What is a premature collapse?

Premature collapse of the structure is one of the main causes of serious injury resulting from demolition activities. The most common for this type of incident is the lack of effective planning before the commencement of the demolition process.

The pre-demolition survey, a detailed site risk assessment and the development of a comprehensive method statement. Premature collapse usually begins with the structure collapse of floors and is often caused by plant operating on floors which are not certified safe and/ or back-propped where required. 

It can also be caused by poor site supervision and lack of instruction, training and information for the workforce.

This will sometimes lead to individual worker’s or teams being unaware of additional hazards which have been created as the demolition work progresses.

A fully competent and trained workforce that has been made completely aware of the hazards associated with a particular site should lead to a successful conclusion to the demolition project.