Demolition: an obligation for exhaustive inventory
The pre-demolition asbestos diagnosis is fundamentally different from the pre-works diagnosis. This distinction is essential and often misunderstood. Before works, the diagnosis is targeted at the zones and materials likely to be disturbed by the planned interventions. Before a demolition — total or partial — the inventory must cover the entire building or the part to be demolished, without exception.
The reason is simple: during a demolition, all materials in the building will be disturbed, displaced or destroyed. There is no zone that can be “left in place”. All asbestos-containing materials present in the building will therefore potentially release fibres and generate special waste that must be processed through regulated channels. Without a prior exhaustive inventory, neither the organisation of the demolition site nor the waste disposal can be properly planned.
This obligation derives from several federal legal texts: the Ordinance on Construction Work (OTConst), the Ordinance on the Movement of Waste (OMoD), the Federal Act on Environmental Protection (LPE) and the directives of the Federal Coordination Commission for Occupational Safety (CFST).
Total and partial demolition: what are the differences?
Total demolition
When a building must be entirely demolished, the asbestos diagnosis covers the entire construction: outer envelope, structure, interior fittings, technical installations, basements and, where applicable, ancillary structures (garages, outbuildings, shelters). The inventory draws up a complete list of all asbestos-containing materials present, with their estimated quantity, state of conservation and precise location.
This exhaustive diagnosis serves as the basis for planning the demolition-remediation site. It is transmitted to the demolition company and the decontamination company (which may be the same in some cases), as well as to the competent authorities when the demolition permit application is filed.
Partial demolition
Partial demolition — for example the demolition of an annexe building, a floor, a wing of an apartment building or part of an industrial building — requires an inventory covering all parts of the building affected by the demolition. The zones to be retained must also be taken into account, as their interface with the demolished zones may contain asbestos-containing materials that the demolition works will affect.
Partial demolition is often more complex to manage than total demolition from a diagnostic standpoint, as the boundaries of the zone to be demolished must be precisely defined and asbestos-containing materials at the interface between the two parts must be identified.
What the exhaustive pre-demolition inventory covers
The pre-demolition inventory is more complete and more detailed than the inspection carried out for a pre-works diagnosis. It systematically covers:
The outer envelope: roofing (corrugated or flat fibre cement sheets, artificial slates, asbestos-bitumen coverings), facades (fibre cement cladding, external renders), external joinery and their weatherproofing seals, roof windows, fibre cement gutters and downpipes.
Structure and main structure: sprayed coatings on metal beams and floors, fireproofing sprays applied to frameworks, insulation materials incorporated in walls and floors, expansion joints, filler materials in composite structures.
Interior fittings: floor coverings (asbestos vinyl tiles, linoleum with asbestos-containing adhesive underlay, laying adhesives), wall coverings (fibre cement sheets and panels, renders), ceilings and suspended ceilings (acoustic tiles, composite sheets), lightweight fibre cement partitions, fire doors with asbestos-containing seals, shelves and miscellaneous elements.
Technical installations: lagging on all pipes (heating, cold water, domestic hot water, steam, gas), insulation on boilers and old thermal equipment, electrical panels with asbestos-containing backing plates, ventilation ducts and fibre cement conduits, old electrical cabling with asbestos braiding.
Special rooms: basements (often less renovated and presenting intact original materials), technical rooms and boiler rooms, roof spaces and non-habitable areas, pits and confined spaces.
Asbestos waste management: OMoD and disposal channels
The presence of asbestos in demolition materials generates specific obligations regarding waste management. These obligations mainly derive from the Ordinance on the Movement of Waste (OMoD, RS 814.610) and the Federal Act on Environmental Protection (LPE).
Classification of asbestos waste
Materials containing asbestos are classified as special waste under Swiss law. This classification implies:
- Mandatory prior identification before the start of demolition works
- Careful packaging on the construction site (airtight packaging, regulatory signage)
- Disposal through channels authorised for special waste
- Documented traceability via transport and disposal tracking documents that must be retained
Authorised disposal channels
In Switzerland, asbestos-containing materials can be disposed of according to their nature and asbestos content. Non-friable materials in good condition — such as undegraded fibre cement sheets — can be processed at certain inert or controlled waste disposal sites subject to cantonal authorisations. Friable or heavily asbestos-containing materials, particularly sprayed coatings, must be disposed of at specially authorised installations to receive this type of waste. The decontamination company is responsible for sorting, packaging and routing to the appropriate channel.
The pre-demolition asbestos diagnosis allows the volumes of expected asbestos waste to be quantified and disposal costs to be anticipated, which can represent a significant portion of the total demolition budget.
Source separation and sorting
One of the imperatives of the pre-demolition diagnosis is to enable efficient source separation. Asbestos-containing materials must be separated from other construction waste on the construction site. A demolition without prior sorting would contaminate all rubble with asbestos, making their disposal much more costly and rendering recovery or recycling impossible.
The role of the decontamination company in the process
On a demolition site for an asbestos-containing building, a specialised decontamination company intervenes before or during demolition to remove asbestos-containing materials according to an established plan. Its role is complementary but distinct from that of the diagnostician.
The diagnostician produces the inventory report that serves as the basis for planning. The decontamination company executes the removal works according to this plan. It must be specially trained and equipped: personal protective equipment (sealed overalls, air-supplied respiratory protection or FFP3 masks depending on the situation), containment of work zones with sheeting and negative pressure systems, air suction and filtration with high-efficiency equipment, and strict protocols for the packaging and removal of waste.
For complex industrial buildings or large volumes of friable materials, close coordination between the diagnostician, the decontamination company, the project owner and sometimes the supervisory authorities is indispensable. Dust concentration measurements may be carried out during the construction site to verify that fibre concentrations in the air remain below permitted thresholds.
Comparison: pre-works diagnosis vs pre-demolition diagnosis
| Criterion | Before works | Before demolition |
|---|---|---|
| Inspection scope | Zones impacted by the works | Entire building or part to be demolished |
| Level of detail | Targeted at disturbed materials | Exhaustive — each asbestos-containing material recorded |
| Main objective | Worker safety during works | Remediation planning + waste management |
| Volume quantification | Not required | Yes — estimated volumes for each type |
| Inspection duration | Proportional to works scope | Longer, the entire building is inspected |
| Documents produced | Report with recommendations by zone | Quantitative inventory + waste classification |
| Link to authorisation | Required for building/renovation permit | Systematically required for demolition permit |
Standard procedure for a demolition project
- Step 1 — Ordering the inventory: the diagnostic request must be made as soon as the decision to demolish is taken, before any administrative authorisation request. The earlier the diagnosis is commissioned, the more the results can be integrated into project planning.
- Step 2 — Complete inspection: the diagnostician traverses the entire building, including difficult-to-access spaces (crawl spaces, roof spaces, closed technical shafts). Each suspect material is documented with photos and location records.
- Step 3 — Sampling and analyses: samples are taken from all suspect materials. Laboratory analyses at a SAS-accredited laboratory confirm or rule out the presence of asbestos and quantify its content.
- Step 4 — Inventory report: the diagnostician submits the complete report with location, quantification and classification of all asbestos-containing materials. This report serves as the key document for the demolition permit application and for decontamination tenders.
- Step 5 — Decontamination tender: specialised companies prepare their offer on the basis of the inventory report.
- Step 6 — Decontamination: asbestos-containing materials are removed according to a remediation plan established before mechanical demolition begins. Waste is packaged and disposed of through regulatory channels.
- Step 7 — Restitution inspection: a final inspection can be carried out to certify that the building has been correctly decontaminated before mechanical demolition.
Special cases: industrial buildings and listed buildings
Industrial buildings
Industrial buildings constructed before 1991 often present particular challenges. Asbestos was used extensively for the thermal insulation of production installations, industrial furnaces, high-pressure steam pipes and metal structures. Sprayed coatings on structures, large-diameter industrial lagging and high-content sealing materials can represent significant volumes. The pre-demolition inventory of an industrial building is generally longer and more complex than for a residential building of the same surface area, and requires specific expertise in industrial environments.
Listed or heritage-protected buildings
Heritage protection of a building does not remove the obligation for asbestos diagnosis before any transformation or partial demolition intervention. It does, however, require the safety constraints linked to asbestos to be reconciled with the requirements for the conservation of protected elements. This situation requires coordination between the diagnostician, the commissioned architect, the monuments and sites services, and the competent cantonal authorities.
Required documents and cantonal authorisation procedure
To obtain a demolition permit in Western Switzerland, the asbestos diagnostic report is required in the application file. This report must be prepared by a FACH-recognised diagnostician and accompanied by the results of the accredited laboratory analyses.
Some cantons also require the submission of a remediation plan — a document prepared by a FACH level 2 specialist — which describes the measures planned for the removal and disposal of asbestos-containing materials. This plan conditions the obtaining of the demolition permit and the start of the decontamination site.
In addition, waste movement regulations impose the issuance of tracking documents for each transport of asbestos waste from the construction site to the disposal channel.
Are you planning a demolition in Western Switzerland? Visit the asbestos diagnosis quote page for a proposal adapted to the nature and size of your building. For a complete overview of the applicable legal framework, the mandatory asbestos diagnosis page details all current obligations. The content and structure of an inventory report are presented on the asbestos diagnosis report page.