Compliance code: Demolition - Key changes

Key changes for 2019/20

The Minister for Workplace Safety, Jill Hennessy, approved minor amendments to 11 compliance codes (codes) made under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (OHS Act), which includes the Demolition compliance code.

The minor amendments were made to:

• reflect amendments to section 35 and 36 of the OHS Act by the Treasury and Finance Legislation Amendment Act 2018
• improve style and branding consistency across the existing codes.

Change summary

Paragraph 23

Insert additional content (bold italics) and replace OHS Act reference to s36 with reference to s35:

"Employers who are required to consult on a matter must share information about the matter with employees, including relevant contractors and HSRs, give them a reasonable opportunity to express their views, and take those views into account before making a decision. If employees are represented by an HSR, the consultation must involve that HSR (with or without the involvement of the employees directly). If the employer and the employees have agreed to procedures for undertaking consultation, the consultation must be undertaken in accordance with those procedures. OHS Act s35".

Paragraphs 20, 21, 71 and breakout boxes before paragraphs 89, 148, 207

Replace "health and safety" with "health or safety".

Breakout box following paragraph 20

Insert missing full stop.

Front cover

Update front cover to 'Edition 2'.

Back cover

Update back cover with new head office phone and address.

Update translation service contact details.

Key changes for 2018/19

A guide to the key changes

The Demolition compliance code, 2018 came into effect on 3 May 2018. It replaces the Demolition code of practice, 1991. The new code is based on the old code and is designed to:

• be easy to read and use
• align with the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017 (OHS Regulations)
• reflect modern work practices and state of knowledge
• align with other updated compliance codes.

New content

The new code includes new content, particularly in relation to:

• planning
• the risk management process
• the demolition of special structures (for example, fire damaged buildings, basements, and masonry)

Reference and style changes

The new code includes some standard updates:

• New references to relevant legislation when legal duties apply.
• Additional cross-references to make related information easier to find in the code.
• Information about Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (OHS Act) duties as well as OHS Regulations duties.

How to use this guide

The differences between the old and new codes are outlined in the following sections.

The sections reflect the new layout for the codes. Under each section is a short summary of the key changes and under this summary is a table that lists the headings of the old and new code for ease of comparison for duty holders.

Part 1 – Introduction

What has changed

The key changes include:

• The OHS Regulations definitions for 'demolition' and 'structure' have been moved to appear earlier in Part 1. Other definitions have been removed.
• Information on the responsibilities of duty holders has been moved from Part 2 of the old code to Part 1 of the new code and expanded to cover all duty holders (for example, employers, self-employed persons, persons who have management or control of a workplace, principal contractors, employees, persons who install, erect or commission plant, and persons who design a building or structure) with a summary of their primary duties under the OHS Act and the OHS Regulations.
• New information about the risk management process.
• Information about training and consultation has been moved from Part 5 of the old code to Part 1 of the new code.
• New information about construction induction training and site induction.

Part 2 – Overview of the risk management process and Part 3 – Planning demolition work

What has changed

The key changes include:

• New and expanded information about the risk management process (identifying hazards, assessing risks, controlling risks, maintaining risk controls, review and revision of risk controls).
• Information about the hierarchy of control has been revised to clearly reflect the OHS Regulations duty to eliminate or reduce risks associated with construction work (regulation 325).
• The 'Workplan' section has been removed from Part 2 and is replaced by new content in Part 3 that aligns to requirements under the OHS Regulations to prepare a health and safety coordination plan and a safe work method statement for construction projects in certain situations.
• New information about high risk work licensing.
• The 'Engineering investigation' section in the old code has been moved to Appendix C of the new code.
• Sections on essential services (eg electrical, gas, water) and adjoining buildings have been moved to appear earlier in the new code with planning information.

Part 4 – Controlling risks in demolition work

What has changed

The key changes include:

• Information about controlling risks of exposure to hazardous substances has been expanded and updated to align to 'Part 4.1 - Hazardous substances' of the OHS Regulations, and now includes new details on risks associated with specific hazardous substances. This incorporates the asbestos and synthetic mineral fibres sections that appeared in Part 4 of the old code.
• A new breakout box to remind employers of their duties to consult with employees and health and safety representatives (HSRs) on health or safety matters.
• Some sections from Part 3 of the old code have been removed, including content regarding amenities, drugs and alcohol, site sheds and access ways, night time demolition, flame cutting of steelwork, fumes and gases and safe use of cutting torches.
• Detailed information about safe work platforms and protection against falling is now contained in the Prevention of falls in general construction compliance code, 2018 and the Prevention of falls in housing construction compliance code, 2018. A cross reference to these codes has been included under the 'Falls' subheading in Part 4 of the new code.
• Some information has been moved from Part 3 of the old code to Part 5 of the new code, including content about protection of openings and penetrations, roof work, asbestos cement roofs, access and egress on structures with two or more levels.
• Information on plant to outline key considerations for using plant to perform demolition work.
• The cranes section from Part 3 of the old code has been moved earlier in the new code to appear after the plant subheading. Revisions have been made to information about using cranes to suspend loads that are to be cut and then lowered to the ground. The safe working load of the crane now needs to be reduced by 33 per cent when testing. This is revised from 50 per cent in the old code.
• New information about No Go Zone permits has been included under the electrical risks subheading of Part 4 of the new code.
• Methods involving hot works while demolition work is being carried out are now recommended to only be used when alternatives are not reasonably practicable.

Part 5 – Demolition methods

What has changed

The key changes include:

• A new breakout box to remind employers of their duties to consult with employees and HSRs on health or safety matters.
• Information about manual demolition has been expanded and broken into sections that include roofs, walls, floors and frames.
• Some sections under mechanical demolition have been removed, including information about demolition balls, machine-mounted impact hammers, drilling and sawing, and the use of a mechanical pusher arm. General information has been included about using attachments to plant to perform demolition work.
• Information about the use of explosives has been amended to emphasise that explosives should only be used when it is not reasonably practicable to undertake demolition by any other method. This section also now includes requirements under the Dangerous Goods (Explosives) Regulations 2011.
• The lift shafts subheading has been moved to appear under Part 6 of the new code.
• New information about the demolition of special structures has been significantly extended, with the inclusion of subheadings for eight additional types of structures (eg pre and post-tensioned concrete, fire damaged buildings, masonry and storage tanks).
• The information about training and consultation in Part 5 of the old code has been moved to Part 1 of the new code.

Appendices

What has changed

The key changes include:

• The list of relevant Australian Standards has been updated and moved to Appendix F in the new code.
• Appendix 2, containing the excerpt from the Victorian Building Regulations, has been removed.
• Information about engineering investigation considerations that previously appeared earlier in the old code is now in Appendix C of the new code.
• New templates are included in the appendices, including for a demolition plan, health and safety coordination plan and a safe work method statement.
• The checklists from Appendix 3 of the old code have been removed and a new checklist for the safe use of plant for demolition work now appears in Appendix G of the new code.
• Information about general terms used in the demolition industry has been removed.