New Rail Bricks Arrived Filthy

[Allana]

My building recently survived a major renovation which included redoing the entire fly system (to the other side of the stage in fact - all brand new). The company provided us with an astounding amount of stage weights but they are all filthy! Everyone is covered in foundry dust, slag, and rust. I've thrown bricks at dozens of theaters and never once have I run across a situation this bad. The worst is the metallic dust that trickles from each brick and falls 75 feet into the eyes of everyone below.

So here is the question: How do we clean them?

We can't use anything greasy or slippery, overly toxic, or overly involved. The majority of the bricks are on the loading bridges - between 50-70 feet up with a very minimal amount of un-stacking, re-stacking room.

 

[Scenemaster60]

Allana, can you get a powerful vacuum cleaner up there, maybe one of the kinds that custodial staff carry on their back? It would seem that would be a way to get the stuff that is actually falling off.

Oh, and welcome to CB! Mark

 

[JohnD]

I would have a person of authority for your building contact the general contractor and/or the rigging installation contractor and ask them. Nicely of course.

 

[BillConnerFASTC]

Our specifications include language about counterweight to prevent this kind of issue. What did the agreement say between buyer and seller?

 

[Scenemaster60]

I looked it up and saw that both Gopher and Secoa were involved with the project. Did either of them oversee the installation of the new fly system?

 

[Allana]

I looked it up and saw that both Gopher and Secoa were involved with the project. Did either of them oversee the installation of the new fly system?

Yes, both were involved in the fly system and both have been notified of the issue as have the project managers and project coordinators.
Last I heard, they were waiting for a suggestion on how to fix it and someone to firmly assign which one of them is to blame (and thus who has to pay to fix it).

Our specifications include language about counterweight to prevent this kind of issue. What did the agreement say between buyer and seller?

Bill, I'm not certain what the agreement says on this topic. What was the language that you included so that I know what I'm looking for?

 

[themuzicman]

I have seen this on a few lowest bid local government owned theaters. Thankfully we have always caught it before the bricks went in, and a good power washing got all the foundry junk off of them.

 

[Protech]

I would reach out to the General Contractor (GC). Typically they will be responsible for site clean up (or it will be assigned to a subcontractor) prior to and during building turnover. Unfortunately if it was not specified then it will likely just end in finger pointing.

In the absence of a better answer, actually removing the debris (vacuuming, sweeping) sounds like your best bet.

 

[Footer]

Simple green and a vacuum cleaner...

 

[BillConnerFASTC]

Yes, both were involved in the fly system and both have been notified of the issue as have the project managers and project coordinators.
Last I heard, they were waiting for a suggestion on how to fix it and someone to firmly assign which one of them is to blame (and thus who has to pay to fix it).



Bill, I'm not certain what the agreement says on this topic. What was the language that you included so that I know what I'm looking for?

I'm not where I can open a file and about to go off the grid till labor day. I hope I remember but its in the section on counterweights.

 

[Footer]

For the JR Clancy speced project that closes out in my space on Friday
M. Steel Counterweights:
1. Counterweights must be 5-1/2” wide x 13-3/4" long, with U-shaped
cutouts for the arbor rods. Counterweights must be flame or laser cut
steel. Each piece must be free from slag and sharp edges. The thickness
of counterweights must not vary more than 3/16" from nominal
dimension.
2. Opposite corners must be notched for ease of handling. Alternate weights
when stacking to provide finger holds when loading arbors.
3. Provide 75% of weight 2" thick and 25% of weight 1" thick for ease of
balancing.

 

[BillConnerFASTC]

For the JR Clancy speced project that closes out in my space on Friday
M. Steel Counterweights:
1. Counterweights must be 5-1/2” wide x 13-3/4" long, with U-shaped
cutouts for the arbor rods. Counterweights must be flame or laser cut
steel. Each piece must be free from slag and sharp edges. The thickness
of counterweights must not vary more than 3/16" from nominal
dimension.
2. Opposite corners must be notched for ease of handling. Alternate weights
when stacking to provide finger holds when loading arbors.
3. Provide 75% of weight 2" thick and 25% of weight 1" thick for ease of
balancing.

I've gone to all 25 pound max as a worker safety issue and weight and outreach. Study OSHA before you plan for repetitive lifting and outreach of that much weight.

 

[Protech]

It sounds to me that the issue is mostly due to the weights not being covered/protected during the demolition (although slag should not be on the pigs). Knocking down walls creates an incredible amount of dust and debris which can hang in the air for longer than you'd think.

Here is a few excerpts from a recent contract with a very large GC

"Housekeeping and clean-up acceptable to Contractor, including facilities for routine scrap metal, shall be maintained by Subcontractor in all areas within and related to Subcontractor's scope of operation. The Subcontractor is responsible for appropriate noise control, dust control, ventilation requirements, and fire protection relating to its work."

"Subcontractor shall participate in period clean-up or maintenance of common work areas as required by Contractor"

"Subcontractor shall maintain a safe working environment, which includes the reasonable cleanup of all debris prior to the conclusion of each work day"

This may not be in the contract for your space, but similar language is present more often than not.

Of course, there is no way to know who conducted the demo (and thus who may be responsible) without reaching out to the GC.

Again, it may simply have been an oversight...

 

[Allana]

Thanks!! This has been very helpful.

 

[Allana]

Apparently, the current the finger pointing is happening because the project was behind and therefore the bricks had to be stored at the Foundry longer than planned. So is it the fault of the delayed project or the fault of the guys who eventually delivered the goods?
I find delayed project a pretty weak argument since construction projects are always behind. Always.

I have the document that specifies the contractor is ultimately responsible for general clean up. That's the ammo I need to poke these project guys into action.


Power washer is unfortunately out of the question at this point.

I worry about Simple Green's toxicity:
http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/simply-green-washing-are-you-using-toxic-cleaner
Also, are you sure it won't leave any residual moisture that will cause more rust or grease?

 

[viking33]

That article is very old and the ingredients have since been changed. It won't leave any grease (its actually what I use to clean grease off of steel) and all bricks will eventually get a surface rust to them due to the nature of raw steel.

 

[gafftapegreenia]

We clean all our steel orders with Simple Green. Not only is it an effective degreaser but it does have some rust inhibiting properties as well. Bricks will get surface rust eventually but unless they are getting wet they shouldn't rust more than that.