HOSPITALS MAMMOTH CONCRETE POUR
12-hour task for St Vincent’s new roof
AN INCREDIBLE feat of man power took place at St Vincent’s Private Hospital yesterday.
While many residents were sleeping, more than 40 workmen were out in the bitter cold preparing for what would be a 12-hour job to replace the roof on the hospital’s operating theatre.
Concrete trucks lined up at 6am to deliver the 260 cubic metres needed to complete the mammoth project, with breezy conditions making the process less than ideal.
But the complex operation had more than a few obstacles to overcome.
“What we have today is about 35 guys on and off the deck all day and eight down on the floor where the concrete comes up,” Hutchinson Builders site manager Nick Linnan said.
“This is a larger job in comparison to the ones we normally do in Toowoomba and we’ve been really keen to work with the hospital.
“It has been months of pre-planning and coordination with details and design.
“One of the biggest challenges we had was the design of the hybrid theatre that the hospital has going in which is the first of its kind.”
Working throughout the day is hard task for anyone, but Mr Linnan said he knew just how to keep the workers’ spirits up.
“We provided breakfast and coffee for all the guys on site as a thanks for what they are doing,” he said.
“They’ve been fed and they have had their caffeine so they are quite happy.”
While the roof is a large undertaking in its own right, it is just one part to the hospital’s bigger plan.
Business development manager at St Vincent’s Robbie Falconer said yesterday’s accomplishment, and the 50,000 man-hours it took to complete, was just the start of major changes at the hospital.
“This was a major milestone in the whole project,” she said.
“A $30 million project is exciting for St Vincent’s but for the community as well with 75 per cent of the workforce coming from town.
“The community really benefits and this is a real reflection on the culture and character of our local community.”