Our Customer
Haileybury is one of Australia’s leading private schools with a history dating back to 1892. Their academic program educates boys and girls from the age of three all the way to Year 12. They also have six established campuses, four of which are in Melbourne, one in Darwin and one in Beijing, China. The Keysborough campus located in Melbourne’s south-east has undergone redevelopments in the past decade.
Project Description
A full exterior repaint was scheduled for the Senior School campus at Keysborough as part of the School’s maintenance painting contract with Programmed. Repainting the campus buildings to the school’s new corporate colours was to be done during the school holidays and required a complete removal of all existing paint on buildings, some of which were built over 40 years ago. The colours on these particular buildings had faded, revealing bubbles of the base layer of paint which contained lead and had to be removed immediately.
Project Solution and Outcome
Due to the risks involved with lead exposure, it was imperative for both Haileybury and Programmed to ensure all industry best practices and regulations were met during its removal. Areas were strictly cordoned off during the entire process to protect anyone from the operation.
Since areas that contained lead were on elevated areas of the double storey buildings, Programmed used a heat gun equipped with a vapour filter to strip off the lead instead of sanding or grinding, which could have contaminated the environment, damaged the gardens or expose the school’s students and staff as well as Programmed’s painters to the risk of lead inhalation. To safely access these areas, boom lifts were used, and a registered waste removal company was engaged to capture all of the waste and remove it from the site.
Programmed painters were trained on not just the process for lead extraction, but also the strict use of full and correct PPE. This included bodysuits, filter masks, glasses, gloves and boots. A wash station was also set up for the painters to clean their hands and faces before having their breaks or leaving the premises. Programmed also closely monitored the health of our painters throughout, and conducted blood tests both prior to and post removal to monitor lead levels. Test results confirmed a successful and safe process, and not one painter suffered lead contamination. Moreover, to ensure the regulations of managing lead-based paint removal were met, Work Safe Victoria also came and assessed the site. There were no issues found and the standards of Programmed’s removal procedure was approved.
Once the lead paint was removed and treated, two layers of primers and two top coats were applied to ensure the film thickness and density of the paint was enough to endure harsh weather conditions. Only acrylic paint was used as the water-based nature ensures fast-drying, durability and low toxicity levels which is environmentally friendly.
Haileybury’s Senior School campus at Keysborough now shines with their new corporate colours. The aesthetics of their buildings have been modernised, and no longer contain harmful substances to staff and students.
Upon completion, this project presented Programmed with a High Distinction at the 2018 Master Painter Awards For Excellence in the EnviroPainter category.
