Is a strip-out 'demolition work' under the WSH regulations?
It can be. The WSH (Construction) Regulations define demolition work as work connected with the total or partial dismantling or razing of a building or structure, including removing or dismantling machinery or equipment. Demolition is listed as high-risk construction work, which must be carried out under a permit-to-work issued by the project manager after evaluation by a safety assessor. Many strip-outs fall within that definition.
From the RRD Field Guide, checked against the sources cited in Demolition and Strip-Out Safety in Singapore: Permits, Structural Stability, Asbestos and Waste. General information, not advice for your project.
The fuller picture
In Singapore, demolition is high-risk construction work needing a permit-to-work system. Hacking non-load-bearing walls and false ceilings is exempt from BCA plan approval, but removing columns, beams, slabs or load-bearing walls needs approved plans, a BCA permit and a PE's method statement. Older buildings need an asbestos survey first, and debris must go through NEA-licensed collectors.
More questions on this topic
- Do I need a BCA permit to strip out an office?
- Who must prepare the demolition method statement?
- What happened in the Tanjong Pagar demolition collapse?
- Do I need an asbestos survey before demolition?
- Can demolition debris go into the building's bins?
- What is temporary propping and when is it needed?
- What are the dust and noise rules for demolition?