geotechnical Projects
 
Recently in the Wall Street Journal, I know, a strange place for a work safety spotlight, there was an article, “Who is Most Likely to Get Hurt on the Job? You Might be Surprised.” Well to tell the truth, I was surprised. So, I thought I would share the findings of the study with you. Logic might say that people who do dangerous jobs are most likely to suffer workplace accidents. It turns out according to researchers, workers whose occupations are extremely dangerous (wellhead pumpers, boilermakers, etc.) are less likely to get injured on the job than workers with moderately hazardous jobs (such as airport baggage handler, welders, and pest-control workers). The dangerous jobs had an injury rate of 3 per 1,000, while moderately dangerous jobs had an injury rate of 23 per 1,000. In fact, plotting out injuries from not dangerous work to dangerous work, researchers found an inverted U shape - meaning Not Dangerous work and Dangerous work both had very low injury rates, but moderately dangerous work had higher injury rates.
 
This phenomenon was identified in multiple injury datasets. The next question is why? Researchers used a videogame test that centered around money, choices, efficiency, and risk. The videogame test found similar findings to the injury datasets. It turns out that most people view efficiency in a moderately dangerous job or game as acceptable risk. The researchers therefore reasoned that companies should train workers to take a lot of precautions when the overall level of risk increases only slightly. Looked at another way, people in dangerous situations take safety precautions and are surprisingly cautious and safe, people do not always take the same precautions in a moderately dangerous situation. The moral of the story, to reduce injuries, view safety as the paramount concern, and efficiency as the secondary concern. IKON corporate safety officer, Tony Flores adds that, “small and easy tasks, such as getting on and off a piece of equipment or walking across the site shows greater potential of an injury versus more dangerous parts of the tasks that IKON executes on Sites.” Similar logic to the article mentioned above.
Shifting gears to thinking about geotechnical projects and geotechnical construction, there is such a vast array of projects that involve or center around geotechnical and environmental considerations. Touching on a few projects that IKON or IKON project managers have executed, we want to highlight a couple of projects.
The team worked on a bridge abutment in Arlington, Texas associated with the Cowboys stadium. An overpass was needed over Interstate 30, but the soil did not have the structural strength to support the bridge. The project used deep soil mixing to stabilize the soils for the bridge abutments. Soil mixing was required from 30 to 40 feet deep and 2 feet in diameter per boring. The soil mixing was needed every 2 feet for 800 columns on one side and 950 columns on the other side of an active interstate. This project involves a number of difficult conditions. Deep soil mixing is challenging, especially with tight spacing. Not to mention an active interstate adjacent to the job site is a real safety concern. Much of the work was conducted at night, which also extends the difficult work conditions. This was a fun, fulfilling project that happened to also be around a very notable development project.
The team also worked on a project in Sabine Pass, where groundwater levels are very shallow. A deep sump, for a liquid natural gas project, needed to be installed that could not have water accumulating in the sump. Piles needed to be advanced for construction. Shallow water and pilings are challenging, and traditionally in the US, soldier piles are used for projects involving pilings to advanced sumps, deep foundations, or other support infrastructure. However, soldier piling does not lock out migrating water, which creates a problem with shallow groundwater. Secant piles, which lock, are often used in Europe in many situations, secant piles are very good at locking water out of the work area once the piling is in place. Secant piles were constructed to assist in locking out water from the sump. Secant piles are often not used in the US, because the technology is not well known. The technology is very similar to advancing a boring from a drill rig, with a casing installed to lock the structural support of the pile together.
Finally, one last example of a geotechnical and environmental project, a multinational chemical company needed an interceptor trench approximately 60 feet deep and 150 feet long. The length of this trench is not the issue, but at 60 feet, working at those depths to key into consolidated material is a challenging environment. The interceptor trench was being used to collect product from a plume threatening to migrate off the Site. The project used a biopolymer to mix with the material being put back into the interceptor trench above the collection material of the trench. The biopolymer with a high pH helps hold the material together and keeps the void from collapsing (like drilling mud) when being installed. When the trench is put into operation, and the biopolymer is removed, an acid helps to break apart the biopolymer and material.
As a reminder on geotechnical projects, it is essential that a sufficient quantity and quality of geotechnical samples are collected from the Site to help accurately characterize the Site soils and groundwater conditions. Additionally, it is essential that a qualified geotechnical engineer is involved to assess and assist in the execution of the engineering and structural aspects of the project.

These are a couple of examples of geotechnical applications that IKON has recently assisted with. Join our industry leaders on November 16, 2023, to see examples of more direct applications of geotechnical projects that IKON has executed or assisted clients in executing in our upcoming webinar Geotechnical Environmental Construction. IKON Environmental Solutions will cover topics concerning the gambit of different geotechnical projects, and dive into some of the lessons learned. Register here for the Webinar. For additional information, or for help with Geotechnical projects contact John Savage or Greg Blomquist.