Genreal information about pre-demolition audit

The purpose of a pre-demolition audit is to identify materials and components (reusable and non-reusable) resulting from demolition activities. Inventory should include estimated quantities of materials, qualitative information, and management/recovery options. Additionally, it should include all the needed information about the environmental impacts of the disposal or treatment of the wastes that will be generated.

Moreover, it must be noted that another basic objective of performing a pre-demolition audit is the protection of the health of the workers, to be able to foresee the required measures before the beginning of any work, according to the present hazardous substances.

Even though most construction and demolition waste is recyclable, only a few EU28 Member States recycle up to 90% per year.

Nevertheless, the Waste Framework Directive 2008/98/EC set a target of 70% recycling of Construction & Demolition Waste by 2020.

Hence, pre-demolition audits must be given the attention they deserve and systematised and incorporated into all demolition and renovation projects.

To prevent unnecessary waste, repurpose and recycle materials and components, and maximize the value and sustainable use of construction materials, pre-demolition audits provide facilities and construction owners with independent advice about the products and materials on their site. Moreover, pre-demolition audits play a vital role in the management of hazardous substances, since one of their aims is to detect the presence or absence of such substances.

This report can then be used by the owner and demolition contractor to set targets and objectives within the demolition or refurbishment tender documents to ensure best practices are followed.

In terms of hazardous substances, this pre- demolition audit will enable early detection of these products. By doing so, an appropriate plan can be developed to ensure the health of workers as well as the correct management of hazardous waste.

Moreover, recycling or reuse of non-hazardous waste can only be achieved through early detection and proper management of hazardous waste.

Otherwise, hazardous substances present on the construction site will contaminate other products, causing them to become hazardous waste, and making them unrecyclable.

This is a crucial point, so a remark must be done on the big problem that crosses contamination (contamination of clean wastes) could be in a non-detection of a hazardous substance.

For this reason, the audit must include, for all hazardous substances found, basic information about them, such as type, location, and quantity. Such as recommendations for its treatment, protection for workers and any other observation that could be relevant.

Who should carry out the pre- demolition audit?

A pre-demolition audit should be conducted by a qualified pre-demolition auditing expert in collaboration with building owners and contractors responsible for waste management.

However, most audits are carried out by demolition contractors themselves in the form of a method statement. But the reality is that these pre-demolition audits should be carried out by entities or professionals independent of the contractor and the property, with specialist personnel in the field. This is even more important in the case of hazardous substances, as their non-identification or misidentification can lead to serious problems, such as damage to workers’ health and the environment, and problems and delays at construction sites. Additionally, it can lead to cross-contamination (contamination of clean wastes), which could be a big problem in a non-detection of a hazardous substance.

In this respect, some countries have already started to regulate this issue and require inspecting personnel to hold a qualification that accredits their qualification to carry out this audit. However, there is still a great deal of disparity in Europe, and the requirements set in each country still vary widely.

And many of those who have begun to regulate it have not regulated it in a general way, but have established that for the investigation of certain specific substances, such as asbestos, the inspectors must meet certain requirements or own an accreditation certificate.

How should a pre-demolition audit be carried out?

To date, there has been little guidance available about how to conduct audits. As a consequence, there are implications for the quality of audit work and the potential for commercial interests to influence audit outcomes.

In this sense, it is indispensable to identify the key factors to define the conditions for successful implementation of pre- demolition/renovation audits. It’s also serves to establish comprehensive and operational information to draft methodological, technical and best-practices guidelines to carry out a good pre-demolition audit. The following points should be studied and analysed:

Principles and rules for how and when to carry out pre-demolition and renovation audits for buildings and infrastructures
Conditions for data sourcing and collection
Format of audit reporting
Further exploitation of audit outcomes by project sponsors, contractors, and authorities

Some countries have regulations on this subject, others have some guidelines or recommendations. Many others do not have any documentation in this regard. In any case, it is highly recommended to contact national associations to obtain information on this issue and to know if the association can provide any documentation.

In any case, the steps that EDI considers should be carried out in all pre-demolition audits in a generic way are set out below:

Desktop study
Field survey on-site visit complemented laboratory testing if necessary
Management/recovery recommendations
Establishment or mention of the regulatory obligations (for example, asbestos management is forbidden except by authorized personnel, or some wastes should not be touched to avoid cross-contamination, such as oil in a pipeline, which should be cleaned before beforeit)
Reporting