The standard
What a demolition engineer must know
The Institute's published standard: the knowledge and capability expected at each grade, and how it is assessed. Free to read, quote and cite.
Published by the Institute · reviewed
Demolition carries an outsized share of construction risk, and yet there is no single statutory qualification that defines a demolition engineer. That gap is why the Institute exists, and why this framework is published openly rather than held behind membership.
Clients, principal designers and duty-holders increasingly have to satisfy themselves that the people they appoint are competent. This is the standard the Institute applies when it assesses that, set out so it can be relied upon by anyone who needs it.
In development. The assessment components below are the Institute’s established practice. The per-grade competency wording is being formalised and requires ratification by the Membership Committee before it stands as the published framework.
Competence by grade
| Grade | Must know | Must be able to do | Assessed by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entrant | Awareness of the legislative framework, the principal hazards of demolition, and the role of the demolition engineer. | Works under supervision. Contributes to site tasks safely and recognises when to escalate. | Application and referees |
| TechnicianTechIDE | Working knowledge of codes of practice, method statements, plant capability and site control measures. | Supervises defined demolition activities. Implements a method statement and controls an exclusion zone. | Application, examination |
| AssociateAMIDE | Structural behaviour during removal, temporary works principles, hazardous materials, and the survey information a safe sequence depends on. | Plans and delivers demolition works. Identifies where engineering input is required and obtains it. | Application, examination, professional interview |
| Full MemberMIDE | Load paths and progressive collapse, sequence design, the limits of record information, and the interaction of demolition with adjacent structures and services. | Takes professional responsibility for the planning and delivery of demolition projects, including high-risk and complex structures. | Application, examination, professional interview |
| FellowFIDE | Authority across the discipline, including where established practice is inadequate to the problem in front of you. | Leads the discipline. Contributes to its body of knowledge, and to the development of others in it. | Eminence, contribution, and election |
How competence is assessed
Examination
Two parts on the same day. Part 1 is 45 minutes of multiple choice on legislation, codes of practice and health and safety. Part 2 is three hours of case studies requiring the experienced judgement of a demolition engineer. The pass mark is 70% for both parts.
Professional interview
A conversation with practising engineers about the candidate's experience and, more importantly, their judgement — how they decided, not just what they did.
Continuing development
12 hours of CPD annually, six of them core to the Institute's own educational activity. Competence is not a state you reach; it is one you maintain.
Conduct
Members practise under the Institute's rules and code of conduct and remain accountable to them. Membership may be suspended or terminated where those obligations are not met.
Using this framework
Clients and principal designers may cite this framework when specifying the competence required of a demolition engineer on a project, and may verify an individual’s grade against the Institute’s register. Employers may use it to structure development routes for their engineers.
Attribution to the Institute of Demolition Engineers is asked for; permission is not.