CLIENT: Laing O’Rourke
VALUE: $1 million – $5 million
DURATION: Aug 2016 – Dec 2016

Shamrock Civil Engineering were engaged by Laing O’Rourke Australian Construction to carry out the early service diversion works for the Battlefield Airlifter Project at RAAF Base Amberley. The works included:

  • Stormwater Installation inclusive of Cast In-Situ Stormwater Manholes, RCP’s, Swale Drain and Bio-Retention Basin.
  • Watermain workings including re-routing the existing watermain around the decommissioned fuel farm area and making ‘dead’ the existing watermain on completion.
  • Communication Infrastructure encompassing the installation of communication conduits, Telstra conduits and communication pits, along with the hauling of cable and the completion of communication cut-overs.

Shamrock Civil Engineering (SCE) restructured the program and work sequence to mitigate delays and cost due to design issues and latent conditions.

The project was originally designed to incorporate a combined services trench (Stormwater, Watermain and Communications Conduits) however due to design issues with the stormwater, this trench was then split into two trenches; watermain & communication conduits and Stormwater trench, this enabled the program target dates for the watermain and communication infrastructure to remain on schedule independent of the stormwater works.

Similarly SCE encountered a latent condition with regards to the stability of the trench and subsequently incurred trench collapses. SCE were flexible with the works program and were able to relocate to a different work area to continue with the contract works, while the area which was subject to the trench collapse, was made ‘safe’ and trench boxes were landed.

Further to the above, it was also a SCE’s initiative to keep the existing stormwater system ‘live’ to reduce the need for dewatering the new system, not only reducing dewatering costs but also reducing the need for contamination testing.

The greatest challenge presented to Shamrock with regards to safety management was the number of services present in the excavation areas. SCE carried out suitable due diligence in this area by performing non-destructive excavation, service locating and maintaining detailed excavation permits

The BFA project was environmentally sensitive due to the high potential for contaminated land, namely perfluorinated compounds (pfos) contaminated soils. The project team developed CEMP & CPESC approved sediment erosion & control drawings to ensure compliance with the contract and all environmental legislation.

Shamrock Civil had no LTI’s on the BFA Project and the above initiatives, outcomes and achievements were recognised and appreciated by the client and were met with positive feedback.