Butler Builiding Dismantlement / Demolition
Client: Earthline Technologies

Sharp was contracted by Earthline Technologies to dismantle four (4) radiologically contaminated Butler Buildings at the RMI Titanium Company Plant #1, Ashtabula, Ohio.

Sharp provided the supervision, labor, equipment, and services to:·
· Dismantle, re-size, and stage four rigid-frame Butler buildings: the RF-3, RF-3 Addition, RF-6, and RF-6 Addition;
· Dismantle and stage the ventilation filter stack located in the RF-3 Addition; and·
· Remove and stage the filter bag house located in the RF-3 Addition.

The buildings consisted of structural steel members, only. The roofing and paneling had been removed by others. Structural steel members consisted of purlins, rafters, girders, and columns. The filter bag house and ventilation filter stack were constructed of steel. The structures were radiologically contaminated.

Pre-Mobilization Submittals & Mobilization: Sharp prepared county-required permits; dismantlement, hoisting & rigging, safety, and contamination control plans; and equipment and training certifications. Sharp mobilized the site trailer, heavy equipment, and small tools to the site. All equipment passed Earthline's pre-use inspection process. Major equipment included a 9-ton carry deck crane, manlifts, forklifts, a scissors lift, table-mounted band saws, porta-band saws, reciprocating saws, air compressors, and generators.

Health & Safety: Sharp's HSO was on-site for the entire field duration. The HSO performed daily tool-box briefings, monitored workers for heat stress, monitored equipment moving, and monitored hoisting & rigging. Several workers were fitted with PAMs. Eight-hour TWA air samples were analyzed for lead and radiological isotopes. Analytical results indicated that lead did not exceed the OSHA lead standard for employee exposure of airborne concentrations of lead; and that radiological activity was not detected in the breathing zone. Therefore, Sharp did not use HEPA vacuums or respirators.

Structural Evaluation and Dismantlement: Sharp's subcontractor provided structural engineering consultation. All dismantlement activities were performed within the footprint of the Butler buildings to reduce the potential spread of radiological contamination. Sharp dismantled the structures in the following sequence: purlins, girders, rafters, columns. Workers accessed the elevated areas via manlifts. They unbolted the connections with air impact wrenches, and then rigged the member. The crane operator and the forklift operations then maneuvered the member to the ground. Spotters and tag lines were used at all times.

Waste Resizing and Staging: Waste materials were moved to the designated cutting areas and resized using either the table band saws, the porta-bands, or the reciprocating saws. Wastes were cut to an approximate dimension of 10" x 8' x 6' to meet disposal requirements. No heat-generating devices were used to cut the wastes to eliminate the potential for the liberation of lead to the breathing zone.

Equipment Exit Survey and Release & Demob: HP performed the exit surveys for all of Sharp's equipment. HP released all equipment except the slings used for hoisting and rigging. Sharp demobilized from the site.