Office Building Demolition

Situation

A three-storey office building (plus basement) scheduled for demolition posed considerable health and safety challenges. Vacant for three years prior, it had sustained significant structural damage and revealed high levels of contamination due to damaged asbestos-containing materials and mould growth.

Objective

The Haag Canada team member devised a plan that would manage the overall demolition and disposal of the hazardous materials safely for all participants and in strict adherence to regulatory requirements to ensure the client maintained its strong organizational reputation.

Approach

From full-scale inspection and assessment through drawing up comprehensive reports, confirming practices and offering recommendations to the client, Haag provided the insights and information necessary to ensure this project was conducted safely while adhering to regulatory requirements.

Some of the more notable responsibilities during this process included:

• As part of the assessment of the building conditions, the Haag expert drew up documents and gathered samples of various substances (asbestos, lead, silica, etc.) and hazardous materials (mould, PCBs, ODS, etc.).
• Subsequent survey reports were developed along with a Class ‘C’ estimate, which spelled out respective costs for demolition as well as handling, removal and abatement of materials. A scope of work and technical specifications were also developed for site abatement along with a dust control plan.
• Tasked with ensuring the Contractor’s fulfillment met all regulatory requirements and contract documents, the Haag team member prepared deficiency lists, advised the Contractor of issues and confirmed any corrections. Ongoing records concerning the inspection and tracking of abatement work continued and were communicated regularly to the client.
• The Haag team member also confirmed that on-site waste handling procedures met necessary standards and that records of disposal had been obtained and submitted. Verification of the Contractor’s compliance with abatements specifications through site inspections was done and, where necessary, completion of air sampling affirmed.
• The Haag Canada representative furnished a final report to the client that documented the progress of the project in detail and provided a review of all the Contractor’s invoices.