Hazardous Materials — Asbestos, Lead, and Contaminated Systems

§1926.850(e) requires you to determine whether any hazardous chemicals, gases, explosives, flammable materials, or similar substances were used in any pipes, tanks, or other equipment on the property. When any such substance is apparent or suspected, testing and purging must be performed and the hazard eliminated before demolition starts.

That means no cutting into a tank or line until it's been tested and purged. A drum or pipe that looks empty can still hold enough vapor to flatten the building.

Asbestos-containing materials and lead-based paint have to be identified and, where required, removed by qualified workers before general demolition disturbs them. The exposure limits that govern the work:

• Asbestos (§1926.1101) — PEL 0.1 fiber per cubic centimeter as an 8-hour average, plus an excursion limit of 1.0 f/cc over any 30 minutes.
• Lead (§1926.62) — PEL 50 µg/m³ over 8 hours; action level 30 µg/m³ that triggers monitoring and controls.
• Respirable crystalline silica (§1926.1153) — PEL 50 µg/m³ over 8 hours; action level 25 µg/m³.

Asbestos awareness and disturbance are covered in more depth in the Asbestos Awareness category. On a demolition job the rule is the same: suspect material doesn't get cut, broken, or dropped until it's been assessed and handled by the right process.

If you hit something that wasn't in the survey — suspect insulation, a labeled drum, a pipe that smells of fuel — stop, keep people out of the area, and report it. Don't sweep it up, don't torch it, don't guess.

Fast reporting is the protective move here, even if the material turns out to be nothing. The cost of stopping is an hour; the cost of guessing wrong is measured in exposures and explosions.