Compliance code: Demolition

What it contains

If your work involves demolition sites, there are specific duties and obligations you need to comply with under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHS Act) 2004 and Occupational Health and Safety Regulations (OHS Regulations) 2017. This compliance code gives you practical guidance on how to comply with those duties and obligations.

This information is particularly relevant for you if you’re an employer, self-employed person, principal contractor or someone who has management or control of a workplace that involves demolition work. It is also relevant for employees, people who install, erect or commission plant, and people who design buildings and structures. It uses examples and tools you can apply to your own situation.

It includes information on:

• what demolition work is
• who has duties associated with demolition work and what those duties are
• how to plan work involving demolition
• practical measures to control risks
• a range of demolition methods
• the demolition of special structures

It is recommended that you follow the compliance code. If you comply with a code, you are deemed to comply with the Act or Regulation duty covered by the code. However, codes are not mandatory and duty holders may choose to use some other way to achieve compliance.

Please note

The Dangerous Goods (Explosives) Regulations 2022 (Explosive Regulations) came into effect on 18 June 2022. The Explosive Regulations replace the Dangerous Goods (Explosives) Regulations 2011. The new Explosives Regulations:

• improve the clarity, and modernise the language and structure of the Explosives Regulations; and
• include a number of new definitions, including the new classification of propellant (class 1.4C), and additional provisions to clarify how approvals and determinations are made by the Authority (WorkSafe)

The Dangerous Goods (Storage and Handling) Regulations 2022 (Storage and Handling Regulations) came into effect 26 November 2022. Most amendments to the Storage and Handling Regulations aim to improve clarity and modernise the language and structure of the Storage and Handling Regulations.

The information in this compliance code has not yet been updated to reference or reflect any changes introduced by the Explosive Regulations or the Storage and Handling Regulations. Therefore, complying with this code after 18 June 2022 may not necessarily mean compliance with a duty under the Explosives Regulations, and after 26 November 2022 may not necessarily mean compliance with a duty under the Storage and Handling Regulations.

A full list of amendments incorporated into the Explosives Regulations and amendments made to the Storage and Handling Regulations is available on: