Bristol-Myers Squibb Medical Imaging
Location: North Billerica, MA
Electrical value: $200,000

Bristol-Myers makes products used in the diagnostic medical imaging process. This was an 8,500 square foot ground-up project including a 650 square foot vault, constructing a new cyclotron (buildings where the products are made) tied into an existing building where people were working daily.

Everything about this project – security, mechanics, coordination and timeframe – presented a huge challenge requiring exceptional coordination and teamwork among all parties involved.

The cyclotron consisted of a six-foot thick concrete vault surrounded by the control room, power supply room, vault entrance and vestibule with a mechanical room on top.
The working area was radioactive and very dangerous. All MEI employees received radiation and safety training and had to wear protective clothing and dosimeter badges. Since the Bristol-Myers facility operates under extreme security with detailed protocols in day-to-day operations, our personnel needed access badges and photo IDs in order to work.

The project involved installing twenty-two 4” and 6” rigid steel conduits in the 6-foot walls of the vault, but the conduits had to be self-supported before the forms were in. This task required cooperation and patience because all other trades were working in the 6-foot forms at the same time! Precise bends were critical. One conduit had 306 (degree) of bends and extended from ground level to 20 feet in the air, self-supported. In addition, we installed an underfloor cable tray system and a cable tray system in trenches in the vault. There was over 500 feet of double and triple tier cable tray.

This project had to be completed in seven-months. MEI, however, could not begin work until the fourth month because the vault and penthouse had to be constructed and the concrete allowed to dry before electrical installation. In spite of the time crunch and demanding working conditions, there were no accidents and the deadline was met.