Geotechnical Engineer Geo-Science Engineering Co.

The project’s scope called for complete demolition of a former manufacturing plant at the Interstate Distribution Center in Jenkins Township to prepare the land for up to 1,506,000 sq ft of future development. The existing 954,000-sq-ft building included twin massive storage silos, previously used to store dry chemicals.

The site lies between the Pennsylvania Turnpike and a residential neighborhood. It is also within the final approach flight path of a neighboring international airport.

Besides a tight six-month completion date, the project was challenged by the most severe winter in recent history. The site was blanketed in snow and ice, while temperatures plunged to nearly 20 degrees below zero, the team said.

Every employee received site-specific training, including orientation, hazardous material awareness and safety policies and procedures. As dictated by tasks, crews were trained in such areas as hazardous communication, aerial lift and hot work. All crew members on site were certified in OSHA 40 and the LPS behavior-based safety system. LPS procedures, which included loss prevention observations, near-loss incidents and incident investigation, were fully incorporated into the project.

All onsite personnel attended three safety meetings each day to provide constant reminders of job hazards and safety procedures. As a result of the rigid attention to safety protocols and a disciplined use of the site map, the crew kept the project on time and on budget and there were no lost-time accidents.