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Concordia is a regional finalist for the Grands Prix de la CNESST — for the second year in a row!

Recognition from Quebec’s workplace health and safety board shines a light on a project to safeguard a high-capacity testing frame in the university’s Structures and Infrastructure Testing Laboratory
October 3, 2024
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Four men stand side-by-side in front of a "Grands Prix CNESST" backdrop. One of them is holding a framed certificate. From left: Mohamed Aiyar (CNESST), Pietro Gasparrini (EHS), Khaled Galal (BCEE, GCS) and Alexis Gosselin (GCS)

A year after being named a regional finalist in the innovation category for the Grands Prix de la CNESST, Concordia has once again received recognition for its commitment to improving occupational health and safety.

Quebec’s workplace health and safety board recently selected a Concordia project as a 2024 finalist in the innovation category for the Montreal-North Shore region, an area that covers the Montreal, Laval, Laurentians and Lanaudière territories.

“Being named a finalist two years in a row is no small feat,” says Pietro Gasparrini, director of Environmental Health and Safety. “The innovation category recognizes projects that successfully prevent and reduce the risk of occupational accidents. It’s an honour to be selected as a finalist.”

A group of six people in hard hats stands in a building next to a tall red metal structure. From left: Alexis Gosselin (GCS), Belal Abdelrahman (BCEE, GCS), Lina Filacchione (EHS), Khaled Galal (BCEE, GCS), Riccardo Gioia (GCS) and Duncan Chisholm (GCS)
A detailed CAD rendering of the same red metal structure. A rendering of the modified high-capacity testing frame.

Reducing risk

This latest distinction shines a light on work that was done to secure a high-capacity testing frame used in the Structures and Infrastructure Testing Laboratory at the Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science (GCS).

"The testing frame applies compressive and tensile forces to vertical structural elements such as concrete, masonry or steel columns. The equipment can also perform tests that bend other structural elements like bridge girders," says Khaled Galal, professor in the Department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering (BCEE) and director of the GCS Research Centre for Structural Safety and Resilience.

"Lab users would apply force through a high-precision digitally controlled system, yet there was a chance that projectiles or dust could escape the work area during experiments."

To ensure the lab maintained high health and safety standards, Galal and his research team developed an innovative guarding system for high-compression testing.

Along with BCEE technicians and the academic facilities team at the Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science, they detailed and designed a custom-made guarding system that is versatile and can accommodate testing various structural elements.

A framed certificate naming Université Concordia as a finalist for the CNESST Grands Prix 2024 for securing a high-capacity testing frame in a research lab. The plaque presented to Concordia by the CNESST.

“The aim of the project was to reduce risk,” says Lina Filacchione, manager of occupational health and safety in Environmental Health and Safety. “This involved installing movable Lexan screens at the most strategic points, as well as delimiting a safety zone.”

Four eight-foot polycarbonate panels were installed in stages on the sides of the press. The team left a two-inch gap at the bottom of the panels to ensure good air circulation during testing. The gap also makes it easier for users to clear away debris, as well as hoses and cables for data collection and controls.

A combination of steel and aluminum hardware hold the panels in place, which is attached to the press with steel brackets.

“Structural test operators can move the guarding panels easily and safely to place and remove test specimens and make adjustments to the testing machine,” Galal says.

“This is notable because it was impossible to find a similar product on the market due to its complexity. Unlike traditional installations, the guards have been designed to maintain visibility throughout testing, while ensuring the safety of students and staff.”

This video shows a demonstration of one of the tests that benefited from the installed guarding system.

Project team

Concordians who led the development and implementation of the panels include:

  • Khaled Galal, professor in the Department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering
  • Belal Abdelrahman, postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering
  • Alexis Gosselin, academic facilities coordinator at the Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science
  • Riccardo Gioia, manager of building operations and infrastructure at the Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science
  • Lina Filacchione, manager of occupational health and hygiene and Environmental Health and Safety
  • Duncan Chisholm, health and safety technician at the Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science


Learn more about Environmental Health and Safety.



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