Western Receives ICRI-Chicago Chapter Award of Excellence for Outstanding Concrete Repair Project

Western Specialty Contractors – Chicago Concrete Restoration Branch was recently honored with a “2016 Award of Excellence” for Outstanding Concrete Repair Project from the International Concrete Restoration Institute (ICRI) Chicago Chapter for restoration of the aging Hilton Orrington Evanston Hotel parking garage.

Constructed in the mid-1920s, the Hilton Orrington Parking Garage is a stand-alone parking structure located adjacent to the Hilton Orrington Hotel in Evanston, IL. Its interior concrete had degraded due to the corrosive action of chlorides, such as salt, and natural life-cycle deterioration to the point where falling concrete was posing a safety hazard to visitors.

 

 

 

Industry News: Pam Machine

Concrete chipping can be a dusty, noisy job. And during this type of work, employees are subjected to risks of injury and illness due to the stresses and the strains. For example, overhead hammering is essential to performing a thorough job.  However, this may increase strain on the body causing weakness and fatigue.  At Western, we feel that it is critical for companies to evaluate opportunities to reduce these risks Find Out More. And in doing so, we have discovered the alternative to manual chipping – The Pam Machine. Manufactured by RNP Industries, The Pam Machine offers faster and effortless concrete chipping for overhead and vertical surfaces. It also helps to eliminate and reduce all of the potential health and safety concerns of manual concrete chipping. The machine will hold the 30 pound hammer completely eliminating the ergonomic stress on the employee. It is easy to position, allowing the worker to continuously and effortlessly work the face of the concrete. There is no longer a need to stop and reposition, recover, or stretch sore muscles since the workers are not performing the work directly. It also allows workers to stand nearly 5 feet away from the point of impact so they are able to avoid unexpected falling concrete.  Overall, The Pam Machine is a solution for many hazards in concrete chipping.