Safety resource 11 / 15
Hazard Communication on Demolition Sites
Every product brought onto a demolition site needs a label, a safety data sheet the crew can reach and training on its hazards before anyone uses it.
Four HazCom numbers to recognize
Quick-reference overview. The actual project scope, site conditions, qualified evaluations and applicable requirements control.
Tap a number
The name matches the safety data sheet, so the right sheet is easy to find.
Danger for the more severe hazards, Warning for the less severe. A label shows only one.
Red-bordered diamonds show the type of hazard at a glance, such as flame, corrosion or health hazard.
What the product can do, for example: flammable liquid and vapor, or causes skin irritation.
How to use, store and handle it, the PPE to wear and first aid if something goes wrong.
Name, address and phone number of the manufacturer or importer.
Project planning snapshot
- KnowProducts each trade will bring and any owner product restrictions.
- VerifyA current SDS for each product; labels on original and secondary containers.
- ControlStorage, ventilation, ignition sources and PPE from SDS section 8.
- RecordChemical inventory, training sign-in sheets and SDS updates.
Fun facts
Three details worth remembering
- MSDS is the old name
A sheet still titled MSDS is in the pre-GHS format; ask the supplier for the current safety data sheet.
- Secondary containers count
Once a product is poured into a sprayer, bucket or can, that container needs a label unless the person who filled it uses it all right away.
- Shared sites share information
Each contractor tells the others what hazardous products it brings and where to find the safety data sheets.
Read the detailed planning guidanceConcise, source-grounded project considerations
Build the inventory before mobilization
List the fuels, oils, hydraulic fluid, surfactants, encapsulants, solvents, adhesives and compressed gases for the job. Get a current safety data sheet for each from the supplier, and add every product a subcontractor brings.
Keep labels on everything
Leave manufacturer labels intact and readable. Label secondary containers such as sprayers, buckets and fuel cans with the product name and its hazards. Replace any label that is torn, faded or covered in debris.
Make safety data sheets reachable every shift
Keep the binder or a device in the job trailer or lead truck, unlocked and available without asking. Update it when a new product arrives or a supplier issues a revised sheet.
Train before first use
Train workers when they are first assigned and whenever a new hazard comes on site: how to read labels and safety data sheets, the PPE required, spill response and first aid. Asbestos and lead already in the building are covered by their own standards; hazard communication covers the products brought in.
Primary references
Requirements can depend on the task, employer, location, project documents and actual field conditions.
SoCal Removal is a licensed demolition and environmental contractor—not an industrial hygienist, testing laboratory, engineer, attorney or regulatory agency.
Working on a site with other trades? Line up the product list early.
Product approvals, storage and planning are easier to settle before mobilization than on the first morning.
Send us
- Owner or GC product approval requirements
- Site hazard communication procedures
- Areas with restricted products, such as occupied schools
We review
- Product approvals and substitutions
- Storage and staging
- Planning with other contractors