ENGINEERINGCOMPETENCYREPORT

EXAMPLED
13January2014

TableofContents

TableofContents.........................................................................................................................2
Aboutthisexample......................................................................................................................3
Claim1.Dealwithethicalissues..................................................................................................4
Claim2.Practisecompetently.....................................................................................................5
Claim3.Responsibilityforengineeringactivities........................................................................7
Claim4.Developsafeandsustainablesolutions........................................................................9
Claim5.Engagewiththerelevantcommunityandstakeholders.............................................11
Claim6.Identify,assessandmanagerisks................................................................................13
Claim7.Meetlegalandregulatoryrequirements....................................................................14
Claim8.Communication............................................................................................................16
Claim9.Performance................................................................................................................18
Claim10.Takingaction..............................................................................................................20
Claim11.Judgment...................................................................................................................22
Claim12.AdvancedEngineeringKnowledge(PE)KnowledgeofStandardised
Practices(EA)KnowledgeofTechnology(ET)...........................................................................23
Claim13.Localknowledge........................................................................................................25
Claim14.Problemanalysis........................................................................................................27
Claim15.CreativityandInnovation/AdvancedOperation/PredictableOperation..............29
Claim16.Evaluation..................................................................................................................30

Aboutthisexample

Thisreportispartofasetofexamplereportsthatisbeingdevelopedtoprovideexamplesof
EngineeringCompetencyClaimsandtheEngineeringExperienceRecord(EER).TheseExamplesarefor
usebyparticipantsusingtheeCharteredsystemtoguidethem.

Beforereviewingtheexamplereports,applicantsshouldrefertotheappropriate2012Australian
EngineeringCompetencyStandardsStage2ProfessionalEngineerorEngineeringTechnologistor
EngineeringAssociateavailableintheResourcessectionoftheeCharteredwebsite.

ParticipantsshouldalsorefertoSection5oftheOnlineParticipantGuide,Submission,payingparticular
attentiontoSection5.3.WritingEngineeringCompetencyClaims(ECCs).TheThoughtStartersfor
PreparingEngineeringCompetencyClaimsineCharteredavailableintheExamplessectionalsoprovides
guidanceandisrecommendedreadingalongwiththeexamplereports.

Thefollowing16exampleECCreportsweresubmittedbyacivilengineerwhosuccessfullyachieved
CharteredMembershipfollowingtheirProfessionalInterview,aswellasregistrationontheNational
ProfessionalEngineersRegister(NPER)andtheStage2Assessmentfortheapplicationtobecomea
RegisteredProfessionalEngineerofQueensland(RPEQ).

TheauthorwaspreparedtomeettherequirementsoftheAustralianEngineeringCompetency
StandardsStage2.Eachoftheirclaimswereverifiedbyaresponsibleseniorengineer.

Identifyinginformationhasbeenremovedtoprotecttheconfidentialityoftheauthor,theiremployers,
theirVerifiers,clients,andtheprojectscovered.Allverificationhasbeenremovedforthepurposeof
maintainingconfidentiality.

AstheneweCharteredprocessdevelops,EngineersAustraliawillbeabletobuildarepositoryof
examples.ThisexampleisfromoneofthefirstwavetousetheeCharteredsystemandsuccessfully
completetheirProfessionalInterview.

EngineersAustraliaexpressesitssincerethankstotheengineerwhoprovidedthesereportstobeused
toassistothersseekingCharteredStatusand/orregistration.

Thesereportsaremadeavailableasexamplesonly.EngineersAustraliaisnottheauthorandthus
makesnoclaimsastothereportsaccuracy.Nopartofthesereportsmaybereproducedinanyform
foranypurposewithoutthepermissionofEngineersAustralia.Nopartofthesereportsmayotherwise
bereplicatedorusedbyothersforthepurposeofclaimingitorthemastheirown.

Claim1.Dealwithethicalissues

BetweenSeptember2009toMarch2010,Icompletedasecondmentwithaspecialistmarinecontractor.
ThecontractorwasasmallcompanyandIgottoknowtheownersandhisemployeesinbothprofessional
andpersonalsense.DuringmytimewiththecontractorIworkedcloselywithaparticularprojectmanagerin
constructingawharfstructureonamajorriver.WhenIfinishedmysecondmentandreturnedtotheoffice,I
keptincontactwiththeprojectmanageronasemiregularbasis.

WhenIgotbacktotheoffice,Iwasresponsibleforcompletingdetaileddesigndrawingsandtender
documentationforademolitionprojectsubsequentconstructionofajettyfingerinitsplace.Thespecialist
marinecontractorwasoneoffourpartiestobidforthecontract.Inordertobeopenandhonestandavoid
anyconflictsofinterest,IinformedmyclientthatIhadcompletedasecondmentwiththeparticular
contractor.Duetomysecondment,thespecialistmarinecontractorfeltcomfortableincontactingmewith
tenderquestions.DuringtenderstageIwascognisantofthefactthatIneededtobehaveethicallyand
ensurethatnopartieswereputinanunfairdisadvantage.Forexample,Iensuredthatconfidentialclient
information,suchastheavailableclientbudgetwasnotdisclosedtoanytenderer.Asanotherexample,I
requestedthatallenquiresduringtenderstagecomeviatheclientinthefirstinstance.Iwouldthendisturb
myassociatedresponsesbacktotheclientfordistributiontoalltenderers.

Fromateamperspective,myintentistoalwaysinteractwithmycolleaguesinanopenandhonestmanner
andactonthebasisofawellinformedconscience,inlinewiththeEngineersAustraliaCodeofEthics.I
believethatthesearecriticalelementstocreatingapositiveteamdynamicandensuringsuccessfulproject
delivery.Forexample,Iencouragedmembersofmyteamtocompletetheirtimesheetsaccurately,honestly
andontime.Mypersonalapproachistokeepadailydiaryofmytimespentonprojectworkanda
descriptionofthetask/sIundertook.Idothisinordertogiveanhonestresponsewhenrequestedbymy
peerstoprovideexplanationoftimespentonspecificprojecttasks.Atalltimes,Iencouragemyteam
memberstorecordtheirtimeaccuratelyasopposedtochargingunbudgetedhourstoanoverheadnumber.
Ialwaysstatetomycolleaguesthataccuraterecordingoftimegivesgreaterinsightintoprojectperformance
andwillnotleadtorepercussion.

Iamnowworkingforamajorengineeringconsultingfirm,whichhasanIntegrityManagementSystem(IMS)
whichhasbeendesignedtopromoteethicalbusinesspracticeswithinthecompany.Thecompany'sCodeof
ConductisoneofitskeyIMSdocuments.TheCodeofConducthas3imperativeelements;Teamwork,
RespectandIntegritywhichisanalogoustotheCodeofEthicsprovidedbyEngineersAustralia.Ireviewed
andagreedtoabidebytheCodeofConductwhenIsignedmyemploymentcontract.Forexample,with
regardstogifts,theCodeofConductstates'refusetoacceptgifts,financialpayments,favoursorbenefits
thatareintendedto,orarelikelyto,causeyoutoactinabiasedmannerinthecourseofyourduties.'Itook
particularnoticeofthisclauseasIamawareandhavewitnessedtheofferofgiftsbyvendorsand
contractorswithinpreviousworkplaces.IamawarethatifIwasofferedagift,thatdeclarationtomy
companyistheappropriateaction.ThisethicalapproachisinlinewiththeEngineersAustraliaCodeof
Ethics.

IhaveengagedinethicalreflectivepracticebyreviewingtheValuesExchangeprovidedbyEngineers
Australia.ThecasestudiesprovidedontheValuesExchangehavehelpedmetodevelopmyethical
judgementanddecisionmakingskills.Thisprovedtobeagreatlearningexerciseandconfirmedinmymind
theimportanceoftheCodeofEthicsprovidedbyEngineersAustralia.Insummary,Iamawarethatasan
engineerpractitioner,Iamtousemyknowledgeandskillsforthebenefitofthecommunitytocreate
engineeringsolutionsforasustainablefuture.Iamalsoawarethatweasengineersaretoservethe
communityaheadofotherpersonalorsectionalinterests.

Claim2.Practisecompetently

Themaritimeandcoastalengineeringindustryisquitespecialisedandrequiresanappropriateskillset.
Typically,maritimeandcoastalengineerscompletedesignsbasedonempiricalmethodsduetothelack
ofprescribedmethodswithinavailablestandards.Whendesigning,Iamheavilyreliantonguidelines,
conferencepapers,empiricalmethods,'firstprincipals'approach,inlieuofpublishedstandards.This
requiresmetothinkcriticallytoregularlyassessmyowncompetenceandacquirenewskillstoensure
thatmychosenapproachismostapplicablefordesignpurposes.Forexample,IensurethatIstay
abreasttolatestdevelopmentswithinmyindustry.

Mycommitmenttomyprofessionaldevelopmentislongtermandextendsbeyondprojectspecific
requirements.Sincegraduationforexample,Ihavecompletedperformancereviewsevery12months.
ThenominatedreviewerandIassessmycompetenceagainstarangeofcriteriaandalsodetermine
areaswherefurtherskilldevelopmentisrequired.

Traininganddevelopmentwithinthemaritimeandcoastalengineeringindustryisgenerallyquite
scarce,howeverIrecognisetheimportanceofmaintainingandupdatingmyskillsthroughthefollowing
avenues;

EngineersAustraliamonthlymagazine.

EngineersAustraliaQueenslandWaterPanelprovidespresentationsonanadhocbasistowhichI
haveattended.ThelastpresentationthatIattendedwasbyapastlecturerofmineandthesis
supervisor.,TomBaldockfromtheUniversityofQueensland.Tom'spresentationwasheld
November2011andwastitled,'Surfzonemorphology,waverunup,overtoppingandsediment
overwash.

Iamcurrentlyresponsiblefortheorganisationofmonthlymaritimetechnicalpresentationstomy
group.

IamaPermanentInternationalAssociationofNavigationCongresses(PIANC)memberandreadall
theworkinggroupand'oncourse'quarterlymagazinesaspartofmyContinuingProfessional
Development(CPD).PIANCistheglobalorganisationprovidingguidanceforsustainablewaterborne
transportinfrastructureforportsandwaterways.

IinitiatedthemaritimegroupsubscriptiontoaCoastalEngineeringJournalthroughmycompany's
libraryservicecolleagues.Thisjournalisextremelyvaluableasitcombinespracticalapplicationwith
moderntechnologicalandscientificachievements.Ihavedownloadedpaperssuchas,'Waveheight
distributionsonshallowforeshores'byBattjesandGroenendijkforexample.Atthetimeofmy
designwork,thispaperwasattheforefrontofindustryknowledgeandprovidedextremevalueto
mydeliverables.

IhaveenteredallCPDeventsintotheEngineersAustralia(EA)websitesincegraduation.Since2006I
haveexceeded50hoursofCPDperyear.

IamanactivememberofCoastalList(http://www.coastal.udel.edu/coastal/coastal_list.html).
Coastallistisamoderatedemaillistforcoastalengineers.ItwasestablishedbytheUniversityof
Delawaretoprovideapproximately1700enrolledcoastalengineers/scientistsameansto
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communicatewitheachothersothatitemsofinterestforthecommunitywillbedisseminated
broadly.

IrecentlycoordinatedandwasresponsibleforthedeliveryofaproposalfortheCoastalProcesses
sectionofaregionalCouncilAirportExpansionEIS.TheCoastalProcessessectionoftheEISrequireda
responsetothedrafttermsofreferenceinthehydrodynamics,hydrology,marinesedimentsandwater
quality.Iconcludedthatthelatter3specialitieswereoutsidemylevelofexperienceandItherefore
delegatedtheseworkpackagestomycompany'sspecialists.EventhoughIhadgainedhydrological
modellingexperienceasacadetwithacapitalCityCouncilImadeconsciencethedecisionthatIwasnot
sufficientlycompetentenoughtoprovidehydrologicaladvice.

Ihaveandamstillanactivememberoftheinhouseskillsnetworkswithinbothmypreviousand
currentcompany.Ihavepostedmanyquestionsontheskillsnetworksofmypreviouscompany.For
exampleIpostedquestionsonwavesteepnesslimitsforwavesinshallowwaterandwindspectra
definitionswhileworkingonthedetaileddesignforaLNGprojectofftheAustralianeastcoast.

Claim3.Responsibilityforengineeringactivities

IstartedwithmycurrentcompanyinearlyJanuary2012,andIwasgiventheroleofmanagingoursub
consultanttoundertakeadynamicmooringanalysisforaconfidentialLNGproject.Thisincluded
passingshipsimulationsforanumberofmembraneandsphericalLNGcarriers(rangingfrom
125,000m3to217,000m3).Thesubconsultant'sscopeofworkswasdeterminedduringproposalstage,
whichoccurredbeforeIcommencedmyemployment,andthereforewasbeyondmycontrol.

ThefirstactionIundertookwastoreviewtheagreedscopeofworksincludedinmycompany's
proposal.Theproposalstatedthatatotalof40simulationswererequiredinordertocompletethe
dynamicmooringanalysis.Basedonmyexperienceofbeingresponsibleforthemooringanalysiswithin
thedetaileddesignphaseforapreviousjettyconstructionproject,Imadethejudgementthatatotalof
40simulationswerenotadequatetomeetclientrequirements.Iagreedthatclientrequirementswere
notclearaswewereinFrontEndEngineeringDesign(FEED),howeverbasedon5vesselsandthe
applicableenvironmentalcriteria,itwasclearthatatotalof40simulationswouldnotbesufficient.I
immediatelynotifiedtheprojectanddesignmanagerofthisriskasthesubconsultantwasonalump
sumagreement.

ThenextactionIundertookwastoorganiseateleconferencewiththesubconsultanttodiscussthe
scopeofworks.Irequestedanexplanationfromthesubconsultantastohowatotalof40simulations
wouldsatisfytheclient'srequirements.AfterIreferredoursubconsultanttotheOilCompanies
InternationalMarineForum(OCIMF)standardenvironmentalcriteria,whichinmyexperienceisoften
exclusivelyreferredtobytheOilandGasmajors,itwasclearthatatotalof40simulationswouldbe
exceeded.

Irecommendedtooursubconsultantthatbasedonmyexperience,itwasinourcollectiveintereststo
completeadynamicmooringanalysismethodologydocumentinthefirstinstanceforclientreviewin
ordertomitigatetheriskofscopecreepandbudgetoverspend.Thesubconsultantagreedtoadoptmy
proposedapproach.Myintentionforthemethodologydocumentwastostateourapproach,
parametersadoptedandasummaryofthecaseswhichweproposedtosimulate.Inmyexperience,this
approachisbothcosteffectiveandalsoprovidesclaritytotheclientand/orpeerrevieweronthe
proposeddesignassumptionstobeadoptedwithinthesimulations.Icompletedthemethodology
documentbasedoninformationsentbytheclientandmycompany'sinternallibrary.Withinthe
methodologydocumentIhighlightedtheinformationgapsandproposedparametersrequiredto
completethedynamicmooringanalysis.Forexample,someoftheparameterswhichIproposedforall
vesselclassesincluded:

mooringlinepretensionvalues;
mooringlinediameters;
mooringlinetensionlimits(%strength);
mooringlineminimumbreakingload;
tailtypes;
taildiameters;
minimumtailbreakingload.

Inunison,IalsocompletedthefenderdesignforthebreastingdolphinsbasedontheCodeofpractice
fordesignoffenderingandmooringsystemsBritishStandard6349Part41994andthePermanent
InternationalAssociationofNavigationCongresses(PIANC)GuidelinesfortheDesignofFenderSystems
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(2002).Icompletedthisinparallelwithmyseniorstructuralengineeringcolleaguewhowasdesigning
thebreastingdolphins.MyseniorcolleaguereviewedmydesignandIlaterrefinedmydesignbasedon
hissuggestions.Iupdatedthemethodologydocumentwiththeappropriatelydesignedandreviewed
fender.Irequestedaninternalreviewofthemethodologydocumentbythedesignmanager.Finally,I
requestedthatallvalueswithinmydraftmethodologydocumentbeeitherconfirmedcorrectand/or
updatedbyoursubconsultantastheyweretherecognisedauthoroftheissueddocument.

Claim4.Developsafeandsustainablesolutions

ImmediatelyaftertheJanuary2011floods,mycompanywasengagedonanemergencyworksbasis.
FloodwatershadscouredasectionofamajorCreekandsubsequentbridgeembankmenttosucha
distancethattheroadandbridgewasatriskofsubsidence.Iassessedthecreekandslopestabilityfrom
ahydraulic/scourpointofviewandsupervisedtherehabilitationworks.

Beforegoingtosite,IcompletedaJobSafetyAnalysis(JSA).ThroughtheJSA,Ilogicallyidentified,
assessedanddocumentedthehazardsassociatedwithmysitevisitinaccordancewithmycompany's
HealthandSafetypolicy.Forexample,IensuredthatmycolleagueandIhadtheappropriatepersonnel
protectiveequipment(PPE)beforeenteringthesite.

Onceonsite,thecontractorhadproposedarockrevetmentsolutionalongthescouredsectionofthe
Creek.Sketchdrawingswereprovidedtome.

Ireviewedthecontractor'sdesignandsupervisedtheemergencyworksonbehalfofthestateauthority
whichwasmyclient.Aswewereinanemergencyworkssituation,Ireactedpromptlyintheshortterm.
Iassessedthecontractor'sdesignandidentifiedaspectsofthedesignwhichwerenotstructurallysound
andinformedmyclientthatthiswouldultimatelyresultinreworkinthelongterm.Istatedtomyclient
thatIappreciatedtheemergencysituation,howevercorrectandsafedesignwasparamount.Iproposed
thatsiteworksbeputonholdfor24hourswhileIcompletedsomepreliminarycalculations.Ireinforced
thefactthatthecontractor'sdesignwasneithercosteffectivenorasustainableoption.Forexample,
thegeotextileproposeddidnothavesufficientstrengthforthelargearmourrockandIconcludedthat
thegeotextilewouldpunctureduringconstruction.Also,therockarmourspecifiedwasnotlarge
enoughforpeakvelocitiesupto5m/s,whichIestimatedbasedonManning'sequation.Therevetment
toedetailwasnotrobustinmyopinionandtheriskoftherockslopefailinginextremeeventswashigh.
IimmediatelyrequestedthattheprocurementofmaterialsbeputonholdwhileIcompletedan
alternativedesign.Myclientagreedwiththisapproach.

Isuggestedtomyclienttobroadentheextentoftheworks.Iidentifiedthehighriskofscourdueto
highlymobilecreekbedsedimentparticlesandtheexpectedflowseparationbehindtheproposed
works.Irecommendedextendingtherevetmentstructureby50metresupstreampastthebendinthe
creek.Byextendingthestructure,thecosttomyclientincreased,howeverIreducedtheriskoffailure
duetoscourandthereforefuturereworkwasminimisedconsiderably.

Idesignedtherockrevetmentusing,'CIRIAC551ManualonScouratBridges&OtherHydraulic
Structures'.AsperCIRIAC551,Iinitiallycalculatedtherocksizerequiredforminimalmaintenance.After
discussionwithmyclientandcontractor,Ideemedthatthisapproachwouldbetoocostlytoprocure,
constructandmaintainbythestateauthority.Ithencalculatedtherocksizebasedonthefactthat
futuremaintenancemayberequiredafterlargestormevents.Irecommendedthisapproachtomy
clientandtheyconfirmedthattherevetmentwouldbeplacedontheyearlymaintenanceinspection
programme.Thecontractorconfirmedthatmycalculatedrockarmoursizecouldbeprocuredfromthe
quarryonshortnotice.MyapproachwassustainableasIrationalisedmysolutiononeconomic,risk,
materialresourcesandhumaneffortcriteriawhileprovidingforthesafetyoftheworkers.

Iwaspresentonsiteduringconstructioninanearfulltimebasisduetothenatureoftheemergency
works.Accesstothesitewashazardousduetothepoorgroundconditions.Irecommendedtothe
foremanthatheusetheunderlayerrockthatIhadspecifiedasaworkingplatformwhilecompleting
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worksontheerodedslope.Iidentifiedthatbyplacingrockarmouratthecrest,whichistypicalfor
coastalengineeringprojects,wouldposearisktotheconstructionstaff,futuremaintenanceinspectors
andthepublic.Idetailedonthedrawingstheplacementof underlayerrockwithinthevoidsoftherock
armour.Thisprovidedasafewalkingplatformalongthecrestandmitigatedthefutureriskofinjury.

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Claim5.Engagewiththerelevantcommunityandstakeholders

Itwasmyresponsibilitytocompleteafloodriskassessmentanddetermineanappropriatedesignflood
levelforamarinaprojectonthebanksofamajorriverinIreland.MyteamleaderandIwereengaged
byourclienttocarryoutengineeringdesignalongsideanarchitect.

Iidentified,inconsultationwithmyteamleaderwhichstakeholdersneededtobeconsulted,toensure
thatIhadaclearunderstandingoftheirrequirementsformydesignsolution:

TheOfficeofPublicWorks(OPW);
TheapplicableHydroelectricScheme;
Mycompanysofficefloodmodellingteam.

Myinvestigationsrevealedthatthegoverningbodywithintheregionwheretheassessmentwastaking
placedidnot(atthetimeoftheproject2006/07)haveformalisedguidelinesforproposed
developmentswithinthefloodplain.IcontactedthefloodinformationofficerwithintheOPW
responsiblefortheregionandconfirmedalegislativegapwithintheirrequirements.Workingethically
tonegotiateacceptableoutcomesforthecommunity,Iproposedtodevelopanappropriatedesign
floodlevelforOPWreview.Icontactedmyexperthydrologistcolleagueaboutbestpracticedesignflood
levelsforthistypeofdevelopment.Thefloodinformationofficeragreedthata1in100yeardesign
floodlevelwasappropriateandmettheirfloodimmunityrequirements.

Istatedthattheimpactofclimatechangeonpeakfloodflowsshouldbeconsideredwithinmyfloodrisk
studyasthiswouldleadtohigherpeakfloodlevels.Thefloodinformationofficerstatedthattheir
requirementsonpeakflowsduetoclimatechangewerecurrentlyindraftformat.Irequestedtheflood
informationofficerprovideformaladvice,towhichtheyrepliedinletterformat.Iincorporatedthe
formaladviceoftheOPW,whichatthetimestatedthatpeakfloodflowscouldincreasebyupto20%
duetoclimatechange.Afterathoroughinvestigationofthecatchmentcharacteristicsandasensitivity
analysisincludingincreasingpeakfloodflowsby10,15and20%,Irecommendeda20%increasein
flowswasinlinewithbestpractice.Iensuredthatlongtermrequirementssetbyotherswere
consideredtoobtainasustainablesolution.

Myinvestigationsshowedthatnofloodstudieshadbeenundertakenwithinthecatchment.Therewas
howeverrecordedflowsandrecordedwaterlevelsinthevicinityoftheproposedmarinasite.I
organisedameetingwiththechiefengineeroftheapplicableHydroelectricSchemetodiscussthe
operationalproceduresoftheweiranditsimpactonupstreamwaterlevels.Ilistenedcarefullytothe
chiefengineerexplainoperationalproceduresoftheweir,bothdailyandintimesofflood,asIknewthis
wascriticaltomyanalysis.AsIlistened,ItookaccuratenotesasIknewhis30yearsofexperiencewas
ofimmensevalueinlieuofpublisheddata.
Irequestedrecordedflowsandwaterlevelsfromthechiefengineerinordertodeterminearelationship
betweenthetwovariablesbasedonastatisticalanalysis.Thechiefengineerprovidedtomewith64
yearsofrecordedflows(monthlymaxima)andapproximately56yearsofrecordeddailywaterlevels.

Icontactedourlocalfloodmodellingteamtoperformthestatisticalanalysistoproducethe1in100
yearfrequencycurveastheyhadalicencetotheappropriatesoftware.Attheendofmyfloodrisk
analysisIreliedonmyexperthydrologistcolleagueswithintheLeedsofficetoreviewmyreport.I
incorporatedtheircommentsbeforeclientissue.
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Iexplainedthebasisofmypreliminary1in100yearfloodlevelandtheadditionalclimatechangeand
freeboardcontingenciesadopted,tothearchitect.Thearchitect'sconceptualschemeenvisaged
structuresclosetotheriverandmypreliminaryfloodlevelbecamecontrarytotheirdesignintentions.
Thearchitectchallengedmyapproach.Istatedthatthedesignfloodlevelwasinlinewiththe
requirementsoftheOPWincludingtheirprovisionsforclimatechange.Istatedthatmycolleagues
providedformalreviewandconfirmedthatmyworkwasinlinewithclimatechangebestpracticefor
preliminarydesign.

TwoyearslatertheOPWpublishedtheirguidelineswhichconfirmedthattheassumptionsImadewere
nowminimumrequirementsforfloodplaindevelopmentplanningapplication.

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Claim6.Identify,assessandmanagerisks

Iwasresponsiblefortheproductionofdetaileddesigndrawingsandspecificationsforajettystructure.Iwas
responsibleforworkingwithourseniorplanningengineerthroughthedevelopmentassessmentprocesstogain
approvalfortheworks.Iwasalsoresponsiblefortenderdocumentation.

Iproposedtomyclient,tocompleteourworkintwostages.Isuggestedtomyclientthatthiswasthemostcost
effectivedeliverymechanismfortheproject.Stage1includedworkingwiththeclientforlocalauthority
DevelopmentApproval(DA).Asthetimetakentoapprovethedevelopmentandtherequirementsofthe
approvalwereoutsideofmycontrol,IrecommendedthataStage2proposalwouldbeprovidedonthesuccessful
completionofStage1.Theclientwassatisfiedwithmycosteffectiveapproachandagreedtomyproposal.

Iproposedtomyclientthatadilapidationreportbecompletedoftheadjacentwalkwayandembankmentbefore
demolitionoftheexistingwharfcommenced.Irecommendedthisriskbasedapproachtomyclientasawayto
mitigateagainstpotentialfutureclaimsofdamagetothewalkwayand/orembankmentduringthe
demolition/constructionphase.Theclientagreedwiththisapproach.Iinformedmyclientthatthisworkhadnot
beenallowedforinmyproposalandIwouldseekapprovalforavariation.Istatedmyrequestwithinanemail
andprovidedanadditionalfee.Theclientrepliedtomyemailgivinghisapproval.Idocumentedthisinmy
variationregisterinspreadsheetform.

DuringtheprojectImaintainedmyvariationregister.Ifoundthisextremelyadvantageouswhenitcameto
preparingmonthlyinvoices.Atprojectend,therewereatotalof5variationswhichineffectdoubledouroriginal
proposalfee.Thishighlightedtometheimportanceofdocumentingvariationsandseekingpriorclientapproval
inwritingbeforeproceedingwithadditionalworks.Bynotseekingapprovalforvariationstotheagreedscope,I
wouldhaveoverspentmybudgetandplacedunacceptablefinancialriskuponmycompany.

IpreparedaGanttchartprogrammeofworksforalldesignactivities.Iusedtheprogrammeasareferenceona
neardailybasistoassessprojectprogress.Theclientspecifiedafinalmilestonedeliverabledatewhereall
drawings,specificationsandcontractdocumentswererequired.Iproposedintermediatemilestoneswithinthe
programme.Forexample,IproducedIssueForReview(IFR)drawings,specificationsandcontractdocuments.I
providedtheseIFRdeliverablesina'dripfeed'approachtoallowsufficienttimeforclientreviewandinput,
therebyminimisingtheriskofrunninglateonthefinalmilestonedate.Ifoundthatthe'dripfeed'approachwas
anextremelyeffectivemechanismforachievingeachagreedmilestone.Ifeltthatinvolvingtheclientthroughout
thedesignprocessfosteredacollaborativeculturewhichinturnaddedvalueandreducedtheriskofproject
delay.

Onaweeklybasis,Ireviewedmybudgetagainstthecollectivehoursspentandactualprogressmade.Iinformed
myprojectdirectoronaweeklybasisonmyprogresswithregardstobudgetspent,programmeburnt,milestones
metandanyissueswhichhadthepotentialtocausedelay.

Todocumentdesignchange,Ipreparedatechnicalriskregisterinspreadsheetform.WithintheregisterI
documentedthechangestoapplicablecodes,standards,localauthorityandconcurrenceagency'srequirements
againsteachdesignelementandassessedtheconsequencestotheexistingdesign.Thesystematicapproachthat
Itookbycreatingtheregisterprovidedaclearsummaryofchangesandwasextremelybeneficialwhenreviewed
bymyseniorcolleagueduringtheQAprocess.

LocalauthorityDAapprovalstipulatedthatoncethejettystructurewasconstructed,an'on maintenance'period
ofoneyearwouldcommence.For'onmaintenance',thelocalauthorityrequiredRPEQsigned'asconstructed'
drawingsandcertificationoftheworksofthejettystructure.Inorderformycompanytoprovidecertificationof
theworks,Inegotiatedwithmyclientthatsomesitesupervisionwasrequired.Isuggestedtomyclientthatsite
supervisionwouldbecompletedonanhourlybasis,cappedtoanupperlimitamount.Myapproachprovidedmy
clientwithamechanismtocontrolandforecastprojectcostsaccurately.
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Claim7.Meetlegalandregulatoryrequirements

Iwasresponsibleforworkingwithourseniorplanningengineerthroughthedevelopmentassessment
processinordertogainapprovalfortheworks.Iwasalsoresponsiblefortheproductionofthedetailed
designdrawings,specificationsandtenderdocumentationforajettystructure.

IproposedtoworkundertheConsultAustralia(2009)shortformcontractasthiswasmycompany's
legalpreference.ForStage2,IproposedtoworkunderthesamesignedConsultAustralia(2009)short
formcontractasIsuccessfullydidforStage1.Theclientagreedwiththisapproach.However,duetoa
laterchangeinmanagement,theclientlaterproposedthatIworkundertheirpreferredtermsand
conditions.Ispokewithmylegalcolleagueswithregardstoourpositionandaskedthemtoreviewthe
client'snewtermsandconditions.Theclient'stermsandconditionswerenomoreonerousonmy
companythantheACEA(2009)shortformcontract.Therefore,Iproposedtocontinueworkingunder
thesignedACEA(2009)shortformcontract,towhichtheclientagreed.

Iworkedalongsideourseniorplanningengineerinordertosatisfythelocalauthorityplanningapproval
andtheDepartmentofEnvironmentandResourceManagement(DERM)(nowknownasDEHP)
prescribedtidalworksapprovalapplicationprocess.Iprovidedapprovaldrawingsofthejettystructure.
Ishowedontheapprovaldrawingsthejettylayout,proposeddemolitionoftheexistingtimberwharf
structure,proposedplanandtypicalcrosssectionoftheproposedjettystructure.

Theclientstipulatedthatatimberflumewhichwaspartoftheoriginalstructure,beretainedbefore
demolitionandreusedinconjunctionwiththenewjettyworks.Iworkedwiththelandscapearchitects
toensurethatthetimberflumewasincorporatedintheirworks.Idesignedthebracingandsupportsfor
thetimberflumeinaccordancewithAustralianStandards(AS)4100SteelStructuresandprovided
additionaldrawingstothelandscapearchitectsworkspackage.

IwasawarethatIhadadutytocomplywithsection22oftheWorkPlaceHealthandSafetyAct
2011andensure,sofarasreasonablypracticable,thatthedesigniswithoutriskstohealthandsafety.I
completedasafetyindesignriskregisterandSafetyinDesign(SiD)reportfortheproject.In
consultationwithmyclient,Iconsideredpublichealthandsafetyandenvironmentalconsequencesfor
allstagesoftheprojectfromdesign,construction,maintenance,decommissioningandfinallythrough
todemolition.Withinmyriskregisterspreadsheet,Iidentifiedthehazardsandassessedtheassociated
consequencesinordertodeterminetherisklevel.IthenhighlightedthemitigationmeasuresforwhichI
tookwithinthedesigninordertoreducetheriskleveltoalevelaslowasreasonablypractical,
commonlyknownasALARP.

ThelocalauthorityDevelopmentApproval(DA)stipulatedalistofcompliancemeasuresthatneededto
beadheredtoduringbothdesignandconstruction.Lightingofthejettywasnotincludedinthe
approvaldrawings.Ihighlightedthisasahazardanddocumentedthefactthatlightingofthejettywasa
developmentapprovalcondition.Iengagedourelectricalengineerstocompletethelightingdesignas
pertheassociatedAustralianStandardsandwithRegisteredProfessionalEngineersofQueensland
(RPEQ)signoff.

IcreatedtenderdocumentationbasedonthegeneralconditionsofcontractAS2124(1992).Iamended
theconditionsofcontractthroughtheannexures,schedulesandjobspecificationsspecifictothe
projectrequirementsandlocalauthorityandconcurrenceagencyrequirements.Forexample,Iensured
thatthecontractorprepareanerosionandsedimentcontrolprogramandprovideddemolitionand
14


constructionmethodologiestherebysatisfyingthe constructionenvironmentalmanagementplan,which
wasarequirementoftheDA.

Iensuredmycompany'sintellectualpropertywasprotectedatalltimes.Forexample,Iensuredall
deliverablessuchasdrawings,reports,specifications,conditionsofcontractwerealwayssentinpdf
formatandthereforeunauthorisedchangescouldnotbemade.Ialsoensuredthatappropriate
disclaimerswereaddedtoissuedreports.Thedisclaimerswouldgenerallystatethatthereportswere
preparedformyparticularclientandshouldonlyberelieduponbymyclientbasedontheagreedscope
andstatedlimitations.

15

Claim8.Communication

Atmypreviouscompany,Iworkedalongsideandwaspartofagroupofpredominantlybridgeand
structuralengineers.Aparticularbridgewhichwaspeerassessedbyothers,foundthatascour
assessmentduringdetaileddesignhasnotbeencompleted.

Iagreedtotherequestandcompletedascourassessmentofthebridgedesign.Inordertowork
effectively,Irequestedfromthebridgedesignertheamountoftimerequiredandavailablebudgetin
ordertocompletethescourassessment.Iworkedwiththebridgedesignertocollatethebridgedesign
drawingsandavailablegeotechnicalinformationoftheriverbed.Inordertoeffectivelycompletemy
scourassessmentinaccordancewithrelevantguidelinematerial,Iinterfacedbetweenthebridge
designerandfloodmodeller.Ireliedonmypreviousfloodmodellingexperiencetoconverse
appropriatelyandbuildrapportwiththefloodmodeller.

Iwasabletorequestvectorplotdiagramsatfloodpeakvelocityasopposedtofloodpeakwaterlevel.
Thisisakeypointwhichwascriticaltothescourassessmentasthemagnitudeanddirectionoftheflow
atbothfloodstageschangedconsiderably.Icompletedasensitivityanalysisofbothfloodstagesto
improvetheaccuracyofmyanalysis.

Iinitiatedinformaldesignreviewswithmyseniorcolleaguebyhavingregularconversationsonanadhoc
basis.Basedonmydiscussions,IensuredthatIincludedatidalvelocitycomponentwithinmy
calculationsasthiswasnotmodelledwithinthefloodstudy.Ialsorecognisedthattheempiricallybased
predictivemethodsgivenintherelevantguidelinematerialarebasedonnoncohesivematerialandmy
analysiswouldthereforebeconsideredconservative.Toimprovemyanalysis,Iinvestigatedapplicable
scourpredictionmethodsforcohesivematerialbyplacingapostonmycompany'sinhouseskills
network,reviewingthemaritimelibrary,completingsearchesonGoogle,Compendexand
ScienceDirect,forexample.

Bysuccessfullyworkingwithmycolleaguesandcompletingthescourassessment,Ibecamethemain
pointofcontactwithinmygroupforallscourrelatedprojectissues.

Duringmyscourassessment,itbecamecleartomethattherewasaknowledgegapwithinthegroupon
assessingwaterwayscourwithinthebridgedesignprocess.Iexercisedinformalleadershipbygivinga
presentationtomygroup'squarterlymeeting,consistingofapproximately70engineersandCAD
technicians,onwaterwayscourmechanics.

Igavea15minutepresentationtomygroupwiththeaidofPowerPointslides.Istartedmypresentation
byexplainingtheimportanceofwhyscourneedstobeconsideredandgavesomeillustrativeexamples
onbridgesaroundtheworldwhichhavefailedduetoscour.Iexplainedthepredictiveempiricallybased
methods,namelygeneral,constrictiveandlocalscourequationsprovidedintherelevantguideline
material.Iwasabletohighlight'watchits'andlessonslearntapplicabletoeachpredictivemethod.

Iexplainedtheimportanceofworkingwithourfloodmodellersandgeotechnicalengineersinorderto
gainanunderstandingofpeakvelocitymagnitudeanddirectionandinsituriver/creekbedconditions,
respectively.Iemphasisedthatthescouranalysisshouldstartatpreliminarydesignstageandnot
retrospectivelyattheendofdetaileddesign.Ialsoemphasisedthatproposedbridgepiersshouldbe
alignedwiththeflowoftheriver/creekwherepractical.Ihighlightedthispointgraphicallyby
highlightinganincreasingtrendofpredictedscourdepthwithanincreasingincidentflowangle.Ialso
16


highlightedthedynamicnatureofscourshouldbeborneinmindwhenthinkingofthescourprocess.I
explainedthatasthefloodvelocityreducedfromitspeak,depositionwithinthescourholeislikely
occur.
AlloftheabovepointswerekeyconceptswhichIexplainedindetailthroughgraphicalmeans.My
presentationwaswellreceived.Itwasclearthatmostpeoplewithinmygroupwerenotawareofthese
keyconceptswhenconsideringscourmechanicsandprediction.Ifinishedmypresentationby
recommendingthatanymemberofmyteamshouldcomeandseemewithanyquestionsthatmay
haveforfutureprojectwork.

17

Claim9.Performance

MyclientrecentlyrequestedthatIinspectarollonrolloff(RoRo)rampforanLNGprojectsituated
withinAustralia.Mycompanycompletedtherampdesign,beforeIcommencedmyemploymentwith
them.Therampwasatriskoffailureduetopropellerwashduringvesseloperations.

Iimmediatelywenttositetogainabetterunderstandingofthesituationbyhavingdiscussionswithmy
client,andtheirtransportationlogisticsbusinessarm.Throughmydiscussionsonsite,itwasclearthat
duringtheberthingofaparticularRoRovessel,therockarmourprotectionwasbecomingunstable,
leadingtothescourofthecorematerialbeneaththeconcreteramp.Iinformedmyclientthatmy
immediateprioritiesweretocompleteadesignreviewofthestructureandsecondly,proposesome
remediationoptionsforreview.

Oncebackintheoffice,Icompletedadesignreviewoftheramp'srockprotection.Iconcludedthatthe
structurewasbeingcompromisedduetheoperationofthelargeRoRovessel'stwinazimuthpropeller
thrustersatitsstern.Eachpropellerutilised1000horsepoweror736kilowattsandIimmediately
highlightedtomydesignmanagerthattheRoRovesselwasoutsidetheboundsoftheadopteddesign
criteria.ThedesignmanagerandIparticipatedinteleconferenceswithrepresentativesoftheclientand
theirtransportationlogisticsarmandasubcontractortodiscussbothtemporaryandpermanent
solutions.

Forthepermanentsolution,Irecommendedtheuseofaproprietaryproducttoprotecttheexisting
structurefrompropellerscour.

Icalledthedesigner,todiscusswithhimhisproductanditspotentialapplicationfortheRoRoramp.
Overnumerousphonecalls,Ibuiltuparapportwiththedesigner.Ispokewithmyclientanditwasclear
thattherewassomeinternalresistancetotheuseoftheproduct,forvariousreasons.Iexercised
leadershipbyproposingthatallconcernedpartiesmeetonsitetodiscussallaspectsoftheproduct.

Myclientagreedwithmyapproach.Thesitevisitandworkshopwassuccessfullycompletedasit
allowedallpartiestodiscusstheproductanditsexpectedperformanceforourparticularapplication.

Iexercisedcompetencebycreatingatechnicalperformancespecificationforthedesignandsupplyof
theproduct.Withinmytechnicalperformancespecification,Iprovidedthefollowinginformationto
ensurethattheproductwasdesignedtoprovidetherequiredperformance;

Designwaterlevels,wavesandcurrentsfortheRoRoramp
Designvesselparametersincludingpropellerdiameter,enginepowerandapplicationofengine
powertothepropellerwhileberthing.
Minimumpropellerwashvelocitiesattheseabedforthedesignvessel
ConstructiondrawingsandspecificationoftheRoRoramp
ExistinghydrographicsurveyoftheRoRorampberthpocketandapproaches
AllavailablegeotechnicalinformationoftheRoRorampandsurroundingarea
CompleteddiversurveysoftheRoRorampinitscompromisedstate,towhichIhadcommissioned.

Iincludedaclausewithinmytechnicalperformancespecification,toensurethattheprovisionofdesign
calculationsweremandatoryforcompanyreview.Ialsosuggestedtomyclientthatarequestfora
performancewarrantyshouldbemadethroughthecommercialcontractualarrangement.
18

Mytechnicalperformancespecificationensuredthatmyclientwasabletoprocureacorrectlydesigned
productfortheparticularRoRoramp.

Iaddedvaluebyrecommendingthatanotherhydrographicsurveybeundertakenwithparticularfocus
ontheberthpocket.TheclientagreedandIwasabletocompleteadeltaplotcomparingthenew
hydrographicsurveytoabaselinehydrographicsurveytoaccuratelydeterminepropellerwashscour
extents.Tominimiseanypotentialmovementoftheproductandensureperformance,Iproposedto
burythefreeendoftheproduct0.5metresbeyondmypredictedscourdepth.Inaddition,myrequest
foradditionalhydrographicalsurveyaddedvalueasIwasabletooptimisetheproductcoverage
extents.

19

Claim10.Takingaction

Imanaged,leadandwasresponsibleforthedeliveryofasuccessfulproposaltocompleteastructural
conditionassessmentofasmalltownsconvictbuiltandheritagelistedcausewayanditsexposed
seawall.

Afterreviewingtherequestfortenderdocuments,Icontactedmystructural,geotechnicaland
geophysicalinternalcolleaguesrequestingtheirinputintomyproposal.Ialsoengagedasubconsultant
toprovideheritageadviceandservices.Irequestedthattheyallreviewthetenderandprovidean
estimateoftheircosts,proposedmethodology,theirCV'sandanyothersupportingmaterialwhich
wouldhelpmyteamtowintheproject.Icoordinatedthebidprocessandintegratedallmaterial
receivedintomyproposal.Icreatedamasterspreadsheetwithanestimateofmycompany'scollective
costtocompletetheworks.Iproposedareductioninmycompany'schargeoutratestoensuremybid
wascompetitive,towhichmygroupmanageragreed.

Iwrotetheproposalandwasresponsiblefortheproposedmethodology.Theclienthadrequested
GroundPenetratingRadar(GPR)geophysicaltestingintheirtenderrequest.Afterconsultingwithmy
colleagues,Imadethedecisiontodeviatefromtheclient'srequestandrecommendMultiAnalysisof
SurfaceWaves(MASW)seismictesting.Ihighlightedwithinmyproposalthatitwasbothcosteffective
andtechnicallyadvantageoustoadopttheMASWseismicsurveyapproach.

Irequested,andwasgivenpermissionbymygroupmanagertocompleteasiteinspectionofthe
seawallduringproposalstage.Althoughthisinvolvedanincreasedexpensebeforepotentialcontract
award,Iwasabletoaddvaluetomybiddocumentbydemonstratinganimprovedknowledgeofthe
seawall.Forexample,Iwasabletohighlightwithinmybiddocumentthattheseawallhadfailedina
numberoflocations.Iinformedmyclientthatoneparticularlocationoftheseawallhadfailedand
posedarisktothehealthandsafetyofthepublic.Idefinedmyproposedscope,clearlystatedproject
specificqualificationsandaccuratelyestimatedmycompany'sfee.

Myproposalwasacceptedandmycompanywasawardedthecontract.Aspermyproposal,I
immediatelyorganisedaninceptionmeetingwiththelocalauthority.Iorganisedforourheritagesub
consultanttojoinusinordertoshowmyclientthatwecameasapreparedandcoordinatedteam.At
theendofthemeetingIaskedmyclienttoprovidefeedbackonourproposal.Theystatedthatmy
companywasawardedthecontractasmybidprovidedgreatestvaluebasedonmyproposed
alternativemethodology.Theclientstatedthatafterreadingmyproposaltheyfeltconfidentinour
abilitytosuccessfullydelivertheproject.

Oncethecontractwasofficiallyawardedtomycompany,Isetupajobnumberinmycompany's
internalfinancialmanagementsystem.Icreatedsubjobnumbersandassignedthemtothevarious
internalgroupswhowereworkingontheproject.Inlinewithmycompany'sQualityAssurance(QA)
policy,Icreatedtasksheetsforallpersonnelworkingontheproject.Foreachtasksheet,Idocumented
theirbrief,expecteddeliverablesandbudget.Irequestedeachmemberofmyteamtoreviewandonce
satisfied,signtheirindividualtasksheet.Inlinewithmycompany'spolicyandastheprojectmanager,I
feltcomfortableinthefactthatmyteammembersweretakingownershipoftheirindividualtasks.

Icheckedandtrackedactualincurredprojectcostsagainstmybudgetedamountsonaweeklybasis.

20


Followingtheinceptionmeeting,IensuredthatIadheredtomycompany'smanagement systemsand
processes.Theseincludedbutwerenotlimitedto;

Ensuringthatourheritagesubconsultantsignedmycompany'sstandardsubconsultancy
agreement.
Completinga15%projectreviewwithmyprojectdirector.
Ikeptmycompany'sQAelectronicjobmanagementsystemupdatedatalltimes.Astheproject
manager,IwasawarethatIneededtodothistoensurethatmycompanyadheredtotheISO9001
QualityAssurance,AS/NZS4801:2001OccupationalHealthandSafetyandISO14001Environmental
accreditation.
Ikeptmycompany'selectronicfinancialjobmanagementsystemsupdatedatalltimes.This
includedrecordingallagreedvariationsandinvoicingforworkscompletedbyagreedmilestone
dates.

21

Claim11.Judgment

Imanaged,leadandwasresponsibleforsuccessfuldeliveryofastructuralconditionassessmentofaconvictbuilt
andheritagelistedcausewayanditsexposedseawall.Myclientwasalocalgovernmentauthority.Iwas
responsibleforsupervising,monitoringandevaluatingtheworkofamultidisciplinaryteammadeupof
structural,geotechnicalandgeophysicalengineersandaheritagesubconsultant.

IsupervisedandmonitoredtheMultiChannelAnalysisofSurfaceWaves(MASW)geophysicalsurveyonsite,
whichwascompletedbymyinternalcolleagues.IworkedwiththeMASWgeophysicalsurveyteamonsiteand
duetotimeconstraints;Irecommendedthattheirscopeofworksbeamendedtoensurethatthecritical
componentsofthecausewayfillwereanalysed.MyclientrequestedthatthepreliminaryMASWresultsbesent
tothemfortheirreview.IevaluatedtheMASWresultstoensurethatmyclient'srequirementsweremet.I
ensuredthatthePandSwavevelocitytomogramsmadedirectreferencetothesoilreferencethresholdvalues,
therebyprovidingclearinterpretationoftheidentifiedweakzonesbehindtheseawall.

Whileonsite,itbecameclearthatthelocalLandsCouncilAboriginalCorporationrepresentative,whowasthere
torepresenttheviewsoftraditionalownersoftheregion,hadnotbeeninformedofourplannedactivities.Itook
ituponmyselftoimmediatelyintroducemyselftotherepresentativeandinformhimofourplannedactivities
whichincludedaconditionassessmentoftheseawallandMultiChannelAnalysisofSurfaceWaves(MASW)
geophysicalsurveyofthecausewayfillbehindtheseawall.Mydecisiveapproachhelpedtoresolveasituation
whichcouldhaveledtoatemporarycessationofourworks.

Attheendofallinvestigationsbyallparties,Ihadreceivedreportsinvariousformatswrittenbydifferent
authors.ImadethejudgementthatitwasimperativethatIcombinealltextintoonemasterreport,wherethe
findingswerelinkedandtheconclusionsflowedaccordingly.Ispentsomeadditionaltimeproducinga
consolidatedreport,howevermyjudgementensuredthatourtechnicalconclusionswereclearandconcise.

IreviewedandevaluatedthegeotechnicalboreholedataandtheMASWgeophysicalsurveywithrespecttothe
structuralintegrityoftheseawall.Thegeotechnicalboreholelogsshowedthatthematerialbehindthefullheight
oftheseawallwasmadeupofaclayeysandmatrix.TheMASWgeophysicalsurveyconfirmedaconsistentclayey
sandmatrixalongtheentireseawalllength.Imadetheengineeringjudgementthatwithinmystructural
conditionassessmentreport,asectiontitled'failuremechanism'wasrequired.Isurmisedthatduetothelackof
anappropriatefilterlayer,whichIwasabletoconfirmduringtheconditionassessment,therewasahighriskof
causewaymaterialbeingwashedoutduetobothtidalvariationandwaveaction.Withinthissectionofthe
report,Iexplainedhowthisfailuremechanismwasleadingtoroadsubsidenceandlossofstructuralinterlock
withintheseawallrockface.

IconsultedwithmyProjectDirector.IsuggestedtotheProjectDirectorthatbasedontheevidencefoundduring
theinvestigationandthesubsequentassessmentofrisk;closingthetrafficlaneimmediatelyadjacenttothe
seawallshouldbeoneofthekeyrecommendationsofmyreport.Myreportconclusivelyshowedthatfailureof
theseawallandadjacentroadwaywashighduetoitsassessedconditionanditsdeficientperformance.My
ProjectDirectorreviewedmyreport,providedfeedbackandgavehissupporttothisconclusion.

Inmyfinalstructuralconditionassessmentreport,Iexercisedsoundengineeringjudgementbyproviding5
remediationoptionsforclientreview.Istatedthatthe5optionswerepreparedatconceptlevelonlydueto
limitationofavailableinformation.Duetoscopelimitation,Imadethedecisiontosuggesttomyclientthatan
optionsassessmentbasedonpredefinedcriteria,suchasfinancial,environment,cultural,heritage,economicetc.
shouldbecompletedinfuturestagestoensurethatallinterestspertinenttotheseawallaregivendue
consideration.

Myreport,includingtheengineeringjudgementsthatImade,wereacceptedbymyclient.
22

Claim12.AdvancedEngineeringKnowledge(PE)KnowledgeofStandardisedPractices
(EA)KnowledgeofTechnology(ET)

Iwasaskedbyaninternalcolleaguetocompleteamooringanalysisof6differentvesselclasstypes
andpredictvesselmotionenvelopesforaconceptualportinopenwateroffthecoastof
WesternAustralia.MyportplanningcolleagueaskedthatIcompletetheanalysisasheknewIwas
competentwithaproprietarymooringanalysissoftwarepackage,andrequestedthatafew'quick
calculations'wouldbesufficient.

Initially,itbecamecleartomethatIneededtoprovidefurtherexplanationoftheengineering
fundamentalstomyportplanningcolleague.Iwroteatechnicalnoteexplainingthetheoryand
fundamentalsofvesselmotionandincludedasectionontheaccuraciesandlimitationsofthecurrent
commercialnumericalmodellingsoftwarepackages.

Istatedthatinthefirstinstance,itisparamounttohaveanunderstandingofthemetocean
conditionsofthesite,includingwind,waveandcurrentcomponents.Iexplainedthatitisalso
paramounttocompleteaninitialinvestigationintothesusceptibilityofthesitetolongperiodwaves.
Iwentontoexplainthatmostcommercialmodelsdonotaccuratelypredictvesselmotionsdueto
longperiodwaves,contrarytothesoftwareproprietorsclaim.

Iexplainedthatvesselmotionistypicallymadeuptobothstaticanddynamiccomponents.Iclarified
thatstaticmotionsarepredominantlyduetowind,currentandwavedriftforceactingonavessel.I
emphasisedthatthecurrentproprietarymooringsoftwareversionprocuredbyourcompanywas
onlysuitableforstaticanalysis.

Ithenwentontoexplainthatdynamicvesselmotionsduetowindgustingand/orincidentwave
componentsactingonthevesselarerequiredtobemodelledinthetimedomain.Iexplainedthatthe
softwarepackagehasthecapacitytocalculate'quasidynamic'vesselmotionsthroughtheuseof
theirHydrodynamicCoefficientFiles(HCF).IexplainedthattheHCFfilescomprisesasetof6degrees
offreedomhydrodynamicdatawhichhasbeengeneratedbyanindependenttestedprogramcalled
AQWA,whichisacceptedindustrystandard.Iexplainedthattheproprietarymooringsoftwarerefers
totheHCFdatatocalculatetherelevantresponseamplitudeoperators(ROA's)foraparticularwater
depth,vesselsize,draft,trimmetacentricheight(GM)andselectedrolldamping.

Mytechnicalnotestatedthatthestaticonlysoftwaremodelconsidersthewaveheightandperiod
withinthefrequencydomainandnotthetimedomain.Iexplainedthatthesoftwareproprietors
claimthattheuseofHCFfilesequatestoafullydynamicmodel.Basedonfundamentaltheory,I
advisedmycolleaguethattheuseoftheHCFfilesequatestoa'quasidynamic'modelonlyandcareful
considerationneedstobegiventothevariousdefinitions.IadvisedmycolleaguethatIhave
previouslyutilisedthe'quasidynamic'modelsforadetaileddesignofaLNGjetty.

Imadetherecommendationthattosimulatethetruedynamiccomponentofvesselmotion,amodel
whichcaptureswaveheightandperiodinthetimedomainisrequired.Iadvisedmycolleaguethat
ourcurrentversionofthesoftwaredidnot,atthetime,havethiscapability.Icontactedthesoftware
proprietors,andtheyinformedmethattheywerecurrentlyworkingtoupgradetheirsoftwareto
includewaveheightandperiodinthetimedomain.Inaddition,Icontactedourinhousewave
modellors,andtheyconfirmedthatthesiteissusceptibletolongperiodwaves.

23


Basedonthesefacts,IgavemyrecommendationwithinmytechnicalnotethatIdidnothavethe
capacitywiththecurrenttoolsathandtoaccuratelypredictvesselmotions.Iprovided detailsof
knowncommercialnumericalmodelsprovidedbyotherswhichhadthecapacitytomodellong
periodwavesandthereforepredictvesselmotionsaccurately.

24

Claim13.Localknowledge

Iwasresponsiblefortheconceptualdesignofarockrevetmentsolutionforabeachfrontpropertyin
Queensland,Australia.Ifirstlyconsultedmycompany'slibraryanddeterminedthatthefollowinglocal
documentsprovidedthemostrelevantinformationindescribingthecoastalprocessesatthelocalarea:

HerveyBayBeachesbytheBeachProtectionAuthorityQueensland(1989).
QueenslandClimateChangeandCommunityVulnerabilitytoTropical
Cyclones:OceanHazardsAssessmentStages2and3,bytheMarineModellingUnitofJamesCook
University(2004).Iensuredthatmyconceptualdesignadheredtothefollowinglegislationand
standards;

Iensuredthatmytechnicaldesignadheredtothefollowinglegislationandstandards;

QueenslandCoastalPlan(2012)(recentlyrevoked)whichreplacedtheStateManagementCoastal
Plan(2001)andassociatedregionalcoastalmanagementplans.
TheOperationalPolicy,buildingandengineeringstandardsfortidalworksundertheCoastal
ProtectionandManagementAct(1995).Thepolicyprovidestheminimumbuildingandengineering
criteriafortidalworksapprovedundertheSustainablePlanningAct(2009).
AustralianStandard(AS)4997(2005)Guidelinesforthedesignofmaritimestructures
BritishStandard(BS)6349(2000)MaritimeStructuresPart1
TheRockManual,CIRIAC683(2007)
CoastalEngineeringManual(CEM)(2006)byUSArmyCorp
RandomSeasandtheDesignofMaritimeStructures(2000)byGoda

Allaforementioneddocumentssubsequentlyformedmydesignbasis.Mydesignbasisconsistedofthe
followingadoptedparameters;

Iadopteda50yearstormeventasdefinedintheoperationalpolicy,buildingandengineering
standardsfortidalworksundertheCoastalProtectionandManagementAct(1995).
Tidalplanes(2004)withintheJamesCookUniversitystudieswereadopted.Inotedthatthe2012
HATlevelwas90mmhigherthanthe2004leveladoptedwithinthepublishedstudy.Inlinewith
goodpracticeforthedesignofcoastalstructures,Iaddedthedifferencetomydesignstormtide
level.
ExtremewaveheightsandperiodswereprovidedinboththeHerveyBayBeachesandJamesCook
studies.IdeterminedthattheJamesCookstudiesprovidedthemostrelevantoffshore200year
waveheightandperiodwithacorrespondingdepthforwavetransformationpurposes.
TheQueenslandCoastalPlan(2012)recommended0.4mofsealevelriseuntiltheyearof2060
whichexceedsthe50yearvalueof200mmgivenwithinAS4997.IadoptedtheQueenslandCoastal
Plan(2012)sealevelrisevalueasIdeemeditasmostappropriatefortheprojectsite.
IreferredtotheTheRockManualforguidelinesonovertoppingvaluesandassociateddamage
levels.IadoptedaconservativelimitinlinewiththeOperationalpolicy,buildingandengineering
standardsfortidalworks.
IadoptedabeachslopefromthesurveyprovidedinTheHerveyBayBeachesdocumentasnoother
bathymetrywasavailable.
Iadoptedarockrevetment'damagefactor'androcktoelevelofLATinaccordancewiththe
Operationalpolicy,buildingandengineeringstandardsfortidalworks.
25

IutilisedtheCoastalandRiverEngineeringSupportSystem(CRESS)programtocompletewave
transformationcalculationsandcorrespondingwaveheightestimateswithinthesurfzone.TheCRESS
programutilisesthecompositeWeibulldistributionofwaveheightsinshallowwaterbasedonBattjes
andGroenendijk(2000).Asreference,IreadthroughBattjesandGroenendijk(2000)papertoensure
thatIunderstoodtheassumptionsandlimitationoftheirgivenapproach.

Iconcludedthatthepredictedsignificantwaveheightwithinthesurfzonewouldbreakbeforereaching
thestructuretoeduetodepthlimitation.Ithencreatedaspreadsheetandcalculatedthedepthlimited
waveheightbasedonRandomSeasandtheDesignofMaritimeStructuresbyGoda.

IreadtheapplicablesectionsonrockarmourhydraulicstabilityunderwaveactionwithinTheRock
Manual.IappliedtheVanderMeerVanGent(2004)equationastherevetmentwaswithinthewave
breakingzone.IgradedtherockamourandunderlayerbasedonthefilterrulesgivenintheCEM.I
completedacheckofmydesignwiththecommercialsoftwarecalled,Breakwat,producedbyDelft
Deltaresandfoundthatmydesigncalculationswerecorrect.

26

Claim14.Problemanalysis

In2010,Iwasresponsibleforthedeliveryofthestaticanddynamicmooringanalysis,includingthe
effectsofpassingship,forsixLNGdesignvessels.

Myclienthadspecifiedthattheaproprietarymooringsoftwarepackagewastobeusedtoconductthe
analysis.IhadnoexperiencewiththesoftwarepriortoawardofdetaileddesignoftheLNGjetty.My
firstactionwastopostathreadonmycompany'sinhouseskillsnetworkinordertodetermineifthere
wasanyonewithinmycompanywhohadahighlevelofexperiencewiththesoftware.Theresounding
responsewasthattherewasnoonewithinmycompanywhohadexperiencewithit,letalonewas
competentwithutilisingthesoftware.Ideterminedthatmycompanyhadasoftwarelicenceinan
overseasoffice,howeverithadnotbeenusedforsometime.Iorganisedwithmycolleaguesinthis
officetogainaccesstotheirstandalonecomputerwhichhadthesoftwareinstalled.Thisprovedquick
andefficientandmorecosteffectivethansendingthedongleviaairmail.

IthenappliedforinternalfundingwhereIproposedtoreplicatethesoftwareresultsofareference
mooringanalysisthatwasprovidedbymyclientduringtenderdesignstage.Ialsoproposedtocomplete
atechnicaldiscussionpaperattheendofmyworkstodocumentmyunderstandingofthesoftware
packageandtheinformationgapsthatIidentified.Iprovidedabusinesscaseandbudgettocomplete
mystudy.Fundingwassubsequentlyapproved.

Intheprocessofcompletingthemodellingreplication,Ireadthroughthesoftwareusermanualand
foundthismostbeneficialtomylearning's.Myreplicatedresultswerewithin3and5%forfenderand
mooringlineloads,respectively,comparedtothereferencemooringanalysisresultsprovidedbythe
client.IconcludedthatthepercentagedifferenceinresultswasduetothefactthatIwasutilisinga
staticonlyapproachwithinthesoftware.Thereferencedesigntookaquasistaticapproachthroughthe
useofhydrodynamiccoefficientfiles(HCF)whichmodelwaveinducedvesselmotionswithinthe
frequencydomain.IimmediatelyidentifiedthattheprocurementofHCFfileswascriticaltothemooring
analysisandIrecommendedtheprocurementofthecorrectHCFfilesbasedonthedesignvessels.

Attheconclusionofmyinvestigation,Iprogressedtohavingabasicunderstandingofhowtousethe
software.Iwasabletodefinethemajorcomponentryofthesoftware,andwasaptatcarryingout
futureinvestigations.Forexample,thereferencedesignreportprovidedbymyclientwastitle,'dynamic
mooringanalysis'.Iwasabletohighlightthattechnicallythiswasnotaccurate,aswavesarenot
modelledwithinthetimedomain.Isuggestedtomycolleaguesthatthereportshouldhavebeennamed
'quasidynamicmooringanalysis'asthesoftwareatthetimemodelledwaveswithinthefrequency
domainonly.Thisfundamentalunderstandingwasobtainedbymyresearchandreplicationof
previouslymodelledscenariosbyothers.

Isentmytechnicaldiscussionpapertomypeerswithinthemaritimegroup,themaritimedesignlead
fortheLNGjetty,andfinallytheexecutiveleveldesignteamfortheirreview.Iconcludedmy
investigationbymakingrecommendationsonhowbesttoproceedwiththemooringanalysisonce
detaileddesignhadbeenofficiallyawarded.Thisincluded;

Documentingtheversionofthesoftwarerequiredformyselfandmyteamtocompletethemooring
analysisinordertocompletedetaileddesignphaseasperclientrequirements.
Ialsoprovidedabudgetedestimateforthesoftwarewhichwasconfirmedby quotationfromthe
supplier.
27

Settingupasubconsultancyagreementwiththesupplier,TensionTechnology,toactinachecking
andreviewroleofmysimulationsduetoalackofinhouseexpertise.Iconcludedmydiscussion
paperbyrecommendingthattrainingbythesupplierwasrequiredinordertoobtainathoroughand
clearunderstandingofthetechnicalissuesassociatedwiththesoftware.

Iconcludedmydiscussionpaperbyrecommendingthattrainingbythesupplierwasrequiredin
ordertoobtainathoroughandclearunderstandingofthetechnicalissuesassociatedwiththe
proprietarymooringsoftware.

28

Claim15.CreativityandInnovation/AdvancedOperation/PredictableOperation

During2012,Iwasresponsiblefortheconceptualdesignofarockrevetmentsolutionforabeachfront
property.

Isketched4structurallysoundandeconomicconceptualdesignoptionsforbothatypicalrockandonelayer
cubesolution,formyclient'sreview.Inordertocomparetherevetmentfootprintandthereforeoverallcost,
Iprovidedrevetmentsolutionsbasedona1in2and1in1.5slope.

Byprovidinga1in1.5slopesolutionIwasabletoshowanoverallreductionintherevetmentfootprintand
therebyprovidevalueduetoareducerockvolume.However,Iclearlyhighlightedonmysketchdrawings
thattheD50(medianrocksizedefinedasthesizeforwhich50%byweightofthematerialisfiner)increased
from550kilogramfora1in2slopeto800kilogramfor1in1.5slope.Ihighlightedtomyclientthatthe
increaseinarmoursizewasbasedonafirstprincipal'sapproach,byexplainingthatthewaveenergy
dissipationprovidedbythestructurewouldbelessforasteeperslope.Icreatedvaluebysuggestingtomy
clientthatacostbenefitanalysisbasedonlocalquarryrateswouldberequiredinordertodeterminewhich
solutionwasmostcosteffective.

Iconcludedthatthepredictedsignificantwaveheightwithinthesurfzonewouldbreakbeforereachingthe
structuretoeduetodepthlimitation.Icreatedaspreadsheetandcalculatedthedepthlimitedwaveheight
basedonRandomSeasandtheDesignofMaritimeStructuresbyGoda.Itestedarangeofvaluesforeach
parametertocheckthesensitivityofGoda'sequation.Forexample,Iinvestigatedwavebreakerheightsat
thestructureforstormtide,HATandLAT.Duetothelowtopographyoftheproperty,itwasclearthat
breakingwaveswouldovertoptheproposedcrestatstormtideandHATwaterlevels.Irationalisedmy
solution(i.e.byreducingthedesignbreakingwaveheightonthestructureandconsequentlyreducingthe
rockarmoursize)byconcludingthatthedesignwaveforthisparticularstructurewouldbedepthlimited.I
createdvaluebyconcludingthatthedesignwaveheightwouldbelimitedbytherevetmentcrestlevel.

Myclienthadconstructeda'quasi'revetmentwalloutof450onetonne(approximately)concreteblocks.
Therevetmentwallsubsequentlyfailed,hencemydesign.Iconsideredthereuseoftheexisting450one
tonne(approximately)concreteblocksinasinglelayerarmoursolution.IreferredtoTheRockManualinthe
firstinstanceandfoundthatdesignexperiencewithsinglelayeredcubeswasverylimited.Duetothe
conceptualnatureofmyworkandthepotentialtosavetheclientasubstantialsumofcapitalexpenditure,I
deemeditappropriatethatsinglelayercubesolutionshouldbeinvestigatedataconceptuallevelforclient
review.Ireadthepaperbytheauthor,J.W.VanderMeer,forwhichtheguidancegiveninTheRockManual
isbased.Ididthistoensurethatmydesignwaswithinthevalidityboundsandfundamentalprinciplesofthe
experimentsperformedbyVandeerMeer.Mycalculationsshowedthat'breaking'theconcreteblocksin
halvehadsomefeasibility.Throughmyinvestigationsandprovisionofsketchdrawingstomyclient,Iwas
abletocreatevaluefrombothasustainabilityandcostpointofview.

Iprovidedvaluetomyclientbyimplementingariskbaseddesignapproach.TheVanderMeerequation
whichIutilisedallowsthesizeoftherockarmourtochangeinproportiontotheselected'damagefactor'.As
partofmydesignbasis,Iallowedan'initial'damagefactorequivalentto'fewunitsbeingdisplaced'during
thedesignstormevent.Iinformedmyclientthatbyacceptingmydesignapproach,somemaintenancemay
berequiredafterastormevent.Withmyclientacceptingsomepotentialmaintenancerequirementsofthe
structure,Iwasabletoprovideasubstantialcapitalexpendituresavingbyreducingthesizeoftherockand
therocklayerthickness.

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Claim16.Evaluation

Iwasrequestedtocompleteaninspectionandevaluatetheconstructionofatestpanelforarock
causewaystructureforanLNGproject.Atestpanelisademonstrationofcorrectrockunderlayerand
armourplacementandmostimportantlyprovidesabaselineforacceptableconstructionpractice.

IimmediatelyreviewedtherockarmourspecificationandIconcludedthatthespecificationdidnot
providesufficientdetailonhowtoconductatestpanel.Iconcludedthatfurtherexplanationofhowa
testpanelshouldbeperformedwasrequired.Ialsostatedtomyclientthatcorrectcompletionofthe
testpanelalonedidnotconstitutecertificationoftheworks.

Beforearrivingonsite,IreadtherelevantsectionsoftheTheRockManual,CIRIAC683(2007)with
regardstotestpanelsinordertoensurethatmyadvicewascorrectandwouldnotadverselyimpactthe
works.OnceIwasonsite,IrequestedatoolboxtalkwiththeclientandcontractorwhereIexplained
theimportanceofatestpanelanditsrelevanceasareferencepointduringconstruction.

Istatedtoallpartiesthatthefollowingcriteriawouldbeadopted:

Thetestpanelwouldbecompletedfortherockarmourlayeronlyastheunderlayerhadbeen
alreadyconstructed;
A5metresectionwouldneedtobemarkedoutonsitewithspraypaintorsimilarapprovedby
myself;
Aweighingmechanismandappropriaterecordingdocumentationoftherockarmourwasrequired
onsite;
Therockamourtobeusedinthetestpanelwouldneedtobeseparatelystockpiledtoallowtimefor
myinspectionandapproval;
Thetestpanelwastocommenceatlowtidetomaximisevisualinspectionofthebuiltstructure;
Provisionof'asconstructed'surveyofthecore,underlayerandrockarmourlayersasperthe
specification;
Anexpectedrockarmourplacementdensityof1.6to1.7tonne/m3.

Iprovidedthisadditionalcriterionasmyreviewoftherockarmourspecificationdeemeditnecessary.I
alsospoketotheexcavatoroperatorandconfirmedthatthefollowingcriteriawereapplicabletohis
operations:

'Bottomup'placementofrockarmourfromthetoewasexpectedtoensureadequateinterlock;
Placedrockarmourmusthavethreepointofcontacttoensureadequateinterlock;
Thefaceoftherockamourshouldbeirregularinnature.Thiswascontrarytotheoperator'sviewof
rockarmourplacementsoIgaveatheoreticalexplanationinlayman'stermsonthereasoning
behindthiscriterion.

Ifirstlyinspectedtheweightscalewithinthefrontendloaderanddeemedthisasufficientmechanism
toweightherockarmour.Ideemedtheuseofafrontendloaderwasappropriateasopposedtothe
useofalternativemethodssuchasweighingeachindividualarmourrock,therebycausingminimal
impactontheworksprogramme.

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Iconfirmedthatthemarkedupsectionforthetestpanelwassufficient.Ispokewiththesurveyorand
confirmedthat'asconstructed'levelswereavailableforthecoreandunderlayerasperthe
specification.Itheninspectedthestockpiledrockarmourandapproveditsqualityagainstthe
specification.Ialsoretainedacopyoftherockarmourweightreceipt.

AtlowtideIapprovedthecommencementofthetestpanel.IpositionedmyselfonsitewhereIcould
bestviewtheplacementofrockarmour.Afterwatchingtheexcavatoroperatorforsometime,I
confirmedthatbucketplacementofrockarmourwassatisfactoryasopposedto'grab'placement,which
hadbeensuggestedtomeasanalternative.Whenthetestpanelconcluded,Irequestedtheexcavator
operatortotakeGPSlevelsatthetoeandcrestofthestructure.Basedontheweightedtonnageofrock
armour,preliminarylevelstakenwiththeexcavatorandmyvisualinspection,Iwasabletocomplete
somepreliminarycalculationsandevaluatethetestpanelassatisfactory.Imadethepointonsitethat
myevaluationwaspreliminaryonlyandwassubjecttofurtherchecksonce'asconstructed'surveywas
complete.

Myevaluationensuredoverallqualityassurancewasmetasperthespecificationandminimalimpact
ontheworksprogrammewasachieved.

31

Prepared by Fiona Tregoning

Engineering House
11 National Circuit Barton ACT 2600
Phone: (02) 6270 6571
Fax: (02) 6273 2354
Email: ftregoning@engineersaustralia.org.au
Web: www.engineersaustralia.org.au/echartered
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