Callahan Construction Managers

With a chill in the air and the clocks turning back, there’s no doubt about it: winter is approaching, and the fall season will feel surprisingly fleeting. At Callahan, our thoughts about frozen ground and impending blizzards begins when many are planning barbeques and visits to the beach, as we believe it’s never too soon to start prepping for wintertime operations.

For clients and owners, winter conditions may seem like a fact of life, and sometimes, an inconvenience that threatens progress. While both can be true, the Callahan team also sees the winter season as an opportunity to power through challenging conditions that ensure jobs stay on-time and avoid costly overruns that can occur due to poor planning.

Prepping for the winter season involves multiple stakeholders, and the entirety of the project team working together to share insights and information that ensures decisions made as early as July pay dividends in January. Let’s take a look at the Callahan approach to winter site preparations.

Planning Now Avoids Pain Later

Yes, we really do begin sketching out our strategy for winter shortly after the fourth of July holiday. Why, you ask? One of the biggest reasons involves heat sources. Callahan’s Operations and Self-Perform Division (NESB) begins soliciting input from any project that is out of the ground in the summer months for the quantities of heaters and BTU they will need and clarifying which fuel source the project intends to use. Additionally, if a diesel heater is requested, and a fuel cell is required, NESB will need to construct a jersey barrier “farm” around it, which necessitates ordering the requisite number of barriers in advance of winter’s arrival. A liquid propane heater configuration requires a similar tank “farm” surrounding the heater and propane tanks.

However, prep work goes well beyond just the number of heaters and fuel sources, as placing an order for over 2,000 gallons of propane requires an actual license from the town where the project is located. If you haven’t tried to get a license versus a permit lately, you may not be aware that procuring a license takes significantly longer. At the moment, Callahan is in the process of securing multiple licenses, an effort that began in the summer months. In addition, our team notifies abutters that we have applied for a license to have heat sources on site, which offers a glimpse into how technical a seemingly simple process is.

Other efforts our site division and operations team collaborate on include procuring ground thaw heaters, one of the “hottest” items for any construction team working in winter conditions; servicing and testing Callahan-owned equipment, including excavators, loaders, and bulldozers; determining which job sites need rock salt versus urea (a natural and concrete safe way of melting ice); and of course, compiling winter conditions budgets and sharing with project owners so they have a transparent look into pricing and how decisions that are made now can save money later on.

Safety – A Four-Season Approach

The Callahan safety team is just as active during the summer months and works together with NESB and operations to prep jobsites for colder conditions. When it comes to heating in-progress buildings to ensure pipes don’t freeze, required temperatures are maintained for building materials and so that workers are not subject to working in freezing temperatures. Other steps include fireproofing and temping in windows, and this preparation goes hand-in-hand with installing heaters. However, when a storm hits, the safety team kicks into high gear.

If a blizzard or other serious weather event is in the forecast, our teams implement a clear-it or close-it approach. This translates to clearing primary ingress/egress areas and closing off all other access points to the in-progress building. The primary goal is to direct workers to entering via one central location(s) for accessing the structure, which limits the potential for slips and falls. By keeping workers to one path when the snow hits, crushed stone can be spread to ensure maximum traction and cleared continuously throughout the workday. In addition, Toolbox Talks are held to discuss how workers can maintain a constant body temperature, dress appropriately, and protect themselves from falls from the upper floors. It may seem elementary, but repeatedly discussing safety strategy protects jobs from downtime and added costs. At Callahan, a culture of continuous improvement ensures that the work we do all throughout the year pays dividends when it matters most. From pre-construction planning that protects allowances for winter conditions in project budgets to proactive planning that ensures critical equipment and licenses are procured well in advance of the first flake of snow, the Callahan team works tirelessly to keep jobsites active and safe during the winter season. Learn more about our approach to pre-construction and safety on our website.