THE WORKS

Australia’s Largest Demolition Excavator

Autumn 2011

Incitec Pivot’s Asbestos Challenge

Experience added to Surveying Team

Safety Initiative - New Static Line System

Marine Contracting Specialists

WO

THE WORKS 1

WORKSWHAT’S INSIDE

A word from dAvid mcmAhon 2

AustrAliA’s lArgest demolition excAvAtor 3

mArine contrActing speciAlists 4

McMahon Services Decommissions and send ex-HMAS Adelaide on her final journey

high performAnce in AdelAide cBd 6

City Central Tower 8

‘teAring’ down former pAper mill 6

TAS paper Demolition

Building division delivers on Ber proJects 8

mcmAhon services pioneers world 9

first AsBestos proJect

Incitec Pivot’s Asbestos Challenge

opening new doors for Building services 10

rAilcAr demolition in record time 10

territorY AlliAnce updAte 11

sAfetY initiAtives 11

New Static Line System

surveYing teAm growth 12

Experience added to Surveying Team

crAne And rigging investment 12

All Terrain Liebherr 1250-6.1

mcmAhon services delivers A new 13

looK christies BeAch

exciting new chAllenges 14

contAct us 14

MCMAHON SERVICES

A word from dAvid mcmAhon

Welcome to our first edition of The Works for 2011. While the first quarter of the year has gone quickly there’s still been plenty of action within the business.

Our new $3 million ultra high reach demolition excavator began deconstructing the high profile Fisher Street building in Adelaide’s inner southern suburbs in February. This was the machine’s first task since we took delivery from the United States in December. Despite being under the watchful eyes of local residents and under the scrutiny of local media, I am pleased to say the excavator completed the task exactly as it was designed to do – safely, efficiently and effectively.

Despite the Fisher Street demolition being in the media spotlight, there has certainly been a lot of other activity happening at McMahon Services and it is exciting to see such a variety of work taking place around the country.

Many people will have noticed our logo on the sides of the ex-HMAS Adelaide as it was sunk off the NSW Central Coast town of Terrigal. The sinking was the culmination of 18 months of successful decontamination and preparation works that took place in Sydney harbour. It was a credit to our entire team who were involved from the outset.

Our growing building services division has gained valuable experience through the Federal Government’s Building Education Revolution.

Our team has completed some fantastic work at South Australian public schools. The building services division has also had the opportunity to demonstrate its carpentry skills while assisting Hansen Yuncken with its South Australian Government Super Schools projects.

The work being undertaken in the Northern Territory as part of the Territory Alliance is inspiring to say the least. Big inroads are being made to provide indigenous housing and employment opportunities in this region and it’s something we are proud to be part of.

As a sign of our growth, I am constantly seeing many new faces at McMahon Services and it’s pleasing to see many of them are in fact young faces.We see it as a responsibility of ours to blood new talent as the younger generation is the future of our business. In light of this, McMahon Services is continuing to nurture apprentices and trainees, and provide them with a safe working environment in which to learn.

2011 is set to be another busy year for McMahon Services with projects around the country consolidating our national presence and I look forward to your continued support throughout the year.

david mcmahon

Managing Director

2 THE WORKS

MCMAHON SERVICES

AustrAliA’s lArgest demolition excAvAtor

The largest piece of demolition equipment in Australia tackled its first job in February – deconstructing the dilapidated Fisher Street Building in Adelaide’s inner southeast.

McMahon Services, took delivery of the $3 million Ultra High Reach Demolition Excavator from the United States late last year and put the machine to work in removing one of Adelaide’s worst eyesores.

Weighing 160 tonnes and with a reach of up to 45 metres, the excavator is capable of deconstructing buildings up to 12 storeys high, whilst working from the ground.

McMahon Services’ Demolition and Operations Manager, Chris Latham, says there is nothing else like it anywhere in Australia.

“The Ultra High Reach Demolition Excavator basically uses a giant hydraulic shear to deconstruct buildings piece by piece,” said Mr Latham.

“This means there is less noise and dust emissions, making it ideal for confined suburban projects such as the Fisher Street building demolition in Fullarton.

THE WORKS 3

“This machine not only brings structures down faster but it is safer than other methods of demolition.”

Mr Latham says the excavator can operate 2.6 tonne shears at a height of 45 metres and 5.5 tonne shears at 30 metres, and is capable of cutting steel and concrete members up to a metre thick. “The excavator’s capabilities make it extremely cost effective and minimises the risk to our site personnel, the public and adjoining properties,” he said.

“Despite its incredible size the excavator can also be transported anywhere in Australia and we’ve already had interest from a number of mining companies to carry out mine decommissioning work.”

The Fisher Street building demolition is making way for a new 189-unit luxury retirement village by Living Choice.

MCMAHON SERVICES

mArine contrActing speciAlists

The ex-HMAS Adelaide has settled in her final resting place on the bottom of the sea, 1.8 kilometres off Avoca beach on the New South Wales central coast after a textbook scuttling carried out by McMahon Services.

The scuttling event on 13 April was seen by millions around Australia and the globe, however few saw the extensive amount of work undertaken by McMahon Services to prepare the 138-metre vessel for the historic occasion.

Countless hours were spent cleaning and stripping the ex-HMAS Adelaide to ensure it could be scuttled safely and begin its new life as a world-class recreational dive site.

Led by project Manager Andy Levett and General Manager, Andrew McMahon,

mcmahon services decommissions and sends

ex-hmAs Adelaide on her final journey

the McMahon Services team undertook a rigorous and thorough program to prepare the former Navy vessel. The program included the removal of:

80 tonnes of lead ballast

180,000 litres of hydrocarbons

in the form of diesel fuel and

oily water

300 tonnes of steel bulkheads

and equipment

60 tonnes of rubbish including

timber and plastic foam

150,000 square metres of

fiberglass insulation

500,000 lineal meters of

electrical communication

cable

20 tonnes of materials

including batteries, mercury

switches, fluorescent lights

and transformers containing

printed circuit boards and

asbestos containing materials

Andrew McMahon said a total surface area of 350,000 square metres was cleaned by hand and over 500 tonnes of equipment was removed.

“This was an exciting and extremely challenging project. We effectively stripped the ship from inside out – there wasn’t a single surface we left untouched,” he said.

“We also removed and modified the vessel’s machinery spaces, bulkheads, non-structural partitions and decks to make the vessel safe and more interesting for divers. This included inserting barriers for unsafe areas without limiting vision, and altering sections of the ship to allow light to penetrate.”

On Monday 11 April, the ex-HMAS Adelaide began her final journey just after

6am. With a heavy police presence and a small flotilla of other vessels, three tugboats guided the ship from her berth at Glebe Island Wharf in Sydney Harbour, through the Sydney heads towards Avoca Beach. Spectators lined vantage points, media crews scrambled to get the best shots and helicopters circled above as the ex-HMAS Adelaide proudly made her final appearances beneath the Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House.

After the three-hour journey, the ex-HMAS Adelaide spent two nights anchored off Avoca Beach before the scuttling, scheduled for 10.30am on Wednesday 13 April. To sink the vessel, Andrew McMahon said the experienced McMahon Services team had attached a series of cutting charges to the frigate’s hull.

4 THE WORKS

The Age website

Monday, 11 April 2011

Story URL: http://media.theage.com.au/national/national-news/hmas-adelaide-prepares-for-scuttling-

2299045.html

URL: www.theage.com.au

1 of 1

The Australian website Monday, 11 April 2011 Story URL: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/minister-confident-scuttled-ship-safe/story-

e6frg6nf-1226037200017 URL: www.theaustralianc.om.au

1 of 2

“The linear cutting charges consisted of an explosive core and an external copper sheath to cut the steel by forming a jet of liquefied copper,” he said.

“The low speed explosive charge would cause a collision of the external copper sheath, effectively melting the copper strip and forming a plasma jet to cut through the ship’s hull.

“The cutting charges were designed to simultaneously blow eight holes, approximately one square metre in size, in both sides of the ship’s hull. We had also cut 19 holes in the ship’s hull above the water line to assist the sinking process.”

All was in readiness for the occasion. Conditions were perfect and thousands of

THE WORKS 5

The Age website

Monday, 11 April 2011

Story URL: http://media.theage.com.au/national/national-news/hmas-adelaide-prepares-for-scuttling-

2299045.html

URL: www.theage.com.au

1 of 1

people were joined by eager media crews to witness the historic event from outside the one kilometre exclusion zone.

Just moments before detonation – a splash was spotted near the ex-HMAS Adelaide. A pod of inquisitive dolphins had entered the exclusion zone forcing officials to lure them away – a process that delayed the scuttling for around an hour.

Despite the interruption, the lucky winner of a “Push the Button” competition was able to simulate the actual ignition by a computer based digital electronic initiating system.

To visually enhance the occasion, McMahon Services installed a series of pyrotechnic explosions on the vessel’s deck as the cutting

charges detonated below the water line.

The ex-HMAS Adelaide went down just before midday. It took a couple of minutes for the vessel to disappear below the surface. The bow of the vessel went down first as water flooded through holes created by the explosive cutting charges. She eventually came to rest in an upright position on the ocean floor, 32 metres down.

As a result of McMahon Services’ meticulous planning, preparation and execution on the day, the ex-HMAS Adelaide is now destined to become one of the world’s premier recreational dive sites with many divers already enjoying the underwater experience.

Dust storm turns Sydney sky red - August 2009

ex-HMAS Adelaide just minutes prior to the sinking

MCMAHON SERVICES

high performAnce in AdelAide cBd

McMahon Services has successfully completed the $2 million demolition, excavation and concrete works package at the City Central Tower 8 project on Franklin Street in Adelaide’s CBD.

Demolition activities included: • Disposal of a former

ETSA substation building• Removal and disposal of

concrete paving, slabs and footing, bitumen paving, solid brick fencing, associated pipe work and a verandah attached to a heritage building

• Grouping like materials during the removal process on site to keep disposal costs low

Civil construction activities included:• Testing and classification

of soil• Separating contaminated

soil from clean soil to reduce disposal costs

• Using licensed trucks to pick up and dispose of contaminated soil

• Bulk excavation and off-site disposal of clean and contaminated soil

• Construction of the basement slab rubble platform

The main challenges for the project were managing peak hour traffic in the CBD, informing residents and keeping construction noise and dust to a minimum.

These obstacles were overcome by continuous liaison with the Adelaide City Council throughout the project and adherence to McMahon Services’ company policies.

Baulderstone Site Manager, Brenton Crabb, said the McMahon Services team worked extremely hard to meet various deadlines and made sure safety came first.

“The job had many stages and milestones and various external influences, all of which were handled professionally and efficiently by the McMahon Services team,” he said.

city central tower 8

6 THE WORKS

MCMAHON SERVICES

‘teAring’ down former pAper mill

McMahon Services employees have been working on a number of projects in Tasmania for environmental remediation company Virotec. The projects have involved demolishing and decontaminating buildings in Wesley Vale and Burnie.

The first project involved the removal of asbestos and mercury from the Cell House and TasPaper buildings in Wesley Vale before they were demolished.

Workplace Standards Tasmania was very pleased with the professionalism of McMahon Services

staff and the success of the decontamination and demolition process.

McMahon Services is currently removing 90 concrete slabs buried beneath a car park in Burnie. After their removal, the contaminated slabs will be treated, secured in shipping containers and then disposed of.

A third project involving the demolition and decontamination of another Cell House building in Burnie is currently in the tender process.

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taspaper demolition

8 THE WORKS

MCMAHON SERVICES

Building division delivers on Ber proJects

McMahon Services has generated over $13 million of building work as Principal Contractor from the South Australian Government’s Building the Education Revolution (BER) initiative over the past 12 months. In addition to this building work, we have also completed over $2 million of roofing and cladding work and other considerable demolition and asbestos removal works.

Building Services Manager, Shaun Emery, says the work to date has produced great results for McMahon Services.

“It is valuable to be a part of because we are able to build on our expertise, gain valuable

exposure in the industry and create employment opportunities for tradesmen and apprentices.”

While some projects are still in the works, Shaun says the completed jobs have been very successful.

“We have received positive feedback from the Government and the individual schools on our project delivery,” he said.

“The initiative has also created positive market exposure for McMahon Services and helped showcase our production quality and professionalism.”

8 THE WORKS

McMahon Services’ BER Projects:• Koolunga Area School• Eudunda Area School• Orroroo Area School• Snowtown Area School• Para Hills Junior & Senior Primary• Yunta Primary Saint Monica’s Parish• Solomontown Primary • Risdon Park Primary (Port Pirie) • Walkerville Primary • Direct Junior Primary • Paralowie R-12 • Woodcroft College • Golden Grove Lutheran Primary• Whyalla Town Primary • Longline Primary (Whyalla) • Cowandilla Primary • Seaford K-7 Primary • Unley Primary

MCMAHON SERVICES

mcmAhon services pioneers world first AsBestos proJect

McMahon Services has passed the ultimate asbestos removal test at Incitec Pivot’s Gibson Island ammonia plant near Brisbane.

The job, which is believed to be the largest asbestos removal project of its kind in the world, required the removal of asbestos pipe lagging and the re-insulation of over 2.5 kilometres of pipes on the plant. All friable asbestos had to be safely removed and disposed of each day and up to 60 personnel were working on the project at peak times.

We’re pleased to say we not only got the job done, but also did it on time and on budget, and achieved this despite a number of testing challenges.

The work was successfully completed within the non-negotiable seven-month timeframe in readiness for Incitec Pivot’s plans to shutdown the plant.

With the plant located near the mouth of the Brisbane River, staff had to endure Brisbane’s notorious storm season while also managing 450-degree steam lines within working enclosures.

‘Asbestos removal challenge at incitec pivot –

gibson island, Brisbane’

To do this, staff were equipped with state of the art protective equipment including cool suits, thermal protection suits and supplied breathing air. In addition, over 60 separate enclosures were constructed around pressure sensitive pipe work and able to withstand heavy downpours.

All this (and more) was carried out while the site was still active with continuing day-to-day operations.

THE WORKS 9

MCMAHON SERVICES

opening new doors for Building services

The SA State Government’s Super Schools program is also helping McMahon Services demonstrate the effectiveness of its growing building services division.

On top of the BER work, Shaun Emery and his team have been busy installing over 600 doors and complimentary hardware parts for Hansen Yuncken’s Regency and Sports Park campus development.

Shaun says the elaborate carpentry work, worth almost $1 million, has been valuable experience for McMahon Services staff.

“In total, we have fitted over 27 tonnes of doors on this project. Each door required three hinges, requiring almost 11,000 screws and more than a kilometre of door seal,” said Shaun.

“In addition we installed a number of sundry items such as grab rails, guard and bumper railing, clocks and shower curtains. We also constructed architecturally designed internal timber screens.

”This work has come as a pleasant surprise to many of our clients. They’ve certainly

been impressed by the depth of experience and the quality of our onsite personnel.

“Our skills, project management capabilities and commitment to Health, Safety, Environment and Quality standards has also instilled Hansen Yuncken with the confidence to recommend us for future work, which is fantastic.”

With the Sports Park campus to be finished in early April, both school projects will have taken eight months in total to complete.

McMahon Services recently carried out logistic and demolition works as part of the Adelaide Railcar Depot relocation to Dry Creek.

The rail yards were situated on North Terrace but have now made way for the new Royal Adelaide Hospital.

Project Manager, Andy Levett said the team worked extremely well to coordinate what was a very technical relocation.

“A critical part of this project was relocating the operations workshop and storage house to the new facility at Dry Creek within a very tight timeframe,” said Andy.

“We only had a four hour window to move a huge amount of equipment ranging from rail bogeys, tool boxes, plant and equipment, nuts, bolts and washers.

“We had to start the relocation work at 2am on a Saturday morning and have it completed by 6am when rail services resumed.

“There was extensive planning required for this process and we had to adapt accordingly when the relocation date changed several times at very short notice.

“There were certainly some hurdles to overcome but our staff proved their reliability and

railcar depot relocation

flexibility in meeting the needs of clients.” The relocation involved:• An extensive stock count at

both the former site and the new site at Dry Creek

• Coordinating the movement of critical items such as spare parts between the closing times of 2am and 6am

Demolition of the North Terrace rail yard included:• Removing hydro carbons

and cleaning fuel lines• Removing the office interior• Removing various buildings

using an excavator• Cutting up rail line and

relocating some parts for future usage

10 THE WORKS

MCMAHON SERVICES

rAilcAr demolition in record time

The Territory Alliance is seeing some extremely positive results as the initiative continues to deliver low-cost housing and employment opportunities for Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory.

The program is broken up into six groups (also known as ‘packages’) based on different areas and operations.

Recent achievements include:

• package 1

(tiwis community)

42 houses built and handed over

• package 4

(groote eylandt

community)

• 21 houses have been built and handed over

• package 5

(maningrida community)

38 houses built and handed over

• package 7

(gunbalanya, Acacia and

Belyuen communities)

17 houses built and handed over

• package 8

(galiwin’ku community)

9 houses under construc-tion 5 refurbishments completed and handed over, 4 still in the works

MCMAHON SERVICES

territorY AlliAnce updAte

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• package 12

21 houses built and handed over. Refurbishment of 5 areas is complete, 4 new areas are now in the works

General Manager of McMahon Services, Andrew McMahon said the program has exceeded initial employment expectations by 20% with a total of 254 indigenous people now employed by the program as a whole.

“Some projects had slowed down due to the current wet season but we expect to meet most deadlines as we move into dryer weather”, he said.

MCMAHON SERVICES

sAfetY initiAtives

Reducing the risk for staff working at height is one of the biggest challenges facing our industry, however McMahon Services has been trialing a possible solution.

McMahon Services has developed the Static Line System, which involves a freestanding safety mechanism that is independent of the project structure.

Mark Evans, McMahon Services’ Health, Safety, Environmental and Quality Manager, describes the

system as a series of concrete blocks, guy wires and Super Slim supports that provide a static safety line suspended above the project.

“The beauty of this system is that workers have access to all roof areas but they don’t have to detach themselves from the safety wire,” he said.

“The inertia reel and lanyard is suspended overhead meaning an effective restraint control is in place and all safety equipment is clear of the work area.

new static line system improves safety

“Another benefit is most of the static line set up can be done from the ground, therefore minimising the risk of a fall during erection and installation of the system.”

So far the Static Line System has proven to be an ideal solution, making projects easier to carry out, faster to complete, and safer for our staff.

It’s initiatives such as the static line system that are continuing to help McMahon Services set the benchmark when it comes to workplace safety.

McMahon Services is excited to welcome Matt Smith to the surveying division, joining Behzad Sadro.

Behzad and Matt have both completed tertiary level studies at University in their chosen profession, obtaining their Bachelor of Geoinformatics and Surveying.

Both Matt and Behzad have a wealth of knowledge and 12 years field experience when it comes to Engineering and Construction surveying, making them a strong team and a vital element of McMahon Services.

MCMAHON SERVICES

new ArrivAls

surveying team growth

Behzad said it’s great to have Matt on board as an additional resource.

“Matt’s presence is helping us to complete jobs faster and more efficiently,” he said.

“It’s great to have an extra set of eyes to check the precision and accuracy of our set out, and the subsequent construction works as well as make sure it has been completed in accordance with design documentation throughout the course of each project.”

MCMAHON SERVICES

crAne And rigging investment

12 THE WORKS

Matt said they are now able to get jobs completed much faster than when Behzad was working primarily on his own.

“With both of us sharing the workload we can improve the efficiency in all aspects of McMahon Services’ survey requirements,” he said.

“From calculation times in the office, through to setting up equipment and of course the actual survey field time, having a faster operating team in-house means we won’t have to rely on external contractors, which is a saving in both program time and cost.”

McMahon Services’ rigging division has been boosted by the arrival of the new All Terrain Liebherr 1250-6.1.

The 250 tonne German-made crane is among the largest currently being used in the Adelaide metropolitan area. Featuring a 72 metre boom and 36 metre luffing fly, the crane has a lifting capacity of 1 tonne at a 92 metre radius.

McMahon Services’ Chris Chisholm says it is a key link in the company’s expanding rigging division, which already includes 25, 50 and 100 tonne cranes.

“This new crane will further improve our capacity to meet clients’ construction and demolition needs and reduces our reliance on subcontractors having to carry out high risk work,” Chris said.

The Liebherr crane arrived in Australia in January and spent three weeks in quarantine. Chris says the machine already has work lined up for the next nine months.

“The crane is currently working on the North Adelaide Aquatic centre roof restoration project and is also scheduled

to carry out roofing work at the Lonsdale Mitsubishi site later this year,” he said.

“Looking further ahead, there’s no doubt this crane will complement our new Ultra High Reach Demolition Excavator in mining industry projects.

“The crane has multiple demolition and construction uses and because it can be mobilised anywhere in Australia, it is well suited to carry out work in remote mining locations.”

expanding our reach even further

MCMAHON SERVICES

mcmAhon services delivers A new looK christies BeAch

McMahon Services has played a major role in the $3 million revitalisation of the Christies Beach foreshore precinct. The two stage redevelopment works included the realignment of the existing road and roundabout to create a large open Esplanade area, constructing a new boardwalk access to the beach and reinvigorating the popular Rotary Park.

Project Manager Gary Fitzpatrick said that the entire project was complex, but particularly stage one and the construction of the steel and timber boardwalk. Gary stated “The boardwalk construction was challenging due to the natural sloping embankment, working over the top of an existing large stormwater gross pollutant trap and the rock revetment and soft beach sand when driving screw piles”.

The creative timber boardwalk is approximately 150m long and lined with stainless steel handrails and galvanised artistic fence panels.

In addition, a spacious paved and concrete recreational area has been created. This included the installation of deck shelters, timber benches and seats, new bike racks, showers, artistic tiled disc, 3 Norfolk Island pines and a shared use path for both bike riders and pedestrians as part of the Costal Park Trail.

The Rotary Park upgrade was the second stage of the Christies Beach project. It included:

• Installation of honed concrete path stretching the length of the park

• Electrical work including the installation of 3 BBQs, park lighting and irrigation system

• Landscaping work including multiple planting beds with limestone feature rocks and the planting of 8 new palm trees

• Design and construction of a 17x8m steel stage structure for outdoor performances

• Installation of timber picnic shelters, tables, benches and other park furniture

• Installation of a new play ground including play equipment and rubber softfall

• Installation of 2 artistic tiled discs within the concrete path

“The Christies Beach upgrade involved a high level of coordination of multiple activities in order to achieve a successful outcome for the project in terms of program and quality end result ,” said Gary.

“This project and the hard work involved has resulted in an aesthetically pleasing environment together with enhanced facilities and a more user friendly area for the local community”.

The first stage of the Christies Beach project ran from August 2009 to March 2010 with the Rotary Park stage running from June 2010 to November 2010.

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MCMAHON SERVICES

exciting new chAllenges

MCMAHON SERVICES

contAct us

14 THE WORKS

Aquatic Centre - North Adelaide, SA

McMahon Services has recently secured a number of significant works packages around the country. Many of these include construction and remediation work on prominent projects in South Australia.

hansen Yuncken

former harris scarfe

Building – Adelaide cBd

Demolition, asbestos removal & civil construction works

sA water

desalination plant –

lonsdale, south Australia

Removal of fill material

sA water

former thebarton depot –

thebarton, south Australia

Civil and remediation works

colonial first state

former hills industries

site – melrose park, south

Australia

Environmental remediation works

Bmd

Aquatic centre -

north Adelaide, south

Australia

Complete roof replacement

reed construction

stamford grand hotel –

Brisbane, Queensland

Flood Refurbishment works to hotel basement including cleaning, demolition and disposal of internal walls, kitchen linings, floor coverings, ceilings, duct work, cold rooms, associated plant and equipment

John holland

gallipoli Barracks –

enoggera, Queensland

Demolition and asbestos removal works, demolition of 35 structures, bonded and friable asbestos removal, decommissioning and removal of three underground fuel storage tanks

Adelaide

26 Duncan Road Dry Creek SA 5094PO Box 542 Enfield Plaza SA 5085p (08) 8203 3100 | f (08) 8260 5210

port pirie

30 Ellen Street Port Pirie SA 5540PO Box 143 Port Pirie SA 5540 p (08) 8633 5400 | f (08) 8633 4441

www.mcmservices.com.au

Brisbane

1440 New Cleveland Road Chandler QLD 4155PO BOX 1555 Capalaba QLD 4157p (07) 3634 4300 | f (07) 3245 1685

darwin

41 Bishop Street Woolner NT 0800PO Box 36546 Winnellie NT 0821p (08) 8930 2500 | f (08) 8942 2782

Former Hills Industries Site - Melrose Park SA