As with any industry, the demolition world is full of technical terms most people aren’t too familiar with. To help you understand the jargon and slang you might hear around a demolition site, we put together a quick list of key demolition terms to know.
Asbestos Abatement- The process of safely removing asbestos from a structure before starting demolition.
Brownfield- A contaminated site, often a small manufacturing, industrial, or commercial site that has less hazardous or toxic substances than a highly-contaminated site regulated under the Superfund law.
C&D Recycling- The different methods of recycling, salvaging, and reusing construction waste and demolition debris is sometimes abbreviated C&D recycling.
Deconstruction- This refers to the practice of manually taking a structure apart piece by piece instead of mechanically knocking it down. Deconstruction is more labor-intensive than other forms of demolition, but it does allow for more opportunities to reuse and recycle.
High Reach Excavator- A long boom arm with specialized hydraulic attachments mounted on an excavator platform. These units are designed to allow access to tall structures, often 20 stories or more.
Implosion- The use of explosives to bring about the collapse of a building or structure. Explosive charges will be placed in a way that will cause the structure to collapse in on itself instead of exploding outward.
Specialized Rigging – Task-specific lines, chains, pulleys and heavy equipment that are used to relocate, move, or salvage buildings, structures or their components.
These are just a handful of terms used in the demolition industry. Let us know which terms you’re curious about and which ones we left out.