Asbestos and Hand Methods of Demolition

The following information concerns asbestos and methods of demolition. "Hand methods" refer to the use of motorized and non-motorized tools that can be operated by hand and are not used for transportation. "Hand methods" refers to those methods that do not significantly damage the ACM and therefore do not cause Category I nonfriable ACM to become RACM.

Most buildings of ten floors or less are currently razed at least partially, if not fully, by hand. Hand methods allow much greater control over a building's collapse than other methods and permit easier segregation of demolition materials for resale or recycling than other demolition methods. Additionally, hand methods may be required because of workspace limitations.

Depending on the size of the job and demolition schedule, the size of a demolition crew may vary from as few as five individuals to 30 or more. As a general rule, workers use relatively inexpensive tools such as pry bars, hand-held saws, power saws, sledge hammers, axes, bolt cutters, and acetylene torches during gutting and razing operations.

As the gutting/salvage activities progress, demolition debris is typically deposited into a trailer or dumpster strategically placed outside a window of the building being demolished.

The window frame is removed and materials are loaded into the storage containers by hand, or, where possible, by bobcats operating within the building. Many jobs require the use of dust-tight chutes for the transport of such debris.

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