The Quenett Creek Substation is a 230-kV greenfield facility built to supply increased electricity to the growing rural communities near the Oregon-Washington border.

But the site, set on basalt-type rock, contained culturally significant elements within the project’s footprint, so the team barricaded the sensitive areas and modified the project’s design to avoid or relocate those materials. The project team worked closely with a local tribal community that verified the respectful handling of important cultural items.

With the added challenges of extreme weather conditions and heavy steel erection, the team developed a site-specific safety and health plan that placed a dedicated safety professional on site during all construction activities.

All personnel accessing the site were provided a site-specific orientation and were required to review a daily pretask analysis that detailed hazard recognition, hazard prevention and personal protective equipment. The team’s safety plan, behavior-based observation program and diligence resulted in zero recordable incidents.

Related Article: ENR Northwest's 2019 Best Project Winners Highlight Regional Diversity