Demolition SSSP
An SSSP for demolition, covering structural collapse, asbestos, services and exclusion zones.
A demolition SSSP is a Site-Specific Safety Plan for one job on one site. It sets out the demolition hazards, the controls in the order required by reg 6 of the General Risk and Workplace Management Regulations 2016, task analyses for the higher-risk tasks, and how you meet your duties under HSWA 2015. It is what a New Zealand main contractor checks before your crew starts.
What a demolition SSSP must cover
- •HSWA 2015 section 36: the PCBU must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of its workers and anyone else affected by the work
- •General Risk and Workplace Management Regulations 2016 reg 6: apply the hierarchy of control measures, eliminating the risk so far as is reasonably practicable before minimising it
- •Asbestos is managed under the Health and Safety at Work (Asbestos) Regulations 2016: identify before disturbing, and licensed removal for more than minor quantities
- •Health and Safety at Work (Asbestos) Regulations 2016 reg 19: the asbestos duties for demolition and refurbishment (reg 20 to reg 26) apply to the demolition or refurbishment of a structure or plant that was constructed or installed before 1 January 2000, in which asbestos has been identified, or in which asbestos is likely to be present from time to time. Demolition or refurbishment does not include minor or routine maintenance work, or other minor work. Where these duties apply they are law, never good practice
- •Health and Safety at Work (Asbestos) Regulations 2016 reg 20: the PCBU who intends to carry out the demolition or refurbishment must not carry it out until the structure or plant has been inspected to determine whether asbestos or ACM is fixed to or installed in it, and must ensure that the determination is undertaken by a competent person. It must assume that asbestos or ACM is fixed to or installed in the structure or plant if the competent person is, on reasonable grounds, uncertain, or if part of the structure or plant is inaccessible and likely to be disturbed. If asbestos or ACM is determined or assumed to be present, it must inform the occupier and the owner of the home or, in any other case, the PCBU with management or control of the workplace
- •Health and Safety at Work (Asbestos) Regulations 2016 reg 21 and reg 22: all asbestos that is likely to be disturbed by the demolition must be identified and, so far as is reasonably practicable, removed before the demolition is commenced. For a home this is the duty of the PCBU carrying out the demolition (reg 22); for any other workplace it is the duty of the PCBU with management or control of the workplace, or of the structure or plant (reg 21). Removal first is not required where the purpose of the demolition is to gain access to the asbestos
- •Health and Safety at Work (Asbestos) Regulations 2016 reg 25 and reg 26: all asbestos that is likely to be disturbed by the refurbishment must be identified and, so far as is reasonably practicable, removed before the refurbishment is commenced. For a home this is the duty of the PCBU carrying out the refurbishment (reg 26); for any other workplace it is the duty of the PCBU with management or control of the workplace, or of the structure or plant (reg 25)
- •WorkSafe New Zealand guidance on demolition: sequence the work to control unplanned collapse
- •AS/NZS 1891: fall-arrest systems for manual demolition at height
- •HSWA 2015 section 34: consult, co-operate and co-ordinate with the main contractor and the other PCBUs on site (the 3Cs)
Common demolition hazards
- Unplanned structural collapse
- Asbestos-containing materials
- Live services (power, gas, water)
- Falling debris and exclusion-zone breaches
- Mobile plant, dust and silica
Task analyses included
Your SSSP comes with task analyses for the higher-risk tasks. The Trade Pack (NZ$149) includes the full library below plus a toolbox talk set.
- ✓Pre-demolition survey and asbestos identification
- ✓Service isolation and disconnection
- ✓Mechanical demolition with excavator
- ✓Manual demolition and strip-out at height
- ✓Temporary propping and structural support
- ✓Debris handling, chutes and exclusion zones
- ✓Dust and silica suppression
- ✓Work where asbestos may be present (stop-work triggers)
What the main contractor expects
- •An SSSP with a demolition sequence that controls unplanned collapse
- •An asbestos survey and, where needed, a licensed removalist
- •Documented service isolation before any demolition
- •Exclusion zones and dropped-object controls
- •Dust, silica and noise controls for neighbours and other trades
Get your demolition SSSP, sorted in minutes
Answer a few questions about your site and crew. We write your SSSP against HSWA 2015 and the General Risk and Workplace Management Regulations 2016, check it, and email it, ready to hand over.
SSSP Pack
NZ$89 one-time
A personalised SSSP with your hazard register, task analyses and emergency plan.
Trade Pack
NZ$149 one-time
The SSSP plus the full task-analysis library for your trade and a toolbox talk set.
One-time payment in NZ$. No subscription. Free revisions within 24 hours.
Demolition SSSP: common questions
Does a demolition SSSP have to deal with asbestos?
Yes. The plan requires an asbestos survey before work starts and treats suspect materials as asbestos until tested. Removal of more than a minor quantity is licensed work under the Health and Safety at Work (Asbestos) Regulations 2016, and the SSSP sets clear stop-work triggers if unexpected asbestos is found.
How does the plan control collapse?
Through a documented demolition sequence and temporary propping, so the structure comes down in a controlled order. Unplanned collapse and falling debris are the highest-consequence risks, so the SSSP puts sequencing and exclusion zones ahead of PPE.