Asbestos Hazards During Soft Strip Demolition, Renovation or Restoration

A soft strip out or interior demolition of a building is an important step in the demolition process requiring a carefully planned process of dismantling non-structural interior components of a building and can include a partial or full strip out of drywall and plaster walls and ceilings, floor coverings, fixtures, windows and window caulking, doors, plumbing, electrical systems, HVAC units, boilers and more often encountering unknown asbestos and/or lead.

Asbestos and Lead Hazards - Due Diligence

OH&S legislation across Canada gives employers and work site owners duties and responsibilities for their own directly hired workers as well as for the workers of other contractors. Duties include a requirement on building owners and contractors to have a comprehensive survey and risk-assessment completed in buildings constructed as recently as the early 1990’s.

• It is imperative that asbestos-containing materials are not disturbed during the soft strip process and that surveys and risk-assessments for asbestos and lead coatings are completed by licensed and certified asbestos professionals prior to disturbing any hazardous materials.

• A systematic approach allows for the safe abatement of any hazardous materials detected in a survey thereby ensuring efficient and timely project execution.

• Licensed and certified hazardous materials abatement contractors often complete soft demolition scope of work when environmental surveys indicate the presence of asbestos or lead coatings.

• In an occupied building soft demolition is often completed behind negative pressure enclosures to contain dust. Negative pressure containments are a crucial step ensuring the air pressure inside the containment is lower than the surrounding areas, so air flows inward through any possible gaps rather than outward into an occupied building.

Enviro-Vac is one of the oldest privately owned environmental contractors in Canada offering a full suite of services in hazardous materials abatement and decontamination including negative pressure shrink-wrap containments, industrial vacuum services, combustible dust abatement, abrasive blasting, and plant dust-down services. Enviro-Vac are available to work both small and large-scale projects across Canada. The head office is based in Surrey, BC. 

If you have any questions about this article or would like to talk to us about hazardous materials abatement, decontamination, or shrink-wrap solutions, please call us on our toll-free number, (888) 296-2499.