Mountain States & SouthwestBest Projects2012

Award of Merit, Safety: APS Cotton Center Solar Station

By Scott Blair, Editor-in-Chief

McCarthy Finishes Solar Plant Early With Perfect Safety Record

Photo by Christopher Barr Photography

Crews installed 93,000 single-axis-mounted, silicon photovoltaic panels arranged in 1,662 rows.

Photo by Christopher Barr Photography

The project was completed one month ahead of schedule, with zero recordable incidents during 75,000 man-hours.

At this 145-acre facility in Gila Bend, Ariz., crews installed 93,000 single-axis-mounted, silicon photovoltaic panels arranged in 1,662 rows. Crews installed as many as 500 small-drilled caissons each day in an effort to isolate the panels from the area's highly corrosive soils. The project was completed one month ahead of schedule, with zero recordable incidents during 75,000 man-hours. McCarthy trained 150 new hires during a three-month mentoring program on the company's safety culture and procedures, which include its 100% glove policy and special equipment usage to limit the potential for soft tissue damage. The contractor's task hazard analysis process required each employee to fill out a form before performing each task, identifying potential safety hazards and the specific work behavior they would engage in to prevent incidents.

Key Players

Contractor: McCarthy Building Cos. Inc., Tempe, Ariz.

Owner: APS Energy Services, Phoenix

Lead Design: SOLON America Corp., Tucson, Ariz.

Civil Engineer: Strand and Associates, Phoenix

MEP: Delta Diversified Enterprise, Tempe, Ariz.

Subcontractors: Barker Morrissey Contracting, Tucson; Blount Contracting, Mesa, Ariz.; Buesing Corp., Phoenix; Ironco Enterprises, Phoenix

Submitted by McCarthy Building Cos. Inc.

Blair leads day-to-day operations of the ENR editorial team to ensure brand quality and further best practices. He spearheads ENR's various competitions, including Best Projects and the Award of Excellence, and organizes editorial content at events including the Top Young Professionals conference. A Jesse H. Neal, Construction Media Alliance and AZBEES-award-winning writer and videographer, Blair frequently contributes to ENR’s burgeoning video channel with project tour videos and interviews with industry leaders. He is also a frequent speaker and moderator on topics such as diversity and inclusion, design and jobsite technology, construction means and methods and marketing.