Plumbing Demolition

Source excerpt

# OSHA CARD™ QUICK # Demolition Safety Tips Demolition work involves many of the same hazards that arise during other construction activities. However, demolition also involves additional hazards due to a variety of other factors. Some of these include: lead- based paint, sharp or protruding objects and asbestos- containing material. • Brace or shore up the walls and floors of structures which have been damaged and which employees must enter. . Inspect personal protective equipment (PPE) before use. • Select, wear and use appropriate PPE for the task. - Inspect all stairs, passageways, and ladders; illumi- nate all stairways. - Shut off or cap all electric, gas, water, steam, sewer, and other service lines; notify appropriate utility companies. • Guard wall openings to a height of 42 inches; cover and secure floor openings with material able to with- stand the loads likely to be imposed. - Floor openings used for material disposal must not be more than 25% of the total floor area. - Use enclosed chutes with gates on the discharge end to drop demolition material to the ground or into debris containers. - Demolition of exterior walls and floors must begin at the top of the structure and proceed downward. • Structural or load-supporting members on any floor must not be cut or removed until all stories above that floor have been removed. - All roof cornices or other ornamental stonework must be removed prior to pulling walls down. • Employees must not be permitted to work where structural collapse hazards exist until they are cor- rected by shoring, bracing, or other effective means. For more complete information: Occupational OSHA Safety and Health Administration U.S. Department of Labor www.osha.gov (800) 321-OSHA OSHA 3290-10N-05

Source excerpt

# Contents (cont.) ## Discussion (cont.) significant change in the lead levels of the two workers tested could reflect the fact that these were the only workers who had minimally adequate protection. Because the participation rate in blood-lead testing was low, comparisons with other workers on the basis of blood-lead levels could not be made. The airborne lead monitoring results also indicate high lead exposures generated during the burning of the lead-painted steel fire escape and fencing at site 1 (0.663 mg/m³). Although the burner finished his task in two hours, the high exposure level indicates a need for respiratory protection. None was used. Lead not only endangers workers; it can be released into the environment, settling on neighboring surfaces, including buildings and apartments, sidewalks, and children's play areas. Settled lead dust becomes a potential source of exposure to community residents - including children, who are particularly sensitive to its effects. The total dust and respirable dust levels were below the OSHA standards for the 8-hour time-weighted average. But the real-time results exceeded the standard for two of the samples. During demolition, significant clouds of visible dust were released in the work area and into the surrounding neighborhood. Reducing the dust levels could be easily accomplished by hosing down work areas during demolition. The presence of asbestos-containing roofing material among the demolition debris indicates that asbestos removal prior to building demolition - as required by New York City and state law - was incomplete. Although asbestos in roofing is subject to regulation because it is not considered friable (easily crumbled by hand pressure) by the Environmental Protection Agency's National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants, the removal and disposal of this material is regulated by the New York State Department of Labor and New York City Department of Environmental Protection. These regulation…

Source excerpt

# Contents (cont.) ## Safety Assessment (cont.) other equipment were used to protect workers from falls. (CFR 1926.104 (a)) - The sheathing on the floors was removed in most areas, requiring workers to walk and work on wood joists or along the perimeter brick wall. (CFR 1926.500 (b)8, .853, and .850 (i)) - There was no fire protection at either site, as required by New York City Fire Department regulations during building demolition. The contractor did not run a hose from the fire hydrant in the street into the building. (CFR 1926.150) - Work practices were extremely hazardous. Workers often stood on top of a brick wall while breaking the bricks out beneath them. They also stood on joists that were no longer anchored. (CFR 1926.500 (b)) - There was no site security. Measures were not taken to prevent people — including children — from entering the building during off hours. ## Discussion The health and safety investigation pointed up several potential safety and health hazards at this site. Residential building demolition using hand tools potentially creates a great deal of dust. If no attempt is made to control dust, workers are surrounded by clouds of it as was the case during the demolition of the two buildings. The results of the dust monitoring, with a range of 2.5 mg/m³ to 11.6 mg/m³ (8-hour time-weighted average) indicate significant dust exposures to the workers. Although most of the results are within the OSHA dust standard of 15 mg/m³, the results are close enough to the standard to be of concern, especially because chronic exposure to high dust levels has been associated with chronic bronchitis. The presence of lead and asbestos in the dust is of particular concern. One important result of this investigation is that airborne lead was detected during the hand demolition of painted walls, ceilings, and other surfaces. Although the lead levels were generally low when compared with the current OSHA standard, one of the levels was above the OSHA acti…