Construction World May 2015

PROJECT PROFILE

Risk management A full and complete risk assessment was done before the start of the project and safety measures were put in place to mitigate these risks. With the type of ground conditions in general and the high water table encoun- tered on site during the winter months the risk assessment couldn’t stop there. The risk assessment is an ongoing process along with the implementation of safety measures which CSV adjusts as the environ- ment dictates. Method statements complete with job specific risk assessments are prepared upfront for all major work activities to ensure safe work practices. Motivating facts about the project Cape Town has not experienced a new sewer pipe construction project of this magnitude and especially at this depth in the last few decades. It is also the first time ever that a pipe installation of this size, length and depth of excavation is being done making use of our method of a ‘forward rolling’ steel shoring system. The deployment of CSV’s specialised shoring system has worked well to date and is demonstrating to clients that methods less disruptive and costly than the conventional open cut method are feasible and available. The use of the silent piling technique is not only a first for South Africa, but also a first for the African continent. The two silent piling rigs operating in CSV’s fleet are the only ones of its kind in Africa. The tech- nology involved in silent piling is ground- breaking and is providing options, previ- ously not available to engineers wanting or having to construct underground services in close proximity to sensitive infrastructure, heritage sites and sensitive buildings.

always a big challenge and therefore remains a priority. The project route also runs next to one of Cape Town’s busiest roads which add to the complexity of traffic accommodation for the duration of the project. For this reason a permanent on-site Safety, Health, Environment and Quality (SHEQ) Officer has been appointed to keep H&S up to standard. The SHEQ Officer regu- larly reports back on health and safety matters during the project meetings. Every visitor to the site has to undergo a site induc- tion session before being allowed to come onsite accompanied by a senior project staff member. Being midway through the project, CSV has only had some minor injuries and no serious accidents. Quantifiable time, cost and quality The original duration of this project is 78 weeks. With 63% of time lapsed, CSV has been granted a total of 126 days extension. which is mainly due to adverse physical conditions and also due to changes in scope of work for working in such close proximity to the sensitive group of 132 kV electrical cables. Chances are good that more exten- sion of time will be granted because of many unknowns and difficult working conditions. The value of the contract is R139 078 382 (excluding VAT). With all the unknowns, costs can get out of hand if not properly managed. For this reason CSV have a permanent Quan- tity Surveyor (QS) on site to ensure tight control over the project budget in terms of costing and forecasting. CSV has a very strict quality assurance policy on the project with every step of the construction process checked and signed off by both representatives from both the contractor as well as the consultants. All of this is well documented and filed accordingly.

Installation of 1 650 diameter concrete pipe while checking line and level.

CSV also imported silent-type six-inch, high volume, high lift water pumps from the company BBA in Holland, specifically when it has to work in residential areas with high volumes of ground water that needs to be pumped. Health and safety On a project of this nature with excavations up to 8 m deep and the pipes to be installed weighing in excess of seven tons while huge machines move up and down throughout the construction site, health and safety (H&S) is

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Sheet piles installed with silent pilers.

Project information • Project start date: 7 May 2013 • Project end date: 15 June 2015 • Client: City of Cape Town • Project team: City of Cape Town, AECOM and CSV Construction • Main contractor: CSV Construction • Project manager: City of Cape Town • Consulting engineer: AECOM • Project value: R139 078 382 (excluding VAT)

CONSTRUCTION WORLD MAY 2015 I