Healthcare

Our working relationship with the University of Rochester Medical Center spans more than two decades. Throughout this time O’Connell has maintained a continuous active presence across URMC facilities. Having worked on a host of upgrade and modernization projects as well as major renovations and expansions, O’Connell has constructed electrical infrastructure ranging from high voltage power distribution and emergency backup systems to life safety and communications to systems testing and commissioning. We coordinate with the facilities group on day-to-day service and maintenance support and provide emergency response services as needed.

O’Connell has had extensive experience working on projects for the Radiology Department at URMC, as well as at other hospitals. We have acquired a wealth of knowledge and skills addressing the unique electrical challenges and requirements involved with X-ray equipment, CAT and CT scanner, and MRI (Standard, Functional, and Open) installations. Based on O’Connell’s experience in these areas we have been hired by the engineering firms working on various URMC Radiology projects to assist in developing the power system designs and layouts.

Many projects at URMC require our electricians to work in Occupied Patient Areas. When upgrading the Nurse Call System at Strong Memorial Hospital O’Connell technicians needed access to nearly every room including OR. O’Connell has worked on numerous projects where we upgraded patient rooms in fully functioning patient wings. Several Catheterization laboratory (Cath Lab) renovation projects along with our work at a new Electrophysiology (EP) laboratory also required special consideration and action. In such cases, strict adherence to an ICRA (Infection Control Risk Assessment), a multidisciplinary process focused on reducing risk from infection, is mandatory to ensure both patient and worker safety.

O’Connell Electric’s longstanding partnership with the University of Rochester Medical Center stems from a mutual trust and respect that has been fostered between two leaders in their fields along with and unwavering commitment to providing exceptional customer service.

O’Connell has maintained a long-standing working relationship with Lourde’s as well as dozens of other hospitals across New York State. Working directly for the hospital, we were awarded a competitive bid contract for $1.9 million to perform all electrical construction. The project involved expansion and modernization of Lourdes’ emergency and radiology departments as well as new Open MRI and two new surgical suites. A new ambulatory care building was also constructed to contain the gastroenterology suite, rehabilitation department, outpatient blood lab, pre-admission testing area, and hospital registration with a new two-story main entrance connecting it to the existing structure.

Our scope of work for the project was comprehensive. O’Connell constructed and installed all primary, secondary, and standby power distribution systems, the hospital’s specialized ‘medical systems’, interior and exterior lighting, and fire, life safety, and communications systems. Construction of the hospital’s dedicated power house included the installation of two Milton Cat 750kW packaged standby engine generator sets in conjunction with Russelectric paralleling switchgear and transfer switches for maintaining power across the hospital’s critical, life safety, emergency, and mechanical systems as well as Open MRI. Additionally, our Technical Services Division performed start-up testing and commissioning for the new electrical service, distribution systems, and equipment.

Through careful planning, O’Connell executed periodic power shutdowns throughout various stages of the project, completing all work with no disruption to ongoing hospital operations. The hospital’s Open MRI and surgical suites required special coordination efforts involving the customer, manufacturers, consultants, contractors, and staff to ensure proper systems configuration, operation, and turnover. O’Connell was found to be in good standing during numerous unscheduled inspections conducted by New York State’s Department of Health and Human Services.

O’Connell’s Core Values in Action: For the Lourdes expansion project O’Connell employed a full-time, on-site superintendent who oversaw the day-to-day job site operations and was the face of our company to hospital representatives, the GC, and all other involved parties. The superintendent played an active role at both the weekly construction meetings and two-week look-ahead planning sessions in addition to maintaining O’Connell’s formal onsite Quality Assurance program. Through the employment of advanced training practices, OSHA certifications, onsite Lunch Box Safety Talks, daily safety inspections, and two-week look-ahead participation, O’Connell was able to maintain an impeccable safety and performance record throughout the project.

O’Connell’s working relationship with Ortho Clinical Diagnostics dates back to the 1990s. The strength of our partnership stems from daily application of several O’Connell Core Values—Exceptional Customer Service, Ethics and Integrity, and Quality and Dependability.

Ortho employs full-time O’Connell electricians at each of their Rochester, New York facilities who provide day-to-day service and maintenance ranging from upkeep of electrical systems, fixtures, and equipment to upgrades and renovations, and who are on-call nights and weekends in case of emergencies.

Our project work for Ortho varies in size and scope often involving highly specialized applications. Over the last decade, we have literally been awarded hundreds of projects between Ortho’s two Rochester facilities ranging from several thousand to several hundred-thousand dollars.

A recent project involved relocation and hook-up of a highly specialized roll-coating machine from where it was designed, built, and tested in Neenah Wisconsin, to Rochester’s chemical diagnostics manufacturing facility. ‘72 Machine’ was custom-made for Ortho and can apply several layers of chemicals, in different ‘recipes’, on a film substrate allowing for a range of blood tests to be performed from a single strip. We flew our project foreman out to document dismantling of the machine to aid our technician’s back in New York with the reassembly. The range and diversity of O’Connell’s specialized services often gives us the competitive-edge when bidding private contracts. For this project we were able to leverage the expertise of two lead technicians from our Bridges Division who have broad experience and understanding of control wiring and schematics. Reassembly of 72 Machine called for on-the-job improvising and realignments to facilitate its permanent installation. O’Connell met all scheduling requirements set forth for our part of the project.

Through persistent, observable dedication and commitment to our customers, O’Connell Electric’s business relationships, like the one we have with Ortho Clinical Diagnostics, continue to prosper and expand.