Canada Pipe Lining Technologies Completes Renewal at SickKids Hospital

Small diameter sanitary pipe restoration projects can present various challenges for even the most experienced contractors. The size of the project, pipe condition and plumbing configuration all add to the difficulty of successfully restoring the plumbing system.

Completing a successful project requires investigation, planning, execution, preparation for unexpected events and managing the customer’s concerns. Some properties present even greater challenges based on the use, environment or function on the premises. The focus for project management and execution for a multi-residential complex will not require the same level of planning and performance that is required for manufacturing facilities, laboratories, nursing facilities and hospitals.

Concord Ontario-based Canada Pipe Lining Technologies experienced all of these challenges, requiring the best of their management and staff, to meet the needs of SickKids Hospital of Toronto. The project seemed simple: fifteen 4-in. cast iron, sanitary risers required CIPP restoration and each stack was approximately 152 lf. The initial investigations did not appear to show anything that the staff of Canada Pipe Lining have not experienced in the past.

“We knew that meeting the demands of the hospital required careful planning, and the importance of adhering to timelines was critical,” says Gianpaul Callipo president, and founder of Canada Pipe Lining.

Increased Responsibility

These projects can be a test for the most competent contractor, but what made this project unique was that Canada Pipe Lining was responsible for all communication and education of the project between departments. The common practice for contractors is to report to one liaison of the hospital and manage the communication through that liaison.

In this situation, Canada Pipe Lining was responsible for gathering all the information, coordinating the meetings with the heads of all departments and developing a plan the project that least impacted the hospital’s patients and staff. Canada Pipe Lining also had to learn the internal procedures that have impact on health and security.

Using the CIPP pull-in-place method and Perma-Liner Industries materials, Canada Pipe Lining technicians successfully relined all 15 stacks between November 2014 to March 2015. What the company was not prepared for was the detail that was required for setting up protection that met or exceeded the expectations of Occupational Health & Safety at SickKids Hospital.



The areas where the pipe had to be accessed required strict requirements, to containing a dust-free environment, including a vacuum with HEPA filter and reverse air when doing any wall disturbance, where they needed to create access. Canada Pipe Lining technicians reviewed the asbestos reports provided by the consultant, and it appeared that the work area was free of any concerns to asbestos disturbance. However, after a further review of MOL guidelines, it became clear that the concerns were not the walls that they were accessing but the risk of disturbance by working with the pipe itself. It was then that Canada Pipe Lining technicians were instructed to increase the level of the work area protection to Type 2 asbestos protocol, which included required protective wear, mask, notices and clean up.

This added an additional 90 minutes to the setup and teardown requirements each night, yet Canada Pipe Lining’s dedication to keeping with the project schedule was a main objective, which exceeded the confidence of the hospital department heads.

Continued Work

Canada Pipe Lining successfully completed the 15 sanitary stacks as requested and was asked to complete another 15 sanitary stacks in a different building at the hospital, with approximately the same riser length of 152 lf. The conditions of the pipe were more challenging due to age and lack of use because of department changes and relocations of department to different buildings. The structural integrity was questionable, and cleaning required more time to prevent the need of pipe replacement and reconstruction, which can have great implications depending on the area where such an issue can occur.

SickKids Hospital was pleased with the outcome and the way Canada Pipe Lining managed its project.

“CWF Group has been hired by SickKids Hospital to manage their Infrastructure Renewal Projects. As part of these initiatives, SickKids Hospital has engaged Canada Pipe Lining Technologies to line the sanitary stacks in several of their buildings. With the high level of complexity involved in working in an occupied healthcare environment, Canada Pipe Lining has demonstrated that they understand the need to follow stringent guidelines and strict hospital protocols,” says Tony Fredericks, senior project consultant of CWF Group. “To date, the project has been very successful due to their professional work ethic, and their ability to communicate with both the healthcare professionals and the SickKids Hospital project management team. In addition, they continue to meet project deadlines within the project budget. Due to the project success, SickKids Hospital has asked Canada Pipe Lining to look at additional opportunities within the hospital.”

Thanks to the favorable outcome at SickKids Hospital, Canada Pipe Lining has altered the way it manages all of its future projects.

“We have raised the bar on small diameter pipe restoration project performance,” Callipo says. “We have introduced new standards that are similar to ISO standards for quality management. We realized that we are the end result of the manufacturing process, that regardless of the application, it is more than installation. It does not matter if we are working on a sanitary project, domestic hot and cold water rehabilitation, or water main project, that the process of pipe lining is the execution of raw materials to completing the finished product. It is because of this realization that we need to use similar quality practices that are commonly used in manufacturing such as Control Plans, Audits and Training Logs.”

Ed Henry is sales director for Canada Pipe Lining Technologies Ltd.