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transfieldservices.comTHE TRANSFIELD SERVICES BUSINESS MAGAZINE31This significant achievement isa reflection of the commitment,strong culture, continuedsupport and dedication byeveryone to ensure that all workis carried out safely and thateveryone returns home safely totheir families every day.Innovation onthe roadMembers of Infrastructure’sNorth Bay, Ontario project teamin the US recently used lessonslearned from an injury, along withinnovative thinking, to create asolution that will prevent furtherharm to Transfield Servicesemployees.The handrail along a portionof the project’s roadway has aseries of brackets holding it intoplace with fasteners underneaththe railing. Loose or missingfasteners pose a hazard toworkers when refastening therailing to the bracket, as well asto the motoring public, especiallyif the fastener is on an overheadbridge with traffic underneath.Additionally, the handrail holesbecome enlarged over time dueto constant repairs, which requirereplacement of the rail.The injury occurred when theemployee was attempting torotate the handrail into place.The holes in the rail need tobe aligned, and while rotatingthe railing, it came out of thebracket and landed on hisfingers, pinching them betweenthe railing and the cement. Theemployee did not miss any timefrom work due to the incident.The North Bay Yard Team – PaulRussell, Dan Blais, Reg Amyotte,Monty Vaillancourt, Ray Brunetteand Rob Thiffeault – workedtogether to come up with analternative method for repairingthe railing. The team proposeddrilling through the handrail fromthe top and fastening the handrailto the bracket with a carriage bolt,eliminating the need to replacefasteners from underneath therailing and risking injury.This method will also reducerepairs needed in the future, aswell as make repairs easier byallowing the bolt to be passedthrough, therefore holding therailing in place. The North Bayteam, working with the client,installed the carriage bolts in thehandrail as a trial. The OntarioMinistry of Transportationapproved this innovative methodfor replacing fasteners.Iconic bridgecrossingunderwayWork on the construction ofthe $29 million Lower HateaRiver Crossing in New Zealandofficially started last Novemberwith a Maori blessing and sodturning ceremony. The iconicproject is a partnership betweenWhangarei District Council andour Roads ANZ/McConnellRon Stuart, Reliability and Improvement Coordinator [right], andPaul Caron, Torqueing Supervisor, with torque training equipment.TORQUEING TOOLSIn 2010, Suncor Upgrading plants in Fort McMurray, Alberta,Canada, had 13 loss of containment incidents. In 2011 there wasone. Much of this dramatic improvement can be attributed to atorque tool tracking system implemented by Ron Stuart, Reliabilityand Improvement Coordinator for FT Services.Loss of containment is usually the result of a flange gasket failurefrequently due to incorrect torque on flange bolts. Ron recognisedthat part of the problem was the lack of torqueing training as wellas out of calibration torque tools. Torque equipment that is out ofcalibration can give erratic readings which can lead to too much ortoo little torque on the bolts, and this can cause gasket failure andloss of containment.“All torque tools need to be re-calibrated at least once a yearwith the exception of hydraulic pump gauges that must be recalibratedevery six months. The problem was we didn’t knowwhich tools needed to be re-calibrated and which tools were stillgood,” Ron explains.Each torqueing tool is assigned an identification number thatstays with it for the life of the tool. The identification numbersare listed numerically in a shared drive data base that includesinformation such as the date of last calibration and due date ofnext calibration.A Certificate of Calibration accompanies each torqueing tool andis added to the work package at the job site. From the informationstored in the data base, the quality of certain brand names of toolscan be ascertained by the frequency of repairs. Torque tools thatare not feasible to repair or can’t be re-calibrated are scrappedand this is recorded as well.The tool tracking system has been in place since March 2011 andthe results speak for themselves. Ron’s ingenuity has resulted inreduced costs and repair time for the client. Now when a pipefitter,boilermaker, or millwright checks out a piece of torque equipment,they can be assured it is in good working order and will do the jobproperly.