Scaffolding Plan Falls Short
The story:
Scaffold was erected for the installation of pipe on a pipe rack, with only pipefitters being consulted on the scaffolding requirements. When the electrical crew mobilized to install communication tray and cable, they discovered the scaffold was 6” too high. Both installation crews had to stand down while the scaffold was reworked to suit the requirements of both crews.
The impact:
Incurred costs included the remobilization of the scaffold crew, demobilization, and remobilization of the piping & electrical crews, and 3 days lost from the schedule.
Root cause:
Planning did not include a review of scaffolding requirements with the other disciplines that were scheduled to work in the same area.
Lesson learned:
Each planner should coordinate all other interdependent work packages when preparing the piping installation plan. This includes reviewing the scaffolding requirements with the other disciplines that need to work in the same area, even if their work does not directly impact that piping work package. When this is done properly, the scaffold is designed and installed for multi-discipline use. Even further, it is important to include not only the requirements of installation crews, but the requirements of Commissioning & Start-up, and Operations.
Build from Experience:
Team Builder Solution's experienced professionals apply the principles of Integrated Project Delivery, utilizing Advanced Work Packaging, to identify constraints such as these. This methodology mandates multi-discipline review of all work packages which helps to identify and resolve these types of communication issues.
