Performing mechanical work at medical facilities, namely hospitals and laboratories, can be a daunting and strategically challenging task. At RM Thornton, we have worked very closely with the National Institutes of Health (NIH)—along with a number of other medical facilities—to install and maintain specialized mechanical systems in a number of buildings. Over the years, we have gained a vast amount of experience in this particular area.
“NIHclincenter” by NIH, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
That experience was put to the test when RM Thornton and Senior Project Manager, Matt Mehlman, were asked to assist in expanding the NIH Clinical Center, a unit intended to contain and study a number of highly infectious diseases. With the deadly Ebola virus now appearing in the U.S., additional mechanical work needed to be performed to ensure this unit was fully prepared to handle patients infected with the disease.
Since the nature of this project was highly time sensitive, everyone on our team was up to the task and excited to dive in and begin work. As the project quickly progressed, attention to detail, an around-the-clock schedule, and regular communication with international vendors quickly became the norm. We knew that we could not fail to do what was required from the very start, each and every time. Any failures could result in delays, and this simply was not an option.
During the early stages of this project, one of the biggest challenges our team encountered was having to work very close to heavily occupied areas and gaining access to equipment that served areas surrounding the construction zone. Simply shutting down any existing systems at NIH in order to cut in the new system was impossible. In addition, our experts were tasked with ordering and working with special materials that we were entirely unfamiliar with. Essentially, we were designing a brand new system that had never been designed before. Due to the sensitive nature of the project, in some cases our contractors needed to obtain specific certifications before they could actually start performing the work.
As with any project, safety of our employees and clients is our biggest concern. But the word ‘safety’ takes on a whole new meaning when highly infectious diseases come into play. Particularly when working directly in a lab that will be or is currently being occupied by an Ebola patient, we needed to take extra safety precautions.
Are you curious about the specifics of the challenges we faced? Check out our next blog post that further details our work at NIH and how our team helped prepare the Clinical Center to treat incoming Ebola patients. You can also click here to learn more about RM Thornton’s other projects at NIH and medical facilities.
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