Audit Risks Associated With Demolition

A pre-demolition audit can uncover potential health or environmental hazards.

The ICE, or Institution of Civil Engineers, has developed a demolition protocol to reduce risks associated with demolition. This organization provides guidelines for demolition audits and demolition planning. The protocol includes risk assessment guidelines and recommended plans for material recycling. Companies often perform audits to identify the risks associated with demolition when buying, selling or decommissioning real estate.

History

A historical site assessment can help identify hazards from previous activities. Before demolition, auditors research the past use of hazardous materials at the site. If a site is currently in use, auditors will interview personnel working at the facility. They may also interview property managers and local government officials regarding current and past activities. Reviewers perform site visits and examine records regarding former occupants and the type of business conducted at the location.

Liability

Organizations buying properties often request audits to avoid acquiring liability for damage or cleanup. Even after crews demolish a building containing hazardous materials, contaminated land can still pose hazards and liabilities. Another type of liability a demolition audit can identify is risks from the demolition activities. Noise, fire and threats to local wildlife are examples of demolition hazards the audit can identify. Once auditors identify potential hazards, site owners and demolition contractors can take steps to reduce liability concerns.

Laboratories

The demolition of laboratories in particular can pose serious environmental and health risks. Examples of potential hazards during laboratory demolition include radioactive, biological or chemical contaminants. Pre-demolition audits can identify potential issues and trigger efforts to mitigate problems. The specific contaminants identified will determine what remediation steps are necessary.

Remediation

If the audit reveals hazards, assessors complete additional studies to determine effective methods to address the issues. Once the studies identify proper mitigation steps, remediation specialists create a plan to decontaminate or remove hazardous materials. For example, if assessors find asbestos during an audit, removal is usually required before demolition starts.

Verification

After workers complete the cleanup phase, testers should check to ensure the hazard no longer exists. For example, teams can check radioactivity levels using Geiger counters. Assessors can also test surfaces for toxic materials and test air and water samples. After completing tests to verify the remediation efforts were effective, the verification team should issue a report so demolition efforts can proceed.

References

• Waste Resource and Action Programme: AggRegain
• Noel Arnold & Associates: Risk Assessment Audits | Asbestos Risk
• PubMed Central: Reducing Environmental Risk Associated with Laboratory Decommissioning and Property Transfer; R Dufault, et al.; December, 2000
• Institution of Civil Engineers: Demolition Protocol 2008