The manual removal of floors refers to the removal of the floor arches, the masonry filling between the floor beams and girders. Before demolishing the floor arches, remove debris and any unnecessary materials from the floor arch and adjacent floor area. Do not allow other employees to be in the area underneath where the floor is being removed. Barricade the area below to prevent access to it.

Openings cut in a floor should always extend the full span of the arch between supports to allow support for the floor.

While breaking down floor arches between beams, employees should stand on 2"-by-10" or larger planks. These planks must be positioned to provide a safe support for workers should the arch between the beams collapse. The maximum allowed open space between planks is 16 inches.

Use safe wood walkways, at least 18 inches wide and 2 inches thick, to enable workers to reach any point without walking upon exposed beams. Metal walkways can be used if they are of equivalent strength. Install stringers of sufficient strength to support the flooring planks. The ends of the stringers should be supported by floor beams or girders, and not by floor arches alone. Lay planks together over solid bearings with the ends overlapping at least one foot.
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