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Do not cut a wall that only looks spare

Do not cut a wall that only looks spare

Struck-by 5 min 29 CFR 1926.850

Demolition

Why it matters

Before demolition, a competent person surveys the structure. A wall, a beam, or a column that looks decorative may still be holding something up. Utilities are found and shut off first. Do not stand where a falling wall can hit you. If the plan is not on site, do not start. That survey is 1926.850.

The talk

Before anyone cuts, a competent person surveys the structure. That is 1926.850. The survey looks at what the building is doing. Which walls carry load. What is already damaged. Where a piece will go if you cut it loose. You do not cut a wall, a beam, or a column because it looks decorative. Looks are a bad test. A wall that seems unimportant can be a brace. A beam you think you do not need can be holding the bay you are standing in. If you have not read the survey and the plan, you do not make the call with a saw in your hand.

Utilities are found and shut off first. Electric, gas, water, and anything else the survey names. A line you assume is dead is how a crew gets hurt before the first wall moves. Confirm the shutoff. Do not trust an old note if nobody has checked it today. Then look at where you stand. Do not stand where a wall can fall. That includes the side you picked by feel. A wall can kick at the bottom, or it can fall the way you did not expect. Brace it, or take it down in the order the plan says. Your order and the plan's order have to be the same order.

A chimney, a tall wall, and a floor opening are not surprises you handle on the fly. If the plan does not talk about them, stop and ask. Do not invent a method while you are standing there. Floor openings get covered or guarded before people carry tools across them. A chimney comes down the way the plan says, not by cutting under it until it picks a direction. If the plan is not on site, do not start. Send someone to get it. The crew can wait. A wall that falls the wrong way strikes whoever is in the path. Stay out of that path.

Key points

  1. A competent person surveys the structure before demolition starts.
  2. Do not cut a wall, a beam, or a column because it looks decorative.
  3. Find the utilities and shut them off before you cut.
  4. Do not stand where a wall can fall on you.
  5. Brace pieces, or take them down, in the order the plan says.
  6. A chimney, a tall wall, and a floor opening are in the plan, not improvised.
  7. If the plan is not on site, do not start.

Do this

  • Wait for the competent person's survey before you cut.
  • Confirm electric, gas, and water are shut off before demolition starts.
  • Stand clear of the path a wall can fall through.
  • Follow the plan's order for bracing and taking pieces down.
  • Stop if the plan is not on site, and go get it.

Do not do this

  • Do not cut a wall, a beam, or a column because it looks decorative.
  • Do not trust a shutoff nobody has confirmed today.
  • Do not stand where a falling wall can strike you.
  • Do not take a chimney, a tall wall, or a floor opening on the fly.
  • Do not start demolition if the plan is not on site.

Talk about it

  1. Where are the survey and the demo plan, and who has read them?
  2. Which utilities were shut off, and who confirmed it today?
  3. Where could a wall fall, and where will we stand so we are not in that path?

This is a short crew briefing. It does not replace a competent person, training, or the law.

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