Analysis of collapse behavior for demolition of brick walls

Brick wall collapses contributing to occupational fatalities constantly happen to construction-related workers. The number of workers involved in brick wall collapse accidents is more than that in other accident types. The brick wall collapse accidents accounted for 93% of the structure collapse cases, and about 64% of brick wall collapse cases are in connection with demolition of brick walls. In order to find out the major risks of demolition of brick walls, this article examines occupational accident statistics and case reports from the Northern Region Inspection Office of the Council of Labor Affairs of Taiwan. Discontinuous Deformation Analysis (DDA) is employed to discuss the collapse behavior for demolition of brick walls. A procedure during the demolition of brick walls is suggested for the purpose of safety.