Toolbox talks for demolition crews
The talks below match the hazards demolition crews actually face: unplanned structural collapse, asbestos-containing materials, live services (electrical, gas), falling debris and exclusion zones, powered mobile plant, silica and dust. Every talk is free and includes a printable sign-on sheet so the meeting is documented.
Demolition-specific talks
Asbestos Awareness
Any building from before the late 1980s can hold asbestos, and plenty from the 1990s too: fibro sheet, eaves, vinyl, pipe lagging, fences. Disturbing it releases fibres that cause fatal disease decades later. If you are not sure what a material is, treat it as asbestos and stop. This talk is about knowing when to stop, not how to remove it.
reg 36
Working Around Mobile Plant
Excavators, loaders, telehandlers, and trucks share the ground with workers on foot, and the operator often cannot see the person right beside the machine. Work in an area with movement of powered mobile plant is high risk construction work. Most struck-by incidents happen because someone on foot was somewhere the operator did not expect.
reg 36
Noise and Your Hearing
Noise-induced hearing loss is permanent, painless, and sneaks up over years of saws, jackhammers, and demo. By the time you notice you are asking people to repeat themselves, the damage is done. If you have to raise your voice to be heard a metre away, the noise is loud enough to be hurting you.
reg 56 · reg 57 · reg 58
Demolition Work
Demolition reverses construction, and everything that made a structure stand up is now something that can come down on you. Unplanned collapse, live services, hidden asbestos, and falling debris all stack up at once. Demolition of a load-bearing structure is high risk work, and the plan and the sequence are what keep it controlled.
AS 2601 · reg 36
Core talks every crew needs
Need the demolition paperwork that gets you on site?
A site-specific SWMS, or every SWMS demolition work needs, generated in minutes with verified WHS citations.
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