SAFETY--Nondestructive Testing of Cableways in Place


In Reply Refer To:                          September 29, 1986
WGS-Mail Stop 405


BRANCH OF OPERATIONS TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM 86.04


To:      Regional Hydrologists and District Chiefs, WRD

From:    Chief, Branch of Operational Support, WRD, Reston, Virginia

Subject: SAFETY--Nondestructive Testing of Cableways in Place

In September 1984, a WRD employee fell into a river from a cableway that
broke due to excessive corrosion.  Fortunately, another man happened to be
nearby and rescued him by throwing out a line and pulling him in.  This
incident could easily have turned into a tragedy if no one had been around.
We want to prevent this from happening in the future and suggest that each
District seriously consider having their older cableways tested for
safety.  We have taken the following steps to help in this endeavor:

1.  A market search for a company to test cableways in place has produced
one source that we believe has all the capabilities needed.  The company is
Halkin Services, Inc. in Commerce City, Colorado.  Halkin is in the
business of testing wire ropes, on site, at mines and ski lifts all over the
country, andd has been in the business for over 50 years.  In July 1986, Halkin
conducted a test on a USGS Cableway that has been in place for approximately
50 years.  From the test, Halkin presented a report that describes the
estimated loss of strength of the wire rope, percent loss of metallic area,
and defines localized faults such as broken strands.

2.  Any District wishing to use the services of Halkin should do so by
dealing with the company directly through a purchase order.  We have
attached a Schedule of Articles and a Justification for Other than Full and
Open Competition (JOFOC).  The Schedule of Articles will require some
information from the local office, such as the Contracting Officer's
Representative and the Period of Performance.  The Schedule of Articles
should be incorporated as part of the purchase order.  The JOFOC has been
signed by me; the local warranted Contracting Officer should sign the JOFOC
on the approval line and include it in the file for this purchase order.
This procedure has been approved by the Chief, Small Purchases Section,
Branch of Procurement and Contracts, at Headquarters.

3.  Halkin Services, Inc., has been contacted and is aware of our plans and
objectives.  Each office will need to contact Halkin directly to work out a
schedule.  Halkin's normal rate is $990 per day.  Halkin has, however,
agreed that if they are working in a State and the USGS can schedule USGS


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cableway inspections while they are in the State, they will perform the work
for $620 per day.  The attached table shows the frequency of visits during
a year to each State that Halkin works in.  Halkin has also agreed to
reduce the cost per day if more than one day's work is arranged.  These
rates for each State are also shown on the table.  Keep in mind that
this is a service contract, and the total cost must be under $2,500 to
be processed by purchase order in the District.  If a larger procurement
is desired, the contract will hav to be processed by the appropriate Regional
Procurement Office.  The Schedule of Articles stipulates that a WRD employee
will accompany the Contractor, so a field person must be scheduled and
available.  Each cableway test will probably take 2 to 4 hours depending
on the length of cableway and the access to it.  The Contractor could
possibly accomplish 2 or 3 cableway inspections per day depending on the
distance between cableway locations.  With this in mind, we suggest that
a list be made up of stations in close proximity to each other.

More details are in the attached Schedule of Articles and JOFOC.  The
address of the contractor is:

             Halkin Services, Inc.
             4545 East 52nd Avenue
             Commerce City, Colorado  80022
             Attn:  David R. Hall
             Phone:  (303) 296-9394

If you have any questions or need any assistance, please call me at FTS
959-5251 or Judy Claussen at FTS 959-5264.


                                     Alberto Condes

Attachments
[Contact the Branch of Operational Support, Reston, for a copy of
the attachment(s)].

Copy to:  Small Purchases Section, MS204

Key Words:  Safety, Cableways, Nondestrictive Testing, Procurement
            of Cableway Testing, Halkin Services