What Is It Like to Be a Demolition Worker?
By: The Working Man
In the Construction Industry, very often before a new structure
can be erected an old one on the same spot must be removed. So
Demolition Contractors are as necessary as builders to the growth
of large cities and towns, bridges and dams. Demolition and
building go on all throughout the year and nearly everywhere in
the world, so if you are a trained and reliable demolition worker
you probably will never want for a job.
What Do Demolition Workers Do?
The basic steps to demolishing most buildings are the same. First
the building is "gutted," meaning that any removable furnishings,
pipes, radiators, light fixtures, valuable woods and the like are
removed and stored for reselling or other disposal methods.
After that, if the building is multi-story, the demolishing
begins at the top of the building and works down by way of a
wrecking ball swung from a crane or by blasting, depending on the
needs of the particular job. Smaller, single story buildings may
be razed by bulldozers or deconstructed by hand.
Demolition workers may drive or run the demolition or debris
transport machinery or they may demolish, move and load debris by
hand. Some workers specialize in demolition
deconstruction, which involves
carefully removing reusable parts of the building without
damaging them. Bridges, roads and dams are also often demolished
by contracting companies, and demolition work for such large
projects requires larger tools and likely correspondingly harder
work.
Working Conditions
Demolition workers work outdoors a lot of the time, and in
whatever is the ambient temperature all of the time, unless they
operate heavy equipment from a climate-controlled cab. If you
have health problems that are affected by extremes of heat or
cold you probably should consider a different career.
Demolition workers are also sometimes accidentally exposed to a
lot of dust or other contaminants in the process of their work,
so if have severe asthma or other allergies, you also probably
should consider a different career.
Dangers of Demolition Work
Although there are hazards associated with working in the
demolition industry, such as falling debris, noise pollution,
asbestos, and the like, proper use of
Personal Protective
Equipment and observation of safety precautions make demolition a
fairly safe industry.
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