the electrical connection v3i2

THE ELECTRICAL CONNECTION 3

Thanks for opening up this issue of The Electrical Connection. With the largequantity of input we receive in life today, I’m delighted that you’re checkingunder our hood. The economy continues to be a challenge for our countryand for each of us in our daily business lives, but good companies with greatpeople continue to make forward progress … and we feel blessed to beincluded in this group.

You may have noticed on the cover that Governor Rick Perry recentlyattended the ribbon cutting of the Datacenter Park in Richardson developed by Digital RealtyTrust. We are proud to have been their electrical team member. ere is a great article about theproject in the pages that follow.

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is a major component of most complex projects todayand we have a good article from Joe Evans P.E. and Paul Rosales explaining exactly what BIMmeans. On the renewable energy front we have some information about the recently completed“Little Pringle” Wind Farm. e 2010 ALCS Champion Texas Rangers allowed us to take partin the installation of their new high definition outfield video boards and wow, are they impressive.We utilize Safety Net as the tool to help us stay focused and track our safety programs andPredictive Solutions has a good article about this great tool.

I hope some of these articles educate, update and interest you. May 2011 be a great year forall of you personally and professionally. Hope to see you soon,

Best Regards,

Tim Cummings

A publication from:

Cummings Electrical, Inc.14900 Grand River Road, Suite 124Fort Worth, TX 76155(817) 355-5300 (817) 355-5355 faxwww.cummingselec.com

Tim CummingsPresident

Todd RuddellVice PresidentPreconstruction Services

Jim ThompsonSales & Marketing ManagerRenewable Energy Division

Scott SmithBusiness Development Manager

Mickey ClarkChief Estimator

On the Cover:Ribbon cutting ceremony atDigital Realty Trust’s Datacenter Parkin Richardson, Texas.

From left to right: Digital Realty Trust CEO,Mike Foust; Texas Governor, Rick Perry;and Richardson Mayor, Gary Slagel

VOLUME 3 • ISSUE 2

The Electrical Connection is a resource for industrial endusers, property managers, building owners and operators,facilities managers, general contractors, architects,consulting engineers, as well as potential and existingclients of Cummings Electrical. Designed to feature topicsaffecting the electrical and construction industries. TheElectrical Connection also highlights Cummings Electrical’sachievements and capabilities.

The Electrical Connection is published by Oser-Bentley CustomPublishers, LLC, a division of Oser Communications Group, Inc.,1877 N. Kolb Road, Tucson, AZ 85715. Phone (520) 721-1300, fax(520) 721-6300, www.oser.com. Oser-Bentley Custom Publishers,LLC specializes in creating and publishing custom magazines.Editorial comments: Karrie Welborn, [email protected]. Pleasecall or fax for a new subscription, change of address, or singlecopy. This publication may not be reproduced in part or in wholewithout the express written permission of Oser-Bentley CustomPublishers, LLC. To advertise in an upcoming issue of thispublication, please contact us at (520) 721-1300 or visit us onthe Web at www.oser-bentley.com. June 2011

IN THIS ISSUE

Forest Park Medical Center Phase ICoordination creates efficient process............................. 4

Cummings’ Home RunTexas Rangers High Definition Video Board .................... 6

Building Information ModelingContinues to evolve at Cummings Electrical ................... 8

Communicating ConstructionThe Digital Realty Trust Datacenter.................................. 12

Predictive Safety SoftwareSupports Safety Culture Change ..................................... 16

Everyone Makes a DifferenceWhether good or bad; we all make a difference............19

Little Pringle Wind FarmStinnett, Texas ..................................................................... 21

THE ELECTRICAL

CONNECTION

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

FOREST PARK MEDICAL CENTER

4 THE ELECTRICAL CONNECTION

Forest ParkMedical Center Phase ICoordination creates efficient processBy Brad Samardzija, Senior Project Manager

Brad SamardzijaSenior Project Manager

orest Park Medical Center Phase I is a122,000-square-foot, four-story, state-of-the-art hospital with 54 patient beds

and four operating rooms. e project wasawarded to Cummings Electrical, Inc.(Cummings) by the General Contractor,Adolfson & Peterson Construction and thedeveloper, e Neal Richards Group (NRG).NRG is also an owner-in-partnership withForest Park Medical Center.

At the onset of the project Cummingsteamed with the architect, Ascension Group;the electrical engineering group, Meinhardt;and the General Contractor to beginidentifying and resolving potential issues. esemeetings helped all parties to fully understandthe design intent, meet the owners’ expectations

and deliver a successful project on time andwithin budget. To facilitate that goal, regularon-site meetings with Meinhardt and all majorsubcontractors were scheduled. is helpedanticipate issues and put corrective actions inplace to avoid any issues during construction.is significantly reduced the need for Requestsfor Information (RFIs), and helped keep theproject on schedule.

Like most high profile, fast-paced projects,the project came with its share of opportunitiesfor improvement. One of the first challengeswas the vast number of systems required in thelimited space above the operating rooms andthe hallways surrounding them. Weekly BIM(Building Information Modeling) meetingswere scheduled to coordinate and use every

available square inch of space above the ceilingsto install HVAC duct, electrical conduits, cabletrays, light fixtures and support systems forthe operating room (OR) lighting—all whilemaintaining the clearances required by localand national codes. ese meetings were verysuccessful because the entire design team waspresent at each one of them. Potential“collisions” above the ceilings in the operatingrooms, and eventually, the rest of the complex,were identified early in the process, well beforethe actual installation began. Most solutionswere determined and put in place during themeetings. Immediately following the meetingsthe new routings were added to the drawingsand issued to the field the next morning. isvirtually eliminated delays, RFIs and change

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FOREST PARK MEDICAL CENTER


orders, which kept the project running on timeand within budget. Each week the tradesreceived updated drawings. is kept theminformed not only of the new routings, but alsoof the order of installation and system priorities.

In taking the 3-D modeling effort to the nextlevel, we were able to produce detail drawingsfor prefabrication purposes, along with quality2-D installation drawings for the field. Byassigning specific point coordinates to locationsin our CAD model, we were then able, throughthe use of our Total Station surveyingequipment, to take the CAD coordinates andtransfer them to the exact location in the fieldin just a few hours. Our ability to use thistechnology to go from a fully coordinated 3-Dmodel to installing J-boxes, equipment, andlight fixtures exactly where they were modeled,limits mistakes and rework, and increasesproduction, allowing us to stay on schedule andprovide a quality product to our customer.

is strong coordination effort andteamwork with the general contractor,engineers and subcontractors—even beforeconstruction began—made for an efficient andsmoothly run project that met all of the owner’sneeds, including an on-time completion thatwas well within the allocated budget. Emergency Room

Cafeteria

TEXAS RANGERS

Cummings’ Home RunTexas Rangers High Definition Video BoardBy Troy Brainard, Account Service Manager

Troy BrainardAccount Service

Manager

High Definition Video Board in centerfield over the Home Run Porch at the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, TX.


TEXAS RANGERS

ho would have thought that making it to the World Seriesin 2010—the first time in the franchise’s history—wouldhave a downside for the Texas Rangers? Yet it almost did.

During the 2010 Season, the Rangers announced plans to install a new5,040-square-foot, High Definition (HD) video board on the roof of thehome run porch in center field and a 725-square-foot HD video board inright field. e unveiling was scheduled for March 29, 2011, just three daysbefore the season opener at the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. In a normaloff season, the installation would not have been without its challenges.Unfortunately, the American League Championship Series (ALCS) playoffsand the World Series, along with two back-to-back weeks of ice storms inNorthTexas, shortened the available installation window by almost a month.

e Dallas/FortWorth Metroplex also hosted its first ever Super Bowl at thenew Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, which is only a few hundred yards fromthe Rangers Ballpark. Due to heavy traffic and very tight security, the pro-ject was delayed for an additional three days in the middle of the installation.

e installation consisted of removing the existing signs on eitherside of the home run porch and bracing the roof structure to supportthe additional weight. e new HD board was then placed on the roofwith a crane. “Just getting the crane on the field through one of the ac-cess tunnels, all the while avoiding sprinkler heads and preventing longterm grass damage and ruts in the outfield, was just another of the manychallenges we faced.” said Justin Bruckner, Cummings Electrical, Inc.’s(Cummings) Account Service Superintendent in charge of the installa-tion. “e new right field board is larger than the old signs, so the su-perstructure for it had to be modified as well,” he added.

Both boards required running new fiber optic cable back to the con-trol room, which is located near home plate. e home run porch alonerequired new switchgear for the existing 1,600 amp service to power itand a new 800 amp process controller, as well as 30 new branchcircuits from the process controller to the board sections. e centerfield board required a new 800 amp process controller and six branchconnections to power it. Fifty additional fluorescent fixtures and 27additional receptacles for general power needs in the catwalk levelsbehind the board completed the installation.

Because the schedule was so compressed, the boards were installedwell ahead of the arrival of the electrical switchgear. In order to installthe gear behind the board, catwalks and railings had to be modified toaccommodate having a crane lower the components into the electricalequipment area at the base of the scoreboard. is was just one moreexample of the coordination effort Cummings had with eTexas Rangers Organization and the other subcontractors.

Teamwork has long been a hallmark for the Rangers—both on the fieldand off. is teamwork approach resulted in close coordination among thevarious trades and e Rangers, helping to expedite many of the componentsin order to meet the new deadlines. “Everyone knew what needed to be doneand the amount of time they had to do it.” Bruckner said. In fact, the processwent so smoothly that the entire project was completed a full five days aheadof schedule—allowing the Rangers to fully focus on the next, and moreimportant challenge at hand—the 2011 World Series.

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Centerfield HD Video Board over the Home Run Porch

Rightfield HD Video Board

Inside the Video Board Control Room during a game


BuildingInformation ModelingContinues to evolve at Cummings ElectricalBy Paul Rosales, BIM Coordinator and Joe Evans, P.E., Chief Electrical Engineer

hat if there was a threedimensional computer softwaresystem that allowed you to see

what an installed layout of electrical equipmentand conduits would look like long beforeanyone lifted a tool or purchased theequipment? What if this software couldshow you not only electrical items, but alsothe building architecture and structure,the mechanical ductwork, piping and othersystems, as they would be constructed—all inthree dimensions and precisely to scale? What ifthis computer-constructed model could bemanipulated virtually to significantly reducethe number of field coordination issues? Finally,what if this software could generate a bill of

materials that lists the lengths of required sizesof conduits and all necessary fittings?

Believe it or not, this system exists. It’s calledBIM, or Building Information Modeling. AtCummings Electrical Inc. (Cummings), we arealready using it with our projects.

Simply put, BIM is a 3-D, object-orientedapproach to computer-aided drafting. Morespecifically, BIM is a building development toolthat creates three-dimensional, virtual models fordesign, construction and facilities management.e resulting files are embedded withinformation that can expedite and reduce errorsin the build process. e information is sharedamong design team members and makes thedesign, construction and operation of buildings

more efficient. BIM can also use a 5-D modelingconcept, modeling not only the three spatialdimensions of x, y and z, but including two moreimportant considerations—time as the fourthdimension and cost as the fifth.

e most important thing to realize aboutBIM is that it allows us to communicate designand/or construction intent through a virtualplatform prior to actual construction. e levelof this communication differs. In someapplications, the basic size, shape and locationof the project will be all that is required. Inothers, the amount of information requiredwill be greater and may include materials, cost,delivery time and equipment data (e.g.,manufacturer, model number, voltage, and

W

BIM

Box Rack Model Box Rack Pre-Fabricated


horsepower). BIM designs can provideconstruction and facilities management withclear, exact visual examples of the design. isallows all personnel involved to see preciselywhat the finished project will look like, how itwill function and how much it will cost, longbefore the ground has been broken.

For obvious reasons, this software ischanging the way the construction industryapplies technology to building design,construction and management. In order toremain competitive in the market,Cummings has already embraced this newtechnology. From architectural, structuraland MEP (Mechanical, Electrical andPlumbing) design to construction andfacilities management, it is now a necessityto use BIM in order to remain a sought-afterpartner in construction’s increasinglycompetitive market.

How doesCummings use BIM?Since the early 1990s Cummings has beenusing Computer-Aided Drafting (CAD)to create two- and 3-D models to use forpre-fabrication and construction. A typicalexample is the conduit rack shown as a modeland as actually constructed.

As the construction industry progressesinto the 21st century, this effort has becomemore complex and has grown into what isknown as BIM.

Our design build, pre-construction andconstruction teams have been using somecomponents of BIM for most of the lastdecade. In the early stages of schematic designand design development, the virtual model is

Joe EvansP.E., Chief

Electrical Engineer

BIM

Paul RosalesBIM Coordinator

Baylor McKinney Hospital CUP -Overhead Conduit Rack Model

Baylor McKinney Hospital CUP - Installation

Baylor McKinney Hospital CUP - Combined Systems Model


BIM

occur as more information is added to thecomponents of the model. From conduitto electrical equipment (switchgear,switchboards, transformers, generators,panel boards, etc.), the level of informationincluded in Cummings’ model is one of themany facets of BIM that sets the companyapart from our competitors. The team willbe devoting time and money to the overalldevelopment of BIM. The return on thatinvestment will be a team of professionalswho are constantly improving by takingadvantage of the BIM model.

BIM will continue to grow and evolveat Cummings. Its use in our projectswill reinforce our reputation as a providerof excellent services to our clientsand position us as the electrical contractorof choice in the Dallas/Fort Worthconstruction industry.

Electrical Gear and Conduit Risers + Level 3 StructureElectrical Gear and Conduit Risers + Level 2 Structure

Electrical Gear and Conduit Risers + Level 1 StructureElectrical Gear and Conduit Risers

analyzed by our engineering staff. Ourconstruction team also reviews the model toensure constructability. is gives theengineers the opportunity to make changesduring the early stages of design, thus savingtime and money. Preliminary models ofequipment and conduits for a Cummingshospital project currently in the design stage,are shown above.

Pre-construction takes advantage of anintegrated engineering and construction teamwho use the BIM model as a designcommunication and educational tool.Engineering and pre-construction efforts thatcome together in this way provide a distinctadvantage to our pre-fabrication component.Information exported from our BIM model isused to produce schedules and details that aresent to our pre-fabrication shop. e BIMmodel, in addition to shop drawings and

installation plans provided from thefabrication shop, are available to ourconstruction team. Points exported from ourBIM model are used by our construction teamusing Total Station Layout to locate and installcomponents of our electrical system, whichare provided by our pre-fabrication shop.

Future of BIMere is no doubt that BIM will remain animportant part of the construction industry.Refining the process of internal work flow andBIM from design to installation for eachproject is a primary goal at Cummings.

Continuing education is another highpriority of our BIM team. Incorporatingnew technology and training reflects thecollaborative efforts of all our departments.The goal of the BIM team is to maximizethe return on our investment. This will


DIGITAL REALTY TRUST DATACENTER



CommunicatingConstructionThe Digital Realty Trust DatacenterBy Karrie Welborn

ommunication is the key to success in business. It doesn’t matter which industryor what the ultimate purpose may be; what matters is that without positivecommunication, results become problematic. In the construction industry, the

interaction between Cummings Electrical Inc. (Cummings), Digital Realty Trust, and theGeneral Contractor, Turner Construction Company (Turner) exemplify how this key isbest used and what it unlocks for those involved, in terms of respect and prosperity. Inparticular, the 16-week data center projects are excellent examples of communications atits best.

The last several decades have seen technology affect every aspect of the culture. Oneresult is that digitally based work methodologies have moved to the forefront of business.This new paradigm in work processes, communication protocols and scientific advancesheavily influences the way companies do business. With advanced software programs suchas NavisWorks, the information provided by the various trades can be compiled into oneintegrated file that shows placement of all materials and allows the internal configurationof the building to be graphically displayed. This compilation highlights where there mightbe trouble spots or conflicts within the design before they are literally in process, whichthen saves time and money by eliminating the need to “re-do” a section. BuildingInformation Modeling (BIM) is a visual bridge that facilitates communication between thetrades, thereby allowing each discipline to see what the others are planning. Integratedinformation is the name of the game. A flawless process is the goal.

Conducting BuildsDigital Realty Trust is a business that takes the “digital” in their name very seriously.Although they are a real estate company, they specialize exclusively in building andoperating datacenter facilities. Their flagship product is the Turn-Key Datacenter (TKD),a modular configuration for datacenters that are built out incrementally using DigitalRealty Trust’s unique POD architecture. TKDs feature a dedicated (versus shared) powerand mechanical backplane, and are available in increments from 1125kW to 8100kW.These TKD facilities are located in all of Digital Reality Trust’s nearly 100 data centerproperties in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific.

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Digtal Realty Trust’s modular design is instrumental in allowing afast, aggressive build, but the real key to the 16-week build-out iscommunication. Buddy Varney, Project Manager for Cummings said,“e typical construction schedule/format does not apply in thesebuild-outs. e entire team needs to be fluid enough to ‘work out ofsequence’ in order to finish portions of work to allow two or three othertrades to get their portions complete.”

Because the modular centers are electrical-intensive, it makes sense forCummings to lead the build-out and coordinate the interaction with theGC and Owner. e electrical contractor has the majority of the tasks,and 50% more personnel than other trades in this type of project. Ittakes discretion to work between the general contractor and the othertrades without causing offense in either direction. Cummings has beenable to do this, and do it well, for 11 TKDs, with more to come. Varneysaid, “ere has to be confidence among all involved. It remains a workin progress.”

Jay Forester, Digital’s Senior Director of Construction, NorthAmerica, likened Cummings’ leadership in the communicationprocesses to an orchestra where the integration of instruments is directedby a conductor to create a pleasing sound. e conductor follows a

score, which incorporates the various instruments, their placement inthe music, the tempo changes and the levels of sound that are set forthin that score. In construction, and particularly in these fast-pacedcommunication-intense datacenter projects, Cummings is theconductor to the “music” of the various trades. e score is a blueprintin a BIM format.

Forester noted that the crew works in three-week “see aheads” inwhich the use of BIM is invaluable. With BIM consolidating all thetrade information, problems of overlap or inefficient use of space can beseen in time to make appropriate changes. Modeling allows everyone toget the job done faster and with greater accuracy. With that accuracy, thecrew can take measurements ahead of time, order materials and havethem flow to the job as needed. BIM allows the job to be front-loaded,and moves manpower around schedules, saving labor and promotingquality. In a 16-week process there is simply no time for glitches. If onetrade has an unexpected problem, the entire project can become stalled.Communication is imperative, for with communication comesteamwork and success.

Cummings coordinates the vendors, runs interference wherenecessary, and keeps the build-out process smooth. ey handle this



challenge well. In part, according to Forester, this comes from choosingthe best methodology for the build—such as whether to build fromfloor to ceiling or ceiling to floor.

Varney explained that once the data center was complete, Cummingsis able to offer an excellent service program because the techniciansare well trained and highly knowledgeable about the facility. Foresterreiterated this, saying that Cummings as a service provider made perfectsense, as Cummings knew better than anyone else what would beneeded if there were problems. Forester added that it was also a niceway for Digital to participate in giving Cummings the option to earnmore income as a result of the project, after the build-out was complete.

Economic ResurgenceAt one time the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, and the suburb ofRichardson in particular, was known as the “Telecom Corridor.” In fact,the phrase is trademarked and can only be used to refer to the area alongNorth Central Expressway and State Highway 190 in Richardson andup to Plano. Today, after a number of difficult years economically, the“Corridor” is once again moving toward prosperity. is is due in largepart to the flourishing reality of datacenters. Digital’s business is data

centers and they are, therefore, a vital part of the economic resurgenceof the area. Turner and Cummings, in their work with Digital, are alsoa strong part of that new growth. As Varney said regarding Cummings’work on Digital Realty Trust’s Datacenter Park - Dallas in Richardson,“It was a very important build-out for the economy of the area.”

At the ribbon cutting for the entire complex, Gov. Rick Perry said,“e ability to rebuild, reinvent and re-purpose entire industries is keyto economic survival in this increasingly competitive world.” WhatDigital accomplishes in purchasing buildings for datacenters, andCummings accomplishes in building Digital’s TKDs, is, and willcontinue to be, a vital part of that re-purposing.

roughout the project, the one basic process that continues to growis communication. Without it, chaos ensues. When corporationsprovide positive communication processes internally and then utilizethose processes in interactions outside the home offices, they establisha baseline of behavior that leads to success in all endeavors. Digital,Turner, and Cummings are masters in the art of communication. As aresult, they create consistently strong corporate relationships thatproduce quality products, which in turn produce prosperity and successfor all involved.


PREDICTIVE SAFETY SOFTWARE

PredictiveSafety SoftwareSupports Safety Culture ChangeBy Griffin Schultz

ummings Electrical, Inc.(Cummings) has made tremendousimprovements to its safety program

since Tim Cummings acquired the companyin 2002. While safety culture change drove theimprovements, three key elements supportedthat change:

• Leadership focus• Operating process changes• SafetyNet, a predictive software solution

SafetyNet was introduced to Cummingsthrough its strategic relationship withPredictive Solutions Corporation—formerly known as DBO2 or Design,Build, Own, Operate. With a special

dedication to maintaining a safe workplace,Cummings was an early adopter ofPredictive Solutions’ SafetyNet after beingexposed to the software solution in 2003.

SafetyNet analyzes and models safety datacollected by Cummings personnel. isanalysis provides visibility to Cummingsleadership regarding where their safety culturerequires improvement, and which processchanges are required to support thoseimprovements. Once new processes areimplemented, SafetyNet provides ongoingmonitoring of real-time safety data to ensurethat these process changes are having thedesired effect in driving sustainable, long-termculture change. Using advanced analytics and

predictive models, the software can evenpredict where the organization is most at riskin regards to an injury or safety incident.

Early ChallengesWhen Tim Cummings purchased anexisting electrical company to formpresent-day Cummings, he quickly realizedthe acquired company’s safety program waslimited in its effectiveness based on severalkey challenges.

First, employees had varying degrees ofsafety training resulting in an inconsistentsafety culture. Furthermore, managers hadno way to accurately report on the resultsof safety audits and inspections. When data

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Griffin SchultzPredictive Solutions

Corporation



was available, it could only be analyzed ata tactical level. As a result, general trendspointing to chronic safety culture issuesrequiring process changes were simplynot accessible.

These challenges contributed to double-digit OSHA recordable incident rateswhich were as high as 10.5 in 2003, lostwork day averages of 177 per year, anExperience Modifier Rate (EMR) ofnearly one and lastly, OSHA citations.Cummings’s leadership knew it had to driveculture and process change to improveits safety program. To bring consistencyto this effort, the Cummings Inc. SafetyTeam was created in 2003. The Team wascomprised of new employees as well asveterans from management, supervisionand the field. Cummings’s Safety Team’sfirst challenge was to create a Safety andHealth Mission Statement and Goals thatwould become the beacon for their pathto improvement.

It was during the early stages of the SafetyTeam’s growth and development when theyenlisted the assistance of PredictiveSolutions to direct and sustain their effortsto develop a better safety culture.

The Path to ImprovementAfter implementing SafetyNet,Cummings’s leadership and Safety Teamwere able to identify where their safetyculture was weak or inconsistent throughthe collection, analysis and trending ofsafety audit and inspection data. Ratherthan focusing on specific and tactical at-risk safety observations, Cummings wasable to identify broader at-risk trends thatcould be addressed across the entireworkforce through process change. Insteadof simply investigating injuries, they wereable to analyze leading indicator data (real-time safety observations taken fromCummings jobsites) to predict and thenprevent injuries from occurring.

However, as is generally the case when newtechnologies and processes are implementedwithin companies, Cummings required changemanagement assistance to overcome early

SAFETY MISSION AND GOALSCummings Electrical’s Safety Mission is to provide a safe work environmentthat prevents incidents, accidents and injuries. We will accomplish thissafety mission by focusing on these fundamental values:

• Always put the safety of every worker on our jobsites ahead ofproduction and schedule.

• Stand firm that we have a moral obligation to send all employees homehealthy and injury-free at the end of the day…everyday.

• Provide leadership in our industry to continually improve jobsite safety.

• Insure all employees are provided the proper training, education,instruction and personal protective equipment to perform theirwork safely.

• Identify hazards before the work begins and implement safety solutionsto prevent accidents.

• Never compromise the safety of our employees, regardless of theconditions or influences of our customers or others.

• Promote a culture in which everyone is equal in authority andresponsibility for every worker’s safety.


were implemented, SafetyNet helpedCummings to monitor their impact andeffectiveness. Real-time information drivenby regular safety audit inspection trendingand analysis facilitated continuous safetyimprovement. A “virtual cycle” has beendeveloped where areas of improvement areidentified, change is implemented and itseffectiveness continually monitored toidentify new areas of improvement—thenthe cycle begins again.

Today, a safety department of just a fewpeople is able to collect and report on thecompany’s safety program at the project,regional and corporate level. This data isaccessed and reviewed by all levels withinthe company, including the president,general superintendent, project managersand project superintendents.

e continual sharing of safety informationhas helped foster a more collaborative work

environment acrossseveral functions,including safety,operations, service andcustomer support. Italso has enabledproject managementto work more closelywith supervisors.Project managementnow has the tools topositively reinforceemployees in theirsafety performancesand ensure consistentobservations are made.

e safety culture ofCummings is muchstronger than the onethat Tim Cummingsencountered in2002—and the resultsprove it. Cummings’sOSHA recordableincident rate averaged1.21 over the last fouryears and hit a low of0.65 in 2009, which is

obstacles and employee resistance. For instance,some employees doubted the effectivenessof software to help manage safety processesand culture. Predictive Solutions workedcollaboratively with Cummings to solve theseearly challenges through its implementationand change management services.

Predictive Solutions’ team members—manyof whom are former safety managers—provided on-site training and support to driveadoption of the technology and create asustainable program that could endure initialresistance. Over time, Cummings employeesbegan to appreciate the increased safetyawareness and specifically the collection ofsafety metrics that highlighted those areas oftheir safety processes and culture that wereperforming effectively.

Sustainable ResultsAfter initial process and culture changes

well below the industry average of 3.9. In thelast four years, Cummings has averaged 63lost workdays per year and recorded just oneor zero over three of those years. Additionally,its EMR has dropped nearly 40 percent to0.61. Cummings’s Safety Team still uses thedata from Predictive Solutions reports to setnew directions in their continuing efforts tokeep Cummings a leader in the industry.

ese results not only lead to lower costs ofdoing business, but more importantly, proveto Cummings’s team members and customersthat it is committed to long-term, sustainablesafety culture improvement.

The Path ForwardThe strengthened safety program has notonly benefited the company and itsemployees, but its customers as well.Cummings is able to provide its customerswith a level of safety detail that waspreviously unavailable. This detail includesa historic overview of the safety trends andresults across an entire customer project.

As more projects require Cummings toprovide on-site safety coordinators, thecompany is considering making PredictiveSolutions available to all coordinators inthe future.

Because the software is user-friendly,flexible and scalable, the company cancontinue to configure the program basedon its current vision, goals and objectives.

“SafetyNet is a seamless and criticalelement to the overall safety program atCummings today and into the future,” saidMark Abernathy, Cummings’s Health &Safety Director. “We look forward to thecontinued use of SafetyNet to increase thesafety of our employees and enable us tocontinue to provide innovative solutionsthat meet our customer’s needs.”

To learn more about SafetyNet, visitwww.predictivesolutions.com.

Griffin Schultz is the General Manager ofPredictive Solutions Corporation. He can bereached at [email protected] (412) 490-1996.



a different panel in a different electrical room, with my right hand, whileholding the conduit with my left hand.

My supervisor then told me, “Sit down and take it easy for a while.”I sat on a stack of sheetrock for the better part of the day, aching andfeeling like I had the flu; and I questioned my resolve to stay in theelectrical trade.

Now back to the present. Replacement of a lamp in a known liveelectric circuit involves several steps in order to complete the process. e

process requires two electricians, one to securethe potentially live electrical power, in this casea simple light switch; and the other to replacethe lamp—but not before testing the circuit toverify power is switched off. Additionally, thetesting meter must be tested on a known “livecircuit” to verify the tester is working properly.

Mike proceeded to instruct the twoelectricians on the proper procedures involvedwith the task. He stated repeatedly that theirsafety was his number one priority. He allowed

them to continue the process, halting them each time they did not followthe correct procedures. I was just a bystander during these proceedings,but I learned some valuable lessons as well … and they stuck with me.

He certainly got his point across to the two field electricians, aftertheir third error, by telling them, “Both of you are fired!” He then said,“I’d rather fire both of you and send you home alive than let you workin an unsafe manner.”

e two electricians were not really fired. It was however, a veryeffective teaching tool. I believe the two electricians were certainlyquestioning their future with Cummings, and they won’t soon forget thelessons they learned that day.

I wish that someone would have made a difference for me that day,back in 1981, when safety was not the first priority.

Everyone truly does make a difference.Baylor Hospital - McKinney is a ground-up addition to the Baylor

Healthcare System located in McKinney, Texas. When complete, itwill be six stories tall with 95 patient beds and six operating rooms.The new facility will specialize in women’s services and general acutecare. It is scheduled to open in the Summer of 2012. The GeneralContractor is MEDCO Construction, the construction arm of BaylorHealthcare Systems.

am currently assigned to the Baylor Hospital of McKinney projectas Project Engineer. is is a ground-up construction of a newhospital in McKinney, Texas. is project has just begun, and like

any multi-story construction project, the conditions at the site canbecome very dangerous unless proper precautions are taken.

Tower cranes hoist huge bundles of reinforcement bars and pre-fabricated column interior structures into place. e continuouscaravans of concrete and dirt haulers are on the move, “turning browninto gray.” Electrical crews are busy installingthe underground duct-banks, which supplypower to various sections of the five-storybuilding. ere are more than 88 miles ofconduit yet to be installed.

It was here that I witnessed an act ofleadership where a co-worker made adifference in several lives. e keyword hereis “lives.” Plural. e event I witnessed wasinformative, as well as memorable. MikeBouchard, the Project Superintendent for Cummings Electrical, Inc.(Cummings), requested that a field supervisor and two electriciansreplace a burned-out lamp in one of the temporary light fixturesattached to the exterior of the field office. It sounds pretty simple, right?Not necessarily.

is brought to memory an incident I experienced when I was ayoung apprentice with less than one year’s experience in the industry.Let’s go back to the year 1981 for a moment. I was assigned to a crewto demo some existing electrical systems in an office tower in Dallas.

e electrical contractor I worked for at the time was a smallcompany and didn’t have the extensive safety program that Cummingshas in place today. e supervisor for the project proceeded to shutdown the power to the entire floor where we were assigned to demo theexisting power and lighting grid. After some testing, the supervisor gaveus the green light to proceed with the demo. It was at this time that Iremoved a bundle of conductors from a conduit, after climbing up aneight-foot ladder to get into position for a leverage advantage. e nextthing I knew, I was laying on the ground, just coming back toconsciousness. As I came to, I heard my fellow electrician ask, “Heyman, are you okay?”

My coworkers told me that I was unconscious for about three minutesafter grabbing hold of a 277-volt emergency lighting circuit, fed from

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Everyone Makesa DifferenceWhether good or bad; we all make a differenceBy John E. Wasson, Project Engineer John E. Wasson

Project Engineer

MAKING A DIFFERENCE


LITTLE PRINGLE

Little PringleWind FarmStinnett, TexasBy Keith Croll, Sales and Marketing

n early 2008, Cummings Electrical Inc.(Cummings) entered into preliminarydiscussions regarding several potential

wind farm developments in the TexasPanhandle. The Little Pringle Project wasone of them. Many different scenarios withseveral different turbine manufacturers wereexplored. When the smoke cleared, it wasdetermined that DeWind Turbines would beinstalled. While DeWind was well known inother parts of the world, they were virtuallyunknown in the United States. At that timethere were no DeWind turbines installed inany U.S. wind farms. However, theirtechnology was very good and they wereextremely interested in introducing theirturbines to the U.S. market.

e developer, Higher Power, selected the

team of Balfour Beatty, Balance of Plantcontractor; AUI, tower bases and roads; KRWind, tower erection; and Cummings for theproject. e project consisted of two 10MWwind farms located adjacent to each other,each having its own utility interconnect site.e project was constructed in two phaseswith the north site developed first and thesouth quickly following.

Cummings’ scope of work included thecomplete engineering, design, procurementand construction of all electrical portions ofthe project, including the foundationgrounding and conduit system, undergroundcollection system, tower wiring, fiber-opticsystem and utility interconnects.

Because this was the inaugural project inthe U.S. for DeWind Turbines, the

engineering process was rather lengthy andpresented numerous challenges. Cummings’engineering partner for the project was MSETechnology out of Albany, N.Y. It tooknumerous telephone conferences andengineering meetings with the DeWindengineers and local utilities to iron out thedetails and finalize a design that wasacceptable to all parties.

The construction process began in late2008, and was then placed on hold for overa year. The final release for constructionoccurred in early 2010. In order to meetthe required completion date, some of thelarger pieces of electrical equipment such as35kV pad mount switches, 2250KVAtransformers and 35kV gang operatedswitches had to be expedited in order for

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Keith CrollSales and Marketing

DeWind 2 MW wind turbine at the Little Pringle wind farm in the Texas Panhandle

LITTLE PRINGLE


them to be available, on-site, in time tomeet the completion dates.

During the final design process, it wasdiscovered that several pieces of equipment,normally provided by the turbinemanufacturer and installed in the base of thetower by the tower erection contractor, werenot accounted for in the DeWind design.After many conference calls, a final design wasapproved and the equipment ordered.Cummings submitted a design to SpecialtyElectrical, LLC, an electrical prefabricationcontractor. ey installed and pre-wired theequipment on racks in their shop. Because oftheir prefabrication capabilities, Cummingswas able to get the assemblies to the project intime for them to be installed in the propersequence of the tower erection process.

ere were no installation manuals todelineate how the down tower wiring was to beperformed. It was a “learn as you go” processfor the first several towers. However, with theassistance of on-site DeWind personnel, thedown tower wiring went relatively smoothlyand was completed on schedule.

The installation of the undergroundcollection system and utility interconnectspresented some significant issues. The mostchallenging of these issues revolved aroundthe bores that needed to go under theburied utility lines and the more than 200abandoned oil and gas lines from the1940s. Cummings worked closely with thelocal land owners to identify and locatethem, completing the boring processwithout incident. The installation of the35kV cable, grounding conductor and fiberoptic cable went extremely well.Cummings’ new, large capacity, all terrainwire trailer, partially designed and modifiedby Cummings Renewable Energy Division,played a significant role in the efficient andsafe placement of the cables.

The Little Pringle project was completedin-budget and on-schedule, in large partdue to the hard work and safe processes ofthe entire Cummings team.

The end result? DeWind has now listedCummings as a preferred installer for theirwind turbine systems in the United States.

Cummings Electrical, Inc. crew loading cable reels on the cable installation trailer

Cummings Electrical, Inc.’s custom made renewable energy cable installation trailer

Cummings Electrical, Inc.14900 Grand River Road, Suite 124Fort Worth, TX 76155

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