Penta's Blog

Recent high profile Manitoba projects such as Manitoba Hydro Place Head Office, Eaton’s Powerhouse Development, and the Brandon Research Centre all have something in common. These projects feature advanced fire proofing techniques that make use of intumescent paint, a key service offering from Penta Protective Coatings Ltd.

Intumescent paint is a spray on product that expands in the presence of fire. The chemically bound water in intumescent swells to absorb heat – increasing in volume and decreasing in density – making it an ideal material for fireproofing applications. It is generally categorized as a passive fire protection measure because it is used to compartmentalize a fire and decrease the chance of loss of life and/or property.

Beyond the obvious life safety requirement there are several important advantages to using intumescent paint.

For one thing, it is a lot more durable. So long as it is applied evenly, it can be a very effective fireproofing technique. For members of the design community, it is a lot better to look at aesthetically and architecturally.

However, the impact on the project budget can be substantial. Intumescent paint can be 5-10 times more expensive than other fireproofing products.

Another concern is that intumescent paint is being sold by companies with little to no experience in properly applying the product, thereby creating a false sense of security. Penta is an authorized installer of industry leading A/D Fire Protection Systems and Grace Fire Protection products.

A lot of companies are popping up that can’t install these product properly. We are big on testing to make sure it works properly. Quality assurance and safety is important to us.

Penta Protective Coatings Ltd. recently became a key service provider for the major expansion program underway at Edmonton International Airport (EIA).

EIA is undergoing a $1.1 billion expansion critical to the airport’s ongoing success as a hub for northwestern Canada. The airport – the fifth busiest in Canada – serves more than six million passengers who fly to destinations in Canada, the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean and Europe. The Edmonton Regional Airports Authority anticipates that by 2013, the airport will see nine million passengers per year.

To accommodate this growth, the airports authority has embarked upon a three-phase, five-year redevelopment plan with PCL Construction Limited (PCL) that upon completion in 2012, will result in a LEED ® Certified facility and improve the overall passenger experience.

Airside redevelopment includes new aircraft bridges, as well as a new apron for aircraft parking. Groundside, there will be a new NAV Canada control tower complex with expanded restaurants, retail and office space, an integrated baggage room to allow baggage drop-off at designated locations across the terminal, new parking facilities, and an expanded south passenger terminal building.

Penta is fireproofing the structural steel in the south passenger terminal building using a spray on material that gives it a rating expressed in terms of time to prevent catastrophic collapse. The expansion totals 446,000 square feet and will include 167,000 square feet of renovations to key facilities in the existing terminal building.

We completed a rigorous pre-qualification process with PCL last year. We have been doing this type of work for 10 years and fireproofing is one of our key service offerings. Because our work shone through, we were asked to bid for the project.

The bid involved a significant amount of pre-planning to come in at a competitive price.

While this was a relatively small portion of the overall project, it is huge for us and we are pleased to be a part of it.

Denny James, Penta’s project manager, noted that there are six crews on site who are meeting the project schedule. They started in early May and anticipate completion in late summer or early fall.

“Although the project is logistically complex I have a great workforce and I look forward to exceeding expectations.”

Penta Protective Coatings Ltd. is the only spray foam insulation company in Manitoba to achieve The Certificate of Recognition (COR™), a nationally recognized occupational health and safety accreditation program.

I place tremendous importance on a safe workplace. I’m very pleased that our safety practices and training means we have met the highest national standard of safety recognition.

The certification means Penta is part of an elite – and rare – group of companies in the Manitoba construction sector. There are currently only 248 (of a possible 7,200) with COR™.

COR™provides industry employers with a system to reduce incidents, accidents and injuries as well as their associated human and financial costs. It also verifies a company’s comprehensive commitment to safety. It is endorsed by participating members of the Canadian Federation of Construction Safety Associations (CFCSA). In order to become COR™ Certified, Wedge led the company through the completion of four training modules and a company safety manual, the implementation of a company safety program, an audit approximately six months after the implementation of the safety program, an audit by the Construction Safety Association of Manitoba (CSAM), and a final independent audit. Once certified, the company faces an internal audit every year with an external audit every three years.

Penta achieved a 95% score on their external audit, all the more impressive when you take into account that in order to pass a minimum score of 80% is required. Tara Zukewich of Construction Safety commented that this was outstanding and that Penta should be very proud of their accomplishment.

We had to get our heads wrapped around the documentation and make sure we were maintaining accurate records. We also had to get buy in from our field staff which meant working with them to develop safe work practices.

COR™ Certified is frequently used as a pre-qualification and/or condition of contract by public and private project owners across Canada. Although Wedge is pleased that being COR™ Certified will open up doors as far as bidding opportunities, it ultimately comes back to the importance of having a safe workplace.

It’s all about due diligence. Say what you are going to do and do it.

Here are some more pictures of the project we recently completed at Assiniboine College in Brandon, MB. We applied a spray foam air barrier to the exterior of the East Building and couldn’t be happier with the outcome.