what are the steps and processes of demolition in the UK?  What are
the health and safety issues involved?  What are the types of
demolition used and for which buildings?

Hello, and thanks for the question.

The National Federation of Demolition Contractors ( based in Staines,
which sort of made me laugh ) have a nice run-down of the issues
involved in demolition in the UK at their home page in the section:
Guidance for Property and Site Owners
( http://www.demolition-nfdc.com/guidance.html )

"This guide has been prepared for building owners or site owners, with
the objective of drawing their attention to the financial,
environmental and safety hazards associated with demolition and
dismantling; and to provide guidance on how to cope with them."

It runs down health and safety, and environmental issues, refering to
the appropriate acts, details the owner's responsibilities, gives
advice on choosing a demolition contractor etc

They also provide a list of the main types of demolition handled by
their licensed contractors:-

- General Demolition 
- Tower Block Deconstruction 
- Demolition of Pre-stressed/Post-tensioned Concrete Structures 
- Demolition of Mass and Reinforced Concrete Structures 
- Chimney Demolition 
- Bridge Demolition 
- Dangerous Structure/Emergency Work 
- Industrial Dismantling 
- Shoring and Facade Retention 
- Demolition by Licensed Explosives Engineers 
- Asbestos Removal and Disposal 
- Site Clearance and Excavation 

And because of the nature of the business, there are often "perks" in
recyclable building materials, so demolition contractors often get
involved in the supply of Hardcore and Crushed Concrete and the
Selling of Recycled Building Materials.

                              ..o0o..

The SafetyServe "Demolition" site provides a nice rundown of the
safety factors and a summary of the regulations that have to be
followed in UK demolition, providing a template for a safety plan
( http://www.safetyserve.co.uk/demolition.htm

                              ..o0o..

Demolition ranges from blowing up huge tower blocks, down to the man
with a hammer who comes to take down your wall. Google maintain a nice
list of UK demolition contractors in the Google directory here:
http://directory.google.com/Top/Regional/Europe/United_Kingdom/Business_and_Economy/Industries/Building_and_Construction/Contractors/Demolition/

Browsing through them should give you a good idea of the different
jobs a demolition contractor might have to undertake.

One of the biggest companies is "Controlled Demolition Incorporated"
( http://www.cdi-uk.com/ )

They have a nice site, with details of their strategy for the
following:

- Urban Demolition
- Bridge Removal
- Industrial Demolition
- Implosion 

                              ..o0o..


Another good example of a contractor who covers a very wide range of
demolition jobs can be found at Oldham Brothers
( http://www.oldhambros.co.uk/ )

They have nice pictures and details of a variety of projects such as 
- Hi Rise Deconstruction 
- Demolition over water 
- Decontamination and Demolition 
- Power Station Demolition 
- Excavation and land reclamation
- Land Remediation 
- Façade Retention 
- Factory stripouts 
- Explosive demolition 
- Various other demolition projects 
- Charitable projects

                                ..o0o..


Hope that’s enough to get you going, but if you need any
clarification, just ask.

Long ago, when I was a lad, I thought about a career in blowing things
up. Nowadays I just build computer systems....I can do more damage
that way :)

willie-ga

Google searches used
UK Demolition overview
UK demolition "health and safety"
UK demolition introduction
UK demolition