KEMH Redevelopment Project: Over 500 Workers
There are now over 500 construction workers on the King Edward VII Memorial Redevelopment Project site daily, according to a statement from the Bermuda Hospitals Board.
“The Point Finger Road site is Bermuda’s largest ever construction project,” said the statement. ”Contractors Paget Health Services revealed this week that the numbers of workers on the site is reaching its expected maximum with more than 500 usually on hand every day. Since the construction works began, Bermudians/spouses of Bermudians have consistently comprised over 60 percent of the workforce.”
Demolition of the old hospital building porch in 2011:
BHB President & CEO Venetta Symonds said: “We are pleased to again report the positive effect this necessary development is having on our Bermuda community. We are in the business of healthcare but find that we are providing jobs for hundreds of Bermudians in the construction field.
“We recognise the importance this has meant for many families during this unexpected downturn in our economy. In July we reported over one-million man hours had been completed. Now, just three months later, we can reveal that more Bermudians are on the site and that peak numbers of about 550 workers are expected to be reached in the upcoming weeks.”
The BHB Redevelopment Project broke ground in January 2011 and is expected to be complete next year. The number of workers on the site has been rising gradually and in the last two months has risen to 500.
The following list from the BHB details the breakdown by job type, although not all trades are on the site every day: BCM McAlpine management team and supervision – 36; BCM McAlpine direct labour – 24; general labourers and cleaners – 26; carpenters and form workers – 20; drywallers and ceiling fixers – 95; rubber and terrazzo flooring workers – 20; painters – 14; rebar – 6; steel erectors and welders – 7; masons – 10; ground workers/landscaping – 15; EIFS Installers – 25; electricians including supervision – 80; mechanical/plumbing including supervision – 105; roofers – 5; window installers – 5; elevator installers – 3; scaffolders – 5; insulators – 12 and Security – 4.
BHB Redevelopment Director James Campbell said: “We are pleased with the progress and quality of building work. We pay careful attention to ensure the construction is meeting the prescribed international standards. It is our intention to provide the Island with a premiere facility that enables the highest quality of healthcare to be afforded to the community.”
Chinese construction companies would have had this done in about 2 months with half the workers
…and how many smokin’ weed on the job? Remember the Police showed up on site the other day!
Here we go with de anti-Bermudian rhetoric again!! Yaawwnn.
How about the wall near Paget stop lights, workers in the states would have had that whole wall done in 1 week.. its still not even halfway done and its been almost 2 months..
They need to continue down the hill to the stop lights and fix the sidewalk to stop bikes, cars, trucks and even buses from driving on it. I have almost been struck twice while walking there… I guess they will wait until someone is injured or killed…
that’s a lot of people. no wonder the hospital has no money.
It’s great that these people have jobs, at least for the moment.
In the absence of another large project, however, next year this time there will be about 500 more persons unemployed.
Does anyone know of any major projects in the pipeline?
Having said that, does our immigration department NOT believe that it is time for foreigners who drive a van for example, to have their work permits revoked?
I ask that question because it seems that in spite of the hundreds of unemployed Bermudians, there seem to be hundreds of foreigners who are still employed in jobs that require relatively little experience or expertise.
What does our immigration department plan to do (if anything) to address this problem?
Princess reno.
They don’t do anything. If they did our unemployment rate wouldn’t be so high. Its quite annoying to see foreigners do basic jobs whilst Bermudians are suffering.
Yep I’ve seen em in the buzz van, four star van, arnolds van just to name a few.
Locals need to jump on things like this cause its not fair.
I agree Malachi there’s many menial jobs held down by outsiders that can / should be given to locals and the Immigration need to follow-up on these types of jobs…
40% of the workers were foreigners. 30 or so percent of young Bermudians are unemployed. Why is the opposition not raising the roof over those numbers? Makes one wonder. This project is likely, in time, to prove to be the straw that broke the back of the Bermuda economy
Verbal.
Find me 100 electricians, form workers, carpenters, plumbers et al.
You can only have so many doing a job.
What are the qualifications of your 30%.
I’m on your side, I just wonder where the opposition’s indignation over the Heritage Wharf jobs disappeared to. Could it be the parties involved in this construction? Just curious.
Same with the Princess job. Correia posted a bunch of ads for specialists. They will (understandably) be filled largely by foreign workers. You don’t see the Alaska Hall partisans raising Hell about those jobs. Why is that? I think we already know. It’s all a matter of who’s getting bit by whose dog. It’s hypocritical on the part of the opposition and the unions.
Thanks for calling a spade a spade, “Verbal Kint” As we say, P.L.P diehards, “I can’t hear you.” Of course we wouldn’t hear sh-ts, why? it’s because “when one lays with dogs they’re bound to carry fleas”
Waste of money when all we need and still need is better DOCTORS, and modern equipment! Thanks PLP!
They have better doctors and modern equipment already. Where ya been living?
Yep, it’s all about island construction, zaney as it sounds, warts and all.
Did I miss the breakdown showing the local and overseas workers, the site looks like a parking lot for a rental bike company, when are we going to see how far over budget and time this project is and is Piaget health services being held to account for the over runs?
I spoke to some of the workers the other day. They said it is the most badly managed project they had ever been to work on. They were in their fifties and had worked all over the world. They said the work ethic was non existent. This is why it has taken so long. However they were enjoying their extended stay in Bermuda!
Wait till this job is finished and we have to start paying.
It will not affect all those greedy connected contractors,they got theirs.
This project will bankrupt Bermuda and cause many in the Civil Service to lose much pay.Just watch and see,The Sage Commission’s recommendations as they come into play!