Certified Coatings Specialists

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High Above BC Place, Safety is Certified’s Mission

Vancouver, BC – August 4, 2011. The new retractable roof at BC Place is a one-of-a-kind project with some one-of-a-kind challenges. For Certified Coating Specialists Inc. it was yet another chance to solidify their reputation as the ‘Navy Seals’ of the coating industry – the company to call when a coating job looks nearly impossible. This time around, the Certified crew is putting their high angle rope skills on display, climbing the 14 story tall masts around the perimeter of the stadium, applying the final layer of the special coating protecting the steel from the elements.

After the masts, and the accompanying struts and stays are put in place, the advanced, long-lasting coating used on the steel needs to be re-applied wherever it has been welded, scuffed, chipped or otherwise compromised during construction. It’s a difficult, detail-oriented job that’s also physically demanding for the coating specialists, who must climb into position before they can apply the special two-stage coating. Certified’s extensive experience with similar projects, applying advanced coatings to smokestacks, bridges, and other tall structures, made the company a natural choice for this contract.

Even so, this job presented unique obstacles. The angled design of the building’s roof masts makes it difficult to reach many of the areas needing remediation. Certified needed to innovate if the work was to be done in time for the stadium to re-open.

“Due to the design, traditional scaffolding or swing stages aren’t feasible for some of our mast work,” says Certified president Byran Place. “We could scaffold the masts, but it doesn’t make sense cost-wise and schedule-wise.”

Instead, the Certified team is using rope access to get workers where they need to be. “It makes more sense for us to do ropes on the mast, because of the logistics of getting people and paint up there,” explains Place.

The new approach is cost-effective and flexible. But, as with any type of high-angle rope work, there can be no compromises when it comes to safety. Certified corporate culture puts safety front and center. So, they weren’t about to risk their workers’ lives, or the company’s reputation as one of the best in the business, on this challenging project.

With the help of SPRAT (The Society of Professional Rope Access Technicians), Certified has been training its workers to safely ascend the masts so they can paint the hard to reach areas 20 stories above the ground. Place outlines the process, highlighting the fact each member of the crew has to prove themselves long before they get a chance to ascend to the top of the masts.

“When we have a new guy on-site, the first thing we do is put him through an orientation. Then we get him tested on ropes in a safe area, to make sure they understand how to use ropes, not just that they have a certification. If you have the certification it allows you to get on site, but we have to see that you are able to move on ropes safely.”

Place adds that the rope skills are just one piece of the puzzle. Potential crew members also have to demonstrate the ability to handle the precise painting requirements for the coating. “Once they pass that, then we teach them the coating specifications (the paint must be applied to a specific thickness for maximum durability). It takes a special kind of person. They have to be strong enough to take on the physical demands of the work and they have to be detail oriented enough to ensure they apply the coating according to strict specifications. If they can’t meet both the rope safety and coating specification requirements, we don’t keep them on.”

That unbending commitment safety and quality doesn’t end once a worker gets the go-ahead to join the rope access team. Certified’s team is a select group.

“We take no risks whatsoever,” says Jeff Lepain, the supervisor of Certified’s mast crew. “Before we start our shift in the morning we meet and discuss the scope of work for each day. We want people to go home the way they came in.”

In addition to a review of the work to be done each day, the crew checks and double checks their gear, using a buddy system, to ensure nothing is overlooked. According to Lepain, the challenges of this job have built a special bond among the team.

“It’s a sense of accomplishment and ownership. We take pride in what we are doing and the quality of the work we are supplying. I’ve been in this trade for over twenty years and the group of guys we have on this project is unsurpassed in my experience.”

For Certified, being awarded the contract is another testament to the company’s reputation as an industry leader.

“I’m pleased to be on a site where safety is paramount,” says Place. “It certainly aligns with our philosophy. As Cliff (Cliff Harper, company founder) likes to say, ‘No amount of money is worth a man’s health.’ It’s also a legacy project. I’m looking forward to going to a football game 10 or 20 years from now and being able to show my kids what we did here.”

Certified Coating Specialists – BC Place Project Facts

• Number of Masts: 36
• Height of Masts: 47 metres
• Overall Height above ground at top of mast: 76 metres
• Coating: Two coat system supplied by AkzoNobel
• Number for ropes required to reach top of mast: 2
• High angle access methods utilized by Certified on BC Place project: Rope access, swing stages, ‘Angel Wing’ movable scaffold (for painting the compression struts between masts)