McCarthy Finishes Solar Plant Early With Perfect Safety Record
At this 145-acre facility in Gila Bend, Ariz., crews installed 93,000 single-axis-mounted, silicon photovoltaic panels arranged in 1,662 rows. Crews installed as many as 500 small-drilled caissons each day in an effort to isolate the panels from the area's highly corrosive soils. The project was completed one month ahead of schedule, with zero recordable incidents during 75,000 man-hours. McCarthy trained 150 new hires during a three-month mentoring program on the company's safety culture and procedures, which include its 100% glove policy and special equipment usage to limit the potential for soft tissue damage. The contractor's task hazard analysis process required each employee to fill out a form before performing each task, identifying potential safety hazards and the specific work behavior they would engage in to prevent incidents.
Key Players
Contractor: McCarthy Building Cos. Inc., Tempe, Ariz.
Owner: APS Energy Services, Phoenix
Lead Design: SOLON America Corp., Tucson, Ariz.
Civil Engineer: Strand and Associates, Phoenix
MEP: Delta Diversified Enterprise, Tempe, Ariz.
Subcontractors: Barker Morrissey Contracting, Tucson; Blount Contracting, Mesa, Ariz.; Buesing Corp., Phoenix; Ironco Enterprises, Phoenix
Submitted by McCarthy Building Cos. Inc.
