Milan, 19 May 2026 — Upgrading a live pharmaceutical plant demands careful coordination where safety, continuity and construction work together, as is the case for Livisto Animal Health, Italy.
Deerns is supporting Livisto Animal Health in a major revamping and expansion project at its veterinary pharmaceutical production site in Rio Saliceto, Italy. The project focuses on the reorganisation of existing β-lactam departments to increase manufacturing capacity, strengthen GMP compliance and HVAC segregation and reduce operator exposure through safer and more efficient flows.
Deerns is providing health and safety professional services during both design coordination and construction execution, reflecting strong confidence in its specialist expertise in complex life sciences environments.
Diego Di Lorenzo, Business Development Manager Life Sciences & Electronics, explains, “The major challenge on this working plant is coordinating safety for the people working in manufacturing, not only for those on the construction site.”
A complex revamp in a live production setting
The project is a full reorganisation within existing buildings at an operating production plant, making execution significantly more complex. Construction activities must be carried out while manufacturing continues, creating a dual challenge: protecting construction workers while also safeguarding plant personnel and ongoing operations.
In this context, safety goes beyond compliance and needs to enable transformation while keeping production running within a practical framework.
What the project will deliver
The Livisto project has three main objectives:
- increase β-lactam manufacturing capacity for both powder and premix formulations
- enhance GMP compliance and HVAC segregation across critical production areas
- reduce operator exposure through the redesign of flows and critical areas
Parts of the wider production setup will also be reorganised. Certain nutritional products will be relocated to a dedicated building, while new areas will be developed for non-β-lactam powders, distribution, sampling and storage of raw materials and semi-finished products.
Deerns’ role in safety and coordination
Deerns has been appointed to deliver a comprehensive package of occupational health and safety services. This includes acting as Safety Coordinator during the Design and Execution Phases.
These responsibilities place Deerns at the centre of site safety planning and operational oversight. The team has already delivered the coordinated safety plan for the project, defining how the construction site must be organised and managed in relation to the live plant environment.
Di Lorenzo underlines the level of preparation involved: “The full coordinated safety plan is a comprehensive, carefully structured document because this construction site is next to an operating manufacturing environment. Furthermore, the project involves five different contractors across civil, mechanical, electrical, fire services and structural works.”
A collaborative way of working
To manage these interfaces, Deerns has established a strongly collaborative coordination model. Coordination is maintained through regular meetings with contractor decision makers and site leaders. These meetings take place twice a week as a rule and can increase when simultaneous activities intensify.
This structure is a practical response to the realities of a live industrial environment – as the number of contractors working simultaneously increases, so does the need for control.
Designing safety into the site layout
A key part of Deerns’ contribution is the design of the construction site layout itself. The aim is to separate construction activities clearly from live manufacturing operations and prevent accidental crossover between the two.
The site safety strategy includes:
- restricted construction areas with controlled access points
- a main entrance with registration and security supervision
- a second controlled access point with turnstiles
- perimeter fencing around the construction zone
- enhanced lighting and defined procedures for higher-risk works
Deerns has prepared the bill of quantities for safety related items, ensuring that each contractor is responsible for implementing the required measures within its own scope.
Phased execution under tight timelines
The works are phased by type of activity rather than by separate building areas. Civil and preparatory works come first, followed by cleanroom related works including HVAC, electrical systems and architectural finishing. The final phase involves related activities such as piping. Completion of construction is currently targeted for the end of 2027.
As Livisto modernises and expands its veterinary pharmaceutical production capabilities, Deerns is helping to create the conditions for that transition to happen safely, efficiently and responsibly – an invaluable contribution in a facility where compliance, containment and continuity are all top priorities.
