Business Challenge

Following the severe flooding in British Columbia, large quantities of debris—including vehicles, petroleum tanks, collapsed structures, damaged bridges, and potentially contaminated materials—required removal using both heavy equipment and manual labor. The scope of work involved multiple First Nations partners, environmental teams, and construction crews working simultaneously. The complexity, speed of cleanup, and presence of hazardous materials created a high-risk operational environment. The client required a structured hazard identification process to ensure consistent risk understanding and mitigation across all parties and all work fronts in Merritt and Princeton.

Objectives & Success Criteria

The client sought to:

• Develop HazID assessments for each debris-removal work front.
• Create risk registers aligned with project hazards and stakeholder expectations.
• Ensure First Nations partners, construction personnel, environmental teams, and HSE representatives agreed on hazards and mitigations.
• Deploy on-site expertise to coordinate real-time HazID development and risk management.

Success was measured by stakeholder alignment, continual safe operation across work fronts, effective risk mitigation, and uninterrupted debris cleanup progress.

PMO Solution (What We Did)

PMO deployed a full-time senior risk specialist at the project’s Merritt base to lead hazard identification and risk management activities. The specialist worked directly with construction teams, HSE personnel, First Nations partners, and environmental staff to:

• Facilitate HazID sessions for each work front.
• Develop detailed risk registers tailored to debris-removal operations.
• Identify high-risk activities and determine feasible mitigations.
• Ensure stakeholder consensus on hazard controls.
• Provide day-to-day risk management support and maintain alignment across teams.

This approach ensured each cleanup zone had a clear understanding of hazards and mitigation expectations before work proceeded.

Key Components / Activities

• On-site facilitation of HazID workshops
• Development of work front-specific risk registers
• Coordination among construction, HSE, First Nations, and environmental teams
• Field review of removal activities and evolving hazards
• Documentation of risk mitigations for operational control
• Continuous stakeholder engagement to maintain risk alignment

Outcomes & Impact

PMO’s collaborative HazID development ensured all stakeholders—including First Nations partners—shared a clear understanding of hazards and mitigation strategies. The resulting risk registers supported safer debris-removal operations, reduced uncertainty, and allowed multiple work fronts to proceed confidently and efficiently. This approach significantly reduced operational risk while supporting environmental protection and community partnership. 

Lessons Learned / Challenges Overcome

Debris-removal operations after flooding are highly dynamic, with hazards changing as work progresses. PMO’s decision to deploy a senior risk specialist on-site ensured real-time risk identification and rapid coordination among diverse stakeholders. A key lesson was that early and continuous engagement with First Nations partners strengthens both risk understanding and project cohesion. 

Value Proposition Summary

PMO delivered a structured, stakeholder-aligned hazard identification program that enabled safe and efficient debris cleanup following the BC floods. By embedding a risk specialist on-site and facilitating multi-party HazID development, PMO helped the client manage significant operational hazards while maintaining strong relationships with First Nations partners and environmental stakeholders.