No worker shall stand on top of a wall, pier or chimney to remove material from it unless flooring, scaffolding or staging is provided on all sides of it not more than 2.4 metres below the place where the worker is working.

Section 220

220. No truss, girder or other structural member of a building or structure being demolished or dismantled shall be disconnected until,

(a) it is relieved of all loads other than its own weight; and

(b) it has temporary support.

Section 221

221. (1) A basement, cellar or excavation left after a building or structure is demolished, dismantled or moved,

(a) shall be backfilled to grade level; or

(b) shall have fencing along its open sides.

(2) Subsection (1) does not apply to a basement or cellar that is enclosed by a roof, floor or other solid covering if all openings in the roof, floor or covering are covered with securely fastened planks.

221.1 - 221.19 Repealed. [O. Reg. 96/11, s. 1]

[O. Reg. 632/05, s. 3; 96/11, s. 1]