Holdfast Training Services Trial Blog

The project has evolved in recent weeks with several variation orders taking the total value of the work from £63m to £121.5m. These additions include £6.5m worth of variations to the initial contract covering a number of smaller embellishments and alterations, £2.5 for a RC slab in the coal yard adjacent to the site, £2m for a radial arm stacking conveyor also for the coal yard and £47m for IRFT 2. IRFT 2 is a sizeable extension to the facilities currently under construction including 4 more RC Biomass storage silos, an extension to the existing conveyor system and another rail load out facility and accompanying silo. The work on the coal yard slab and the piling for IRFT 2 has started and extends the duration of the whole contract from October 14 until July 15. Part of the site (phase 1) was commissioned on 22 May 14 and now fully operates from the lorry load in area to the rail load out facility. This allows large Biomass container ships to dock at the port, where HGVs can be loaded directly and then the pellets can be transferred to the rail load out point for onward movement to Drax power station. Part of this commissioning included testing and individually commissioning all of the electrical, safety, dust and fire suppression systems and the establishment of an operations team to run the facility. To date over 13000t of wood pellet have been loaded and transported to Drax power station. The completion date for IRFT 1 phase 2 (the rest of the site) is currently delayed by 22 working days / 30 calendar days and as such performance testing of the plant is scheduled to begin on 13 October 2014, the site is running a 12 hour day / 7 day week to maintain progress. The progress for IRFT 2 is currently on schedule with work having started on 09 June 14.

The current site.

Roof truss lifted onto silo 1.

My part in this, the dwarf wall, continues although at a slower pace due to increased pours for the roof slabs to cap the IRFT 1 silos, but I now have other projects to keep me busy in my section of works.

The Dwarf Wall continues.

These additional duties are allowing me to knock off quite a few of the harder to achieve DO’s.

I am now also responsible for the excavating and placing of several 100m’s of HV ducting and a water deluge main for the fire suppression system of the previously constructed Conveyor 620 system. Whilst technically simple the mountain of paperwork I have had to complete for each section has allowed me to gain some purchase working towards the difficult DO’s. The ducting effectively runs between the various substations, old and new that border my section of works, hence the responsibility, and cross a significant number of existing live and non-live services.

Ducting runs into a future manhole.

I have completed an overarching method statement and risk assessment for the task, breaking it down into individual sections or ducting runs between the existing and to be constructed manholes. This includes the procedures for working parallel to and crossing over existing services including live HV cables; a detailed traffic management plan due to several road closures (not popular with the client, ABP, running a very busy port) and the safety precautions for working in deep excavations.

Prior to this I had to conduct an in-depth analysis utilising all the available drawings provided by the client, utility companies and a Graham commissioned GPR survey to pinpoint all the services. I then verified these findings with a CAT Scan survey having just completed the CAT and Genny course (one for the CPD record).

I have then been briefing the subcontractors outlining the programme of works, the methodology, the risk mitigation procedures and any residual risk before getting them to sign up prior to sending all the data through to the client for their final approval.

All of this activity has allowed me to progress towards a number of DO’s (B2, C1, D1, E2).

I have also volunteered to mentor a year-long placement student who started in earnest last week. This additional responsibility has allowed me to consolidate my experiences to date and share MY extensive knowledge. I felt it necessary to step off on the right foot so I immediately grilled him for definition of undrained shear strength to gauge the depth of HIS knowledge…..there was a long pause…..an awkward shuffling of the feet…..a look to the left and the right for moral support…..and then came the McGuirk 1000yard stare…..he didn’t know, can you believe it?? I couldn’t. What are they being taught at uni these days? I gesticulated wildly, banged the desk and was about to unleash my pavlovian response when I got distracted by a chocolate digestive. I’m surprised I’m still talking to this simpleton but I’ll tough it out for now as it is proving another excellent opportunity to knock off some DO’s (C3, D1 and 2 and E4)!

I should have the ducts finished by the end of this week, the wall by the following week prior to my summer leave. On my return I am likely to be given an independent command……my own bespoke site about a mile down the road to build a sub-station all by myself! I have also requested to be part of IRFT 2 rail load out silo slip forming team to ensure that I get the maximum exposure to as many different construction processes as possible. No real reflections this time but plenty of DO progress.