Workscope - A 300m piece of the Brisbane city riverwalk tore away early one January morning during one of the worst floods to hit the hit South East of Queensland. The total destruction was unbelievable on and surrounding the river. Then as the waters subsided the clean up began. One of our jobs was to cut off and remove the left over piles from the runaway riverwalk. With some piles location unknown and zero visibility, finding and what state they were left in proved to be what some called 'a good experience'. We manufactured a guide to make sure our cuts were going to be clean as we broco cut (ultrathermic lance) the outer steel on the base of the pile. Being concrete filled this threw in another challenge as we weren't sure if there was steel running down the interior. Some were even piles inside of piles. Requiring an area of steel to be cut, then the concrete jack hammered out and another final cut inside. The piles were then knocked over and removed with big slings and lifting chains by the crane barge and transferred to an awaiting tug and barge.
Equipment - broco cutting, pneumatic jack hammer, lifting chains and slings, search lines, general visual inspection, general hand tools
Highlight - Working in total darkness may not seem like a highlight but in fact it made it more challenging and therefore more rewarding even for the most meaningless task. Broco cutting in zero visibility has to be one of the hardest things to do. Dealing with 100% oxygen and electricity underwater you need treat both of them with respect. If the cut is not deep enough and you don't get right through the steel, too deep and you get a build up of gas and unwanted oxygen explosion. Not to mention the potential for a little shock from the electricity.
