Stripping

Stripping is an activity that must be carried out prior to dismantling, deconstruction or demolition. It ensures good segregation of materials to prevent the demolition debris being contaminated by hazardous materials (asbestos, lead, PCBs, bulbs, neon lights, etc.). Stripping maximizes recycling potential and the reuse of concrete as well as standard and clay brick. Groupe Démex-Centrem provides stripping services for both hazardous and non-hazardous materials.

Stripping is a predominantly manual activity, which poses greater health and safety risks for the teams involved. The Démex Golden Rules includes the Démex “musts” for the prevention of incidents and accidents. Quite often with old structures whose as-built plans are dated, it is hard to know how all components have been fixed and retained and how they will react to the stripping process. As a result, each of the following steps requires meticulous planning:

• methods used;
• their sequence;
• logistics of evacuation and waste disposal;
• risk analysis and mitigation;
• developing a realistic timeline;
• defining an organized and safe plan.