Helping Construction and Engineering Clients Meet a Challenging Solid Waste Testing Deadline

Opportunity

A Virginia heavy construction firm generated several tons of solid waste from a large construction project.

After the project, their team needed to quickly assess the suitability of the waste for disposal at two nearby sites, each with extensive and varied mandatory testing criteria.

An engineering firm, and one of our top clients, worked with the construction firm to oversee this project.

Challenge

Over the course of several months, more than 30 different sample sets were collected and submitted to the lab for testing.

The spectrum of analyses spanned every department of the Enthalpy South Richmond lab and required considerable interdepartmental teamwork, with employees going above and beyond normal shift hours to get the job done.

The scope of this project, which included analyses of many difficult matrices, would usually require ten days to complete working standard shifts — but the construction firm required results within just five days.

The engineering firm entrusted the South Richmond team with the job with the understanding that a task of this size would take other labs several weeks to accomplish.

The testing varied to some degree, but almost always required full TCLP analysis, Dioxins, Total Metals, full Petroleum testing, and organic testing such as: Pesticides, PCBs, and a full suite of Semi-Volatile Organic Compounds.

Solution

Enthalpy team members from every department quickly reorganized their shift schedules to meet the challenge.

Department Mangers took the lead on analysis and volunteered to work weekends instead of their direct reports.

Through trial and error on the instruments and thorough communication with the client, all required reporting limits were met.

Despite the difficult matrices and the aggressive 5-Day Turn Around Time, Team Enthalpy came through for our clients.