1.95 Million Work Hours. Zero Lost Time Injuries.
On a Roughrider game day, Saskatchewan streets are paved in green. People and buildings are cloaked in the team colours. The highways into Regina stream with vehicles coming into the city for the game, the Mosaic stadium lights shine a beacon as the crowds converge. According to the Riders, over a half-million people take in each game in person or by listening on radio or watching live on television and online.
The build of the Riders’ home, the new Mosaic Stadium, was one of the most-watched building projects Saskatchewan has ever experienced. Starting in June 2014 with the removal of 300,000 cubic metres of soil[1], the project reached substantial completion in August 2016, twenty-six months and 1.95 million person hours of labour later. At the peak of construction, there were 630 workers on site. Despite the complexity of the project, heavy equipment, weather conditions and multiple contractors, PCL is proud to report the new Mosaic Stadium was completed as a Mission: Zero project. There were zero lost time incidents on the job (no injury that required time away from work beyond the day of the injury).
Mike Zurowski, Construction Manager for PCL Construction Management Inc., says “(Onsite) safety was driven by the workforce itself. They cared about it and they worked hard to make sure everyone went home safe at the end of the day.”
The completed stadium holds 40,000 people and the events it will host will attract millions of tourist dollars in the decades to come, but the connection and attraction to the venue was evident onsite from the start of the project.
Zurowski and Anders Wheeler, District HSE Manager for PCL Regina District, say this local project and its emotional connection to the workers made the project special. The workers took distinct ownership of the project, knowing they were building a place that they and their families would come to for generations. “While they were building it, the guys talked about looking forward to seeing the first kick off in the stadium,” says Wheeler.
The pride onsite became even more apparent as the job reached completion. Zurowski recalls, “We had 1500 employees who had a part to play in building that iconic building. Whether you’re a Rider fan or a construction worker or a Saskatchewan resident, all of us were proud our kids and grandkids will know we had a part in building it.”
“We had 1500 employees who had a part to play in building that iconic building. Whether you’re a Rider fan or a construction worker or a Saskatchewan resident, all of us were proud our kids and grandkids will know we had a part in building it.” Mike Zurowski, Construction Manager, PCL Construction Management Inc.
[1] Enough to fill about 110 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Source: http://www.riderville.com/about-mosaic-stadium/. Accessed May 26, 2017.