Published 7 October 2026 · 2 min read
On a project site, demolition is not a job you quote by the square metre and forget. It is the highest-risk part of site preparation, and the method statement is the document that shows whether the contractor has actually planned it. Here is what a sound one covers, and what to ask before you award.
Survey before anything is touched
- A review of the structures and a pre-demolition structural assessment of each building.
- A hazardous-materials survey. If asbestos or an unidentified substance is found or suspected, work stops, the area is isolated and the engineer is notified.
- Identification of underground services before any below-ground work, with a utility survey where the contract requires it.
Approvals and isolation
The method statement and risk assessment are approved by the consultant, utilities are isolated, authority approvals are obtained and permits to work are issued before the first machine moves. Ask for the approval route, not just the document.
Setting up the site
- Perimeter hoarding, which also acts as the primary dust barrier.
- An exclusion zone sized to the structure, with barriers, signage and flagmen.
- Traffic management where the site meets a live road.
The demolition sequence
- Interior and MEP strip-out first, separated by material.
- Structural demolition top-down from the upper levels, with large elements lowered rather than dropped.
- Where percussive breaking is restricted, for example near sensitive structures, alternative methods such as wire-saw and hydraulic splitters.
Dust, noise and vibration
Water misting at active demolition faces controls dust, and noise and vibration are monitored where the consultant requires it. Ask what the trigger levels are and who acts when they are exceeded.
Waste, recycling and hazardous waste
- Waste sorted by stream, with concrete crushed on site for recycling where possible and rebar cut and separated.
- A waste log and diversion reporting to the engineer where the contract requires it.
- Hazardous waste leaving site only through licensed contractors, with transfer notes kept for every consignment.
Below-ground removal and handover
Foundations are removed to the level the contract specifies, voids are backfilled and compaction records are submitted, then the ground is graded and a survey of the cleared plot is handed over. This is what the next contractor needs to start from a known baseline.
Questions to ask a demolition contractor
- Can I see the method statement and risk assessment for a similar scope?
- Who is the HSE officer on site, and are they there full-time?
- How are asbestos and other hazardous materials handled if found?
- What happens to the waste, and what reporting will I receive?
- Can the same contractor install the perimeter hoarding and hand over a cleared site?
One package instead of three
Hoarding, demolition and clearance are often split across separate subcontractors, and the gaps between them cost time. Bariq Arabia delivers them as one package under one contract. See our demolition and enabling works pages, or send us the location, the structure type and the programme.