M&P were contracted to undertake the full strip out of 3nr floors at Pacific house for Vodaphone in Manchester, leaving the building a bare shell for future trades. Numerous structural alterations and building works were also required to reconfigure the building in relation to new doorways being formed and removing a large section of structural cast concrete slab at both 1st and 2nd floor level, for a new stair core to be installed by the Principle contractor.
Additionally, there was a roof top plantroom which was accessed only by a small access ladder from inside the building. The client required all boilers, air handling units and associated equipment / pipework (which was obviously installed prior to the roof being built) processed and removed. Obvious fire, fume, confined space and manual handling hazards were evidently present, but were as always assessed at tender stage and expertly managed throughout the works by M&P engineers on site.
The processed equipment was then safely removed from the roof top plant room via a contract crane lift, with the new air handling unit / equipment lifted up and into position on the same day for the client.
Attention then turned to Vodaphone’s currently occupied Atlas House which was adjacent Pacific House. This required the extensive roof top plant / Air handling units removed and again replaced with new equipment in the same contract crane lift by M&P.
Due to a live Metrolink tram line metres away from Pacific House, and both buildings being under one mile and almost central to the main runway at Manchester Airport, any contract crane lift was a major concern for all parties and the HSE, with a potentially catastrophic disaster in the making if not accessed and managed correctly. With the Atlas House contract requiring a 500-tonne crane due to the redundant / new equipment’s weights and more importantly the required 50m radius of the lift, it increased the potential risk with a plane strike expediently.
This resulted in M&P having to undertake extensive consultations with the civil aviation authority, Manchester Airport, Metrolink and HSE for six months prior to the lift day(s). With M&P formulating and proposing a tight programme and safe systems of work, which was given the green light by all parties and granted a tight widow of opportunity to be able to conduct the lifts safely.
As always through expert planning and attention to detail, M&P engineers were able to impalement all safe systems of work specified and managed all works through to their safe and incident free conclusion, much to the delight of our client and all governing bodies involved in the works.
