• Commission a full service survey as part of the pre-demolition assessment
• Arrange disconnection and capping of all services before demolition work starts
• Obtain written confirmation of disconnection from each utility provider
• Protect any services that cannot be disconnected with physical barriers and markings
• Brief the demolition team on the location of all known and suspected service routes
• Include service strike emergency procedures in the demolition method statement
• Use CAT and Genny to verify service disconnection and detect any unmarked services
• Monitor for gas at ground level during demolition of buildings with former gas supplies
• Maintain exclusion zones around services that remain live during the works
• Record all service disconnections and protections in the site safety file

• DON'T start demolition without written confirmation that services are disconnected
• DON'T assume all services are dead because the building appears vacant or disused
• DON'T use mechanical demolition methods near live services without protection measures
• DON'T forget underground services — gas, water, and electric run beneath buildings too
• DON'T ignore overhead cables when planning the demolition sequence and machine reach
• DON'T rely on verbal assurance of disconnection — demand written confirmation from the utility
• DON'T allow debris to fall on or near protected live services during demolition
• DON'T cut into walls, floors, or ceilings without checking for embedded cables and pipes
• DON'T bypass the pre-demolition service survey to accelerate the programme
• DON'T dismiss small-diameter pipes or thin cables — they may carry gas or high voltage

See also: Demolition Safety Awareness | Service Strike Emergency Procedure