Waco, Inc.

Scope Of Work

The USS Roosevelt aircraft carrier, CVN-71, was undergoing a major renovation. After nearly 25 years of service, the USA’s nuclear aircraft carriers undergo a 3-year maintenance period to refuel their nuclear reactors, upgrade  modernize combat  communication systems,  overhaul the ship’s hull, mechanical  electrical systems. This is called a Refueling  Complex Overhaul (RCOH).

During an American Nimitz Class carrier’s 50 year life span, it has 4 Drydocking Planned Incremental Availabilities  12 Planned incremental availabilities. It has only one RCOH, however, which is the most significant overhaul the ship receives during its 50-year life span.

For Waco’s part in the overhaul, the paint originally used on the decking was comprised of lead, cadmium,  other heavy metals. The paint had to be removed as part of the renovation project  the lead contaminants required a licensed contractor.

Waco was hired as a sub-contractor specifically to remove the heavy metal paint coatings from the deck in preparation for laying down  flooring. The project began with lead paint removal from six berthing compartments  grew to seventy-five compartments spanning nearly a full year.

Normal protective efforts were taken to regulate  isolate the areas being renovated. Compartments were barricaded using polyethylene sheeting,  fans were used to create negative pressure preventing air from going out of the protected areas.Paint removal tools, including needle guns  deck crawlers equipped with Hepa filters, were used to remove the thick paint coatings  capture the residue. Angle  side grinders with abrasive pads were used in tight areas. Any remaining paint residue was then cleaned up with rags  vacuums,  bagged for disposal.

 

What IT TOOK TO ACHIEVE THIS PROJECT.

Unique Project Challenges

1.The nature of the project required compliance with several OSHA regulations, which caused extra challenges around worker safety, productivity,  time scheduling.

2.The project grew from 6 to 75 compartments,  the logistics associated with moving personnel  equipment throughout a large ship required precise planning in order to stay on schedule. Eighteen change orders occurred due to the expanded project scope.

Why WACO was chosen

Experience, Reputation and Licensed personnel

Waco’s experience and reputation doing this kind of work in a shipyard was a significant reason Waco got the job. The challenges associated with working in complex and confined spaces require a unique expertise that Waco has developed over the years. In addition, Waco’s overall reputation andextensive resume of successful lead paint removal projects was of great value to the general contractor. Confidence that Waco could apply an adequate number of trained and licensed personnel, along with a commitment to complete the project within the tight time-frame were also influential in Waco winning the project.

Summary of Results

Rex Luzar, Waco Vice-President, was Project Manager on this project. He, along with Waco’s trained and licensed personnel were able to complete the project in the scheduled time, providing the general contractor with clean, renovation-ready compartments for the next set of contractors. Waco was the first trade on the project, and while the size of the project grew immensely, the Waco team was able to modify its project plans and deploy more resources to complete the renovations without causing any delays. The project was completed on-time with no workplace injuries