Work is progressing on schedule at the Okanagan Correctional Centre. In top photo, workers install Styrofoam insulation in one of the pods. At left, a crushing operation ensures that everything that is dug up on site is re-used on site.
Lyonel Doherty photos
Keeping workers injury free and “staying one step ahead of the game” is the secret to construction success at the Okanagan Correctional Centre.
So says superintendent Paul Devriendt from PCL Constructors Westcoast Inc, the lead builder of the $200 million facility.
Devriendt took the Chronicle on a tour of the site in Senkulmen Business Park, where approximately 65 tradesmen and tradeswomen are busy working on the three prison pods and central services building.
All of the pod foundations are complete and PCL expects to start erecting walls and cell modules this month. A 270-ton crane is now on site for this purpose.
Devriendt said everything is on schedule despite the curve balls that mother nature has thrown at them.
“Building is easy . . . the biggest challenge is the snow and the elements,” he said.
This is where technology comes into play.
Devriendt said PCL has been utilizing a ground-thaw system consisting of hoses filled with running hot water. These hoses are laid on top of the frozen ground and covered with a tarp. PCL is also using forced air heat to melt the snow. It’s a very simple concept that works.
You have to be proactive on a building site like this or else you wouldn’t be on schedule, the superintendent pointed out.
It’s like trying to buy ice melt the day after it snows; you won’t find it in stores because they’re sold out – you have to plan ahead, Devriendt said.
Compared to yesteryear, construction technology is grand. There’s no more standing in a hole telling an excavator how deep to dig. Devriendt said their heavy equipment is guided by GPS. The machine operators dig where the computer tells them to dig.
PCL also uses robotic total station technology, which allows an operator to control a surveying instrument from a distance via remote control.
But you can’t have all this state-of-the-art technology and productivity without safety, the superintendent stressed.
Devriendt is very proud of the workplace safety record on site.
Everyone knows that he’s a stickler for safety. In four months since construction began, there has only been one minor injury – a worker cut his finger on a saw.
Devriendt said they frequently identify all the hazards on the jobsite and implement best practices to prevent injuries. PCL even offers incentives to workers who stay injury-free and report near-misses.
He said the key is making sure workers go home safe at night to their families.
Devriendt said many of the workers on site are locals, including members of the Osoyoos Indian Band (Oliver Ready-Mix concrete).
Hiring local and using local services is always on PCL’s radar, Devriendt said. For example, they are utilizing Argon Electric, EZ Fuel, Beach Bum lunch services and a local cleaning service.
The superintendent said PCL is reducing its carbon footprint by using everything that it processes. All of the rocks and dirt it digs up are being crushed and used on site for other purposes such as fill and road base material. “By reusing this material, we’re reducing trucks on the road (and our carbon footprint),” Devriendt said.
Lyonel Doherty
Oliver Chronicle
