alth & safety rules and the Federal Government’s Occupational Safety & Health Administration’s (OSHA) Construction Standard (29 CFR 1926) contains a specific section on demolition operations.
Does Demolition Involve Historic Conservation?
Demolition contractors, because of their experience and knowledge of the nature of structures, often have considerable expertise in historic preservation. They understand what structural elements can be saved and how to assure that the integrity of an historic structure can be maintained.
Asbestos and Demolition
Asbestos is an insulating and sound attenuating product that is used as pipe and ceiling insulation, sprayed-on fireproofing, and a variety of other uses. It can also be contained in flooring, roofing materials and some cement products. Overexposure to asbestos can cause health problems. Asbestos abatement, the safe removal of asbestos, is a major part of the demolition process. It is highly regulated and its safe handling and disposal is a major segment of the demolition market.
What are PCBs?
PCBs or polychlorinated biphenyls are an organic chemical used as an additive in transformers and capacitors in a structure’s electrical system, in rail cars, heat transfer systems and in some coating materials. The chemical is highly stable, has a low flammability and is an excellent medium to sustain an electrical field. Unfortunately PCBs, because of their complex chemical make-up are slow to breakdown in nature and can cause some health issues. Proper handling and disposal of PCB-containing oils and fluids as well as PCB-contaminated equipment is a major part of the demolition process.
What’s a Brownfield?
A Brownfield is a contaminated site, often a small manufacturing, industrial, or commercial site that has less hazardous or toxic substances than a highly contaminated site regulated under the Superfund law. These brownfields can be abandoned gas stations, dry cleaning establishments, electroplating plants, warehouses, or manufacturing sites that have small amounts of pollution that need to be remediated before demolition and reuse. The clean-up of these sites is a major segment of the demolition market.
What is a Superfund Site?
Highly contaminated sites such as Love Canal in New York, Times Beach in Missouri, the Edison Laboratory site in New Jersey are regulated under the CERCLA or Superfund law. Remediation of these sites which often contain high levels of pollution is a major part of the demolition market. The cost of these clean-ups is born by the chemical industry through a “Superfund.” Clean-up of these sites is often a multi-year endeavor and involves a sophisticated team of demolition professionals including project managers, industrial hygienists, environmental scientists & engineers and highly trained remediation specialists.
What is Environmental Stewardship?
Demolition contractors take great pride in their commitment to being good stewards of the environment. As most demolition contractors work in the towns and cities where they live, they work hard to improve the quality of life in these areas. Demolition of outdated or damage structures, environmental remediation of contaminated sites, asbestos abatement, and soil & facilities decontamination enhance economic development opportunities in these communities and help beautify a city or town.
What is the U.S. Green Building Council?
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is an organization made up of thousands of members committed to moving the building industry forward by promoting greater building efficiency. The goal of the organization is to enhance the quality of life by providing better, healthier places for people to live and work. The USGBC promotes energy efficiency, recycling of construction materials, and sustainability in the building process.
Friable and Non-friable Asbestos
One major component of the U.S. EPA’s Asbestos standard deals with the issue of whether a material contains friable or non-friable asbestos. The National Emission Standard for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Asbestos (NESHAP) defines friab