NIOSH Supply Chain Project: Wastewater Tank – Industrial Design-Bid-Build

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  Virginia Tech. Center for Innovation in Construction Safety, Health, and Well-being
• Description:
  Overview: The project involved in this case study was the construction of a wastewater tank to help the system manage overflows and allow the utility to comply with EPA requirements. In addition to constructing an overflow tank, a trunk line had to connect the tank to the main line on the other side of a creek. Context: The local utilities provider was under an EPA decree to upgrade its infrastructure to handle overflows in the event of heavy rainfall as well as addressing ongoing water quality issues. Chronic overflow areas within the system were identified by the utility. After an exhaustive analysis of peak flows and hydraulic profiles, the utility decided to build two overflow tanks. The site chosen for one of the tanks was located adjacent to an existing treatment plant also owned by the utility. This location was also selected due to its low elevation on the sewer land and because the land was already owned by the utility. The site for the wastewater tank was bordered on four sides by the wastewater treatment plant, a railroad (which required special permitting to work within the right of way), a creek, and a busy road. Another part of the project was the installation of a trunk line to connect the wastewater tank to the main trunk line across the creek. Objectives: For the main excavation, the CM preferred to have the site overexcavated and benched back to give workers more room to work and ensure safety. The side against the railroad could not be benched back so it was instead retained using piling and lagging. Engineered scaffolding was used for the safety of workers working on the tank at height from the bottom of the excavation. The proximity of underground fuel lines warranted the need for constant monitoring of the air quality down in the excavated space. A clam bucket was used to dig the trench into the creek bed for the trunk line. Welding the pipes together was done on the surface on a barge and lowered into place by the divers. Routine checks of equipment, spotters for each diver, and daily safety talks were put in place to ensure the safety of the divers. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Case Reports Construction Industry Engineering Hazardous Substances Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Case Studies Construction Industry Engineering Controls Hazard Controls Industrial Design Waste Treatment Water Supply Worker Safety
• Publisher:
  Innovation Center for Construction Safety and Health at Virginia Tech
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Case Studies
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-18
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20062034
• Citation:
  Blacksburg, VA: Innovation Center for Construction Safety and Health at Virginia Tech, 2015 May; :1-18
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2015
• Performing Organization:
  Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20090901
• Source Full Name:
  NIOSH supply chain project: wastewater tank - industrial design-bid-build
• End Date:
  20150131
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:264be0e67c268ede409d472da88ae04be50224b03a99f885f03f1b59921cd5de6bf719ff308718d70ba36289cfa7b5a189101c54b7eaae5310dce59360e1a789
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/225357/cdc_225357_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 457.39 KB ]