Weekend Rigging - Months in the Works

A large rigging project can be an immense undertaking. While the lift itself may only take a day or two, it is the culmination of weeks or even months of intense preparation and planning.

Large rigging projects are almost always done over a weekend during daylight hours. Early on, the rigging team must sit down with the client and other involved parties to first choose a date for the lift that leaves sufficient time to receive the equipment and/or materials to be rigged and to secure all of the necessary permits from local, county and state authorities. A permit may be required by the FAA depending on the project’s proximity to an airport, and many towns require local police be notified. Early project planning also includes visits from the firm’s crane engineer and rigging team to assess the jobsite and project details. The gathered information will be used to determine the size, type and reach of the crane and where it will be positioned, as well the quantity, weight and dimensions of each piece to be lifted. The rigging plan should include strict measures to avoid all electrical lines and other obstacles that may endanger or interfere with the project, as well as travel paths for each load.

With safety as the top priority of every lift, rigging team members conduct multiple meetings with job safety and security personnel in preparation for the lift. Work areas must be cordoned off, streets and parking areas barricaded, and police or security personnel may be needed to direct traffic. 

Delivery logistics for the crane and the equipment to be lifted can be quite challenging in and of itself. On a project R. Baker & Son recently completed, for example, the crane and its various parts were shipped to the jobsite on twenty separate flatbed tractor trailers. Crane assembly (which required the services of a second crane) took an entire day, and the air handler sections slated for installation on a third-story roof arrived on five additional tractor trailers. These loads, as on all projects, had to be marked, staged in order, and readied before the day of the lift. 

When the day finally arrives, the crane operator and all rigging personnel must be in position bright and early for work to commence – weather permitting. Foul weather – high winds in particular – can be a cause for postponement until the next day or two. If the weather is good, all of the extensive preparation should result in a safe, smooth, and successful project. 

R. Baker & Son - All Industrial Services
190 Boundary Road
Marlboro, NJ 07746
732-222-3553
http://www.rbaker.com 

Dismantling Clean and Green

Dismantling projects pose distinctly different sets of challenges depending on the industry. On pharmaceuticals projects, biological and chemical contaminants must be eliminated before dismantling can begin.

Pharmaceutical plants contain a variety of areas and equipment that may contain hazardous substances, growths, or residues. Epoxy countertops, sinks, fume hoods, biosafety cabinets, autoclaves, etc., can be found in laboratories. Process suites, which can differ widely depending on their function, may contain process piping, tanks, isolators, lyophilizers, downflow booths, and various others. Plant owners, contractors, process managers, industrial hygienists, and environment service providers must work together to identify areas and items that require cleaning and/or decontamination.

Once familiarized with the facility and its processes, the industrial hygienist will conduct thorough testing for contaminants and prescribe the precise decontamination process that must occur. This is done not only to ensure environmental and worker safety, but also to ready fixtures and equipment for reuse or resale. Decontaminated areas are then retested by the industrial hygienist and verified ready for dismantlement. Because work scope can sometimes change as a project progresses, continued teamwork among plant owners, industrial hygienists, and project contractors is essential to ensuring that newly identified problem areas are promptly tested and remediated before dismantlement.

R. Baker & Son All Industrial Services, as a multifaceted contractor whose specialties include both dismantling and environment services, can perform both the remediation of the facility as well as the dismantlement. Our dismantlement services include: decommissioning of equipment, rigging and match marking, machinery moving and transportation, plant relocation, reinstallation and millwright services, and asset recovery, and equipment resale. Environmental services include: surface cleaning, pipeline cleaning and pigging, column and vessel cleaning, tank cleaning, line flushing and first line breaks, HVAC and duct cleaning, non-ACM insulation removal, HEPA vacuum services, and power washing and steam cleaning of pipes and equipment.

R. Baker & Son - All Industrial Services
190 Boundary Road
Marlboro, NJ 07746
732-222-3553
http://www.rbaker.com

Hydraulics: The Force Behind Rigging & Demolition

Hydraulics is the workhorse of modern rigging and demolition, providing the muscles that lift, steer and drive the cranes, excavators, breakers, and hammers used each day. But hydraulics is not a recent innovation. In fact, examples of hydraulic power go back more than 2,000 years to ancient Rome, where it was used in water clocks, water wheels and pumping systems.  In  the  17th  century,  French  mathematician  Blaise  Pascal  made the groundbreaking discovery that serves as the basis for  the  science  of  hydraulics.

Pascal’s  principle  states  that  when pressure is exerted at any point to a confined, incompressible  fluid,  there  is  an  equal  increase  in pressure  at  every other point in the container. Thus, when one piston in a simple hydraulic system is pushed down, the other piston is pushed  up.  Applied  to  a  more  complex  hydraulic  system,  Pascal’s principle allows forces to be multiplied. If a second piston has an area ten times that of the first, the force on the second piston is ten times greater, because the pressure is equally distributed on the larger piston’s entire surface area. The larger the surface of the second piston is in relation to the first, the greater the mechanical advantage.

Hydraulics  have  been  used  in  rigging  and  demolition  since  the  mid-19th  century,  when  cranes  powered  by  water  were  used to load coal onto barges. Nowadays, oil is the fluid most commonly  used  in  hydraulic  equipment.  On  any  given  day,  hydraulic equipment is present throughout R. Baker rigging and demolition projects, powering crane booms, telescoping sections,  and  outriggers,  excavator  steering,  booms  and  attachments, and on loaders, dump trucks, lulls, and hydrauic hammers. Wherever strength and force is required in our industry, hydraulics are overwhelmingly the power of choice.
 
About R. Baker & Son All Industrial Services

R. Baker & Son All Industrial Services, a  Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB)  in business since 1935, is a premier specialized contractor operating in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, with over one hundred employees and an exemplary safety record (we have been directly involved in four sites that received VPP OSHA Safety Awards). R. Baker & Son is financially strong, with bonding capabilities over $10 million. Capabilities include industrial and commercial demolition, rigging, machinery- and plant-moving, dismantling, decommissioning, plant and equipment relocation, interior demolition, selective demolition, warehousing, wrecking and razing, millwright, plant reconfigurations, heavy rigging, salvage, environmental services, remediation, decontamination, abatement, and investment and asset recovery.

R. Baker & Son - All Industrial Services
190 Boundary Road
Marlboro, NJ 07746
732-222-3553
http://www.rbaker.com

Dismantling Clean and Green

Dismantling projects pose distinctly different sets of challenges depending on the industry. On pharmaceuticals projects, biological and chemical contaminants must be eliminated before dismantling can begin.

Pharmaceutical plants contain a variety of areas and equipment that may contain hazardous substances, growths, or residues. Epoxy countertops, sinks, fume hoods, biosafety cabinets, autoclaves, etc., can be found in laboratories. Process suites, which can differ widely depending on their function, may contain process piping, tanks, isolators, lyophilizers, downflow booths, and various others. Plant owners, contractors, process managers, industrial hygienists, and environment service providers must work together to identify areas and items that require cleaning and/or decontamination.

Once familiarized with the facility and its processes, the industrial hygienist will conduct thorough testing for contaminants and prescribe the precise decontamination process that must occur. This is done not only to ensure environmental and worker safety, but also to ready fixtures and equipment for reuse or resale. Decontaminated areas are then retested by the industrial hygienist and verified ready for dismantlement. Because work scope can sometimes change as a project progresses, continued teamwork among plant owners, industrial hygienists, and project contractors is essential to ensuring that newly identified problem areas are promptly tested and remediated before dismantlement.

R. Baker & Son All Industrial Services, as a multifaceted contractor whose specialties include both dismantling and environment services, can perform both the remediation of the facility as well as the dismantlement. Our dismantlement services include: decommissioning of equipment, rigging and match marking, machinery moving and transportation, plant relocation, reinstallation and millwright services, and asset recovery, and equipment resale. Environmental services include: surface cleaning, pipeline cleaning and pigging, column and vessel cleaning, tank cleaning, line flushing and first line breaks, HVAC and duct cleaning, non-ACM insulation removal, HEPA vacuum services, and power washing and steam cleaning of pipes and equipment.

R. Baker & Son - All Industrial Services
190 Boundary Road
Marlboro, NJ 07746
732-222-3553
http://www.rbaker.com

Cleanroom Demolition Project

Interior demolition projects pose challenges of all kinds, some much more challenging than others. The challenge on one particular R. Baker & Son project was to perform extensive interior demolition in a space adjacent to multiple class-100 cleanrooms. The facility owners required that there could be no interruption to facility operation, which ran twenty-four hours a day, and that demolition activities would have no negative impact on the clean spaces.

To ensure that no dust or particulates would infiltrate the cleanrooms, R. Baker & Son’s team of demolition experts devised an ingenious vacuum airlock. A 35 ft. wide by 16 ft. high by 18-inch wide cavity was constructed from aluminum studs and drywall. The interior of the airlock was sealed with wall panels specially designed for clean rooms, and several ¾-inch holes were bored into both sides of the cavity to draw air in. Three HEPA exhaust fans were installed on the dirty side, drawing 1,500 CFM into the sealed cavity to create a vacuum. Differential pressure gauges installed on both sides of the void showed a constant negative pressure of a half inch, effectively preventing particulates from migrating from the work area to the clean spaces. The owner was fully satisfied with R. Baker & Son’s resourceful solution, and cleanrooms remained contaminant-free through the duration of the demolition project.

About R. Baker & Son All Industrial Services

R. Baker & Son All Industrial Services, a  Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB)  in business since 1935, is a premier specialized contractor operating in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, with over one hundred employees and an exemplary safety record (we have been directly involved in four sites that received VPP OSHA Safety Awards). R. Baker & Son is financially strong, with bonding capabilities over $10 million. Capabilities include industrial and commercial demolition, rigging, machinery- and plant-moving, dismantling, decommissioning, plant and equipment relocation, interior demolition, selective demolition, warehousing, wrecking and razing, millwright, plant reconfigurations, heavy rigging, salvage, environmental services, remediation, decontamination, abatement, and investment and asset recovery.

R. Baker & Son - All Industrial Services
190 Boundary Road
Marlboro, NJ 07746
732-222-3553
http://www.rbaker.com

Construction Machinery at NJ's Diggerland

Rigging and demolition is a serious business. Crane and heavy equipment operators, like those here at R. Baker & Son, are highly-trained, experienced specialists tasked with using powerful machines to perform challenging and potentially dangerous feats. It is a serious job, indeed, but even the most consummate rigging and demolition professionals still feel a certain thrill when piloting their massive machinery. They are living out their childhood fantasy.

Nowadays, kids don’t have to wait until adulthood to experience their construction and demolition dreams. At Diggerland USA, a hands-on construction themed adventure park located in West Berlin, New Jersey, kids and adults alike can drive, ride, and operate actual heavy machinery. Though there are no cranes for rigging enthusiasts, visitors can drive backhoes, skid steers, and steam rollers, take an off-road drive in an ARGO amphibious UTV, or dig a hole with an excavator. Mini-excavator attractions challenge riders to snatch rubber ducks from a pond, dig up hidden treasures, and knock over bowling pins. Diggerland has even converted heavy equipment into amusement rides, some meandering and gently turning in circles, others spinning and soaring for the less faint-of-heart. Diggerland also features a rock wall, a ropes course, a stunt show, an arcade, and a padded playground for tykes.

For the 18-and-over crowd, Diggerland recently unveiled Diggerland XL, where adults can operate unrestricted, full-size equipment with 1-on-1 instruction. Grownups can play a giant game of Jenga with a 12-ton wheel loader, dig holes and play basketball with a 26-ton excavator, and navigate an obstacle course that requires moving tires and grading earth with an 18-ton dozer.

Diggerland is situated in southwest New Jersey in West Berlin, a twenty minute drive from Philadelphia and about an hour and a half from New York. An R. Baker & Son demolition team member and his wife visited Diggerland recently with their three children and described their experience as “an absolute blast” that was well worth the trip.  www.diggerlandusa.com

R. Baker & Son - All Industrial Services
1 Globe Court
Red Bank, NJ 07701
732-222-3553
www.rbaker.com

The Demolition Environment

Having the proper lighting and ventilation throughout a demolition project is important to ensure safe conditions for workers and site personnel. Though often overlooked by other demolition contractors, R. Baker & Son develops and implements lighting and ventilation plans on every project we do.

Low lighting levels can a pose a significant hazard on a demolition project and can be directly connect with increased injury. Years ago, worksite lighting typically consisted of 100W incandescent lightbulbs spaced forty to fifty feet apart on stringers, and bulbs that burned out often went unchanged. Nowadays, a demolition contractor should provide sufficient lighting with high-output mercury vapor, LED, or quartz lighting with protective cages. Lighting should be at least 3W per square foot, though some areas may require more. Shafts, pits, and other dark pockets require their own lighting, rather than depending on general area lighting to illuminate them. Demolition lighting requires constant vigilance in that lighting and lighting circuits must be relocated as work progresses to keep lighting levels sufficient and fixtures in good working order for the duration of the project.

Dirt, dust, and other particulates are an inherent part of every demolition project. Ventilation can be handled either by using the existing HVAC system, or by bringing in temporary ventilation in the form of sufficiently-sized exhaust fans. Like lighting, ventilation requires constant attention to ensure that filters are clean and equipment is running and performing properly. There should be several air changes per hour at minimum, which can be determined easily by calculating the total volume of the space, but more may be required depending on the task at hand. In demolition areas adjacent to clean spaces, a flow indicator or magnehelic gauge should be used to ensure that dust does not escape.

R. Baker & Son - All Industrial Services
1 Globe Court
Red Bank, NJ 07701
http://www.rbaker.com

Rigging Services

Family-owned and operated- R. Baker & Son began providing rigging services in the New York and New Jersey area in 1935. Now an award-winning industry leader, we perform rigging and dismantling projects, as well as demolition, decommissioning, relocation, ad environmental services, throughout the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, and Europe.

R. Baker & Son employs an expert team of certified crane operators, master riggers, millwrights, and rigging professionals, and we are equipped to perform industrial and commercial rigging projects both large and small, and of the highest level of complexity. Services include rigging of heavy equipment and machinery, rigging of pharmaceutical and manufacturing equipment, and rigging and dismantling process lines and equipment, match-marking, millwright services, asset recovery, and more. With more than 80 years in the industry, we possess the vast experience, and expertise our clients require while maintaining the highest standards of safety, quality, and personal care our clients expect. R. Baker & Son maintains liability insurance of $10 million and $5 million in pollution insurance, as well as completed operations per occurrence coverage, and we have a bonding capacity of $5 million per project.

About R. Baker & Son All Industrial Services

R. Baker & Son All Industrial Services, a  Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB)  in business since 1935, is a premier specialized contractor operating in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, with over one hundred employees and an exemplary safety record (we have been directly involved in four sites that received VPP OSHA Safety Awards). R. Baker & Son is financially strong, with bonding capabilities over $10 million. Capabilities include industrial and commercial demolition, rigging, machinery and plant-moving, dismantling, decommissioning, plant and equipment relocation, interior demolition, selective demolition, warehousing, wrecking and razing, millwright, plant reconfigurations, heavy rigging, salvage, environmental services, remediation, decontamination, abatement, and investment and asset recovery.


R. Baker & Son - All Industrial Services
1 Globe Court
Red Bank, NJ 07701
732-222-3553
http://www.rbaker.com

Demolition and Lead-Based Paint: Safe Practices for Cutting Steel

The presence of lead-based paint is a given when it comes to buildings constructed before 1978, when it was first banned in residential and public buildings, and lead paint is often present in structures built after the ban took effect. Demolition of a building where lead paint may be present requires a contractor to identify all surfaces and follow strict abatement requirements. This includes a written lead compliance program, frequent testing, use of equipment to minimize lead dust and fumes, and supplying workers with the required protective equipment.

When lead paint is present on metal surfaces, such as structural steel beams, staircases, columns, and railings, use of hydraulic shears is always preferable to torch cutting to avoid producing heat-generated lead fumes. In interior demolition and selective demolition of enclosed spaces, however, use of hydraulic tools might not be possible, and torches must be used.  In such cases, the demolition contractor must identify and mark where all cuts will occur and lead paint must be stripped back at least four inches in all directions from where heat will be applied (R. Baker & Son’s routine practice is to strip lead paint at least twelve inches from the cut point). Methods can include chemical stripping and power tools with vacuum attachments, and workers performing this work must be equipped with required PPE, including in-line respirators.

About R. Baker & Son All Industrial Services

R. Baker & Son All Industrial Services, a  Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB)  in business since 1935, is a premier specialized contractor operating in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, with over one hundred employees and an exemplary safety record (we have been directly involved in four sites that received VPP OSHA Safety Awards). R. Baker & Son is financially strong, with bonding capabilities over $10 million. Capabilities include industrial and commercial demolition, rigging, machinery- and plant-moving, dismantling, decommissioning, plant and equipment relocation, interior demolition, selective demolition, warehousing, wrecking and razing, millwright, plant reconfigurations, heavy rigging, salvage, environmental services, remediation, decontamination, abatement, and investment and asset recovery.

R. Baker & Son - All Industrial Services
1 Globe Court
Red Bank, NJ 07701
732-222-3553
http://www.rbaker.com

Fall Protection

May 2-6, 2016 is National Stand Down for Fall Prevention, OSHA’s outreach campaign to raise awareness about fall hazards in construction. Falls from elevation is a leading cause of death in the construction industry, with 337 fatalities reported in 2014, but these deaths were preventable. Employers are encouraged to conduct toolbox talks, safety equipment inspections, develop rescue plans, and discuss job-specific hazards. Stand-Down reached more than 2.5 million workers in 2015, and this year OSHA hopes to reach 5 million, more than half of the construction workers in the U.S.

Fall hazards are inherent in rigging, demolition, and dismantling. Workers are regularly exposed to dangerous heights while working on roofs, aerial lifts, and floors where no walls exist. Conditions constantly change as projects proceed, so jobsites must be continually assessed and safeguarded against fall hazards. In addition to administrative and engineering controls such as signs, barricades, and guard rails, all riggers and demolition team members working at elevations over 6 feet must be equipped with appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) at all times, and a fall protection plan should be in place.

Fall Protection PPE Requirements

It is important to inspect fall protection PPE for before each use. Belts, harnesses and lanyards that have frayed edges, broken fibers, pulled stitches, cuts or chemical damage should be replaced according to guidelines. Check buckles, grommets, rivets, and other hardware for looseness, distortion, cracks, dents, bends, rust, and sharp edges, and repair or replace immediately as required.

Harnesses should be properly fitted to each individual following manufacturer instructions, and should be readjusted as needed. Choose the appropriate lanyard for the application, and make sure they comply with ANSI standards. Shock-absorbing lanyards, which elongate to slow a falling worker to a stop to minimize impact force, and retractable lanyards, which lock up during acceleration to arrest a fall, are the most common types. Retractable lanyards should never be attached to an additional lanyard, and overhead anchors should always be used. Lanyards should never be wrapped around a structure or over railings.

It is imperative to ensure good anchorage. Snaphook gate strengths are stamped on the gate, and snaphooks and carabiners should be attached to compatible connection points, with no part of the gate in contact with any metal. OSHA and ANSI require fall-arrest anchor points to support a 5,000 lb. force load, and fall restraint anchorages should support 1,000 lbs., or twice the expected load.

Clearance and capacity should be calculated to ensure that freefall is limited to 6 ft. or less, taking into account deceleration distance, harness movement, and anchor-point stretch. Capacity calculation should include the weight of the worker’s clothing and tools. Swing risks should be minimized with overhead anchors and limit offset to 30 degrees or less.

Finally, fall protection plans should incorporate a rescue plan in the event a worker wearing a harness falls. Even when PPE works as expected, suspension trauma, also known as harness hang syndrome can set in quickly if a fallen worker is suspended for an extended length of time.

R. Baker & Son places the health, safety, and welfare of our employees and clients as our top priority. All rigging and demolition team members, are continually trained in all aspects of jobsite safety, including working at elevation and fall protection. We are a frequent OSHA VPP Star participant and maintain an ISNetworld A-rating.

R. Baker & Son - All Industrial Services
1 Globe Court
Red Bank, NJ 07701
732-222-3553
http://www.rbaker.com

Rigging a Piece of American History

April 27, 2016 R. Baker & Son performed the offloading, rigging and hoisting of a Northrop T-38n Talon Supersonic Jet onto the flight deck of the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum.

The striking white jet was a significant tool in training astronauts to react quickly and precisely in varying situations; these meticulous mental experiences were critical practice for the rigors of spaceflight. This particular jet was used as a flight-test chase plane during the crucial approach and landing tests carried out in 1977 by the space shuttle Enterprise, currently on display in the Space Shuttle Pavilion.

Baker performed the task with OSHA (trade specific) trained and certified employees, while making sure all equipment and materials received a thorough inspection before use for safety.  

The project required the use of a 45 Ton Tadano that was fitted with a 14ft. long Modulift Spreader Beam (MOD24) which was basketed with 2 approved slings that were geometrically engineered around and under the fuselage for a safe and level lift of the jet.

The jet was then safely placed on the aircraft carrier elevator, and then raised to the flight deck. Once on the flight deck level the T-38 was towed to its final destination.

R. Baker & Son was honored to be a part of preserving this unique piece of American history.

R. Baker & Son - All Industrial Services
1 Globe Court
Red Bank, NJ 07701
732-222-3553
http://www.rbaker.com

Demo Project Bid Leveling Sheets: What’s Included and Excluded Can Make All the Difference

One of the keys to a successful demolition or selective demolition project outcome is the development and use of a checklist during the bidding process known as the leveling sheet. The leveling sheet defines the scope of the project in minute detail, spelling out exactly what is included or excluded in each demolition contractor’s proposal and effectively leveling the bids for a fair comparison. Without a leveling sheet, items can go unidentified, leading to an array of problems, change orders, delays, finger-pointing, and all-around hard feelings between client and contractor.

Leveling sheet specifications on a demolition project might include:

Will demolition equipment used be battery operated or diesel?

Environmental hazards such as asbestos, lead paint, or old tanks – will they be remediated, and how?

Is the project union or non-union, and what are the working hours? Will there be second and third shifts?

Will dust and vibration be limited to specific hours?

Asset recovery – are there items of value such as copper wire or salvageable equipment that can offset project costs?

Will the demolition contractor use subcontractors to perform electrical, plumbing or mechanical aspects of their project?

Does the demolition project include specific safety items such as ISNetworld, VPPP, HAZWOPER, etc.?

Using a leveling sheet to identify what is included or excluded on any demolition or select demolition project can ensure that equipment and services are purchased wholesale from the outset, not at retail prices after the fact. Doing your homework can save a lot of money and streamline your demolition project.

R. Baker & Son - All Industrial Service
1 Globe Court
Red Bank, NJ 07701
http://www.rbaker.com

NYC Demolition a Wellspring of Architectural Salvage

A New York City demolition project can yield a trove of architectural features, artifacts, fixtures, and ornaments that can be reclaimed for reuse. With architects, designers, and homeowners increasingly on the hunt for treasures from bygone eras, many demolition contractors, including R. Baker & Son, are salvaging items ranging from doors, hardware, mantels, and vintage bathtubs to large stained glass windows, complete staircases, and entire paneled rooms. Items considered junk in years past are now recognized for their beauty and superior quality and given new life as art, restored and reused in new construction or remodeling projects, and integrated into design elements, such as converting window frames into mirrors or a column into a table base. Architectural salvage keeps these materials of value out of landfills, as well.

There are numerous architectural salvage outlets in New York City and surrounding suburbs in New Jersey and Connecticut, and most offer a variety of related services including restoration, retrofit, installation, and reproduction. Some are small storefronts, while others occupy large, multi-story buildings with thousands of objects on display, drawing serious buyers and window shoppers alike.

R. Baker & Son All Industrial Services has long been the New York area’s preferred demolition contractor when it comes to landmarks, historic sites and treasured artifacts, and we have recovered salvageable assets from countless complete demolition, selective demolition, interior demolition, and relocation projects over the years.

About R. Baker & Son All Industrial Services

R. Baker & Son All Industrial Services, a  Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB)  in business since 1935, is a premier specialized contractor operating in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, with over one hundred employees and an exemplary safety record (we have been directly involved in four sites that received VPP OSHA Safety Awards). R. Baker & Son is financially strong, with bonding capabilities over $10 million. Capabilities include industrial and commercial demolition, rigging, machinery- and plant-moving, dismantling, decommissioning, plant and equipment relocation, interior demolition, selective demolition, warehousing, wrecking and razing, millwright, plant reconfigurations, heavy rigging, salvage, environmental services, remediation, decontamination, abatement, and investment and asset recovery.

R. Baker & Son - All Industrial Services
1 Globe Court
Red Bank, NJ 07701
732-222-3553
http://www.rbaker.com

Total Demolition, Stadium-Style

Stadiums for professional sports teams are hubs of entertainment for millions of people around the country, and many of us feel a deep nostalgia for our favorite teams’ stadiums. But, like most things, stadiums that were once shiny and new become old and antiquated, and it becomes necessary to replace them with new. Older stadiums lack the seating capacity, private party boxes, restaurants, concession stands, and restroom facilities to meet modern standards, not to mention Jumbotrons, large monitors, and lighting and sound systems. This means total demolition of the old stadium to make way for the new.

In many stadium construction projects, the new stadium is erected, oftentimes directly adjacent to the old stadium, before the old stadium is demolished so there is no interruption to the sports teams’ seasons. Then, everything of any sentimental value – seats, signs, pieces of the scoreboard, grass from the outfield – is recovered from the condemned stadium for sale to the highest bidders. Seats from Yankee Stadium can still be found on eBay for $450.

For some stadiums, such as Yankee Stadium and Giants Stadium, total demolition is performed by cutting, chopping and removal by multiple hydraulic excavators and other high-reach equipment. Other stadiums, including Texas Stadium and Seattle’s Kingdome, are reduced to rubble by controlled blast. Due to nostalgic value, stadium demolition is usually well-documented through time-lapse photography, news coverage, and of online videos. The implosion of Texas Stadium was a festive-yet-bittersweet public event preceded by fireworks and attended by 25,000 spectators. Once demolished stadiums have been replaced with parking lots for new stadiums, retail properties, open space, and theme parks.

About R. Baker & Son All Industrial Services

R. Baker & Son All Industrial Services, a  Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB)  in business since 1935, is a premier specialized contractor operating in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, with over one hundred employees and an exemplary safety record (we have been directly involved in four sites that received VPP OSHA Safety Awards). R. Baker & Son is financially strong, with bonding capabilities over $10 million. Capabilities include industrial and commercial demolition, rigging, machinery- and plant-moving, dismantling, decommissioning, plant and equipment relocation, interior demolition, selective demolition, warehousing, wrecking and razing, millwright, plant reconfigurations, heavy rigging, salvage, environmental services, remediation, decontamination, abatement, and investment and asset recovery.

R. Baker & Son
1 Globe Court
Red Bank, NJ 07701
732-222-3553
http://www.rbaker.com

Calculating Interior Demolition Costs

Interior demolition: the nonstructural demolishing of spaces within a structure, usually in preparation for reuse or upgrading the space or area. This includes interior walls, ceilings, flooring, staircases, mezzanines, overhangs, etc., as well as the utilities contained within, such as electrical, plumbing, ductwork, gas lines, flues, etc.

There is no shortage of online calculators that provide estimated per-square-foot interior demolition costs. In theory, it seems practical, but results can be wildly inaccurate. Without the input of an expert interior demolition contractor like R. Baker & Son, unknown variables can put a project’s budget in jeopardy before the renovation work begins.

**Is there asbestos, lead paint or other environmental factors that need to be identified and addressed? The cost of remediation for these hazards can often exceed the cost of the interior demolition itself.
**Are there utilities that must be preserved or rerouted? Interior demolition often uncovers problems or code issues concealed by walls, floors and ceilings. Sometimes an area marked for interior demolition contains utilities that feed through to other tenants that cannot be disturbed such as fiber-optic lines, electrical controls etc.  Demolition of these utilities can shut down another tenant’s business for a period of time until the problem is found and repaired.
**What is the degree of difficulty to perform the demo, and what special equipment is needed to perform the work safely? Interior demolition project budgets should include the cost of a properly-insured, licensed contractor who has the experience, equipment, and safety training necessary for the project.

Demolition calculators, even those from a reputable source, can only provide a budgetary starting-point for an interior demolition project. With over eighty years in the demolition industry, R. Baker & Son has the knowledge and experience to properly estimate a project and leave contingency for the real unknowns.

R. Baker & Son - All Industrial Services
1 Globe Court
Red Bank, NJ 07701
732-222-3553
http://www/rbaker.com

Industrial Rigging Of A Wind Turbine

For those of us who work at R. Baker & Son, industrial rigging and demolition is a way of life. Imagine the surprise when, on a trip a few years ago to visit family, an R. Baker staff member found himself watching the assembly of a giant wind turbine just a stone’s throw from his uncle’s home in upstate New York. Family members had seen several large tractor trailers transporting enormous conical steel tower sections and fiberglass blades through town, so they decided to visit the nearby wind farm under construction at the top of a mountain. There they watched crews rig and place a tower section and spoke with the industrial rigging contractors charged with erecting the wind turbines. 

A 500-ton high-lift crawler crane and a 100-ton hydraulic crane were strategically positioned at the steel-reinforced concrete tower base. Riggers connected each end of tower section to each crane, and the section was lifted from the oversize tractor trailer, which had somehow negotiated its way over winding roads to the mountaintop. The smaller crane steadied the section as the high-lift crane rigged it into a vertical position.  The section was then carefully rigged onto numerous steel bolts the top of the two sections of tower already in place. The industrial rigging company foreman explained that the rigging of the 40-ton nacelle, the housing for the generator and other main components, would follow once the top tower section had been properly secured. The rotor, assembled onsite with its three 120-ft. blades, would then be rigged in one piece and connected to the nacelle.  Once completed, the wind farm would have a generating capacity of over one hundred megawatts.

R. Baker & Son - All Industrial Services
1 Globe Court
Red Bank, NJ 07701
732-222-3553
http://www/rbaker.com

Demolition Contractors Are Creators

If you are interested in demolition, R. Baker & Son recommends the National Demolition Association’s video “Introduction to the Demolition Industry”. This informative video explores the history of demolition and the demolition contractor’s role in urban renewal, recycling, environmental cleanup, restoration, and disaster response. 

 

Narrator Ed Asner describes demolition contractors not as destroyers but as creators of space for new construction, of ways to reuse recycled building materials, and of jobs. Demolition brings tax dollars into new communities, creates space for new parks, and protects public safety by removing dangerous structures. 
 

The demolition industry is described as constantly evolving to meet new safety regulations and environments restraints. Interior demolition clears old factory space to make way for new equipment, and remove interior walls to create modern office spaces. The video features footage of building implosion, heavy equipment demolishing homes, buildings, bridges, industrial complexes, and oil tanks, giant shears cutting through steel beams, and machinery is shown crushing and grinding concrete.

Asner talks about demolition contractors’ involvement in the removal of hazardous materials like lead, asbestos and PCBs, as well as the recycling of materials like concrete, steel, iron, copper, and wood. Historic preservation is discussed, describing how demolition contractors dismantle building interiors while leaving facades and other architectural features intact. “Demolition is not destruction”, Asner says. “It’s the first step in creation.”

To view the “Introduction to the Demolition Industry”, visit https://www.youtube.com/user/demolitionassoc

R. Baker & Son - All Industrial Services
1 Globe Court
Red Bank, NJ 07701
732-222-3553
http://www.rbaker.com

‪#‎rigging‬ ‪#‎demolition‬ ‪#‎construction‬ ‪#‎environmental‬