Demolition Safety: Risk Assessment and RAMS Guide

Quick answer

The short version

Yes, you need a demolition risk assessment even for strip-out and partial demolition. Under CDM 2015, demolition or dismantling of a structure counts as construction work, and a structure includes part of a structure. Knocking through an internal wall or gutting a room is demolition in the eyes of the law, so it needs the same planning, a written method statement and a competent crew.

What Counts as Demolition on a Small Job?

Most small builders and trades don't think of themselves as doing demolition. You're stripping a kitchen, taking out a chimney breast or opening up a lounge, not pulling down tower blocks. But the law takes a wider view than most people expect.

CDM 2015 Regulation 2 defines construction work to include the demolition or dismantling of a structure, and the removal of waste that results from that demolition. And "structure" includes any part of a structure. So removing one load-bearing wall in a terraced house is demolition just the same as levelling the whole building.

On a typical renovation, the work that counts includes soft strip (taking out fixtures, fittings, floor coverings, kitchens and bathrooms), partial demolition (removing walls, chimney breasts, floors or roof sections) and full internal strip-out back to shell. If it involves breaking out or dismantling parts of the building, plan it as demolition.

Your Legal Duties Under CDM 2015

Source-backed note

CDM 2015 duties on demolition work

CDM 2015 regulations 19 and 20 carry the core demolition duties. Regulation 19 requires that any structure or part of a structure which may become unstable during demolition, or be dismantled, is not left in a state where it could collapse, so far as is reasonably practicable. Regulation 20 requires demolition or dismantling to be planned and carried out to prevent danger, and requires the arrangements to be recorded in writing before the work begins. The Health and Safety Executive expects demolition work to be planned and carried out by competent people, and for the client to provide pre-construction information covering asbestos, structural stability, previous alterations and below-ground services. Notification to HSE is required via an F10 where the project will last longer than 30 working days and involve more than 20 workers at the same time, or exceed 500 person days. For commercial projects the client notifies; for domestic projects, the contractor carries out the notification duty. Every day on which construction work takes place counts towards the total. Most small strip-out jobs sit well below these thresholds, but check before you assume.

The competent person point matters. Whoever plans the sequence and supervises the strip needs to understand how the building holds itself up. If nobody on the job can answer that question confidently, that's your signal to bring in a structural engineer before the sledgehammer comes out.

On the notification test, be honest about the maths. Thirty working days is roughly six weeks of site time, and it counts every day construction work happens, including the non-demolition days. A two-week kitchen strip-out won't get near it. A long refurbishment with a big gang might.

The Pre-Demolition Survey

Before any work that disturbs the building fabric, you need a refurbishment or demolition asbestos survey. This is an intrusive survey carried out by a competent surveyor who opens up the structure to find asbestos containing materials hidden behind plaster, in floor voids, around pipe lagging and in textured coatings.

The law requires all asbestos containing materials to be removed as far as reasonably practicable before demolition or major refurbishment begins. You can't do that if you don't know where the stuff is. The client must pass the survey on to the contractor, so if you're the contractor, ask for it and read it before you quote, not before you start.

Never strip a pre-2000 building without the right survey

If the building went up before 2000, assume asbestos is present until a suitable survey proves otherwise. Starting strip-out without one puts your crew, the client and anyone else in the building at risk, and it's the kind of mistake that ends in prosecution. No programme pressure justifies skipping CDM 2015 regulation 20, either: the demolition or dismantling arrangements must be recorded in writing before the work begins.

Key Hazards for a Demolition Risk Assessment

Your risk assessment should work through the hazards that actually show up on strip-out and partial demolition jobs. These are the ones worth writing down properly:

Structural collapse, unplanned, from removing load-bearing elements in the wrong sequence or without temporary support
Asbestos and other hidden substances disturbed during strip-out
Live services, so isolate gas, electricity and water before stripping out
Falls through floor openings and from edges, including unstable or damaged floors
Falling debris and materials, on workers and on passers-by
Noise and dust, including silica dust from concrete and masonry breaking out
Manual handling of heavy debris through tight access routes
Plant and tool hazards, and under PUWER work equipment must be suitable for the job and maintained

Rank these by how badly they can hurt someone. Unplanned collapse and falls from height tend to top the list on renovation jobs because they kill quickly and give no warning. Dust and noise feel like background issues but they do long-term damage, so controls like water suppression, extraction and the right RPE need to be in the RAMS from the start.

Source-backed note

HSE prosecution: unsupported chimney breast removal

HSE has prosecuted builders after chimney breast removals that were not properly planned or supported led to structural collapses. Internal demolition in an ordinary house can bring down a wall that holds up the whole building, which is why the arrangement must be recorded in writing before work begins under CDM 2015 regulation 20.

Writing the Demolition Method Statement

The method statement is where you write down the sequence of work before anyone picks up a tool. A safe sequence is what prevents accidental collapse, because it controls the order in which load-bearing elements come out and where temporary support goes in. HSE guidance says a safe system of work for demolition may include exclusion zones and safe working areas, clearly marked with barriers or hoardings, so nobody wanders into the drop zone.

Step by step

1
Survey and informationGet the asbestos survey, drawings and any structural advice in hand, and confirm what's load-bearing before planning the strip.
2
Sequence the stripWrite the order of works, including where temporary props or needles go and which elements stay until last.
3
Zones and accessMark exclusion zones with barriers or hoarding, plan debris routes and keep the public clear of falling material.
4
Services and welfareIsolate gas, electric and water, prove them dead, and set up welfare, first aid and dust controls before the first strike.
5
Brief and recordBrief every operative on the RAMS, sign it on, and record any changes as the strip reveals the real building.

Keep the method statement specific to the building in front of you. Generic sequences copied from a template won't mention the rsj buried in the ceiling or the rotten floor you found under the lino, and those are exactly the things that bite.

When to Hand Over to a Specialist

There's no shame in passing a job on, and plenty of sense in it. Look out for these red flags:

You can't tell what's load-bearing and what isn't
The building shows signs of distress or movement, like cracked or bowing walls
The job is more than a simple single-storey internal wall removal
Temporary works need engineering design rather than a few acrows and hope
It's a whole-building demolition
It involves tower blocks, bridges or structures next to busy public areas

An experienced structural engineer decides on temporary support, and that's not a job for guesswork. The cost of an engineer's hour is nothing against a collapsed gable and three injured mates.

Summary

At a glance

Does it count as demolition: Yes, strip-out and partial demolition count as construction work under CDM 2015.
Survey needed: A refurbishment or demolition asbestos survey before any fabric-disturbing work.
Notification: F10 only if over 30 working days with 20+ workers, or 500+ person days.
Biggest risk: Unplanned structural collapse from removing the wrong element first.

Checklist

Asbestos survey done and read by everyone on the job
Services isolated and proven dead, not just switched off
Written demolition sequence in place before starting
Exclusion zone marked with barriers or hoarding
Waste and debris route agreed and kept clear
PPE and RPE specified for dust and noise
RAMS brief delivered and signed by the crew
Stop conditions agreed if the building doesn't match the survey

Common mistakes

Assuming small jobs are exempt from CDM
Starting strip-out before the asbestos survey is in
Isolating services on trust rather than proving them dead
No written sequence, just working it out as you go
Skipping the exclusion zone because the site is tight
Treating the RAMS as a template without checking it against the actual building

Next step

Get your RAMS sorted

Writing demolition RAMS from scratch every time is a slog, especially when you'd rather be on the tools. RAMS Builder turns your risk assessment and method statement into a proper pack quickly, built around the job you're actually doing. Treat it as a solid starting point, give it a proper check against the building before you start on site, and you'll spend your evenings somewhere other than in front of a blank document.

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Compliance note

General guidance, not legal advice

This guide is general guidance only and is not legal advice. If you're unsure about your duties, the structure you're working on or anything else here, get advice from a competent person before work starts.