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Inside: Special feature: Learning from failure p25 Dutch sand engine for UK p54
New Civil Engineer

D E C E M B E R 201 7 | I B P M A G A Z I N E O F T H E Y E A R
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New Civil Engineer
LEARNING
OUR LESSONS
MARK HANSFORD
EDITOR
“
he most important thing of all is to never stop having an No-one likes to dwell on
T
enquiring mind.” So concludes the ICE’s new President,
Robert Mair, in this month’s New Civil Engineer. Mair things when they go wrong,
particularly when, because of the
has devoted his life’s work to expanding engineering
knowledge in areas where risk is most prevalent, with
tunneling in soft ground his particular specialty.
This important message cuts to the core of this month’s theme: nature of what civil engineers do, the
Learning from Failure. No-one likes to dwell on things when they go
wrong, particularly when, because of the nature of what civil engineers
stakes are so high
do, the stakes are so high. In its extreme, parts of infrastructure collaps-
ing, either in construction or in use, often has a bad ending.
Major failures are now rare, at least in the UK. That is due to investigated, post-Grenfell, whether the infrastructure world is in imminent
decades of improvements to working practices, design approaches and danger of a major failure along the lines of that terrible tower blaze.
project management. Standards – whether people like them or not – are The answer, we discover this month in its interim report, is that the
there for a reason and, in the UK, are, rightly, hard to circumnavigate or likelihood is relatively low – but not low enough. So there is cause for
change without good reason. further investigation and work around three key areas: competence,
But things do still go wrong. And it is a duty of the engineer to under- governance and, yes, lesson sharing.
stand why, learn from it, and share those lessons. It’s actually implicit It is the latter that this issue explores.
in the ICE’s Code of Professional Conduct that all members “give full re- We have two great examples of infrastructure projects that failed –
gard for the public interest, particularly in relation to matters of health the Oroville Spillway and the Eindhoven airport Car Park – but where
and safety” and give “all reasonable assistance to further the education, those involved have openly shared the lessons to be learned. Interest-
training and continuing professional development of others”. ingly, neither of them were in the UK. Would these lessons have been
So just how good are we as an industry at sharing and learning when shared if they were?
things go wrong? There are examples where investigators offer immuni- One way lessons are shared in the UK is through the New Civil En-
ty from prosecution, where appropriate, which can lead to more open gineer-backed Confidential Reporting on Structural Safety (Cross)
and full investigations of the real causes of failures. scheme. It is highlighted in the ICE’s report as a scheme that perhaps
The understandable public outcry and desire to see someone held could and should be expanded. As we report this month, it has been a
to account post-Grenfell is clear evidence of how such an approach success. But it also has deficiencies. Reports are anonymised and even
would be hard to deliver today. The Hatfield rail crash that killed four then parties being investigated sometimes seek to restrict publication.
proved the same. Only the final of the various Health & Safety Executive Others are also working hard in this area, not least the Temporary
reports into the crash, published in 2006 (three years after the legal Works Forum, which has just published new guidance on avoiding fail-
proceedings and six years after the tragedy), recognised manual track ure in that, most high-risk, of activities.
inspection failures as the prima facie cause of the disaster. These facts So, there are places to start, and the ICE is starting. What is now needed
had not been available to industry until then. is a suitably loud response to ensure that this work develops. Over to you.
This is clearly difficult ground, and so it is to the ICE’s credit that it has l Mark Hansford is New Civil Engineer’s editor
D E C E M B E R 2 017 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 3

ContentsNEW CIVIL ENGINEER DECEMBER 2017
MAGAZINE OF THE INSTITUTION OF CIVIL ENGINEERS
03 Comment, 25 This month's big issue:

Analysis & News Learning from Failure
06 Lighthouse: Engineers must
make more of their successes
08 The Edit: Ariva out of Wales &

Borders franchise race
09 The Edit: Leeds station revamp plan
10 Analysis: How Heathrow plans

to cut construction costs
12 Analysis: Network Rail gears up for

Control Period 6
16 Interview: Andy Mitchell,

Tideway chief executive
18 Your View: Workplace Wellbeing;

Garden Bridge; Old Oak Common
20 Presidential interview: Lord Mair
86 Institution of Civil Engineers:

Careers portal launched; push for
clear Northern Powerhouse plans; Learning the lessons when things go wrong
mentor matching scheme revamped
is the duty of all civil engineers. But just how
well does the industry approach this?
New Civil Engineer investigates
26 Overview: Is there serious risk of 36 Learning from Failure case study

infrastructure failure? one: Oroville Dam
32 Could the Cross confidential 40 Learning from Failure case study

reporting system be expanded? two: Eindhoven airport car park
44 Temp works: New guidance

Careers: New portal to help with choices
4 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | D E C E M B E R 2 0 17

ineer
il Eng
New C
iv
Get news delivered daily
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y Wrap
and analysis delivered weekly
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Sign-up at newcivilengineer.com
ation into
investig
chnical
e w ee k: A te East Asia
f th uth
Story o llapses in So
co
bridge
22 Presidential 54 Tech CONTRIBUTORS
Profile Excellence
Alexandra Wynne
p26 Learning from disaster
alexandra.wynne@emap.com
Twitter @alexwynnence
Emily Ashwell
p14 David Marks
emily.ashwell@emap.com
22 Incoming ICE President Lord Mair is 54 The Dutch “sand engine” coastal
a pioneer in geotechnics. He extolls protection concept is being applied to
the virtues of continuous learning an area of Norfolk
64 World 70 Business Fiona McIntyre

p36 Oroville Dam
View Culture fiona.mcintyre@emap.com
Twitter @fionaMcNCE
Dave Parker
p40 Car par collapse
dave.parker@emap.com
64 Singapore is extending its public 70 How Network Rail turned around

Jackie Whitelaw
transport system as it pushes for its troubled Great Western p54 Sand engine
greater transport efficiency electrification programme
D E C E M B E R 2 01 7 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 5

Lighthouse
ICE VIEWPOINT
We need to celebrate our

engineering successes more
than we do
“
wards season for engineer’s modesty. We need to
A
civil engineering may It is often said that we focus
not have the glitz too closely on the detail but then be pushing
and the glamour of neglect to see the bigger picture
the Baftas, but it has and how our work changes people’s ourselves and
achievements forward
to be said that the celebrations at lives.
the British Construction Industry Every now and again we catch a
Awards and at the ICE’s own awards
were somewhat muted, despite the BY ART WE
glimpse of the real transformative
impact our work can have.
outside our sector
quality of the food and the company.
We are not good as an industry
MASTER
W H AT W O U L D
This was apparent at the recent
Saltire Awards in Scotland. The
if we are to remain
at basking in the glory of our MASTER US awards’ host had personally competitive in future
successes. benefited from one of the winning
We may not be Hollywood projects, the M8, M73 and M74
celebrities but we arguably have a improvements.
greater impact on the prosperity Thanks to this project, his journey We should stand tall, shout loud and
and happiness of the nation. to visit a terminally ill relative was be justifiably proud of the work that
Every day the projects we are made half an hour shorter. we do.
a part of transform the lives of The work of civil engineers gave Half our work is doing a good job;
the population in immeasurable him an extra half an hour with a the other half is sharing it. Invisible
ways, far more so than the latest loved one. Superheroes is a very apt name for
cinema release. This is the very human, very our ICE 200 exhibition next year.
Judging by the way we important impact that each and We need to work hard to drop the
communicate our success and best every engineer on that project had invisible part.
practice our industry prefers to helped to make possible. Achieving this vision will
whisper rather than shout. Why There is a wider point to be made require not being stymied by our
is this? Is it our modest nature as here as well. If we do not celebrate own modesty.
engineers? our achievements, and do not share It would be naïve enough to
We seem to be afflicted by our successes, then who will? We imagine that in the future civil
“
a double dose of British and need to be our own advocates or the engineers will be honoured with
reputation of our industry will be at red carpets and harassed by
We need to
the whim of others. paparazzi.
We need to be pushing ourselves But one must hope that civil
be our own and achievements forward outside
our sector if we are to remain
engineers, who through their
actions, provide the platform upon
advocates or the competitive in future.
The ICE turns 200 next year and
which our trade is carried out
and make it easier for someone
reputation of our we are taking that opportunity to
celebrate civil engineers’ ability to
to spend precious time with
their dying relative, find a way to
industry will be at the transform lives and safeguard the speak up and out of our sector to
whim of others
future. get the recognition they rightfully
This should be our default setting. deserve.
6 N E W C I V I L E N G I N E E R | D E C E M B E R 2 0 17
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MORE
The Edit
NEWS TRANSPORT
LOWER THAMES
More CROSSING TO GO TO
coverage THREE L ANE DUAL
E S S E N T I A L N E W S & I N F O R M AT I O N online at C A R R I A G E WAY
F R O M N E W C I V I L E N G I N E E R .C O M newcivil
engineer.com Updated designs released by
Highways England show the £4.4bn
Lower Thames Crossing will now have
three lanes in each direction instead
of two and that the tunnels could be
longer. Following a public
consultation, Highways England has
released a raft of design updates to
the proposed scheme, which will
cross the Thames via two bored
tunnels. They will run from the east of
Gravesend, Kent and emerge near
Tilbury, Essex. Although extensions to
the length of the tunnels have not
been decided, Highways England has
confirmed that three lanes will run
through the tunnels in each direction.
It means the A2 to M2 section of the
route at junction 1 will be widened to
improve traffic flow. The Lower
Thames Crossing would offer an extra
70% capacity around the congested
Dartford Crossing
Arriva Rail Wales pulls out of KEY STATS

TRANSPORT
CONTRACT FOR
bid for £5bn Wales and Borders PA R T O F T R A N S -
PENNINE UPGRADE
£800M
train operating franchise to £2bn P R O J E C T AWA R D E D
Estimated
cost of West Bam Nuttall, Amey and Arup are
TRANSPORT management. Heavy rail infrastructure working in a contractor-consultant
The number of bidders for the next outside the Core Valley lines will of Leeds alliance with Network Rail on the
Wales and Borders train operating remain with Network Rail. For the trans-Pennine upgrade of the trans-Pennine route,
franchise, which includes design and Core Valley lines responsibility will west of Leeds. Network Rail awarded
construction of the South Wales transfer to the Welsh Government rail upgrade the contract as part of the Great
Metro, has gone down from four to through Transport for Wales, subject North Rail Project. The alliance will
three with Arriva Rail Wales, which to an agreed evaluation of the assets design infrastructure options for the
was working with contractor Costain between Network Rail and the Welsh route, including upgrades to civil
on the bid, pulling out. The three left government. A final decision is engineering assets, track, railway
in the race are: Abellio Rail Cymru, expected to be made in the spring, systems and electrification between
“
which is working with consultant with the winning bidder starting in Leeds and Stalybridge. Work on the
Aecom and contractor Carillion; October 2018. West of Leeds route, is worth between
KeolisAmey; and MTR Corporation £800M and £2bn. The team is already
(Cymru), which is working with
contractor Bam Nuttall. The £5bn
For the Core developing infrastructure options for
the trans-Pennine upgrade and will
operator and development partner
(ODP) contract will involve the
Valley Lines, submit them to the Department for
Transport this month. An alliance
operation of the Wales and Borders
rail franchise and the design and
responsibility will between Network Rail, contractors
VolkerRail, Murphy and signalling
construction of a metro-style service transfer to the Welsh specialist Siemens is working on
on the Core Valleys Lines and enhancements on the East of Leeds part
subsequent infrastructure Government of the route between York and Leeds.
8 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | DECEMBER 2017

TRANSPORT
LEEDS
STATION
PLANS
Designs for a £500M
revamp of Leeds Station
as it prepares for High
Speed 2 have been
released. The images
produced by consultant
Atkins show what the
station would look like,
based on a masterplan
approved by Leeds City
Council in October.
Proposals include a new
entrance, central
concourse, platforms,
public space, roof and
footbridge. The Leeds
Integrated Station
Masterplan also sets out
the potential for
commercial
development around
the station.
TRANSPORT TRANSPORT HEALTH & SAFET Y

F U R T H E R D E L AY S T O ROW ERUPTS OVER KEY STATS LO R D A D O NI S
S I LV E R T O W N T U N N E L DECISION TO AXE CO N SU LTS O N
PL ANNING DECISION TUNNELS ON HS2 30% I N F R A STR UC T UR E
ANNOUNCED NORTHERN SECTION Percentage ACTI O N PR I O R I T I E S
of southern
Ministers have delayed the decision Project sponsor HS2 Ltd is accused section of National Infrastructure Commission
on whether to grant the Silvertown of using value engineering to chair Lord Adonis has set out his
Tunnel a development consent eliminate tunnels in the Northern leg High Speed 2 priorities for action, and started a
order by six months. Transport of the High Speed 2 (HS2) route. in tunnel consultation on the work needed
minister Paul Maynard told Anti-HS2 Labour MP Dennis Skinner to achieve them. The priorities
Parliament that the decision, which raised the issue at Prime Minister’s in the National Infrastructure
has already been delayed once, has Questions in November, claiming 2% Assessment were congestion,
been put back six months to 10 May communities on the HS2 Phase 2b Percentage capacity and carbon. Adonis
2018, to give the government more West Midlands to Leeds leg were warned that the current state of
time to consider air quality issues. being unfairly treated. He said: “Is of northern the UK’s infrastructure could hold
The move was criticised by National the prime minister aware there has section of the country back. He said that
Infrastructure Commission chair been some very powerful research Heathrow airport expansion delays
Lord Adonis, who said it was “very done on the question of high speed High Speed 2 are “perhaps the most serious
disappointing. Another Thames rail. What it says is that in the leafy in tunnel infrastructure failure of all. We have
crossing is desperately needed to suburbs of the South, the first 140 a proud history in this country of
ease congestion, improve air quality miles [225km], 30% of it has been delivering world-class infrastructure
and support the further dedicated to tunnelling to avoid – but for years funding has been
development of east London, he knocking houses down. Yet in the squeezed, policy decisions have
said. “Today’s announcement to North we are now told that the been erratic and the network is
further delay a decision on the percentage [of tunnels] is only 2% showing signs of age and strain,”
proposed Silvertown Tunnel is very for the whole of the North.” Adonis said. “The endless delay to a
disappointing, halting progress and Consultations for this part of the Parliamentary decision on Heathrow
leaving communities in limbo.” HS2 route are underway. is a case in point.”

Transport Analysis
FIONA MCINTYRE
How Heathrow
plans to cut
expansion costs
year after the MacDonald, Amec Foster-Wheeler,
A government gave
Heathrow expansion
the green light, its
£17bn
Current
Jacobs, Atkins, and Arup, and
planning consultants Quod, has had
a year of planning. What options are
future still seems Heathrow being considered?
up in the air. The government has To shave £6bn from the £17bn
reopened the public consultation
expansion project, expansion components
to take into account updated project value such as new taxiways and new
“
information on, among other issues, terminal buildings, could be phased.
air quality impacts. It means that while the runway
Fresh modelling appears to show £6bn itself is on track to be delivered by
that expanding Gatwick could be Targeted cost 2025, it could be 2035 before all the We can
less likely to breach air quality components are up and running.
regulations than Heathrow’s third
savings “This is really about the on- absolutely,
categorically confirm,
runway. airport facilities being built at the
A vote on expansion in Parliament right time,” says Wilbraham. “So you
has been pushed back from this
winter to the first half of 2018, as
could say, when we opened Terminal
5, that we opened a 30M passenger the north-west runway
a result of June’s snap election.
Heathrow’s own consultation on
terminal in one day. Did we really
need to do that? Or could we have
will go over the M25
expansion options has been delayed done it in stages?”
from August until early next year Other measures are also being
after consultation with airlines. considered. Instead of building an between 100m and 150m, and
So could the case for expansion at underground passenger transit lowered by between 3m and 6m.
Heathrow collapse? system to the new terminal, Surface access improvements,
“It doesn’t feel wobbly at all. We passengers could take a bus, or one of crucial for meeting air quality
are on track to deliver the runway Heathrow’s driverless pods instead. targets, are essential. Crossrail will
when we said we were going to and “Connectivity is quite expensive. help, as will other schemes such as
we’re working very hard to stick So ultimately, we are going to want Western Rail Access and possibly
with those dates,” says Heathrow to come up with a masterplan that’s Southern Rail Access.
expansion programme director got really good connectivity for But more must be done.
Phil Wilbraham. He adds that the passengers and bags, but with as One option being considered is to
Airports Commission had thrown little infrastructure as possible,” turn Heathrow into a national coach
its weight unequivocally behind says Wilbraham. hub with routes serving more towns
Heathrow’s third runway. The north-west runway will clash and cities, increasing the potential
Site investigations for the runway with the M25.“There are always other for passengers to use public
started at Heathrow on 8 September, options, but through the work we transport.
led by Amec Foster Wheeler and have now done, we can absolutely, Heathrow plans to consult on its
carried out by Fugro. categorically confirm, the north-west expansion options early next year
So far its integrated design team, runway will go over the M25,” he says. before applying for a development
made up of concept architect It is most likely that the motorway consent order in 2020, a year later
Grimshaw, engineering firms Mott will be moved to the west by than originally planned.

©Photo credits: Pascal le Doaré and COSEA photo libraries
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Transport Analysis
EMILY ASHWELL
Network Rail
gears up
for Control Period 6
ransport secretary examples of successful projects,
T Chris Grayling has

announced Network
Rail will have around
£48bn
Amount
demonstrating innovation and
collaboration.
For CP6, even though cash for
£48bn to spend allocated to major enhancements will have to
during its next financial control be bid for separately, ORR director
period, CP6.
Network Rail of railway markets and economics
His Statement of Funds Available for Control John Larkinson says there is still a
“
(SoFA), includes a direct government Period 6 significant amount of cash within the
grant of up to £34.7bn and the £48bn to finish major enhancements
rest made up from Network Rail’s already started and work on the
expected income from areas such £3.9bn development of new enhancement There are
as track access charges. It covers projects.
Network Rail’s spend for 2019-2024.
Value of “There are billions put in the billions put in
Network
the periodic review to
The announcement was originally periodic review to finish lots of
due in July but was pushed back Rail renewals schemes already underway and to
until October due to Network Rail’s
poor performance, as Grayling said backlog
develop new ones, and that’s not
what most people thought was going finish lots of schemes
he needed more assurances on
costs for CP6.
at the end to happen. That’s a bit of a tribute
to what the industry did to convince
already underway and
of Control
The outline funding plan for CP6
came within days after the rail Period 5
them [the Treasury] that was the
right thing to do,” says Larkinson.
to develop new ones
regulator the Office of Rail and Road Former High Speed 1 chief
(ORR) saying that Network Rail had executive Nicola Shaw’s report last
become less efficient and was facing year into the future of Network Rail which Network Rail’s renewals
increasing financial pressures. The recommended it move towards a backlog spiralled.
track operator is £44.8bn in debt devolved route-based structure. The ORR believes the move
and by the end of CP5 will have a This has been taken on board and will help Network Rail get closer
backlog of renewals work worth for CP6 funding and regulation will to customers and also build a
£3.9bn. be allocated at route level. rivalry between routes which will
The failures during CP5 have Under the devolved structure, drive competition and therefore
been extensively recorded and Network Rail’s problem solving and improvements.
probed, particularly its flagship track management will be done at The next milestone for CP6
electrification programme which a route level, in consultation with planning will be the submission
went more than a billion pounds the different stakeholders, including of Network Rail’s route plans on 8
over budget. the train operating companies December.
Of course, CP5 still has around and passengers. It will, however, These, and the decisions to be
18 months to go and it has not all have a division which works as the made about how much money each
been bad: the Ordsall Chord rail overarching system operator to co- route gets each year, are significant
link in Manchester and the August ordinate at national level. for the supply chain as civils firms
extension of platforms at London This is a huge change from the in general prefer a steady stream of
Waterloo station are two recent head-office-based machine under work rather than peaks and troughs.

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News Analysis
EMILY ASHWELL
David Marks, the

architect who embraced
structural engineering
istory has quickly Marks: park or leisure company doing
H dismissed the mild

hysteria that was
in the air on New
Risk taking,
entreprenurial
architect and
this wheel. He had dreamed up
this wheel himself in response to
a competition run by the Sunday
Year’s Eve in 1999. structures Times to find a suitable icon to
The date change to the year 2000 designer. 1952- celebrate the millennium.
did not computer systems into 2017 “At first, he didn’t know who
meltdown. The Millennium Dome is owned the site, or who would
no longer a white elephant, but one fund it. He didn’t even win
of the world’s most popular music the competition, but he was
venues. And the temporary ferris still resolved to do it and took
wheel cantilevered over the River extraordinary risks to, initially, fund
Thames, has embedded itself into it himself.”
London’s skyline and become one of It was only 15 minutes into their Association School, where he met
its favourite attractions – clocking first meeting when Marks took his wife and business partner Julia
up some 60M visitors. Roberts on board. Their working Barfield. Marks Barfield architects
With hindsight, it is easy to relationship lasted 20 years, their was formed in 1989.
forget the enormous risk on many most recent collaboration being the EngineersHRW consultant
levels that David Marks and his i360. And Roberts remembers his Jane Wernick has worked with
architect wife Julia Barfield took in constant thirst for knowledge about Marks Barfield on several projects
forging ahead with their plans for how structures worked. throughout her career, including
what is now known as the London “For an architect he had an the London Eye, when she was at
Eye in the late 1990s. But as amazingly good understanding consultant Arup.
the architecture and engineering of structural engineering,” said “David was a very gentle person,
worlds mourn Marks, who died Roberts. “He wouldn’t dream up not a big ego, but he would always
in October, those engineers who these crazy things that weren’t try things. He was fearless and he
worked on projects such as the Eye, capable of working, he got it would just go for it and that was just
Kew Garden’s Treetop Walkway reasonably right.” wonderful. He was very respectful
and the i360 viewing attraction in Swedish born and Switzerland to work with; he would listen to
Brighton, remember Marks’ vision, educated, Marks moved to London what you said and ask a searching
“
entrepreneurial spirit, tenacity and in 1972 to attend the Architectural question to push you further,” she
bravery. says.
Jacobs operations director John “I don’t think it was so much he
Roberts, who worked with Marks on
projects including the London Eye
For an architect wanted to influence the skyline, he
was thinking about how people live
and i360, recalls the first time they he had an and how to improve housing, and
met during the early development social issues and an architect’s role
days of the London Eye. amazingly good in that. He combined that with this
understanding of
“This was quite a small practice really ingrained thirst for knowledge
and what was unbelievable to me for how things work, which
was that there was no client,” says
Roberts. “There wasn’t a big theme structural engineering permeated every conversation we
had,” says Wernick.

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Andy MItchell
The Interview BY FIONA MCINTYRE
Work hard,
play hard,
build fast
o relax, Andy Mitchell neighbour to the communities
T
has got into paddle around each construction site,
boarding. It’s an and it would clean up the Thames
evolution from triath- quicker.
lons, which Although construction started
the Tideway chief executive re- between four and six months ahead
counts he first got into while work- of schedule on the three main drive
ing on the Thameslink programme. sites – the west, central and east
Later, during his time on Crossrail, sections – problems such as con-
he cycled 885km over five days trav- taminated land and uncharted foun-
elling from Carlisle to Land’s End. dations, which Mitchell describes as
But now it is paddle boarding, “the normal stuff that you find when
and it is relevant. you dig a hole in London,” have
With some of the Tideway team appeared. Meanwhile, the start of
he has recently finished a paddle tunnelling, a major milestone for the
board half marathon along the River why Mitchell publicly announced project, has been pushed back from
Thames from Kew to Southwark – he would shave two years off this year to spring 2018.
and he only fell in once. Tideway’s construction time, which But Mitchell says Tideway is still
“In three-and-a-half hours, I don’t raised eyebrows across the indus- on track to finish between a year
think that was bad,” he recounts. try. It would mean that instead of and two years early; and there
“But there’s a really good reason taking seven years to construct and is still time for innovation on the
not to fall in the river, which is what finishing in 2024, the £4.2bn (2014 project. In the east, a new electrically
we’re trying to address,” he says. prices) Tideway could be up and powered hydrofraise diaphragm
That reason is the 39M.t of com- running as early as 2022. walling machine has been developed
bined sewage overspill currently It was an ambitious target, set by the eastern section’s Costain, Vinci
flowing into the Thames each year. because it would make Tideway Construction Grands Projets and
Tideway, an ambitious 25km tunnel cheaper for bill-payers, a better Bachy Soletanche joint venture.
“
snaking through London from Acton A Dragon’s Den-style competition
in the west to Abbey Mills pumping was run internally to encourage
station in the east, will help the Tideway teams to bid for funding
ageing sewer network cope with
London’s 8M inhabitants. A theme I for a bright idea or invention.
Meanwhile barrier-busting personal
For someone running such an
enormous project, surely there has
think that protective equipment has been
developed, by a Muslim employee
to be a better way to relax. Why
does Mitchell tackle these mara-
we’ve set from the called Leena Begum, who created
work clothing for women who wear
thons?
“I’ve found typically on these
beginning on Tideway a hijab or a burka – in the Tideway
colours, of course.
jobs, I have to set myself some sort is: ‘What is the very “A theme I think that we’ve set
of challenge,” he says. from the beginning on Tideway is:
This attitude could help explain best we can do? ‘What is the very best we can do?’”

Costain Vinci Grands Projets
and Bachy have developed an
electrically powered hydrofraise rig
to cut down on noise on one site
“
We have to find
asks Mitchell. good at writing reports”. Part of that
It is a question woven into each big is borne out in his involvement with
KEY FACTS
campaign on Tideway. Not content
with a very good safety record,
ways of it being Project 13. It is an ICE initiative set up
under its Infrastructure Client Group
Mitchell is pushing for excellent. A
magnified focus on health, safety and
25km possible to work less (ICG), of which Mitchell was, until last
month, chair. As work on Tideway is
wellbeing on the project is wrapped Length of
hours but be doing ramping up something had to give, so
up in RightWay, a programme to help Thames Mitchell decided to step down from
Tideway achieve no major injuries or
Tideway serious jobs this post.
fatalities. Project 13 is trying to get the indus-
Before anyone sets foot on site they tunnel try to become more collaborative and
undertake a day-long training session ply chain has to want that too.” productive, moving from a transac-
at the Employer’s Project Induction Mitchell is clearly a leader who tion-based relationship to a model
Centre (EPIC). Actors take partici- 10,000 is driven by a desire for change. He with more investment in long-term
pants through realistic scenarios in a Number describes himself as inquisitive and outcomes in infrastructure.
day designed to pack a powerful emo- creative, unable to resist the lure of While the client-led initiative is
of Tideway
tional punch, shocking people into asking: “What happens if I do this?” leaning on the industry to bring about
behaving safely. So far almost 10,000 employees He says change is one of the most change, Mitchell explains that the
employees have taken the training. to have important things in most industries, government should also overhaul its
But there has been a challenge and particularly in construction. “lowest cost wins” attitude to pro-
from the leaders in the supply chain. undergone And yet there are points of frustra- curement and provide more support
Despite insisting everyone takes an safety tion. Despite publicly pledging a 50/50 for innovation in the industry.
EPIC day, Mitchell concedes that only gender split in the project team by “We are as good as anyone in the
induction
so much can be controlled. the end of the scheme, it is currently world and I would argue increasingly
“They [supply chain leaders] may stalled on 37%. Having tried all the better than an awful lot of other peo-
not be in the same place we are, and usual methods to address it such as ple at this whole engineering thing,”
I can see that there could be times flexible working, non-male wording in he says, adding that well-trained
when we might have won the hearts job adverts and gender bias training, engineers could offer a good export
and minds of the people on site, but the Tideway team will now tackle the opportunity for the UK.
they are also influenced by their hier- industry’s perceived poor work-life Mitchell has also been working
archy, whoever that is, that we can’t balance. closely with several industry groups
necessarily get at.” Mitchell offers 30-hour weeks, job on putting together a sector deal, a
For that reason Mitchell is looking sharing and nine-day fortnights as pitch for investment as part of the
for the supply chain to get 100% possible solutions. government’s Industrial Strategy.
behind the scheme. “We have to find ways of it being More of his time will be taken up with
“I think you’ve got to go right back possible to work less hours but be the innovation group Infrastructure
to basics. What do I want? I want the doing serious jobs,” he says. Industry Innovation Platform (I3P) as
job delivered safely, we all do. We’re For a man obsessed with action, he has agreed to chair the body. But
trying to show as a client we really he unsurprisingly comes across as most of it will be focused on Tideway
mean that and we really want to play being frustrated with the slow pace of itself. “We know the role we are play-
our role, but of course the whole sup- change in an industry which is “very ing,” he concludes.

STRUCTURES
BRINGING GARDEN
Your View
BRIDGE DOWN TO EARTH
Hurrah for Fiona McIntyre for finally

puncturing the myths surrounding
London’s Garden Bridge. Much as I
admire Joanna Lumley for some of
LET TERS TO THE EDITOR her causes, this was an ill-conceived
AND COMMENTS ONLINE project promoted by wealthy
Londoners and was more about
vanity than need.
McIntyre covered the main points
WORKPLACE WELLBEING change to safety and personal admirably, but spare a thought for
STRESS RELIEF wellbeing. We all did it, it was how this project was perceived by
I would like to thank you for the

@ refreshingly good, and at weekends
workers were seen in their gardens
in full PPE, looking after themselves.
those of us who live in the provinces
and suffer from poor infrastructure.
While London will always be a
article about wellbeing, and the We even made videos on site to special case, significant investment
importance of recognising people train everyone at Heathrow Express, of public money in its infrastructure
who are suffering with mental health and operator BAA borrowed them
problems. The article could not have to use as part of its own inductions.
come at a more appropriate time for It continued on parts of HS1. Some
me, as I suffered a break down at my Read more individuals thought it was good and
desk on Friday. I was able to read letters at carried on with it, but no companies
your article the next day. www.newcivil did.
I had been feeling overwhelmed engineer.com There appears to be quite a lot of
and alienated for a long time, I felt “innovative” reinventing out there.
that I couldn’t cope and that things Such as efficiency through process
were just getting too much for me. I improvement by following the motor
have also felt desperate at times and industry, or risk management using
contemplated suicide. nuclear industry processes. Some
Following my breakdown, good and some not so. Ask the old
my managers acted quickly and team first how best to introduce it Garden Bridge: More vanity than need
started to help. I have access to and make it work on your project,
confidential counselling, and I have not the gurus who now peddle it as must be based on absolute need and
been able to go to the doctors. I innovation. never on projects which are by their
am so grateful for everyone’s swift Alan Myers very nature non-essential.
actions to help me deal with the alangmyers@yahoo.co.uk No doubt many of those who
issues. supported the Garden Bridge will be
I am only starting the long journey rushing off to vote for a members’
of recovery, and I hope one day that WORKPLACE WELLBEING motion to re-think the urgently
I will feel better. TEASING OUT THE needed A303 Stonehenge diversion
So thank you for highlighting the at the National Trust’s next AGM.
issue, and I hope that others will HIDDEN ISSUES David Clements (M) Southernhay,
seek help and find the support to High Street, Hinton St. George,
avoid the way I felt on Friday. Mark Hansford has written about Somerset TA17 8SE
Name withheld the importance of workplace
wellbeing (Comment, last month). Of WORKPLACE WELLBEING
WORKPLACE WELLBEING
course the more obvious threat of
workplace safety is very important. ARE ZERO FATALITIES
TAKE A TIP FROM However, employees can have EVER ACHIEVABLE?
SOMEONE WHO KNOWS hidden issues relating, for example,
to their lives both present and past,
which, if not resolved, could lead to I refer to your “Workplace
We Brits continually reinvent due to The Editor, ill-health and loss of productivity. Wellbeing” issue and to your
knowledge being held by individuals New Civil An excellent way of resolving these question: “why do people take
rather than within companies. Engineer, problems is through therapeutic short cuts?”
Good practice is not ingrained as counselling. In my view, firms should Quoting numbers of fatalities is
Telephone
much as it is in companies from encourage staff to seek counselling, no help to making safety provisions
House,
other countries. Take your article perhaps to the extent of helping with without knowing their causes.
on critical near misses (New Civil 69-77 Paul the cost of the sessions. The cost What were they and were they
Engineer November 2017). A new Street, London, would be repaid through happier significantly different from the past?
innovative idea? Thirty years ago EC2A 4NQ workers being more productive. In September 2011, you reported
on the Channel Tunnel we brought Email: nceedit@ Jan Hellings (F), Gordon Masterton, as stating that
in DuPont to establish a cultural emap.com jan@janhellings.com in 2010 there were 60 fatalities, all

due either to falling from a height, FLOODING VIEW
collapse of excavation or reversing
vehicle impact (New Civil Engineer
29 September 2011). According to
ICE Proceedings Nov 2005, in 2004
CRACKING
there were 76 fatalities: three due
to electrocution, four due to trench
collapse. All the rest were either falls
from height or hits by moving plant
or vehicles. None was due to designer
or client failure.
THE DRAINAGE
While certainly something should
be done by the appropriate level of
management to stop electrocution
or excavation collapses, little
can be done to prevent the vast
QUESTION
majority of accidents which are due
to not keeping a good lookout – in
contravention of Section 9 of the
Health & Safety at Work Act.
These are due, for one reason or
another, to absentmindedness or,
possibly, occasionally to cutting
corners. The article suggests some
sort of continuous monitoring of state
of mind of each worker would solve
the problem.
Until all are issued with, and wear It’s a huge question the government has yet to implement the relevant
a suitably programmed transmitting isn’t it… what’s the clause (well done Wales on pushing ahead with
device, to believe this is practicable future of drainage? this, I’m sure many on the England side of the
is like believing that Brexit will be a When I’ve asked border will be watching with interest).
doddle. people without the Despite the reluctance of government to
Godfrey Ackers (F), chance to think I’m implement the legislation, SuDS have proved a
Ocean Court, Plymouth generally greeted successful alternative for traditional stormwater
Martin with a blank face. We, management via sewer within the built
HIGH SPEED 2 Lambley along with the ICE, environment. However, is this it – have we cracked
have been asking this the code to effective drainage? Or is this just a
MAKING THE OLD a lot recently because stepping stone, leading to an even better solution?
OAK LINK WORK we’re interested what the industry thinks. Does part of the answer lie in technology? All
The first evidence of drainage pipes dates back around us technology is shaping infrastructure.
You report that HS2 Ltd will be to Mesopotamia, around 5,000 years. Since then Many homes are now fitted with smart meters for
making its Euston proposal ready for very little has changed other than, perhaps, the utilities and we are controlling central heating with
Crossrail 2, by just knocking through materials from which pipes are made and, more an app on our phones. On a much larger scale,
a wall (New Civil Engineer, October). certainly, the weather we now face. previously congested motorways are running
Sadly, no such foresight is being In the UK alone, 2.44M properties are at risk better than before via smart flow management.
applied at Old Oak Common, of flooding from rivers and seas, while 3M are I know water companies are looking at how
although the Mayor’s transport vulnerable to surface water flooding. Moreover, technology can help predict where problems may
strategy shows this as a major the housing crisis is likely to force more homes occur, and it may be that one day we see smart
interchange connecting High Speed 2 to be built in flood-prone areas. The magnitude of sewers, whatever they might look like.
(HS2) and the Elizabeth Line with the collateral damage that flooding brings is hardly Fundamentally there is no one size fits all
Overground, no provision is being surprising; each year, disruption from flooding solution, SuDS is only part of the answer but it
made for any future interchange costs the UK £1bn, with the cost only growing. is apparent that the bigger picture is what really
station. Long walks will be required to Twenty years or so ago the concept of matters. Cities like Portland, Oregon, lead the
the separate Overground stations. Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) way in developing a community based city-wide
The feasibility study for the started to be discussed as a way of managing strategy that delivers a safer, cleaner and drier
Hounslow-Cricklewood link is not even stormwater more effectively. These quickly environment for its inhabitants; perhaps that’s the
scheduled to start until after 2031. evolved into Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS). future of drainage?
Another possibility is an Old Oak to Dropping the “Urban” (and making the u small) You can contribute your thoughts on the future
Gatwick service, which many would was a small but significant step, liberating the of drainage by visiting www.futureofdrainage.co.uk
welcome. concept away from only urban developments with ● Martin Lambley is Wavin product manager,
The HS2 station at Old Oak needs the realisation that stormwater management and foul, utilities and water management
to be future-proofed, by carrying out flood protection required a collective responsibility
sufficient feasibility work now on and was not the sole responsibility of the urban
orbital connections, before the new environment.
station design is frozen. The Flood & Water Management Act (2010)
Peter Mynors FICE, contains all the elements that would require SuDS
peter@mynors.me.uk to be included in all future developments. However,

Presidential Interview
Robert Mair
ENQUIRING
20
MIND
BY MARK HANSFORD
NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | DECEMBER 2017

ICE PRESIDENT ROBERT MAIR’S
CAREER IS A TESTSMENT TO THE
VALUE OF ENGINEERING RESEARCH
FLAVOURED BY EXPERIENCE
MORE IN-DEPTH INTERVIEWS AT
WWW.NEWCIVILENGINEER.COM
R “
obert Mair is not a typical
academic despite his
But there was, equally, a sharp
learning curve, he says, moving on to
Try and get
ROBERT
educational background.
Yes, he grew up in MAIR
words of wisdom number two: get out
on site.
as much
Cambridge. Yes, he then
went to Cambridge
CV “It was a very humbling experience
when you see your initials on the
experience as you can,
University as a civils student. Yes,
1968
bottom right corner of drawings that with as much variety as
he has a PhD – from Cambridge. And someone is saying don’t look very
yes, he has spent the last 20 years Reads easily buildable,” he recalls. “It is very you can, as quickly as
engineering at
you can
back at the university as head of important to work on site at an early
civils. But before that he was firmly Clare College, stage in your career as the way you
in the construction industry, first in Cambridge, think about design is so transformed,”
design offices, then on site, then in he says.
research labs, before, finally, entering
specialising In Hong Kong in the early 1970s above a Morgan garage in Kendrick
the boardroom as owner and director in civil the Hong Kong Government was just Mews, South Kensington. And it
of his own specialist design house. engineering beginning geotechnical investigations remains small to this day, deliberately
That has accounted for well over half ahead of building the first of its metro so, says Mair.
of his career and informs his work 1971 lines. There were huge uncertainties “When we set up GCG, we quite
in academia to this day. For Mair, about feasibility of creating tunnels deliberately decided it would never
a practical man at heart, academic
Joins Scott so close to, and beneath, Hong Kong’s exceed 50 people,” he states. The
research must have practical Wilson iconic high rise buildings. Scott concept of a specialist firm of experts
application. Kirkpatrick’s Wilson Kirkpatrick was involved and was modelled on barristers’ chambers
“My first 27 years were in industry London office here began Mair’s lifelong passion. and the ideal remains intact today. “It
and they have very much shaped my He was swiftly seconded by Scott is a very effective model, I believe,”
whole academic research agenda and Wilson Kirkpatrick to Cambridge observes Mair. Clients, consultant
made sure I’ve addressed some topics
1973 University in 1976, at the age of 26, and contractors come from all over
of real value,” he says. “I’ve looked at Posted to Hong where he was tasked with helping with the world to tap into their expertise
problems I would like to see solved.” Kong designing research into soft ground tunnelling, a – all seeking specialist solutions to a
Latterly, those problems have been and supervising project funded by the UK government geotechnical problem.
those of getting the most out of ageing construction of through what was then the Transport And the success of it leads Mair
infrastructure assets – and exploring & Roads Research Laboratory. to his third top-tip: stay abreast of
the role of sensor technology in that.
new container “It changed my life,” he says. “That developments in research coming
But initially it was pioneering work terminal three year period really shaped out of academia. “There is a lot
in tunnelling in soft ground, and in my career,” he adds. The lab had emerging and so the young engineer
compensation grouting in particular. 1976 just invested in a centrifuge and keeping him or herself abreast of new
And that all stemmed from his first Seconded to testing problems of tunnel stability techniques is important,” he says.
job, with Scott Wilson Kirkpatrick and ground movements caused by To Mair, GCG was about more than
in London, way back in 1971. Scott
Cambridge tunnelling was an ideal application for keeping in touch. For him, it was the
Wilson Kirkpatrick was a large to do PhD in it, explains Mair. perfect way to fulfil his ambition: “I
international firm of consulting tunnelling in He used the research as the basis wanted to stay at the cutting edge of
engineers and in 1973 he was posted soft ground for a PhD which he received in 1979. geotechnics rather than becoming a
to Hong Kong, where he spent what The results were adopted by the manager,” he recalls, “although I of
he describes as three “exciting and industry worldwide. course was. But I still spent a lot of
very formative years” designing a
1979 With that work complete he briefly time in the technical.”
new container terminal and then Rejoins rejoined Scott Wilson Kirkpatrick Mair’s “technical” was, naturally,
supervising construction on site. Scott Wilson before, in 1983 and while still in underground construction – how
It leads to his first words of advice Kirkpatrick. his early 30s, he embarked on his to design and construct tunnels in
to any budding engineer: get yourself Projects next big challenge – co-founding urban areas, often in very soft ground,
posted abroad. “I would say to anyone and co-running his own company, without risking instability and causing
to try and get as much experience as
include study Geotechnical Consulting Group (GCG). damaging settlement. And it is with
you can, with as much variety as you for Baghdad It was, he says, in many ways a new that, and compensation grouting
can, as quickly as you can. And you metro breed of engineering organisation. as a means of protecting buildings
can get fantastically concentrated Closely linked to academia, and structures from the effects of
experiences if you go overseas,” he Continued especially Imperial College London, settlement caused by tunnelling, that
suggests. GCG specialises in applying latest Mair really made his name.
In gaining that kind of experience
on next page developments in academic research Compensation grouting involves the
in Hong Kong, Mair first experienced to geotechnical engineering and major drilling of steel tubes radially, deep
the civil engineering thrill of seeing civil engineering projects. underground, usually from a vertical
his design actually being built. “There It started small, with Mair and his shaft, between the foundations and
is nothing to beat the satisfaction of co-founders David Hight and professor the tunnel to be constructed. The
that,” he says. Peter Vaughan of Imperial working tubes can be drilled up to about

Presidential Interview Robert Mair
“
“
It is very
important to I feel very
ROBERT
MAIR
work on site at an early CV
stage in your career 1983
strongly that we
as the way you think Founds
Geotechnical
are at the right time
about design is so
transformed
Consulting
Group for the adoption of new
1988
Becomes
technologies
60m from the shaft; they have many
holes in them. Very comprehensive professor of
monitoring/measurement of the geotechnical
building is undertaken, and as engineering
tunnelling work approaches, grout and head
(liquid cement) is injected from the
tubes to compensate for the ground of civil
movements that occur, reducing engineering
movements affecting buildings. at Cambridge
It began, as so many clever things University
do, with London Underground (LU).
He had already worked on a number
of LU projects including Angel station 2001
in Islington, where his escalator, Elected
threaded between piled foundations master of
supporting a major building, still Jesus College,
holds the record of the longest in Cambridge
London.
But Waterloo station was the
breakthrough for compensation 2011
grouting, where it was used to protect Founds Centre
the existing station – and the Waterloo for Smart
& City line – from settlement as a Infrastructure
new 10m diameter escalator tunnel
was installed to service the then new and
Eurostar terminal. It was quite an act Construction
of faith from the client, recalls Mair. on many tunnelling projects research to Cambridge. An easy hook
“The settlement was going to be 2015 worldwide: in Amsterdam, Barcelona, for someone like Mair and he took the
significant and compensation grouting Appointed Bologna, Florence, Hong Kong, Rome, bait, taking the job as as professor
was a first,” he observes. But it Singapore and Warsaw to name just a of geotechnical engineering and
worked. “It was a seminal moment and cross-bench few. Mair himself chaired committees, head of civil engineering. He made
a vindication of new ideas that made member of founded and chaired international it work in a big way, obtaining funds
the business of building tunnels near House of conferences and, significantly, sat for a new geotechnical engineering
buildings safer and more predictable,” Lords as the only Englishman on a French building and building the university’s
he says. government commission of enquiry geotechnical research group into one
And it certainly got Mair and his into the collapse of the Toulon Tunnel of the largest in its field in the world –
team noticed. “A lot of designers in 1997 – a failure of enormous cost 50 PhD students, from many different
and contractors for the Jubilee and consequences. nationalities, examining many
Line Extension came round and Bringing that all to an end to return, different topics.
looked at it,” he recalls. The method in 1998, to academia and Cambridge He is now known mainly as the head
was adopted and used for the was, he admits, a big change in his of the Centre for Smart Infrastructure
“ultimate test” – Big Ben – which was life. The man who persuaded him and Construction (CSIC), a spin-
successfully protected from leaning was vice-chancellor Alec (now Lord) off from Cambridge which exists
thanks to compensation grouting. Broers. to find revolutionary new uses for
It established his and GCG’s What convinced him was Broers’ sensors to monitor the behaviour of
reputations. Both have now advised desire to bring industry-focused bridges, tunnels, buildings and many

“
It won’t be far in the House of Lords Appointments
Commission, a recommendation
the future where stemming in no small part from
it will be standard
his role as chairman of the Science
Advisory Council of the Department
practice that designers for Transport and the hours of

evidence he gave to both Commons
are asking clients what and Lords committees studying the
Crossrail hybrid bill.
sensing equipment He plays down his peerage; indeed
his main observation is that it is
they want worthy of remark that a civil engineer
has made it into the Lords.
“There aren’t enough of them,” he
observes. But it does mean he has
designers are asking clients what a special role to play, and one he
sensing equipment they want,” he welcomes. In the Lords he sits on the
adds. science and technology committee
“That is a big step change in civil and is actively engaged. “Whenever
engineering,” he continues. “More there is an opportunity to speak
often than not we have created about infrastructure, or science and
wonderful structures but we don’t technology, or universities; that’s
know how they are performing.” where I play my part,” says Mair.
This is such a step change, he The latter subject – universities
says, because not only does it inform – naturally is close to his heart, and
the maintenance regime but, more how they work with technology is
fundamentally, it allows engineers something that concerns him.
to improve their designs. “This is “The group I am in has chip
important,” he emphasises. designers and computer scientists
He is clearly passionate about working with great civil engineers.
structural health monitoring, and “That has implications for future
is also passionate about where UK civils courses,” he stresses. “There
engineering’s role in it sits on a is going to be a greater need to
global scale. “We are world leading introduce computer science and
in this,” he says. “Last year we had a sensing technology and a lot of
conference at Cambridge and we had thought is needed about how to do
hundreds of delegates from around that.”
the world. This is, perhaps, the hardest
“Cambridge is world leading and question of all – how to make a future
the UK is world leading,” he stresses. civils course broad enough to cover
It should come as no surprise all the bases but not so general that,
Mair is passionate
types of infrastructure. It is a major therefore that Mair sees this as a time in Mair’s words, graduates are unable
endeavour, collaborating with more about the role of of opportunity to sell the industry to deal with anything.
than 30 different companies. And technology and better. “I feel very strongly that we For the answer Mair returns to
again the focus is on the practical structural health are at the right time for the adoption his roots and the words of professor
application. monitoring in of new technologies. Sensors, yes, Charles Ingels, himself an ICE
It’s working well, with CSIC kit now infrastructure but a whole lot of other technologies President in the 1930s and another
being used on over 100 sites. “It’s such as robotics and 3D printing prominent Cambridge academic.
been very rewarding as the main aim that project the hugely exciting “He said the most important
was to get it adopted by industry,” he opportunities available and dispel achievement was to give students
observes. any image the public may have of us ‘right habit of mind’,” Mair quotes
Which is good, as sensor being old and slow when actually we him as saying. “That is to help them
technology is, he believes, firmly the are new and fast.” understand from first principles the
future. “Modern civils projects will It is this advocacy of engineering, working of things, and in doing so
very soon be routinely incorporating and science in general that got Mair, give them the capability and flexibility
structural health monitoring, so then an ICE vice president, in 2015, of mind that they turn their skills to
we know what our infrastructure is appointed as a cross-bench member anything.”
doing and how it is performing,” he of the House of Lords. And that, really, is Mair’s final top
explains. Lord Mair was named as one of tip for a successful career: “Never
“It won’t be far in the future where four new non-party political peers stop having an enquiring mind,” he
it will be standard practice that following a recommendation from concludes. N

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THE BIG ISSUE
Learning from Failure

REVIEWING THE RISK OF INFRASTRUCTURE FAILURE / PAGE 26
RAISING THE PROFILE OF CONFIDENTIAL REPORTING / PAGE 32
CASE STUDY ONE: OROVILLE DAM / PAGE 36
CASE STUDY TWO: EINDHOVEN AIRPORT / PAGE 40
NEW GUIDANCE FOR TEMPORARY WORKS / PAGE 44

WHAT IS
THE ROLE OF
ENGINEERS
IN FLAGGING
SAFETY RISKS?
BY ALEXANDRA WYNNE
Learning
from Failure
L
earning from failure is
a particularly tricky
subject. Late last year,
when New Civil Engineer
began discussing what
this month’s big issue
should be called, the response from
industry figures consulted was one
of reticence and aversion to anything
that could be deemed too negative or
contentious.
More palatable to many was
the more corporate-speak-friendly
“managing risk”. The sentiment is
understandable given that is what
engineers know and do on a daily
basis, but is it the right one?
The catastrophic Grenfell Tower
fire and its fallout will be felt far and
wide and has certainly whipped up an
appetite for transparency like never
before.
The ICE is alert to this. Last
month it released an interim report
of its investigation into risk in the
infrastructure industry. Notably, it
“
DISASTER R
The view we’ve
reached is
that unless we have
problems — or blind
spots — in multiple
lines of defence,
we think the risk of
failure is low
“
Given the mood
in the aftermath
of Grenfell, we think
it’s the right time to be
saying: ‘are we missing
anything?’ Have we
allowed any gaps to
grow in our defence?
was undertaken in the fallout from

Grenfell, but importantly it refrains
from specifically investigating that
incident, not least because of the
imperative to avoid prejudicing
official investigations or inquiries.
But the ICE, and then President
Tim Broyd, was determined that such
concerns should not deter it from
taking a deep look.
“The reason we’re doing this is
important; because we are trained to
look at risk – that’s what engineers
do,” explains ICE past president Peter
Hansford, charged by Broyd with
leading the work.
“Given the mood in the aftermath of
Grenfell, we think it’s the right time to
be saying: ‘are we missing anything?’
Have we allowed any gaps to grow in
our defence? This is an opportunity to
take stock of these important issues.”
“It may actually result in us saying
‘we’re confident’ or ‘we feel we’ve got
sufficient [defence]’, or it may result
in some changes,” he adds.
The work was carried out by
Hansford and six industry leaders
who together formed the panel (see
box). Hansford was speaking to New
Civil Engineer ahead of the report,
which the ICE deliberately opted to
call In plain sight – reducing the risk of
infrastructure failure. It affirmed that
the ICE sees that the focus should be
on the core requirement of engineers
RESPONSE
to engineer out risk.
The report also clarifies what it
means by failure: “By infrastructure
failure, the panel means an incident
leading to loss of life, multiple injuries
or serious economic disruption,” it
says.
There is a note of caution
throughout the report, and from
Hansford himself – both going to
great pains to offer assurance that the
panel, through its two month initial
phase, has found no major cause for
concern.
“We have in place a number of

Learning from Failure Overview
“
lines of defence against failure. And These facts had not been made
We’ve
[the panel] tried to work out what available to the industry until then.
those lines of defence might be. The An appetite for clarity and a desire
view we’ve reached is that unless we to avoid a repeat of such failures can
have problems – or blind spots – in cloud the real issues. Engineers are
multiple lines of defence, we think the
risk of failure is low,” Hansford says.
But he concedes there is room
well motivated to change the world
for the benefit of society. But anxiety
about failing to do this immaculately,
got to find
ways of sharing
for greater scrutiny of those lines of to the highest safety requirements,
defence and the conclusion of the cannot be allowed to prevent anyone
report is that there is more work to from taking a close look at whether
information on
be done through the set up of three there is more that can be done to
“task and finish” groups, to be run prevent failure or learn from it when
by the ICE over the next few months. it does happen.
These would look at the issues of The fatality on London’s mega
lesson sharing, competence and
governance.
One of the most interesting
construction project Crossrail offers
another stark reminder of why this
matters. Renè Tkácik, 43, died after
a non-attributable
basis.
and candid observations in the being crushed by falling wet concrete
report is the recognition that on 7 March 2014 as he worked on a
findings into disasters can be, section of tunnel at the Fisher Street
likely unintentionally, inadequate. It site.
illustrates this with the investigations Soon after the accident, Crossrail
into the 2013 Santiago de Compostela chair Terry Morgan told New Civil
rail disaster in Spain in 2013. The Engineer: “The incident happened
primary focus on the cause of the at a working face and we have a
crash – responsible for 80 deaths large number of these across our
– was on the driver’s behaviour in many working sites. We stood down
the lead up to the accident, despite associated SCL [sprayed concrete
investigators now looking more lining] works pending completion
broadly at railway systems for further of an assurance review involving all
explanation (New Civil Engineer, 8 contractor sites. We have confidence
August 2013). that the correct processes are being
Another example closer to home, followed so felt able to restart.” (New
but not cited by the ICE report, is the Civil Engineer, 13 March 2014)
Hatfield train crash. There, it was only However, this year, Westminster
the last of the various Health & Safety Magistrates Court heard that
Executive reports into the rail crash contractor Bam Nuttall, Ferrovial, importantly, to disseminate learnings
published in 2006, three years after Kier (BFK), the joint venture when they become available. What
the legal proceedings and six years responsible for that section of the Crossrail incident proves is that
after the tragedy, that recognised underground works, was lacking in its it can be difficult to do the latter
manual track inspection failures as health and safety measures. without inadvertently impacting on
the prima facie cause of the disaster. It was widely understood at the the former.
time that Tkácik was in an exclusion In February 2016 Crossrail
“
zone, where he should not have published a good practice document
been. However, the court heard called Sprayed Concrete Lining
from the prosecution that, although Exclusion Management and placed it
This area of workers were aware they should on its Learning Legacy online portal
not have gone beneath the wet and made it available through the
the role of concrete until a strength test had British Tunnelling Society website.
the engineer and been carried out by an engineer,

there was confusion about where
But more can be done by many
organisations to foster a more open
the engineer’s voice the exclusion zone began as it was
unmarked. BFK admitted breaches
culture, says Hansford. “We do have
to be able to share information and
throughout the life of the Regulation 10(2) of the Work
at Height Regulations 2005, and was
share information at the earliest
stage,” he says. He adds: “Including
cycle is I think an fined £300,000 earlier this year (New
Civil Engineer, September).
learning not just from failure but
learning from near misses. We want to
area that really needs The aim of any investigation is to get a culture where we become much
find the culprits where wrongdoing better at learning and where far less
addressing has occurred but, perhaps more of this information is held back.”

by the task groups. “A number of
areas [being looked at come] under
competence,” says Hansford. “We
need to take a careful look at that
and say: ‘are we confident that we’re
ensuring that people are doing the
necessary development?’ Because in
a changing world, are they keeping
up with [CPD]. And is our regime
appropriate for that.
“Professional conduct also goes
with this: are we confident that our
members are working within their
competence?”
This is increasingly important given
the changes that have happened to
the way procurement and contracts
affect the world of infrastructure
in recent years – not least because
of the need to identify responsible
parties.
Hansford says: “There have
been really good things that have
happened [as a result of these
changes] and I wouldn’t want
to change those, but this is our
opportunity to say: ‘has it introduced
risk? And if it has introduced risk, are
we protected against that risk?’ This
area of the role of the engineer and
the engineer’s voice throughout the
life cycle is I think an area that really
needs addressing.”
And that will be addressed through
the work of the follow on groups, he
pledges.
In response to questions
The ICE report is also clear organisations, such as the regarding the shifts in the make-up
on this point: “A lack of public Confidential Reporting on Structural of supply chains where there is
acknowledgement of near misses and Safety (Cross) initiative (see feature now an increased use of design
a tendency to see such events as a p32), should from now on play a and build contracts managed by
success was a particular concern [to more prominent role, according to main contractors – architects
the panel]. Hansford and the panel. and designers in turn working for
The fear of corporate, HR or legal The report highlights the fact that contractors – for example, Hansford
retribution for speaking out must be despite Cross enabling anonymous is interested to seek out more
challenged, according to Hansford. reporting by anyone – members answers.
“It’s a difficult area, but we do have to of the public or professionals – of “We’ve got to find ways of
overcome it.” any concern they have about ensuring that the designer’s intent
He adds: “We’ve got to find ways structural safety, the knowledge of is actually taken all the way through
“
of sharing information on a non- and use of Cross’s reports “appears
attributable basis. I would like to .. to be limited despite institutional
encourage much more discussion, endorsement and funding”.
and much more learning, between
projects and incidents. We’ve
“I think not enough people know
about Cross,” says Hansford. “There’s
We do have
got to find a way of doing that
notwithstanding the legal and
some great [work] in Cross, but I
think this could be an opportunity to
to be able to
insurance issues associated with it.” broaden, or to increase significantly, share information,
ICE regions, with their more the use of Cross and similar
intimate connection to workers and confidential reporting mechanisms. and share information
projects locally, could have input Attention will be given to engineers’
here. But mostly, whistleblowing skills through the next phase of work at the earliest stage
Learning from Failure Overview
“
The role of the
“IN PL AIN SIGHT – REDUCING
engineer is, THE RISK OF INFRASTRUCTURE FAILINGS”
or should be, moving
toward the role of REVIEW PANEL MEMBERS Abbeystead disaster, the
1989 Piper Alpha oil platform
Infrastructure & Projects
Authority, Interserve, Jacobs,
whole life asset steward Peter Hansford FREng FICE,
University College London, ICE
explosion, the 2005 explosion
at the Buncefield oil refinery
KPMG, London Underground,
Loughborough University,
past president (panel chair) and the independent inquiry into Mott McDonald, MSS Group,
construction and into operation,” he Liz Baker MICE, the construction of Edinburgh Natural Resources Wales,
says. “And I think multiple interfaces Nichols Group schools published in 2017. Network Rail, Northern Ireland
is a problem with that – the handover Julie Bregulla FICE, BRE Department of Infrastructure,
from one party to another is an area Tim Chapman INVESTIGATION Office of Road & Rail, Pinsent
of risk. And we’ve got to find ways of FREng FICE, Arup CONTRIBUTORS Masons, Scottish Futures
ensuring that we keep the integrity of Mike Gerrard Trust, Standing Committee on
the design intent all the way across FICE, Independent Association of Directors Structural Safety, Sunbeam
those handovers. Margaret Sackey MICE, ICE of Environment, Planning Management Solutions,
“You talk about designers working Health & Safety Panel & Transport, Amec Foster Transport for the North,
for contractors — that’s a classic Matthew Symes MICE, Wheeler, Aon Benfield, United Utilities, University
example of how the designer could Concerto Partners Arcadis, Arup, Bam Nuttall, College London, University
be [pushed] further away from the Bill Harvey Associates, Bill of Bath, University of Bristol,
finished product, the finished asset. It KEY EVIDENCE Grose Consulting, BSI Group, University of Lancaster,
doesn’t have to be the case but there CAA, Campbell Reith Hill, University of Liverpool,
is a risk of that.” The panel considered the Civil Engineering Contractors University of Manchester,
There are further questions to reports written on a number of Association, CH2M, Costain, University of Salford, University
be asked about the structure and major incidents Fenwick Elliot, Get it Right of South Wales, Ward
oversight of how engineers work. And Initiative, Habilis, IChemE Williams Associates, 12 senior
contributors to the review echoed These included the 1984 Safety Centre, Imperial College, independent consultants
sentiments expressed in New Civil
Engineer immediate after Grenfell.
In light of clear questions
surrounding the robustness of that on a wider basis,” he says. “I the question I’ve got is: ‘has that
fire inspection regimes, New don’t think this is all about having been in some ways reduced by the
Civil Engineer has called for the lots and lots of panels, I think this is changes that we have in contractual
introduction of a government-backed having a look to make sure that the arrangements, by the various things
National Fire Risk Register of qualified panels we’ve got, and the registers that have happened in recent years?”
assessors, which would comprise we’ve got, are the right ones.” The first phase of the Task and
similar expertise to that seen among “Some people have said we should finish group work is due to be
the Reservoir Panel Engineers (New move back to the days of clerks of complete by spring 2018.
Civil Engineer, August). works or resident engineers. That So far, led by Hansford, the panel
The Reservoir Panel advises may be the case, but we think it’s far has sought contributions at the
the relevant secretary of state on more important to look at the form of highest level from clients, consultants
reservoir safety and comprises scrutiny that’s currently taking place and key contractors, among others.
suitably qualified and experienced and whether or not that’s sufficient,” It will be interesting to see how the
civil engineers who are appointed he says. “This is not about turning the changes in supply chain relationships
for five years. This competence is clock back. We have made advances will be reflected in the future work of
demonstrated by factors, which and many of the advances we have this review – there has been limited
include evidence of CPD and health & made are positive. But the question specialist contractor involvement
safety training. is: have we missed something and (see box) in this first phase. This is
“Several respondents and have gaps crept in and could this be particularly vital given the report’s
interviewees suggested wider one of them? I’m not sure,” he adds. finding that: “Contributors have
adoption of such approaches would Hansford is more adamant when it identified potential vulnerabilities
create an important line of defence comes to facing the facts of today’s at all levels in the design, build and
against the risk of asset failure,” engineer. He says the industry must operation of economic infrastructure:
says the ICE report, but Hansford is be mindful of that and how it might from decision making in boardrooms,
cautious about how far reaching this affect risk management. through to engineering design,
should be. “The role of the engineer is, or construction and the management
“We already have in place some should be, moving toward the role of of assets.”
panels – the Reservoir Panel is a whole life asset steward,” he asserts. The industry will no doubt watch
good example. We should look to see “Somebody who looks at the integrity what happens next with great
whether there is a case for having of the asset over its whole life – and interest. N

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EARLY
Grenfell Tower: Could
confidential reporting
have prevented the
disaster?
WARNING
SHOULD THE CROSS CONFIDENTIAL
REPORTING SCHEME BE EXPANDED?
BY DAVE PARKER
“
Learning It is hardly New Civil Engineer’s office.
There had been calls for a
from Failure KEY FACTS
surprising confidential reporting system from
W
as early as 1994, primarily from the
8,000 that engineers were Standing Committee on Structural
hen a structure Safety (Scoss). Despite wide support
collapses or a Subscribers reluctant to put their from industry and the professions,
to Cross
heads above the
train crashes, nothing happened. And despite a
there is usually series of collapses in the 1990s – the
newsletter
an independent
investigation. parapet 1994 Ramsgate walkway tragedy, the
Heathrow Express tunnel collapse
Sometimes – not always – a report in the same year; and the partial
138
into the causes of the disaster is collapse in 1997 of an ageing multi-
eventually published and made Number compromise safety on a number of storey car park in Wolverhampton –
public, and the construction industry of reports structures – but would be pressured nothing happened.
can learn how to avoid a similar to keep their concerns to themselves. Believing that such a scheme was
disaster happening again. received by Given the regrettable consequences urgently needed, New Civil Engineer
This is what happened after the Cross in 2015 inflicted on whistleblowers in society, approached the ICE and the IStructE
partial collapse of the Eindhoven it is hardly surprising that such and Scoss and offered to help get
and 2016
airport car park in May this year engineers were reluctant to stick their it off the ground by facilitating an
(see p38). But what happens when a heads over the parapet. And until independent working party.
disaster is narrowly averted? How do 63 2005 there was no way they could Initial reactions were positive.
we learn from such near misses? report their serious concerns to A series of meetings between the
Things can go wrong – in the design Number of the relevant authorities in complete institutions and the head of Chirp
office, on site, during a structure’s Cross reports confidence. eventually came up with a system
or system’s lifetime. Almost always In that year the ICE and the that would ensure confidentiality
published
somebody picks up such faults and Institution of Structural Engineers while at the same time allowing the
errors in time and corrective action (IStructE) came together to launch publication of anonymised reports.
is taken. Traditionally, however, and the Confidential Reporting on However, there were concerns
for understandable reasons, such Structural Safety (Cross) scheme, about the projected £40,000 cost of
episodes were usually kept under modelled closely on Chirp, the a 12 month trial, and the possibility
wraps, and valuable lessons that established UK Confidential that employer groups would see
might have been learned were lost to Reporting Programme for Aviation such a scheme as a whistleblowers’
the wider profession. and Maritime. charter.
Sometimes individual engineers Cross’s genesis, however, was Eventually, however, there was a
would see faults that could triggered eight years earlier, in series of rail disasters – at Ladbroke

Learning from Failure Safety Reporting
“
Cross has Heathrow Express
effected a collapse: contributed to
momentum leading to
cultural change within Cross’ establishment
the profession, thanks

to its wide circulation
Grove in 1999, at Hatfield in 2000,

and at Selby in 2001 – which might
well have been avoided had such
a scheme been in operation. These
finally unblocked the logjam.
Civil engineer Alastair Soane
was given the task of running the
scheme for a trial period of six
months: 12 years later he now
heads up Structural-Safety, a hybrid
organisation that combines the
function of Cross and Scoss.
Scoss was formed in 1976 to advise
the presidents of the ICE and IStructE.
It was later joined by the Health & have wide enough reach. has effected a cultural change within
Safety Executive. In 2011, however, Newsletters are published in the profession, thanks to its wide
Scoss secretary John Carpenter January, April, July and October via circulation. Almost all consultants,
retired, and Soane took on the extra email to 8,000 subscribers, but Scoss contractors and local authorities
role. In 2012 the connection was believes internal sharing means the have taken it on board: 20% of the
formally recognised by the founding number of people with access to the newsletter’s readership is outside the
of the umbrella organisation. re ports is greater than that. UK.
When it was first launched, reports Indeed, the chief executive of one There is said to be considerable
to Cross arrived at the rate of around construction firm calls a meeting with international interest in the Cross
one a week, and were mostly devoted his managers when a newsletter is philosophy. Cross may have been
to relatively minor matters. published and uses the contents as inspired by Chirp but it in turn drew
The number of reports increased the agenda. inspiration from the long-established
year on year and reports these But it is a fact that Structural- US Aviation Safety Reporting System.
days can relate to “potentially more Safety’s Scoss arm has been busy Now the inspiration appears
serious” problems, Soane confirms. since the Grenfell Tower tragedy. On to be flowing in the opposite
He also points to a report in the 5 September communities and local direction. Recently Soane has been
latest Cross newsletter as a good government secretary Sajid Javid in discussions with the American
example. told the House of Commons that he Society of Civil Engineers’ Structural
The reporter was commissioned had requested Scoss to advise on Engineering Institute with a view to
by a building owner to carry out a some of the structural shortcomings the creation of “Cross-USA”.
technical due diligence survey prior uncovered during post-Grenfell “Cross-GDE” is also a possibility,
to its sale. Numerous serious fire risks inspections of suspect local authority following talks with Germany’s
were observed. The client insisted tower blocks. prestigious Association of Proof
that these findings not be reported, as This included the discovery that Engineers. There have also been
they would jeopardise the sale, and some local authorities had reacted contacts with interested parties in
any such report would be a breach of to the 1968 Ronan Point disaster by Australia, France and South Africa.
contract. cutting off gas supplies to similar In the longer term, Soane dreams
But as the newsletter comments: large panel system blocks rather of an international Cross hub, using a
“The defects discovered were than by carrying out expensive common format accessible to anyone
dangerous and illegal. It would be strengthening work. Perhaps if Cross from around the world.
unethical and irresponsible not to had been in existence back then Two decades on from that seminal
report them, some concerned engineer would initiative from New Civil Engineer the
It has been suggested – and have reported his doubts about such Cross concept has grown way beyond
indeed the ICE’s post-Grenfell report penny-pinching. anything that could have been
questions – whether Scoss and Cross Soane for one believes that Cross imagined back then. N

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REDUCED
TO RUBBLE
WERE ENGINEERS TO BLAME FOR THE SPILLWAY
FAILURE AT CALIFORNIA’S OROVILLE DAM?
BY FIONA MCINTYRE
Learning inspections. It was then gradually

reopened to controlled water flows.
from Failure KEY FACTS But rainwater continued to flood
O
into the reservoir, and with nowhere
to go, the 275m crest was breached
764,555
n 7 February this and water started to flow down the
year, engineers Cubic metres auxiliary (emergency) spillway for
spotted a hole in the of debris the first time in the dam’s history.
concrete spillway of As the auxiliary spillway was just a
the tallest dam in the cleared channel cut into the hillside, erosion
United States. damage soon appeared at its head,
Over the next few days Oroville undermining the concrete weir.
50%
Dam in California made international Concerns about the resulting high
headlines as the damage spiralled out Percentage volumes of water downstream of
of control. of main the dam — by this time water was
Its two spillways — overflows crashing down the main spillway
for excess water — had suffered spillway’s at 2,831m³/s — led to evacuation
erosion damage as a result of the original orders being issued for 180,000
heavy rainfall which had spread residents living in the danger zone,
“
foundations
through the state, after several years
of drought. That month, more than found to be
half of the 3,000 people working for substandard
the California Department for Water The biggest
unknown, of
Resources (DWR) were dedicated to
emergency response work.
Operational since 1968, Oroville
Dam is 235m tall and its crest is course, is what’s going
275m above sea level. During heavy
rain, excess water first flows down
to happen this winter.
the primary, or main, spillway. An
auxiliary spillway provides extra
Is it going to be a dry
capacity in an emergency.
The discovery of damage to the
season? Is it going to Damage to the main spillway
was the start of an event that
main spillway alarmed officials in be a wet season? How led to evacuation orders being
February, and prompted the slipway’s issued to 180,000 residents
immediate closure to allow for wet would it be?
OREGON
IDAHO
WYOMING Emergency spillway N
NEVADA
LAKE OROVILLE
UTAH COLORADO ay
lw
OROVILLE DAM s pil
ice
rv
Se
CALIFORNIA F Dam
e
a
th
e
r
R Power station
ive
ARIZONA r
Emergency spillway
SEVERE COROSION N
Rock and concrete
Main spillway
LAKE OROVILLE
T
he Dam
rm F
a e
li a
to th River blocked
D er
iv
er R
si iv
500m on er
Po
ol
Power station (disabled)
downstream. make that prediction so we have to

“It was very crazy, very hectic, very be prepared for everything. And we
stressful,” says DWR chief engineer are; we intend to be.”
Jeanne Kuttle, who was working on DWR’s contractor, Kiewit
site on 7 February when the initial Infrastructure, has worked up to
spillway damage was discovered. seven days a week and in double
“We’ve had floods a number of shifts to carry out the vital repairs
times here in California, and I’ve by 1 November. Parts of the concrete
worked those a number of different chute of the main spillway have been
times — 1997, 1998, 2005 — but none demolished. The slope has been
of those were nearly as intense as this stabilised, foundations laid and roller
past 2017 February and March.” compacted concrete added.
In the immediate aftermath there Now water is being released to
was no time to reflect on what had lower water levels in the reservoir
gone wrong. Engineers raced to repair before the rainy season hits. Through
the damage between storms, plugging a series of controlled releases, water
the hole in the auxiliary spillway levels in the reservoir will be brought
with rocks and gravel dropped from down to 213m above sea level;
helicopters, and starting to clear significantly lower than the usual
away 764,555m³ of debris at the 238m expected at this time of year.
bottom of the main spillway. “That gives us a bit of a buffer to be
On 19 May, the last water for the able to take any sort of inflows into
season was released from the dam the lake without having to encroach
and work started on interim repairs on the spillway until much later in the
to both spillways in a race to get season,” says Kuttle.
them ready for the next rainy season. Once winter arrives, construction
“Everything has been a challenge,” work will slow and there will be more
says Kuttle. “The biggest unknown, of time to reflect on what happened
course, is what’s going to happen this and what the next steps are. But
winter. Is it going to be a dry season? questions are already being asked
Is it going to be a wet season? How about what caused the incident,
wet would it be? who is at fault, and what lessons can
“If someone could say, ‘hey, it’s not be learned to make sure this year’s
going to rain until December’ then we situation is not repeated.
have the ability to breathe a little bit, An Independent Forensic Team
more a sigh of relief, but no-one can (IFT) was set up in the wake of the

Learning from Failure Oroville Dam Spillway
“
The underlying This page: High velocity
causes of water flows triggered
the spillway’s failure
the spillway failure Top right: Investigators
study the damage
came to a head Middle right:
Investigators examine
because of intense voids beneath the chute
Bottom right: Repairs
pressure from the are underway
water released due to

unusually heavy rain
emergency to provide the answers.

Made up mostly of engineers, it has
already released its interim findings
into what went wrong.
Firstly, it addresses what happened
to the main spillway. The IFT believes
a small section of concrete on the
main spillway chute was loosened and
removed by the high velocity water
flows mid-morning on 7 February. The
foundations in the rock and soil-like
material under the chute quickly
eroded and more concrete slabs were
smashed away by the water, creating
the hole first seen by engineers.
According to the IFT report, the
spillway had endured much greater
water flows in the past. So what went
wrong this time?
Corrosion of the reinforcement
across joints in the concrete had
occurred, and new damage to
previous repairs had gone unnoticed.
In addition, anchors beneath
the concrete slabs had not been
properly encased in grout, leading
to corrosion. Although the IFT does
not believe a deep void had formed
beneath the spillway chute, it is
examining the possibility that existing
shallow voids formed by erosion
could have expanded, increasing the
possibility of spillway collapse.
It would be easy to blame engineers
and other officials for failing to pick
up on the warning signs. But Kuttle
does not believe more inspections
would have made a difference in
identifying the underlying causes of
the spillway failure.
“Any maintenance or inspections
that produced anything that required
attention or repairs was done, and
usually done pretty efficiently and

expeditiously,” she says. foundation preparation and treatment
“In this case, I think the factors failed to measure up to what was
that led up to the spillway failure specified. In some areas, more than
on the seventh [of February] were 50% of the foundations had not been
undetectable from a visual standpoint properly treated. Poorly designed
or from a maintenance standpoint.” drains added to the troubles with
The IFT came to a similar insufficient collector drain capacity for
conclusion in its report. the high flows and no filtering system.
“Physical inspections, while Despite these failings, Kuttle thinks
necessary, are not sufficient to it is unfair to blame the designers.
identify risks and manage safety. At “It would be the same as driving a
Oroville Dam, more frequent physical 1950s’ car and calling the designers
inspections would not likely have of that vehicle flawed for not having
uncovered the issues which led to the seatbelts or airbags,” she says.
spillway incident,” says the IFT report. “It’s things that are developed
Instead, it recommends an overhaul with state of practice, so I think it’s
of the dam inspections process. important to look at where we are
While the dam itself was regularly today in history, and how things
inspected, the appurtenant structures are done today independent of how
— such as the spillways — were not things were done then.”
included as part of the routine. In fact, the redesign of the main
It says comprehensive reviews of spillway – which will be fully
the original design and construction constructed by April 2019 – does not
details, conducted by professionals deviate far from the original plans.
with a high level of technical “The general concept of the
expertise, should be carried out design is very similar, so that means
regularly to check existing structures that the folks back then didn’t get
against current best practice. it completely wrong. We all make
This is an issue in California, where improvements in everything we do,”
much of the state’s key infrastructure says Kuttle.
is 50 years old or more. At Oroville According to the IFT, there is no
Dam, the IFT found that design and evidence that a critical examination
construction flaws made chute of the main spillway has ever been
vulnerable to erosion damage. carried out. It believes a review
A relatively large aggregate size had would have most likely connected
been used in the concrete, making the dots and found risks including
it prone to cracking and spalling initial construction and design
problems. Cracks above many of the shortcomings, drain flows which were
herringbone drains running under the far higher than the intended design
chute allowed water to pass through capacity and chute repairs which
the slab, amplifying the spalling were not designed to withstand high
issues. velocity water flows.
The IFT discovered that during Kuttle believes there was no fault
“
construction of the chute slab, the or negligence on the part of the
engineers currently working on the
dam because the high level reviews
I think the
recommended by the IFT are not
common practice.
factors But she is clear that the underlying

causes of the spillway failure came to
that led up to the a head because of intense pressure
from the water released due to
spillway failure were unusually heavy rain. Around the
world, extreme weather events
undetectable from a are set to become more common:
engineers have to be ready to react
visual standpoint or quickly in a crisis. She adds that
more training in how to respond
from a maintenance during an emergency would ensure
standpoint
that engineering professionals are
sufficiently prepared. N

A 60m by 15m section of
the top floor of the four
storey structure failed,
initiating a progressive
collapse
DUTCH
Learning
from Failure
C
oncrete bond
failures triggered by
LESSON
differential solar gain
were the root cause of
the partial collapse of
a multi-storey car park
under construction at Eindhoven
airport in the Netherlands earlier
this year, according to the recently
published report from Netherlands
research organisation TNO.
No-one was hurt when the collapse
occurred on the evening of 27 May.
“All the site staff had left for the day,
ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS OF DUTCH CAR PARK so they were very lucky” says TNO
senior scientist Huibert Borsje.
“It was the hottest, sunniest day
COLLAPSE WARNS OF SOLAR GAIN RISKS of a very hot and sunny week, and
this high level of solar gain was the
trigger for the collapse.”
BY DAVE PARKER A 60m by 15m section of the top
floor of the four storey structure
failed first, initiating a progressive

CAR PARK COLLAPSE AT EINDHOVEN AIRPORT
LE
A
SC
TO
Concrete poured
T
O
N
Void formers on site
Ø 360mm
450mm deep
400mm monolithic
PLAN OF centres deck
CAR PARK
Precast layer
70mm deep
Area of Precast slabs

collapse 10m x3m Columns
2ND FLOOR
COLUMNS 3RD FLOOR
4TH FLOOR
4TH FLOOR Amsterdam
3RD FLOOR
NETHERLANDS
THE COLLAPSE
Rotterdam
Cast insitu concrete Recycled plastic hollow ‘bubble’ GERMANY
COMPRESSION
POSITIVE
BENDING
MOMENT EINDHOVEN AIRPORT
BELGIUM
“
Transfer link bar TENSION Reinforcement in concrete slab Precast concrete permanent shutter
partial collapse of the three floors

below it. The floors were constructed It was the floor to floor height as the resulting
flat soffit maximises headroom. Ser-
KEY FACTS
with the innovative biaxial Bubble-
Deck system, which uses spherical
hottest, vice installation is also simplified.
At Eindhoven the supporting
recycled plastic void formers to save
weight. (See box). 30% sunniest day of a very columns were on a 15m by 10m grid.
Away from the column line, where
“Unfortunately this means the
finished slab is a good heat insula-
Reduction hot and sunny week, the slab was under normal bending
stresses, 16mm diameter link bars
tor,” Borsje says. “So the top surface
in concrete
and this high level 1.5m long were inserted on top of the
would get very hot in the sun, while use through precast sections to transfer bending
the soffit remained relatively cool. BubbleDeck of solar gain was the stresses in both directions and tie all
trigger for the collapse

“These temperature differentials the elements together into a mono-
would increase stresses in an area lithic biaxial slab. A C35/45 concrete
of the slab that was already highly 50% with a nominal 32mm aggregate was
stressed.” then poured 380mm deep, creating a
BubbleDeck construction begins
Longer spans 450mm deep monolithic deck.
in the precast yard. A reinforcement possible park, each prefabricated unit mea- Failure occurred on floor four at
cage that surrounds the void formers sured 10m by 3m, and the precast the longitudinal joint between central
is set up on spacers in a shutter and layer was 70mm deep. The void precast elements, an area that had
a shallow depth of self-compacting formers were 360mm in diameter, at been poured on 1 February this
concrete is poured. This has to be 400mm centres. On arrival on site the year, later identified as the area of
deep enough to securely locate the elements were craned into place by maximum positive bending moment.
reinforcement and eliminate the risk main contractor Bam and supported Floor four had been self-supporting
of the void formers floating up during on temporary falsework. for nearly three months before the
a full depth concreting operation. One of the main benefits claimed collapse.
The layer of precast concrete then for the BubbleDeck system is that it Borsje says TNO investigators were
acts as a permanent shutter and as needs no downstand beams or walls surprised when they surveyed the
an important structural element. for support, spanning in both direc- debris pile. “We discovered that large
In the case of the Eindhoven car tions between columns. This reduces areas of the failed section from the

Learning from Failure Eindhoven Car Park Collapse
“
The orientation bond between fresh and fully hard-
ened concrete can be challenging.
The edges of the
car park floors
TNO carried out the investigation on
behalf of Eindhoven airport. Car park
of the TNO noted that the upper surface split off from the contractor Bam also commissioned
of the BubbleDeck precast section main structure an investigation by consultant Hage-
individual units was had not been roughened in any way. man, that came to much the same
not ideal
The TNO report does not comment conclusions.
on ambient conditions during the 1 Bam Bouw en Techniek director
February pour, but winter concreting Jaap Hazeleger says: “Fortunately an
always requires extra care. event like this is highly exceptional.
fourth floor had finished up upside “There was another factor,” Borsje We are very grateful that no personal
down beneath the section from the adds. “The orientation of the individ- accidents have occurred. With the
third floor – which was upside down ual units was not ideal. investigation results in hand, we will
below the upside down section from In a “standard situation” the long engage in further talks with Eind-
the first floor.” sides are erected at right angles to hoven Airport to determine the most
This unlikely event was a result of the column line, with the end joints appropriate follow-up steps.”
the progressive collapse sequence. at the column lines. In this situation BubbleDeck UK director Paul
Further analysis showed that the link only secondary positive bending Harding stressed that while it was
bars should have been able moments occur in the long sides, and an unfortunate incident, it was
to cope with the stresses caused by no positive bending moments occur unconnected with the BubbleDeck
the differential solar gain – assuming in the end joint. invention.
the bars were adequately bonded “In Eindhoven, however, the long “BubbleDeck takes safety
into the slab, once the sides were parallel to the column extremely seriously and we would
insitu concrete had set and hard- line, with rather high, primary, posi- undertake site inspections of any
ened. This also assumed that the tive bending moments in the joints.” project in the UK in which we are
insitu concrete and the precast Recommendations in the report involved,” he says.
section were also fully bonded. include increased emphasis on “This includes ensuring the con-
TNO concluded that without such achieving an adequate bond between necting reinforcement between the
a bond the shear resistance of the the insitu concrete and the precast precast and insitu concrete and be-
slab would have been seriously section, and the importance of reduc- tween each elements is accurate and
compromised. Achieving an effective ing bending moments at the joints. meets our engineering standards.” N

EXPL AINER: LIGHTWEIGHT SL ABS
One of the advantages claimed for the BubbleDeck

system is that it can be used for oddly-shaped slabs
Concrete’s inherent supported by substantial bottom layers of mesh then achieve a good bond significantly reduced
low tensile strength has beams or walls. reinforcement. These in with the lower layer. foundations. Spans up
always limited its ability Biaxial slabs spanning in turn are linked by lattice Precast elements can be to 50% longer than
to span long distances. two directions also offered girders. linked together by tie bars possible with “traditional”
Prestressing is one significant advantages, Uplift is countered top and bottom, or mesh structures are also claimed.
solution: forming voids in especially if dead concrete by concreting in two might be used at the top. BubbleDecks as much as
the concrete is another. was minimised. Waffle phases. A first pour, Extra shear reinforcement 1.6m deep are said to be
BubbleDeck, invented by slabs were one approach: typically 70mm thick, may be needed at columns available to special order,
Danish structural engineer experiments with expanded locks the reinforcement or walls, or the bubbles and the system may also
Jorgen Breuning in the polystyrene void formers cage and the spheres into might be omitted in high be combined with post-
1990s, is the latest in a achieved only limited position without creating stress areas. tensioned prestressing.
number of attempts to success. destabilising uplift. In most Edge reinforcement There have been a
develop what has been Lightweight void formers cases this will be left to will also be needed in number of applications
dubbed a biaxial voided will inevitably try to float harden, transforming it most cases. One of the of BubbleDeck in the
slab. up as fresh concrete is into a precast permanent advantages claimed for the UK since its first use in
poured around them. In shutter. BubbleDeck system is that 2004, including its use
A simply supported the BubbleDeck system A fully insitu installation it can be used for oddly- on the Arup-designed
concrete slab will develop the recycled polypropylene is also possible. The first shaped slabs, unlike hollow £150M National
compression in the upper spheres, which are pour again will be around core units and the like. Automotive Innovation
section and tension in the available in standard sizes 70mm: it will then be left Other claimed Centre, currently under
lower, in response to dead ranging from 180mm to to gain enough strength to advantages include a construction on the
and live loads. In between 360mm diameter, are resist the uplift from the 30% to 50% reduction campus of the University
the higher stressed outer fixed between top and second pour, which should in concrete use, allowing of Warwick.
zones there will be a
central core of “dead”
concrete around the
neutral axis, which is lightly
stressed. This contributes
little positive to the
structural performance
of the slab, and its dead
weight increases the tensile
and compressive stresses in
the outer sections.
Eliminating as much
of this dead concrete
as possible offers many
theoretical advantages. For
many years “hollow core”
pretensioned prestressed
precast concrete “planks”
were virtually ubiquitous
on multi-storey projects BubbleDeck is the latest
in northern Europe. These, attempt to develop a biaxial
however, only spanned in voided concrete slab
one direction and had to be

Four people were killed when a
temporary cofferdam collapse on the
under-construction Nicoll Highway in
Singapore 2004
FIGHTING
Learning
from Failure
T
he risk of a disaster
FAILURES
remains,” warns Standing
Committee on Structural
Safety chair Bill Hewlett
as he reflects on
temporary works in the
modern construction industry.
“The hazard is inherent in
construction. There have been some
major collapses this century.”
When failures occur during
a construction project, the
VITAL NEW GUIDANCE ON

consequences can be horrendous,
as seen in Kolkata last year when a
section of the Vivekananda Flyover
TEMPORARY WORKS COLLAPSES

BY GREG PITCHER
collapsed killing at least 20 people.
After the disaster WSP head of
bridges and ground engineering Steve
Denton told New Civil Engineer that
a relatively high number of built-
environment failures occur during
construction.
“Over the years we have examined
structure failures around the world
to understand the reasons for them,”

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Learning from Failure Temporary Works
“
The smaller Temporary Works Forum (TWF) in
September.
report.”
He says too few designers think
end of the DISASTER “The document stems back to about construction methods.
TIMELINE early 2017,” says TWF director and “They don’t think enough about
industry is still a secretary David Thomas. how structures are built.”
focus for the Health

“We postulated that while there It is not just those at the very start
1909 was a lot of guidance available on of a project’s conception who could
& Safety Executive Newport temporary works, we ought to be able

to sum it all up in 10 principles to give
focus more on temporary works
safety, Thomas adds.
docks – 38 people a simple set of steps to follow “Planning and management
killed in deep to have a fighting chance of avoiding of temporary works could merit
he said last year. “One of the clear excavation things going wrong.” closer attention. The four Cs are
things you see is the disproportionate This intent proved somewhat critical – co-ordination, co-operation,
number of failures that occur collapse ambitious and the final document communication and competency.
during construction, despite the lists 21 main principles, alongside Each stage of a project needs to be
construction phase accounting for the need for a single responsible thought about and that stems from a
only a relatively short period in any
1959 person in each company, and a permanent works designer, through
structure’s life.” Barton bridge separate introductory section. But to a site engineer.”
There has been a wealth of work failure – the idea remains to offer a simple He says the right information must
in the UK to attempt to stamp out overarching document for use by be passed down the supply chain so
the risk of catastrophic failure during four killed construction companies of all sizes subcontractors can plan their part of
construction projects. Following Buckling of and specialisms across the world. a project correctly and safely.
disasters including the collapse of the “We’ve tried to steer away from UK- “There is always more to do to
Loddon Bridge Interchange, which
temporary specific terminology, as we would like ensure things can be built safely – it
killed three people in Berkshire in props to think this will be useful to a global remains an area of focus. Temporary
1972, professor Stephen Bragg was audience,” says Thomas. works remains a raw academic
appointed to chair a committee “Legislative regimes are very discipline, it is a relatively new area
investigating the issue. 1971 different by country and some have for research.”
The Bragg Report, as it has come Birling more guidance on temporary works Hewlett says Bragg’s insistence on
to be known, has been credited with than others. But the underlying a temporary works coordinator on
helping the industry take great strides
Road Bridge principles are the same.” every site made a real impression 40
on in-project safety, and in particular Collapse – He says that complying with the years ago.
that of temporary works. Published one killed, TWF document is likely to require “The idea of having, on every
in 1975, it made 27 recommendations, firms to meet local legislative project, one allocated person who
including the appointment on each Falsework demands, although he stresses they has sole responsibility of temporary
site of a temporary works coordinator failure would remain responsible for doing works has really worked. Engineers
to take responsibility for overseeing anything extra required by law. tend to be nervy people and they take
the safety of this critical part of many It is not just those outside the UK a role like that very seriously. When I
schemes. 2004 that can benefit from the guidance, did the role I always had in my mind:
Then, in 1982, the British Standards Nicoll though. Thomas says that while the ‘If this falls down, how will I stand up
Institute (BSI) built on many of domestic industry has learned from and say I did all that was practicably
Bragg’s themes when it published Highway previous disasters, there remain possible?’”
BS5975 a code of practice for collapse – areas where more work is needed. But he adds that the industry was
falsework. “Much has been done by big ripe for new guidance this year.
While these two planks of safety
four killed, contractors in the UK on temporary “Times have moved on.
policy are credited with overseeing a cofferdam works safety, but the smaller end of Main contractors are more like
major change in the way temporary failure the industry is still a focus for the management contractors now as they
works are managed, with positive Health & Safety Executive,” he says. don’t do much work directly and they
results, there is a drive to avoid Thomas cites a report published in use subcontractors more. The labour
complacency. 2009 2011 by Loughborough University and force is different, more multinational.
Changing circumstances in an the Construction Industry Research & And the HSE is now very interested
ever-evolving industry have led to
Andorra Information Association for the HSE. in the small and medium sized
new advice aimed at simplifying bridge This study into catastrophic events enterprises market.
best practice guidance for in-project falsework found that “insufficient consideration “Another driving force is the
works. was being given to the management international work. The idea of
Titled Principles for the management collapse, of temporary works in its widest a principles document is that it
of temporary loads, temporary Spain – 5 sense”. becomes a lingua franca for engineers
conditions and temporary works during Thomas says: “I’m not convinced across the world. As a management
the construction process, the 10-page
killed the industry as a whole has fully regime, using these 21 principles will
document was published by the grasped the recommendations of that put you in a pretty good place.” N

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PREVENTING
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HAPPEN
RO U ND
LEARNING FROM FAILURE
E THE
TA B L E
WITH ROBERT HENSON

D E B AT

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T
hree kilometres from Grenfell In these cases, lessons were outlined in
Tower, and three months after technical journals, with strong leadership
the fire that claimed at least 80 urging problems to be understood, and
lives and caused 70 injuries, a rigorous processes were put in place. Will
debate is staged on “Forensic the same things happen following Grenfell?
Engineering: How to learn from Infrastructure & Projects Authority senior
failure”. advisor Keith Waller said change was more
The roundtable debate, hosted by Arup likely to happen than in any other time in
and New Civil Engineer, was arranged before his career: “When I started in construction
the disaster but the incident serves as a things were a lot less safe, but if things went
stark reminder of the topic. wrong there wasn’t really a culture of sharing
With multiple inquiries into Grenfell what went wrong, outside the chief executive
ongoing, Arup director Tim Chapman and Health & Safety executive. Now, say
referred to the disaster early in the there’s an accident on one of the highways
discussion: “This is a bit of a heartfelt plea: projects, there’s immediately a network,
how can we build something bigger and not just among the clients but among all the
better, whereby governments can procure main suppliers. Immediately the lesson is
“
projects in a much better way, towards the shared with everyone saying ‘we value the
Wright: “People” issues are key
long term outcomes it wants to achieve?” lives of our workers. Let’s learn from this, as
Other questions for debate included: what an industry’.”
has the industry really learnt, if disasters Director of Acumen7 business network Errors in
keep happening and systems do not change Simon Murray said this was true, but
from project to project? Indeed, what is the questioned whether what was shared was communication, a
lack of collaboration are
best way to learn? And are the lessons being merely the immediate circumstances of the
passed on in the right way? event, rather than its proper root cause.
Examples where good learning has
occurred were discussed, including the
“The aviation industry, I see them being
a lot better at this – air crash investigations really major parts of what
Abbeystead gas explosion in 1984 and, the
Heathrow Express tunnel collapse in 1994.
are done much better, in a dispassionate
way, quickly arriving at root causes,” he said.
often does go wrong
Some noted that aircraft and car makers
are known for their testing and safety
standards. Others noted that they have engineering is it?’ And we leave all that to be
the luxury of making identical products badly managed. Errors in communication, a
again and again, to a relatively small scale. lack of collaboration are really major parts of
Meanwhile, construction has a different what often does go wrong.”
challenge: bespoke products, on massive But Mace chief executive Mark Reynolds
scales. Does construction need to adapt a was unconvinced: “To review root cause
factory model? analysis is absolutely right at the time. But
Cabinet Office head of construction David these are really big technical challenges that
Hancock urged those around the table not require technical solutions, and leadership,
to dwell too much: “The problem is, major
projects, when they fail, they fail in a major
way.
“Statistically, predictably, some of our
major projects will fail, that’s something
we’re going to have to live with. We should
reduce the consequences when they fail.
But we’re doing 150 major projects… on
Waller: Culture of sharing what goes wrong
“
the government’s portfolio. Of which, a
normal company would only take one or
two of those. We can’t expect them all to go
Statistically, swimmingly well, regardless of what your
corporate governance is, or how good your
predictably, some people are.”
Crossrail programme director
of our major projects will Simon Wright said the “people issues”
-- organisational communication and
fail, that’s something we’re collaboration – were key. “We’re much less
good at looking at that, because it’s seen
going to have to live with as the softer side, not technical, ‘not really Hancock: Statistically some projects will fail

Learning from Failure Round Table
in terms of driving it through.

“This is about responsibility,” he stressed.
“If someone doesn’t comply with the
standards, then they have to suffer the
consequences. And the consequences
should be so massive that complying is the
only option.”
Reynolds said having standards was still
essential. “I could have the best culture in
the world, but if I’ve got no rule book to
follow, then how do I know I’m doing the
right thing?”
Arup director and commercial leader of
infrastructure UK David Van-Bruggen said
many of the industry’s failures resulted
from fragmentation of responsibilities:
outsourcing and private training which
hollow out the corporate core. “Our
“
fragmented industry has always had that
problem, and makes it more difficult.” Reynolds: Standards are essential
All in attendance agreed that independent
design panels were essential on major I could have the
projects, despite cost. They allow an extra THE GUEST LIST
perspective untainted by the pressures of best culture in the
world, but if I’ve got no
programme and timeline. HS2 Ltd design
director Kate Hall said High Speed 2 has no Clare Anderson associate director,
less than five independent design panels.
But Hall said the industry’s somewhat
Arup
Miles Ashley director, Wessex rule book to follow, then
defensive culture allows blind spots to Advisory
Denise Bower executive director,
how do I know I’m doing
Major Projects Association
Tim Chapman director, leader of
the right thing?
infrastructure London Group, Arup
Chris Dulake major projects portfolio
director, Mott MacDonald
Kate Hall design director, HS2 Ltd
David Hancock head of construction, develop: “We’re built up on ‘our knowledge
Cabinet Office is our worth’ and if you display any…
Mark Hansford, editor, weakness in your technical knowledge, then
New Civil Engineer you’re declared a not fit person. And while
Simon Murray director, Acumen7 we’ve still got that culture and endorse that
Network behaviour you’re not going to see significant
Mark Reynolds chief executive, Mace changes.”
Mark Sneesby chief operating officer, Hall added that mentioning “lessons
Tideway learned” in the office is met with audible
David Van-Bruggen director, groans.
commercial leader of infrastructure “I encourage doing lessons learned, but if
UK, Arup you use that phrase, ‘lessons learned’, then
Keith Waller senior advisor, the whole team dreads it.
“
Hall: Resistance to “lessons learned” discussions Infrastructure & Projects Authority “I would say: ‘let’s go back to behaviours.
Simon Wright programme director, We have post mortems, why not have mid-
Crossrail mortems’?”
If you display any… Alexandra Wynne deputy editor,
New Civil Engineer
Waller questioned why the topic of
safety only comes up after a disaster: “The
weakness in your In association with
responses we have to extreme events and
tragedy means that we almost have a culture
technical knowledge, then of ‘firefighting’ -- we need to have a culture
of ‘fire prevention’; we love responding to
you’re declared a not fit things going wrong, we need to be much
more in love with preventing things going
person wrong.”

Street
BACTON’S COASTAL MANAGEMENT SOLUTION –
SAND ENGINE
CURRENT SITUATION
Risk to key infrastructure,
properties and life due to
coastal erosion
Bacton Gas Terminal
5km
and flooding Length of coastline
Bacton
£1.5M
Cubic metres of sand
1
200
CONSTRUCTION OF
SANDSCAPING SOLUTION Bacton Gas Terminal Football pitches
Sand dumped to create a
spit in front of the beach with 1m deep sand
Bacton
1. Sand placed at terminal N
2. In time, sand gets washed along the coast
Bacton Walcott
B1159 B1159
BACTON GAS TERMINAL 1km

2
SANDSCAPING SANDSCAPING
Bacton Gas Terminal Bacton Gas Terminal
5 years after construction 20 years after construction
Spit is shaped by the sea Sand has moved from
the spit to recharge
the beach
Bacton Bacton
3 4

Tech Excellence
GOING WITH
THE FLOW
A COASTAL DEFENCE SCHEME IN NORFOLK USES
WIND AND WAVES TO SHIFT SAND PROTECTION
BY JACKIE WHITELAW
L
ast month Britain was But the 2013 storm put extra
transfixed by the red sun urgency into defending critical
KEY FACT
and yellow skies that infrastructure and exposed how
accompanied the up to few plan B options there are for
80mph blasts of Storm £20M communities looking at having to
Ophelia as she tracked pack up and leave, potentially in as
across the country. It was a useful Potential cost little as five years. Where would they
reminder that we are now in the of the scheme go? Where would they live? Who
season of high winds, high seas and would pay? All those things have in
flooding. many cases still to be resolved.
This time it was the arguably 1.5M.m 3 So, cue the development of a
more resilient west coast that bore Volume of technical first in coastal flood defence
the brunt, but the next storm could for the UK. It has come about as
attack the country’s more vulnerable sand to be part of a plan to protect a third of
eastern shoreline with the higher risk dumped at the country’s gas supply. And it has
that a beach, a cliff or even an entire evolved into a solution that will give
the Bacton
village could be washed away. some breathing space to around 200
Severe storms in 2007 and Gas Terminal homes in two at risk Norfolk villages.
December 2013 hammered the North The critical infrastructure is the
Sea coastline and fatally wounded Bacton Gas Terminal in Norfolk
many of the already weakened operated by Shell and Perenco. The
defences that had been erected after villages in question are Bacton and
BA CTON
the 1953 floods, which had killed over nearby Walcott which are between
300. just five and 15 years away from being
Norfolk
Shoreline management plans engulfed by the sea.
The produced over the last decade The solution is an adaptation of a
North have accepted that it is no longer Dutch invention – the Sand Engine
UK Sea sustainable to hold the line for an – which involves placing 1.5M.m3 of
entire coast that is tilting towards sand protection at the terminal in
the water in reaction to the the north of the county in one go,
disappearance further north of the and allowing the forces of nature to
weight of the ice from the last Ice Age spread the sediment 5km along the
10,000 years ago. coast to build up defensive beaches
Decisions have been taken as to for the villages.
what should be protected and what The scheme could cost up to £20M,
will have to be let go. and has evolved into a one third/

Tech Excellence Coastal Management
“
Modelling has Silt extraction from the
shown that the Model Boating Pond
Bacton sand engine

will do the job for 15 to
20 years
two thirds public-private-partnership

between the terminal operators and
North Norfolk District Council.
The consulting engineer developing
the project is Royal HaskoningDHV
led by its leading flood resilience
professional Jaap Flikweert, who was
also involved in the original Dutch-
developed sand engine.
“The Bacton Terminal lost 10m of
cliff front in the 2013 storm, leaving it
with just 15m,” Flikweert says. “The
operators came to us in 2014 to find a
solution.”
“We developed various options,
but hard solutions such as rock
or concrete groynes and offshore
breakwaters would create problems
down the coast. This pushed us and in mid 2015 with full support The Norfolk below mean sea level, plateaus for
towards using sand to protect the of Shell and Perenco, the project coastline is 300m and then there is a steep drop
terminal, which over time would became a joint initiative, combining slowly retreating to deep water. If you place sand
wash along the coast. We factored Bacton Terminal’s private capital towards homes beyond the plateau you need so
in enough to enable enough natural with a mosaic of government grants much that a sand engine scheme is
sand transport toward the villages so which Flikweert’s team is helping put not economically viable. What that
our work at Bacton Terminal would together. means is we can create new habitat
not make things worse for them. The sand engine (or motor) was and amenity as in Holland but not on
“But as we started to develop the first used in The Netherlands in 2011. such a big scale.”
project, the thought came that if we In a £70M scheme a hook shaped Royal HaskoningDHV has taken on
can design to not make things worse, peninsula was created at Ter Heijde board the evidence emerging from
we can design to make things better using 21.5M.m3 of sand, with the research into the Dutch scheme’s
and restore the village beaches that expectation that wind, waves and behaviour and has been working with
had been seriously eroded over time. currents would shift it between the consultant HR Wallingford to combine
This would give them an extra 20 Hook of Holland and Scheveningen the Dutch data with English coastal
years, or thereabouts, protection and protect the south of the country models.
from the sea.” from flooding (New Civil Engineer, 5 “Modelling has shown that the
In terms of cost, Flikweert explains: June 2014). It would also create 35ha Bacton sand engine will do the job
“A vast volume of sand and huge of new habitat. The sand has behaved for 15 to 20 years, which was the
dredgers were already being brought broadly as expected over the last six aim. The value for Shell and Perenco
in to shore up the gas terminal. So the years. (see box). is that they are only investing in
extra price of placing a bit more sand “We are using the same principal something that gives them the
to replenish the beaches is really at Bacton,” Flikweert says, “but it is lifespan they want (with the flexibility
cost efficient. And there is no need not a copy and paste from Holland. for a top up if needed) rather than the
for expensive annual beach recharge, The UK coast works very differently, fixed 50 year life of a rock groyne,”
just monitoring to make sure we keep as do its defence funding schemes. Flikweert says.
track of developments.” I’ve been in the UK 13 years and it In terms of risks and unknowns –
In total, around two thirds of the has proven very useful to understand “well, coastal processes are always
sand required is needed for the both contexts for this scheme. uncertain,” he says “and we don’t
terminal, with a third used to protect “The main difference with the coast know really what the weather will
the villages. is that the Dutch sea bed slopes do. But when the sand is first placed
The local council clearly agreed gradually. In Norfolk a beach goes it will provide protection. At the

terminal it will be placed to half way

up the cliff face to ordnance datum
GOING DUTCH plus 7m. And as it disperses over
20 years it will withstand the design
“By depositing a large amount requirement of a 1:10,000 year storm.

The scheme will also turn back the
of sand in a single operation, the

clock, restoring beach volumes at
Bacton and Walcott to what they
were 20 years ago. The depth of the
Dutch avoided repeated disruption new material will be 2m to 3m and at

1:15 slope that creates 30m to 50m of
of the vulnerable seabed”

additional beach width on the current
situation.”
Designs are currently being
optimised with the help of four
Between March 2011 and sand engine. almost immediately. The contractors ahead of the job going
November 2011, Rijkswaterstaat By depositing a large amount alterations in its shape have out to tender. “They are the dredging
and the provincial authority of sand in a single operation, largely matched expectations and beach nourishment specialists
of Zuid-Holland created the the Dutch avoided repeated so far. The peninsula has been and know how design influences
128ha hook-shaped peninsula disruption of the vulnerable eroded on the western side, cost,” says Flikweert.
for what is known as the sand seabed. Latest monitoring with the sand being deposited “Usually we would only work
engine. It extended 1km into the indicates that the sand to the north and south. As a with one contractor, but they are
sea and was 2km wide where it replenishment off the Delfland whole, it has become narrower fascinated because this is something
joined the shore. Coast will be unnecessary for the and longer, more habitats have new and a chance to learn and be
next 30 years. been created for flora and fauna associated with a UK first.
Trailing suction hopper dredgers And once the tides and waves and there is a range of outdoor “We are fine tuning at the moment,
picked up the sand 10km off the have done their work, 35ha of activities developing, especially for instance looking at how to shape
coast and took it to designated new beaches and dunes will be kitesurfing. the crest on the body of sand in front
locations. Two offshore created. l Keep track of the Dutch sand of the terminal so we create the best
replenishment sites alongside Wind and currents started engine at www.dezandmotor.nl/ potential habitats and limited wind
the peninsula are also part of the to change the sand engine en/home/ erosion.”
When the job goes out to tender,
it will be down to the bidding
contractors to select whether they
choose to bring in the biggest
dredging vessels that can carry
15,000m3 in one trip, or whether
smaller vessels would offer more
flexibility in dredging and placing the
sand.
The aim is to start the project in
2018 with a work window of May
to October. Community response
has been very positive and the
environmental impact assessment
is well underway, so that timetable
should be achievable. “We need
consent in spring next year. If not
the project will slip to 2019,” says
Flikweert. “But there is a risk of more
erosion this winter so there is a
sense of urgency. There is temporary
protection in place for the terminal,
but it only works up to a certain
intensity of storm.” N
l Jaap Flikweert is speaking at New
Civil Engineer’s Flood Management
Recharging the Delfland coast will be Forum in London on 15/16
unnecessary for the next 30 years November More information at
https://floods.newcivilengineer.com

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terminal it will be placed to half way

up the cliff face to ordnance datum
GOING DUTCH plus 7m. And as it disperses over
20 years it will withstand the design
“By depositing a large amount requirement of a 1:10,000 year storm.

The scheme will also turn back the
of sand in a single operation, the

clock, restoring beach volumes at
Bacton and Walcott to what they
were 20 years ago. The depth of the
Dutch avoided repeated disruption new material will be 2m to 3m and at

1:15 slope that creates 30m to 50m of
of the vulnerable seabed”

additional beach width on the current
situation.”
Designs are currently being
optimised with the help of four
Between March 2011 and sand engine. almost immediately. The contractors ahead of the job going
November 2011, Rijkswaterstaat By depositing a large amount alterations in its shape have out to tender. “They are the dredging
and the provincial authority of sand in a single operation, largely matched expectations and beach nourishment specialists
of Zuid-Holland created the the Dutch avoided repeated so far. The peninsula has been and know how design influences
128ha hook-shaped peninsula disruption of the vulnerable eroded on the western side, cost,” says Flikweert.
for what is known as the sand seabed. Latest monitoring with the sand being deposited “Usually we would only work
engine. It extended 1km into the indicates that the sand to the north and south. As a with one contractor, but they are
sea and was 2km wide where it replenishment off the Delfland whole, it has become narrower fascinated because this is something
joined the shore. Coast will be unnecessary for the and longer, more habitats have new and a chance to learn and be
next 30 years. been created for flora and fauna associated with a UK first.
Trailing suction hopper dredgers And once the tides and waves and there is a range of outdoor “We are fine tuning at the moment,
picked up the sand 10km off the have done their work, 35ha of activities developing, especially for instance looking at how to shape
coast and took it to designated new beaches and dunes will be kitesurfing. the crest on the body of sand in front
locations. Two offshore created. l Keep track of the Dutch sand of the terminal so we create the best
replenishment sites alongside Wind and currents started engine at www.dezandmotor.nl/ potential habitats and limited wind
the peninsula are also part of the to change the sand engine en/home/ erosion.”
When the job goes out to tender,
it will be down to the bidding
contractors to select whether they
choose to bring in the biggest
dredging vessels that can carry
15,000m3 in one trip, or whether
smaller vessels would offer more
flexibility in dredging and placing the
sand.
The aim is to start the project in
2018 with a work window of May
to October. Community response
has been very positive and the
environmental impact assessment
is well underway, so that timetable
should be achievable. “We need
consent in spring next year. If not
the project will slip to 2019,” says
Flikweert. “But there is a risk of more
erosion this winter so there is a
sense of urgency. There is temporary
protection in place for the terminal,
but it only works up to a certain
intensity of storm.” N
l Jaap Flikweert is speaking at New
Civil Engineer’s Flood Management
Recharging the Delfland coast will be Forum in London on 15/16
unnecessary for the next 30 years November More information at
https://floods.newcivilengineer.com

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New Civil Engineer_KX042-4_110x186.indd 1 07/11/2017 11:03

Tech Excellence
BRING DOWN
TECH START UP
SURVEY: FIVE
KEY FINDINGS
76%
THE BARRIERS
SURVEY HIGHLIGHTS DIFFICULTIES GETTING
INNOVATIVE FIRMS INVOLVED IN PROJECTS
of engineers
think government
could do more to
support them working
with tech start ups
and SMEs
BY MARGO COLE
I 79%
ndustry procurement practices introducing less red tape, simplifying
sa
are creating a barrier to procedures, less regulation, and –
innovation in the industry, KEY FACT as one respondent said: “Remove
according to a survey carried some of the unnecessarily, onerous
out by New Civil Engineer in
association with Costain. 55%
prequalification questionnaire
requirements.” pr
Percentage of
wo
The survey found a very high Some respondents said the best
percentage of people believe that respondents way to introduce innovation is to
current procurement practices do rely on market forces. As one said:
not make it easy for established saying that “Project challenges are already
clients, contractors and consultants an innovation driving innovation. Let the market
62%
to work with small and medium decide. If it makes sense to win the
sized enterprises (SMEs) and start- levy should bid, do it. If not, don’t.”
up companies that could to bring be imposed However, most advocated some
innovative ideas, technologies and on companies form of intervention in the form of
practices to the UK’s infrastructure relaxations in procurement rules,
problems. to encourage including the ability to procure some
The New Civil Engineer/Costain investment in expertise directly without having would like more
encouragement
survey asked more than 500 readers to spend time going to market and
working across the sector for their start ups finding three similar companies to
from their own

experience of working with SMEs and quote for the work. “If an SME is truly
start-ups. More than 78% said that innovative, they will be the only one,”
current procurement practices make
it either “not very easy”, “difficult” or
said one respondent.
“The most innovative SMEs and company
“very difficult” to work with SMEs/
start ups. Procurement issues also
start ups offer unique services,”
said another. “It is usually difficult to support work
came up as the main responses in
answer to the question: “What do you
to obtain a suite of prices to justify
an appointment. Clients need to with tech firms
find are the biggest blockers to you recognise that appointments can be
working with smaller businesses?” justified on value.”
When the survey respondents Giving public sector bodies the
were asked what single change ability to negotiate contracts with
to procurement practices would a single well-placed suppliers up to
make it easier or more attractive a £25,000 limit, was one suggestion: New Civil Engineer polled 528 senior engineers workin
to engage with SMEs/start ups, “The current tendency to call
many replied along the lines of for competitive quotes for any

“
expenditure in excess of a small figure There must
– say £1,000 or £5,000 – actually costs
UP in association with Costain the public sector money because in be visible
leadership and change
the end they still pay for the wasted
time on lost bids.”
S
Another suggestion was that “a
provision could be made for SMEs/ at the top. In this way,
it must be the heads
55%
start ups to contribute to projects
without the prior approval of clients
or the need to meet pre-qualification
or framework requirements,
of major infrastructure
provided that their costs do not
exceed a prescribed proportion of the
bodies
overall design fee or contract value.
Say 20%”
Several respondents advocated of finding out about SME/start-up
relaxing the requirements for companies and what they can do
would support
previous experience, and many also was one of the biggest barriers to
brought up the issue of professional engagement. The Infrastructure
indemnity (PI) insurance, and how Industry Innovation Platform (i3P)
ng a government-enforced difficult it can be for SMEs/start ups
to meet the high levels of PI required.
was set up to address this by
encouraging collaboration between
innovation levy
“We need an explicit acceptance that “bright minds”.
certain specialist sub-consultants/ Knowledge Transfer Network
sub-contractors may not be able to head of infrastructure Chris Bagley
to drive investment provide the same level of indemnity

that larger firms/main contractors
can sustain,” said one, while another
says: “i3P is taking practical steps to
engage SME communities, including
launching Infrastructure Challenges
was even more forceful, saying: “Stop posed to the augmented reality and
putting ridiculous insurance cover virtual reality community at this
requirements on tenders and bids year’s Digital Construction Week.
%
that only large practices can afford.” Building on this, and considering
One suggestions was a government- these survey results, i3P will hold
say that procurement

backed scheme to indemnify SMEs/ a series of focused challenge and
start ups to remove credit-related capability exercises with SME
risks. Also popular was the idea communities across a range of
practices make it hard to of introducing different contract

terms and conditions, specifically
technology themes. The aims of
these exercises will not only be to
work with start ups

for working with SMEs/start ups; as articulate our sector challenges but
was a database of pre-approved SME to also forge and build strong links
companies. between a broad range of SMEs and
One thing that came through i3P members.”
88%
clearly in the survey was that When the survey asked who in the
clients should provide incentives industry should provide leadership in
to contractors and consultants to this area, there was acknowledgement
either work with SMEs or invest in that everyone has a role to play,
their own structured research and including the engineering institutions
development. Suggestions included and professional bodies. But a large
making a fixed percentage of the number of respondents put the onus
contract value available as innovation on government and major clients.
funding; making it a requirement to As one said: “There must be visible
want to read more

engage SMEs on project delivery; leadership and change at the top.
developing procurement practices In this way, it must be the heads of
that reward organisations that major infrastructure bodies such as
about the work of include SME’s/start-ups in their

teams; and the ability to share the
Network Rail and Highways England,
as well as the heads of professional
SMEs and start ups

risks and benefits of bringing a start- bodies such as the ICE.”
up to the table. Stuart Ladbrook, managing director
There was also backing for an of network technology company
in New Civil Engineer industry levy to support innovation,

although respondents were split.
The survey asked: “Should the
Onwave advocates a “top down”
approach. “From my perspective, the
ultimate customer needs to take a
government enforce investment in greater ownership of the risk and find
start ups through an ‘innovation levy’ ways to empower the contractors
in a similar way to the Apprenticeship to innovate, but to ensure when this
gineers working for consultants and contractors between August and October 2017 Levy? Fifty-five per cent of occurs that the contractor can benefit
respondents answered “yes”. commercially as a result,” he says.
For many respondents, the issue “There clearly needs to be a re-

Tech Excellence Innovation Survey
“
There clearly Silt extraction from the
needs to be a Model Boating Pond
re-think around how BUSINESS VIEW

the contractor can see
improved returns from
innovation SMALL BUSINESSES
AND START UPS
think around how the contractor can
see improved returns from innovation
and I don’t think the current contract
mechanisms in place allow this to
happen.”
He also says that innovative
solutions need to be considered very
early in the project process, rather
than leaving it up to the contractor
to bring innovation on board: “There The infrastructure And they are driven by bringing disruptive
are some very innovative contractors sector needs to thinking to problem solving, so they are constantly
out there but to me a lot of the benefit get closer to small changing the way things get done. Those are the
should be to the public purse, so it and medium sized types of businesses that can create a significant
should be the government which enterprises (SMEs) step change for our industry; and this is why we
is mandating major infrastructure and tech s tart-ups value and are working with them.
bodies and the contractors to use Alex for some genuinely But how do we get their solutions in front
new technology – or at least creating innovative thinking, of our major clients like Network Rail, Thames
the right atmosphere and the right
Vaughan We in the Tideway and National Grid? That is where we, as
incentives for innovation to happen. infrastructure Tier 1 engineering businesses come in: we are the
Ladbrook also stresses that industry are aware of integrators that can bring all these capabilities
innovative ideas should be the challenge we face: we’re working hard to make together so the industry can harness this SME and
considered at the earliest stages sure end customers get better and better service technology-led start-up power.
in the lifecycle of a project, – whether that’s less disruption on the roads, or At Costain we’ve been developing strategic
and proposes “early innovator faster speed of service when we put the lights on relationships with smaller, technology-focused
involvement – like you have early or turn the tap, or whether it is being able to use companies: getting to know them, understanding
contractor involvement”. more energy to power our lifestyles. the value they bring and partnering with them.
The survey asked: “To what extent At the same time we need to create additional We run a supply chain academy that supports
do you believe the government is capacity to meet the greater demand for resources SMEs and coaches them in working with Tier
investing correctly, helping you and population growth; and we have to create 1 companies. And we integrate them into our
and your company work with greater resilience in water supply, transportation solutions; we get them involved in the early
start-ups and SMEs with a view to and energy. shaping stages of projects, as well as in delivery.
tackling national challenges?” Most But we are not going to solve these challenges Fast-thinking SMEs are helping us to think
respondents (63.9%) said “not very by continuing to work in the same way we’ve differently, to look at problems from a different
much”, and a further 11.8% said “not always worked, coming up with the same solutions angle, and to create the right environment for
at all”. and relying on the same types of thinking. We are innovation. We need their innovative approaches
The survey results show that now developing and delivering solutions differently. as we meet the challenge of delivering world class
there are many things getting in the We need the brightest, most imaginative people infrastructure.
way of closer engagement between to work alongside us and help us to come up with ● Alex Vaughan is the managing director of
established firms and SMEs in the creative, innovative solutions. And that means Costain’s natural resources division.
infrastructure sector; some of them harnessing the capabilities of technology-led start-
may require significant changes to ups and SMEs. These firms are the powerhouses of
procurement rules; some just require real entrepreneurial technology and development.
a more open-minded approach from They are fast-paced, pin-pointed and focused on
established companies. And New Civil what they’re working on; they put all their efforts
Engineer has a role to play as well, into providing a revolutionary solution to one
according to the 88% of respondents specific problem.
who said they would like to see more They also tend to be agile, and unencumbered
about SMEs and start-ups in the by specific products, ways of working or cultures.
pages of the magazine. N

Tech Bites
N E W I N N O VAT I O N S T H AT W I L L T R A N S F O R M Y O U R P R O J E C T S
N E W C I V I L E N G I N E E R .C O M / T E C H-E X C E L L E N C E
FLOODING
IPSWICH TIDAL
FLOOD BARRIER
SHIPPED FROM
ROTTERDAM
A 200t tidal flood barrier gate is

being installed as part of the
Environment Agency’s £70M
Ipswich Flood Defence
Management Strategy. The 20m
wide gate was manufactured in
Rotterdam, the Netherlands,
and work was carried out by
Hollandia, a subcontractor for
VBA, which is a joint venture
between VolkerStevin, Boskalis
Westminster and Atkins. A
1,000t crane will be assembled
on the construction site on the
middle island of the Port of
Ipswich to install the gate
before the main hydraulic rams
and control systems are put in.
Environment Agency project
manager Andrew Usborne said:
“This is a key milestone for the
project.”
SKILLS ROADS SAFETY

600,000 C O U L D B E T T E R D ATA AMEY TRIALS WEARABLE ACCIDENT
LOSE JOBS TO MANAGEMENT TO R I S K T E C H N O L O G Y O N I T S S TA F F
A U T O M AT I O N B Y IMPROVE UK
2 04 0 – R E P O R T ROADS NETWORK
More than 600,000 construction Highways England is poised to

workers could lose their jobs become an “intelligent client”,
to automation by 2040, as bringing safety and efficiency
disruptive technology ignites a improvements as well as cost
major reskilling drive, says a reductions to the maintenance
report published by Mace. The of its road network. Speaking at
Internet of Things, autonomous the Bentley Infrastructure
vehicles, robotics and artificial conference, Highways England
intelligence are predicted to head of asset management for
snatch job roles in a new the East Midlands Simon Came Amey staff have trialled North East regional technology
industrial revolution capable of said the transformation would wearable technology that could maintenance contract to detect
bringing £25bn in benefits to allow it to collect previously reduce risks for drivers and lone when workers’ bodies were
the UK annually. The report lost data and store it to better workers by detecting hazards under stress. The technology
indicates numbers of workers plan and maintain roads, while such as tiredness and attention includes a drowsiness detector
needing to be reskilled to take highlighting trends and giving loss. Biometric and location collar and an ear clip that
advantage of better productivity it more control over its devices were trialled for eight measures blood flow to detect
offered by automation. network. weeks on Highways England’s attention loss and fatigue.

World View
SINGAPORE
EXPANDING
SINGAPORE
SPACE RACE
PUBLIC TRANSPORT EXPANSION IS THE
KEY TO CITY STATE’S FUTURE GROWTH
SINGAPORE-MALAYSIA
HIGH SPEED RAIL PROJECT
Tuas
NEW
SECO
BY KATHERINE SMALE AND MARK HANSFORD Jurong

Island
S
FOU
1 PA
ingapore’s government has a policy that works. The country
2 TA
a will to propel the country bucks the trend when it comes to the
into being one of the most KEY FACTS undesirable traits usually associated MEGA PORT BEING JURONG ROCK 3 KE
BUILT AT TUAS CAVERNS 4 BR
advanced countries in the with this form of political governance.
world, and when it says In the 2016 UN report on human
it will build something,
£11.2bn development, Singapore ranked fifth.
it does it. Over the past six years, Value of And in stark contrast to the UK, its “The government is willing to push
it has expanded its rail network Singapore rail stable government has allowed it to the boundaries and it has been quite
significantly, increasing the amount produce fully integrated masterplans visionary and forward looking when
of track by 30% and adding 41 new investment for land use and infrastructure it comes to planning the future,”
stations. programme 20 to 30 years ahead. In the UK, says SNC Lavalin-owned consultant
Through the SG$1bn (£560M) Bus the National Infrastructure and Faithful & Gould’s director of Asia
Service Enhancement Programme and Construction Pipeline is a welcome Pacific and head of corporate real
Bus Contracting Model, it has added 80% addition but as yet does not even estate and technology René Hillig.
new routes and injected greater Percentage stretch 10 years into the future. A goal to cut car use, starting
capacity into the bus network while Much of the investment is driven with a target of halting growth by
raising service levels. of Singapore by geography. The country is February next year, is a reflection on
The government plans to continue population effectively a large city. Nineteen the lack of space available and a bid
to invest £11.2bn in new rail square kilometres houses a growing to improve air quality. Today, 12% of
infrastructure, £2.24bn to renew,
to be within population of around 5.5M people, Singapore’s total land area is taken up
“
upgrade and expand rail operating 10 minutes and as a consequence, relieving by roads. In view of land constraints
assets, and another £2.24bn in bus of a railway pressures on land use is one of the
There is
contracting subsidies over the main drivers for many of the projects
next five years to improve public station by in the masterplan.
transport.
It means that, to advocates of
2030 A new central business district
(CBD) with housing, schools and definitely a
infrastructure investment at least,
Singapore’s governance structure
social infrastructure to make
travelling between areas unnecessary
large emphasis now
makes a lot of sense. The People’s
Action Party, with prime minister Lee
is being created in Jurong in the west
of the country. For those areas in
being put on how
Hsien Loong at the helm, is the only
political party and the government
the north, east and west which need
connecting to the CBD a new, modern
to better plan and
controls nearly every aspect of life in and integrated public transport co-ordinate
the country. infrastructure system is being built at
Evidence seems to suggest it is a rapid pace. underground space
Singapore office leader Tan Yoong
Heng.
N In downtown Singapore, four
5km
existing ports in Pasir Panjang,
MALAYSIA
Tanjong Pagar, Keppel and Brani
are being moved in a multi-stage,
£4.5bn plan to rehouse them in a new
mega-port at Tuas on the west coast.
This will free up a reported 1,000ha
of prime land for a new waterfront
development, three times the size of
the neighbouring Marina Bay area.
NEW THOMSON Tekong Consultant WSP is designing a
EAST COAST LINE Island
three storey train depot, in a highly
complex, £1.3bn project, freeing up
NEW 36HA JURONG LAKE DISTRICT,
44ha of land. At the same time, a vast
SECOND CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT SINGAPORE rock cavern, 100m underground is
being excavated to store 1.47M.m3 of
Changi Airport
Singapore petrochemicals at a cost of £535M,
freeing up 60ha of land above ground.
To carry out these projects
SIA efficiently, the government is pushing
ECT engineering companies to go digital.
KALLANG Britain is seen as being a world
N leader when it comes to building
SINGAPORE SPORTS HUB
information modelling (BIM). The
1 ROCHOR
3 UK roll out of BIM, making Level 2
4 2 mandatory for all public contracts,
SINGAPORE FLYER set an example to countries around
the world, which are now springing
SINGAPORE RIVER
DOWNTOWN
CORE
MARINA
EAST into action to catch up. Singapore is
MARINA BAY no different and is now driving the
FOUR EXISTING PORTS: Land freed up by relocation OUTRAM agenda with characteristic vigour.
1 PASIR PANJANG of ports to Tuas, paving the MARINA
SOUTH Companies are taking heed and
2 TANJONG PAGAR way for the 1,000ha
3 KEPPEL AND Greater Southern GARDENS BY THE BAY upskilling and expanding their digital
OCK departments.
RNS 4 BRANI Waterfront Development 1km
Consultant Mott MacDonald global
head of digital projects Derek Murray
says that what Singapore currently
and competing needs, there is limited years and owners of cars older than lacks in the structured Level 2
scope for further road network this face higher charges still. approach, is made up for with a “can
expansion. As part of the drive to make do” attitude and a drive to push rapid
The plan is instead to invest in efficient use of the space, the changes within the industry.
public transport with the aim to more government is going to great lengths “Level 2 BIM isn’t about the
than double the total length of the and expense and it is pushing software it’s about collaboration
rail system from 160km to 360km by boundaries above and below and the process,” says Murray. “In
2030. This will give 80% of Singapore’s ground to free up valuable land for Singapore, BIM has been focused on
population access to a station within development. design. The UK is ahead in standards
a 10 minute walking distance. Over “There is definitely a large but it is perhaps more about the
the next 13 years, it will build two emphasis now being put on how theory rather than the practical
completely new lines, and extensions to better plan and co-ordinate application. Singapore is like a living
to three existing lines. Much of these underground space, and then how lab. It’s a unique environment, and
new lines will be underground. to make it better when you’re down because of the massive support
“
In the meantime, car use is being there,” says consultant Arup’s which the government gives, you’ve
controlled by limiting the number of got the chance to do great things with
cars available to buy on the market technology.”
each month with growth currently Because of It is this openness to new ideas
capped at 0.25% per annum. that has made Singapore popular with
This rule is about to get tougher the massive companies wanting to try out new
support which the

still, with the Land Transit Authority ideas before rolling them out across
announcing in October that the the wider Asia Pacific market.
growth rate will be frozen at 0% from
February 2018. government gives, “Because it’s a small city state, it’s
an incubator for new technologies,”
Prospective car owners must
also buy a certificate of entitlement
you’ve got the chance adds Hillig.
Within the broader civil
(COE), costing up to £28,000 for
each car, increasing the total outlay
to do great things engineering sector, there has been a
well held view that being an engineer
dramatically. The COEs last for 10 with technology in Singapore is harder than in the UK.

World View Singapore
“
Ten to 15 years Singapore Flyer
Singapore Sites
The observation wheel was designed
ago in the by consultant Arup and construction
started in September 2005, opening
Marina Bay area there to the public in April 2008. On
opening it was the world’s tallest
was nothing, now wheel, standing at 165m. Severe
it’s filled with iconic wind conditions in Singapore led to
extensive wind research and dynamic
structures testing of the structure to ensure
passenger comfort and safety.
Public sector work comes with a price

to pay. The Public Sector Standard
Conditions of Contract (PSSCOC) are
onerous. Gardens by the Bay
It is likened by one engineer to The reported £560M Gardens by
the ICE 5th Edition of contract in the the Bay project has transformed
UK, which was phased out due to its the southern tip of Singapore.
uncollaborative nature. Unlimited Eighteen, innovative “super-
liability clauses, penalties for delays trees” ranging from 25m to 50m
and milestone payments subject to tall, create a home for 162,900
matters out of engineers’ control
plants and over 200 species.
mean long hours, with high pressure
and demanding work.
The structures were designed by
But it is hoped that with more structural engineering consultant
international players coming into the Atelier One and were opened to the
market, procurement will change in public in 2011.
favour of a more collaborative form
of contract. It is these international
companies and engineers the
government is trying to attract.
Marina Bay Sands resort
Like the UK, Singapore is facing a Another Arup project, the pinnacle
skills gap. The government acted to of the resort is the iconic Marina
address this in 2016 by increasing Bay Sands hotel. Although the
the starting salary of public sector structure is not ground breaking
engineers by a reported 20% to in its height, three separate
£25,500 in a bid to attract more towers are linked at the top by a
engineers into the industry. This has giant and complex bridging and
had a knock on effect. cantilevering structure complete
“The industry has had to follow the
with its famous infinity pool
benchmark set by the government. It’s
a measure which has a quick impact
overlooking the city below.
and it’s sending a message to the
people that engineering is cool,” says
Yoong Heng.
Despite the hard work, ICE
Singapore Sports Hub
representative for Singapore Kok
Hui Heng says working in Singapore
The £730M Singapore
was inspiring. “I can see we as an Sports Hub is a 55,000 seater
engineers have helped to develop this stadium on a reclaimed area of the
country,” says Hui Heng. “Ten to 15 Marina Bay area in the south of
years ago in the Marina Bay area there the country. The complex
was nothing, now it’s filled with iconic 310m diameter domed roof,
structures and they make Singapore a supported by 10,000t of steel
more prominent place. trusses, was designed by
“I enjoy a lot of what the country Arup Sport with temporary
can offer, and as engineers, we are the
works by consultant
ones to build these iconic structures
and we should be very proud of that.” N
Tony Gee & Partners.

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NCE-HPV-Mar17.indd 1 18/01/2017 10:12

World View
INSPIRING CIVILS ACROSS THE GLOBE
N E W C I V I L E N G I N E E R .C O M / W O R L D -V I E W
STRUCTURES
HALLEY VI
RESEARCH
S TAT I O N S H U T S
T E M P O R A R I LY
The Halley VI Antarctic

Research Station, recently
voted People’s Champion
Project at the British
Construction Industry
Awards, is shutting
temporarily next year
after cracks in the 150m
thick ice shelf on which it
is located, deepened. The
crack, appeared last
October and has continued
to rip eastwards. The
research station was
recently moved following
the discovery that a once
dormant chasm in the
Brunt Ice Shelf had
widened. The station is
shutting for the 2018
Antarctic winter.
CANADA NEW ZEALAND SPAIN

AT K I N S C O N T R I B U T E S MAIN OPUS S PA I N S E C U R E S M A J O R
£ 4 68 M T O N E W SHAREHOLDER EUROPEAN INVESTMENT BANK
PA R E N T ’ S Q 3 R E S U LT S AGREES SALE TO WSP LOAN FOR HIGH SPEED LINE
Canadian infrastructure giant SNC Opus’ main shareholder UEM
Lavalin has said that the acquisition Edgenta has voted in favour of the
of UK consultant Atkins contributed takeover by WSP. The announcement
C$800M (£468M) to its third quarter was made at an UEM Edgenta
revenues, but that costs for the extraordinary general meeting
quarter had risen. The results include where its shareholders approved the
Atkins’ figures in SNC Lavalin’s sale of its 61.2% stake in Opus to
financial results for the first time. WSP. Plans to take over the New
Atkins operating margin was 9.1%, Zealand-based consultancy were
and it has anticipated full year announced in August this year. WSP
revenues of £1.16bn. SNC Lavalin’s will pay $1.78 (£1.06) per share for
third quarter, selling, general and the company. Opus International
administrative expenses were £233M was the winner of the NCE100 Spain has received €600M (£530M) from the European
compared with £82M, in the same awards in 2016 and the new Investment Bank to complete the high speed rail line
period of 2016. It expects to make cost combined company with WSP would linking three Basque cities. The loan will allow
savings of £70M related to the Atkins have 7,640 employees in the UK and completion of a project to build 160km of new high-speed
acquisition by the end of 2018. In June £474M (C$762M) in net revenues. rail line between Vitoria, Bilbao and San Sebastián.The
New Civil Engineer reported that Opus has expertise in agreement is the first slice of £890M of financing
Atkins was making 92 redundancies transportation, asset management approved by the bank last month, after previous loans in
across its infrastructure business. and building sectors. 2012 and 2013 worth £1.25bn.
68 N E W C I V I L E N G I N E E R | D E C E M B E R 2 0 17
23 May 2018 | Troxy, London
ENTER BY
1 DECEMBER
Find out more at:
100awards.newcivilengineer.com
FOR ENTRY ENQUIRIES FOR SPONSORSHIP ENQUIRIES

George Thornton 020 3953 2101 Francis Barham 020 3953 2912
george.thornton@emap.com francis.barham@emap.com
#NCE100 @ncedigital
NCE_AWD57_AD 265X210.indd 1 10/6/17 4:26 PM

Business Culture Turning a Major Project Around
SLOWING
Halley VI: Designed
for one of the harshest
climates in the world
THE SPIRAL
TACKLING DELAYS AND COST INCREASES
ON THE GREAT WESTERN MAIN LINE
BY EMILY ASHWELL
W
e all know Significant parts of the original Electrification: High Output Plant System (HOPS).
what went scheme have been scrapped: More than 7,000 The troubles have been publicly
wrong with the electrification will now no longer go masts have been scrutinised and documented, and
modernisation of into the centre of Bath or Bristol and erected ultimately were a catalyst for an
the Great Western will not go from Cardiff to Swansea. overhaul of Network Rail’s delivery
Main Line: the And it is late – 18 to 36 month plans for Control Period 5 (CP5) in
electrification. minimum delays to various parts of the form of a review and re-plan by its
It has gone billions of pounds route compared to Network Rail’s chairman Sir Peter Hendy in 2015.
over budget, from a starting point 2014 plan, according to a report But the story of the Great
of £874M up to an eye-watering published last year by spending Western Main Line upgrade is a
£2.8bn for the electrification of track watchdog the National Audit tale of two halves. After getting off
between Maidenhead and Cardiff. The Office. Some of this has been put to a disastrous start, there was a
£1.4bn element between Maidenhead down by industry insiders to the watershed moment following the
and London Paddington was funded underperformance of the track Hendy review and since then project
under Crossrail. operator’s factory train, the £40M delivery and productivity has
Specification was unclear, planning improved.
“
was poor and design was rushed, Timescales and budgets, heavily
resulting in an overload of bespoke revised from the original scheme, are
design, with poor sequencing of being met.
works. For example, designers
started deciding what type of gantry
The story of the Now Network Rail is, tentatively,
starting to celebrate some of the
masts should be installed at each
location two years before the list of
Great Western project’s successes. And there are
some.
catenary components was available, Main Line upgrade is a The electrification débâcle has
resulting in many unnecessary design overshadowed some nifty engineering
revisions. tale of two halves of the Stockley flyover at Heathrow

are to have the whole route from
KEY FACTS London to Cardiff via Bristol Parkway
electrified by 2019. In October, the
first of the £5.7bn fleet of intercity
£874M express bi-mode trains, which can
Original run on diesel and electricity, started
operating on the Great Western rail
budget for network.
Great Western Of course it would be misleading
Main Line to say that it has all been plain sailing
over the past couple of years, but
electrification Network Rail has taken a project
programme in deep trouble and performed a
turnaround.
£2.8bn So from a project management
point of view, how did it do it?
For Network Rail chief executive
Current Mark Carne, there were several
estimated elements that had be tackled. One
cost of Great was to give workers pride in their job.
“You have to make people feel
Western part of what they are doing. At that
Main Line point in time [2015], they were
getting battered around the head, but
electrification we said: ‘put your head above the
programme parapet, what you are doing matters
to lives,’” he says.
Change, Carne says, had to come
from the top down.
“There was a really critical moment
in 2015 where we brought all the
chief executives of the supply chain
together and said ‘how are we going
to work together to make this project
a success, because we all depend on
pass under slower freight traffic. each other to make it work’.
These structures were built for “There were lots of different
Crossrail, but were all part of the contracts with different contractors.
Great Western upgrade. We tried to create an environment
Reading station has been where everyone mutually depended
transformed from a dull rail on each other,” he says.
bottleneck into an architecturally “It was led from the top.”
pleasing hub which keeps the 1,000 One of the major problems of the
trains which use it each day moving electrification scheme was that it had
through its five new platforms. Works too much bespoke design, which had
“
included a new flyover, new dive- been done quickly. “We did way too
Carne: Engaging with supply chain
under lines and a new depot. much bespoke,” admits Carne.
Added to this Paddington station “Timescales were such that we
You have to has a huge new roof, as well as had no choice other than to rush
new and remodelled tracks on the into construction. Where, if we had a
make people station’s approach. longer time up front, we would have
feel part of what they

And then there is the finished taken a standardised system.”
electrification work itself. More than One of the main priorities from
are doing 7,000 masts of galvanised steel, 2,800

booms and cables individually hung.
the drive to get the supply chain to
work as a team was to cut down the
The process has required alteration number of designs.
or replacement of 160 bridges. The Consultants were consequently
junction, removing the conflict statistics alone reveal the enormity of brought in to examine the pinch
between main line and Heathrow the job. points and how to speed things up
trains. A new dive-under at Acton The route to Maidenhead has – and speeding things up was also
allows faster passenger trains to already been electrified, and the plans crucial for the programme, says

Business Culture Turning a Major Project Around
“
You solve the
slowest thing
and you solve the next
slowest thing and keep
going
Graeme Tandy, who is Network Rail’s

area director forr the Greater West
Programme.
Tandy was brought into the project
in 2015 and says his first task was
to set up a robust, baseline delivery
plan. “That was one of the key things
we recognised two years ago, we
needed to be stronger in construction
management: we had all the risk.”
He added: “We had a baseline
plan and then you’ve got to have a
construction plan that backs it up.
Not just overhead line electrification
(OLE), but elements such as bridges
and platforms. We now track against
it and every week ask: ‘are we
achieving what the business plan
says we should achieve?’”
However, Tandy says there was no
golden bullet to solve the problems,
other than just trying to make
continuous improvement.
“You solve the slowest thing and
you solve the next slowest thing and
keep going and you hit the capacity
of something such as how many
machines you get on the track.”
At Reading the team had 50
machines. But physically getting
the machines on to the track was Construction east to west so we kept the learning things around and slowed spiralling
an issue. So the contractors built ready: A key step going,” says Tandy. costs by taking on bite-sized chunks
more ramps. They also started to was to ensure All this was helped by 100 more work and solving what problems
make sure the machines were set out that work was staff and more money, but the team it could. “When you have got a
in order of the piece of work they better planned also tried to raise morale. programme that works, your cost
were doing – it sounds obvious but “It did feel a bit like a project that control is considerably better and
this was not consistently happening was a little bit broken. We needed a easier – we’re delivering the stuff
before. few successes,” says Tandy. we said we would deliver. The cost
“There was the whole concept of The team decided to concentrate control is linked to getting the
being construction ready, material on getting the Reading to Didcot test programme robust,” says Tandy.
supply, design ready, consents in track delivered. The legacy of the Great Western
place. A HOPS train is planned seven “It wasn’t built to the same modernisation has been far reaching,
weeks in advance. So where it is specification as the main line, but it from an overhaul of Network Rail’s
going needs to be ready to be built,” still proved we could we could run CP5 plans to contributing to a
he said. 25.6km of track with an overhead cooling of government policy on
Staff were also transferred further line. That started to build confidence electrification.
down the line when their immediate within senior management. One of But the legacy is also passengers
work on a section was complete, the problems was people believing it enjoying greener, faster, more
thereby keeping skills on the project. could be done.” frequent, trains where they might
“There was a cascade of people from So Network Rail gradually turned actually get a seat. N

Market Report
INFRASTRUCTURE INSIGHT
P74 NEW TAXATION RULES P80 BREXIT IMPLICATIONS

In association with
P76 PROJECT INSURANCE P82 WORKFORCE LITERACY
P78 TOUGHER SENTENCING P84 ENVIRONMENT
INFRASTRUCTURE MARKET REPORT
TAXING
QUESTION
NEW TAX RULES ARE AFFECTING SELF-
EMPLOYED CONSTRUCTION STAFF
BY MARGO COLE
T
his report, the second in a regular series
produced by New Civil Engineer in association
with McGinley Support Services, is designed
to aid engineers charged with managing and
delivering infrastructure projects. Each report
highlights the latest issues affecting six key areas
that every busy project manager needs to be abreast of:
E
economics and workload; social and employment; legal and
compliance; the political landscape; technological change;
and the environment. arlier this year there was a subtle change to tax
In this report we begin by examining how new tax rules legislation that has had major implications for
are affecting self-employed construction staff – a major issue in the construction sector. The changes applied to
an industry with such a high degree of self-employment both HM Revenue & Customs’ (HMRC’s) rules on “Off-
on the construction site and in the design office. payroll working through an intermediary”, known
At a more strategic level we then explore how a new twist as IR35, which are designed to establish whether
on project insurance can help promote collaboration. The someone is genuinely self-employed or should be treated as
concept of project insurance has not proved popular and we an employee for tax purposes.
examine how the latest take on it is set to make a difference. The rule change, which came into effect in April, followed
From a legal and compliance standpoint we highlight the on the heels of court cases in late 2016 involving taxi
recent toughening of sentencing guidelines for health and company Uber and food delivery firm Deliveroo, challenging
safety breaches. their business models.
And in the context of the political landscape and Brexit we The common link is the government and HMRC’s
then challenge the latest concerns about migrant workers determination to crack down on “false” self-employment in
and the potential for Brexit to trigger a mass skills shortage, every sector of the economy.
particularly in London and the South East. We then examine IR35 rules have been around for a while, and tend to get
a real, emerging concern around the use of technology on tweaked every year to keep up with changes in business
site – literacy (or lack of) in the workforce. And finally, we practices. They apply to anyone who works for a client
consider the environment and use Highways England’s through an intermediary – often by setting themselves up as
A14 upgrade as a case study in delivering projects in a a Personal Service Company (PSC) – but who would be an
sensitive way. employee if they were providing their services directly? If
We hope you find it useful. that is the case, then they should be paying the same tax as
l Mark Hansford is editor of New Civil Engineer an employee.
74 N E W C I V I L E N G I N E E R I N A S S O C I AT I O N W I T H M C G I N L E Y S U P P O R T S E R V I C E S ( I N F R A S T R U C T U R E ) | W I N T E R 2 017
“
Some clients working on
big public infrastructure
projects will mandate that we have
to directly engage our employees
under PAYE. That’s an increasing
trend we’re seeing
The rules that came into effect in April have already
impacted on the construction industry, through public
sector client organisations like Network Rail, Tideway and
Transport for London (TfL), which have had to review all
their contract workers to identify if they come within IR35
or not. Press reports indicate the level of confusion caused
by the sudden change, claiming at least on large public
sector employer changed its stance a number of times in the
months after the rules came into force.
And some commentators predicted that TfL would
struggle to carry out some of its major Tube improvements
if contract workers quit rather than having to be put onto
less favourable permanent contracts.
TfL human resources director Tricia Wright refutes
this, and says the rule change coincided with a review of
employment status within the organisation: “At the same
time as the introduction of the IR35 legislation, we have
been undertaking a root and branch review of how we are
organised and operate. As part of this, we have reduced
the number of people appointed through agencies and the
amount spent on agency fees.”
She adds: “TfL’s agencies now pay the majority of their
workers via PAYE and the impact of the IR35 legislation
has been minimal. Where it makes sense for us to employ
people on a permanent and fixed term basis we are doing
so, and we are confident that we will deliver our multi-billion
pound investment programme.”
McGinley Support Services is one of the largest agencies
providing labour and staff to construction clients. Its finance
Until now, it has been the responsibility of the individual director John House says: “Some clients working on big
to decide if they come under these rules or not, and to public infrastructure projects will mandate that we have
settle their own tax affairs. The big change that came in to directly engage our employees under PAYE. That’s an
during 2017 was that, for the first time, HMRC is now making increasing trend we’re seeing. What the industry needs is an
the employer responsible. At the moment the new rules only even playing field.
apply to public sector client organisations, but tax experts “Typically for private sector clients, people at the
suspect they may extend to the private sector at some stage technical and professional end can still go through their
in the next three years. own company, but there are some rail workers and
Pinsent Masons legal director Chris Thomas says: “This is engineers that fall within the grey bracket. In the past, the
not just an issue for the public sector because I think, going majority would probably have been self-employed. Now,
forward, we are going to be seeing some wider changes most go through payroll intermediaries and PAYE.”
which are going to be impacting on the private sector as HMRC has a calculator for individuals, agencies,
well. In terms of potential changes that I think we might see, umbrella companies and employers to work out whether
it would not surprise me at all if we did see the IR35 changes a worker’s employment status falls inside or outside the
that applied to the public sector being applied to the private IR35 rules. The calculator takes you through a series of
sector as well.” questions covering things like the level of responsibility a
One way of side-stepping IR35 legislation is by contracting job involves. House says one of the key questions on the
with an umbrella company rather than a PSC. Under this list is that of substitution: “If you have the right in practice
arrangement, tax is payable on a PAYE basis by the umbrella to substitute someone else to do the work if you are not
company, rather than the end client. But construction union there, then you’re probably outside IR35. That’s a very key
Ucatt (now part of Unite) says umbrella companies are determinant.”
exploiting workers, whose take-home pay tends to work out l The HMRC’s calculator can be found at www.tax.
significantly less under this arrangement. service.gov.uk/check-employment-status-for-tax/setup
W I N T E R 2 0 1 7 | N E W C I V I L E N G I N E E R I N A S S O C I AT I O N W I T H M C G I N L E Y S U P P O R T S E R V I C E S ( I N F R A S T R U C T U R E ) 75
STRONGER
TOGETHER
PROJECT INSURANCE IS HELPING
TO PROMOTE COLLABORATION
BY MARGO COLE
T
wo of the main tenets of the Construction project, and the main organisations taking part in the project
2025 industrial strategy, published by the last – client, designers, main contractor and key suppliers – all
government, were the role construction can play have a seat on the board. Together, the company’s directors
in economic growth, and the opportunities for decide how best to deliver the client’s strategic needs and
the UK construction sector in the international develop a cost plan, before using a “best for the project”
market. In a post-Brexit world, this could approach to design and delivery.
become even more crucial, as the UK strives to become an Adrian Speller, sustainablility director at Speller Metcalfe,
international player with a successful economy. the main contractor on the Dudley College IPI trial, recalls:
Much of the focus in Construction 2025 is on how to make “When we tendered the project, we realised there was
the industry more efficient, with the target of cutting costs something different that we had to get our heads around in
by one third. Procurement is one area with considerable terms of the form of contract and the pricing mechanism
potential for improvement, according to the report. “How relative to that form of contract. The selection process
projects come to market has a significant impact on the was different to what we had been used to: it focused on
ability of the construction industry to provide innovative, behaviour workshops and how people would work together.
whole life value for money solutions,” it says. “Much waste “We work on partnering frameworks for a number of other
in construction is driven through the approach to risk clients, so we are used to early contractor involvement,
across the supply chain.” but in that scenario the roles and responsibilities are quite
The report identifies three new procurement models to clearly delineated. With IPI it was up to us to define the
be trialled on real projects: two stage open book, cost led individual roles and who’s best to do them. We didn’t know
procurement and integrated project insurance (IPI). The the architect or the engineer or mechanical and electrical
first project procured under the IPI model – the Centre for contractor [when we tendered], but we were brought
Advanced Building Technologies at Dudley College in the together through an alignment period that helped us to
West Midlands – is just reaching completion. work out who was best suited to the different roles.”
IPI was developed by collaborative working consultant In the first phase of the project, the alliance team worked
Integrated Project Initiatives in conjunction with insurance together to develop a cost plan and concept that met the
broker Griffiths & Armour, and uses insurance as a strategic needs of the client, before moving onto detailed
mechanism to create a collaborative environment. Integrated design. “As a contractor, it is very rare that we would be
Project Initiatives director Louise Lado-Byrnes describes IPI as involved in the actual conceptual design of the building;
“insurance-backed alliancing”, and says the model’s underlying even in early contractor involvement there would generally
principle of shared project insurance makes it very different be a fixed concept before we get involved,” says Speller.
from other collaboration-driven contracts. Phase 1 ends when the client and the IPI team are happy
Under the IPI model, a virtual company is created for the that they have a concept design that meets the client’s
“
In contrast to traditional
policies, it is the project risk
that is insured rather than liability
together under the combined liability, also naturally motivates

the quick resolution of any problems,” she adds.
BLP has been involved in the Dudley trial project as the
local technical inspection provider for the project’s technical
risk assurer Seco. This is one of three independent roles
on the project; in addition, Rider Levett Bucknall is the
financial risk assurer and Integrated Project Initiatives is the
independent facilitator. “The facilitator sits with the project
team and the alliance board, reminding people how to
behave differently, and making sure they adhere to the new
ways of working,” explains Lado-Byrnes.
She says the project insurance drives the behavioural
change – alongside the behavioural model: “Not having PI
means the team comes up with “best for project” solutions.
When something goes wrong you might revert to type, but
that’s a complete waste of time. You need to sit down as a
team and resolve problems.”
The collaborative approach extends to the detailed
design. “One of the key selling points is that design is
something you only do once,” says Lado-Byrnes. “On cost-
led procurement or design and build, the architect and
engineer design something, and then when the suppliers
come in they say: ‘you can’t do it like that’; so it can end
up being redesigned three, four or five times. With IPI you
literally have the supply chain sitting there to inform the
criteria and can be done within the budget; then the design. Nothing’s designed when you get them on board.”
insurers have to sign it off. This is crucial: the whole point IPI also adopts a “top down” approach to costings. Once
of the IPI model is that the project has its own insurance, the project board has defined the target cost for the project,
which includes independent facilitation and risk assurance, it will identify the budget for each element of the work and
12-year latent defects cover and cost overrun cover instead go to suppliers saying, “we’ve got this much money – what
of professional indemnity (PI) insurance. On the Dudley can we get for that?”
trial, the cost of the insurance was set at 2.5% of the project Speller adds: “Because you have the ability to split up the
cost to ensure that IPI does not cost more than traditional management of the packages across the team, it doesn’t fall
contract arrangements. within the more rigid constraints of more traditional design
BLP Insurance chief executive Kim Vernau says current and build. For example, at Dudley the alliance manager took
construction industry insurance mechanisms are “a far cry” control of the lift package, we took control of some of the
from this collaborative approach, with a culture of passing façade, and the architect took control of some of the internal
risk down the supply chain: “Leaving it to each member of elements. We did a lot of thermal modelling of the building.
the construction process to insure the risk under their own Traditionally that wouldn’t be our design responsibility, but
insurance policy perpetuates a defensive system which with IPI we were able to get on and solve issues.”
is unhelpful for the end client. In the event of an issue or Lado-Byrnes says IPI works particularly well with building
problem emerging throughout the project delivery, it is information modelling (BIM) levels two and three: “Because
likely that the parties will take opposing positions to avoid everyone shares the insurance, they can all put information
any risk of liability.” into one federated BIM model without worrying about who’s
Vernau believes IPI will revolutionise the way projects responsible for it.”
are insured. “A single policy covers the entire construction However, she is aware that it will be difficult for some
delivery team (client, contractors, consultants and specialists), subcontractors and suppliers to adapt to this new approach.
replacing individual construction insurance,” she explains. “They will have to learn what top down costing means, they
“In contrast to traditional policies, it is the project risk that will have to learn to work within a budget, and they will have
is insured rather than liability. Crucially it also covers any to learn to speak up, and to work with designers to complete
financial loss without the requirement to prove fault by the the design,” she says. “But there are also a lot of benefits for
party from whom the problem has originated. the supply chain: they are going to be paid from the project
“Not having to prove fault on the part of one individual bank account, and are reporting to the project board, so
goes a long way towards eliminating the blame culture. they are not beholden to main contractors.”
Instead it fosters a more collaborative approach that is focused With final sign-off at Dudley imminent, the full results of
on achieving outcomes aligned to the needs of the client. the trial will be published before Christmas, and a second IPI
This joint risk culture, where the team can either stand or fall trial project is now underway in Derby.
CRACK
DOWN
INDUSTRY TO FACE NEW SENTENCES
FOR HEALTH & SAFETY BREACHES
BY MARGO COLE
P
lanned changes to sentencing rules could result
in longer jail terms for people whose gross
negligence results in a fatality on site. The KEY STAT
Sentencing Council, which produces guidelines
on sentencing for the judiciary, recently
18 years
published proposals that clarify how judges
determine the appropriate prison sentence for individuals Proposed
whose gross disregard for worker safety results in death. maximum
Under these proposals, jail sentences for gross negligence
manslaughter – the category of manslaughter that most prison
construction fatalities are prosecuted under – could be as sentence
long as 18 years. to four years. But when an employer has long-standing
for gross
At the request of the Lord Chancellor, the council has disregard for worker safety, the sentence would be between
drawn up comprehensive guidelines for manslaughter, and negligence 10 and 18 years.
a three month consultation period on the proposals was manslaughter The proposals follow the introduction in 2016 of new
ending as this edition went to press in early November. sentencing guidelines for offences under the Health & Safety
The proposals cover four different types of manslaughter: at Work Act. Those new guidelines also provided a more
unlawful act manslaughter, manslaughter by reason of 12 years structured mechanism for determining the appropriate
loss of control, manslaughter by reason of diminished sentence, and have resulted in higher fines for serious safety
Current
responsibility, and gross negligence manslaughter. The latter breaches. “The penalties for getting it wrong are definitely
is the offence most applicable to construction fatalities, and maximum higher than they used to be, and we’ve seen a 100% increase
occurs when the offender – who could be any employee, but prison in custodial sentences,” says Richard Wilks, director of
most often a company director – is in breach of a duty of health and safety at Bell Group and a member of the ICE’s
care towards the victim. sentence health and safety expert panel.
At the moment, the minimum custodial sentence for gross for gross Donald Lamont, a director at Hyperbaric & Tunnel Safety
negligence manslaughter is one year, but it can be anything and a former Health & Safety Executive (HSE) inspector,
negligence
up to 12 years. The average sentence in 2014 was four years. says the latest proposals for manslaughter sentencing bring
The new guidelines are intended to clarify what the sentence manslaughter the two types of offence into alignment: “The proposed
should be, by setting out a matrix of factors for the judge guidelines match the existing regime for health and safety
to take into consideration. For example, a fatality resulting offences, and bring clarity about how the sentence is
from a failure to appreciate the risk, or a momentary lapse made up, in terms of culpability, harm done and mitigating
of otherwise high standards will result in a jail term of one factors.”
“
We have been seeing a
very significant increase
in penalties across the board, and
manslaughter is just part of that
include having only a temporary duty of care and previous

good character or exemplary conduct.
If the proposed manslaughter sentencing guidelines are
adopted, judges will use this matrix of culpability, harm and
mitigating/aggravating factors to calculate the appropriate
sentence, which should result in more consistency in
the sentences that are handed down. In its consultation
document, the Sentencing Council gave the hypothetical
example of a basement excavation that collapses, killing one
site worker and narrowly missing a second. It looks at the
level of culpability of the subcontractor who employed the
two site workers, explaining how the starting point for the
sentence would be eight years, and then considers possible
aggravating and mitigating factors. It also applies the new
guidelines to the main contractor’s site manager, for whom
the starting point would be five years.
The same method has been used for the last 18 months
for setting penalties – usually fines – for offences prosecuted
under health and safety legislation. However, here the size
of the company or income of the individual is also taken
into consideration. So, for example, a large company with a
turnover of over £50M with very high culpability and high
harm is likely to be fined between £2.6M and £10M for a
serious health and safety offence; whereas a company with
less than £2M turnover involved in a low culpability, low
harm breach will be fined between £50 and £2,000.
Lamont says more construction fatalities are now
investigated as potential manslaughter, rather than as health
and safety offences: “In the last four or five years there has
been a growth in manslaughter charges. Ten years ago, it
was virtually unheard of as an offence [in construction].
The police have always been involved if there was a fatality
[on site], but they used to hand it over to the HSE. Now
The consultation document for the new gross negligence the police will investigate with a view to a manslaughter
manslaughter guidelines set out the key factors that a judge charge.”
should take into account when sentencing, and they are According to Lamont, the introduction of the new
very similar to those for health and safety offences: the sentencing guidelines for gross negligence manslaughter,
degree of culpability, the level of harm, and any aggravating coupled with those for health and safety offences, indicate
or mitigating factors. The guidelines for both types of the judiciary is taking a tougher stance on construction
offence give clear descriptions of what constitutes “very fatalities and safety breaches. “We have been seeing a very
high”, “high”, “medium” and “lower” levels of culpability, significant increase in penalties across the board, and
and also give examples of mitigating and aggravating manslaughter is just part of that,” he says.
factors. “High culpability”, for example, might be due to But Wilks says the industry should see the proposed
the negligent conduct being motivated by financial gain guidelines as a positive step forward, giving clarity about
(or avoidance of cost), or if it persisted over a long period the way sentencing decisions are made, and clearly aligning
of time. An extreme example of one high culpability factor the severity of the sentence with the level of individual
could push the offence into the “very high” category, as culpability. “These guidelines give the [judge or] magistrate
could the combination of two or more factors. a mechanism to evaluate the penalty,” he says. “It makes it
Culpability would be deemed to be at the “lower” end of clear that if the right management procedures are in place,
the scale if, for example, the offender failed to appreciate the the culpability isn’t there.”
risk of death arising from the negligent conduct; or if it was a He adds: “I think it should give comfort [to the industry]
lapse in an otherwise satisfactory standard of care. that the judiciary has a sensible approach. And it justifies
Aggravating factors include previous convictions and why you should have all the right procedures and steps in
involving others through coercion; while mitigating factors place. I think everybody welcomes that.”
EXODUS
SCENARIO
BREXIT COULD WORSEN SKILLS
SHORTAGES IN CONSTRUCTION
BY MARGO COLE
W
ith claims and counterclaims from both While there is some anecdotal evidence that this may be
sides, it is difficult to know exactly how happening, there certainly has not been a mass exodus.
the Brexit negotiations are proceeding. KEY STAT “We haven’t seen any change downwards since the vote
The British government is keen to start last year, although as we get closer to the exit date that may
talking about future trade arrangements, change,” says McGinley Support Services business support
214,542
but the European Union (EU) refuses director Sean McGinley. His firm employs around 1,400
to discuss trade until there is agreement on both sides EU people, 15% of them from elsewhere in the EU. “At this level
about what will happen to EU citizens currently living and construction – skilled and semi-skilled workers – it is true that they don’t
working in the UK and vice versa – an issue that has major know where they stand at the moment. However, if you don’t
implications for the UK construction sector. workers know where you stand but you’re in work, and that work is
Estimates generally indicate that people from non-UK EU predicted to valuable, then you will stay with the work.
countries make up around one in nine of the UK construction “In our sort of business you will stay for as long as you
leave UK by
workforce, working at every level: manual trades, skilled can. The rewards are healthy, and there’s consistent work,
operatives, supervisors, engineering and architectural 2020 after so I think they will remain in situ until their employer can’t
designers, and project and business managers. The figure “hard” Brexit employ them any more, or at least until they know exactly
rises to around 27% in London. Brexit negotiations are what’s going to happen. The UK has a decent order book on
focused on agreeing what their status will be after Britain construction and infrastructure activity, so it is a draw, and
leaves the EU: will they be able to continue living and 136,081 I think most people intend to stay while there’s a pipeline of
working in the UK? work available.”
EU
The ICE has made its position very clear; its Brexit This view was born out in a survey conducted by IFF
Infrastructure Group, chaired by Sir John Armitt, has stated: construction Research and published in June by the Construction
“Government should guarantee the status of EU nationals workers Industry Training Board. IFF surveyed non-UK nationals
currently working in the UK”, to avoid a “self-inflicted skills working in the industry, and found that most (79%) are
crisis”. The group argues that, at a time when the industry predicted to planning to remain in the UK for at least the next 12 months.
needs to recruit an additional 36,000 people a year just to leave UK by Only 5% said they definitely intend to leave. Workers aged
meet the demands of the current infrastructure pipeline, over 45 and those who have been here for more than 10
2020 after
a rapid reduction in the number of EU nationals could be years are most likely to stay.
disastrous for the sector. “soft” Brexit Of the non-UK workers surveyed, just over half said they
Immediately after the Brexit vote, there was some planned to stay in the UK until they retire; 21% definitely
concern that EU workers might leave the UK ahead of any plan to leave at some point; and 23% have no definite plans.
decision on their right to stay or the introduction of new However, qualified engineers and project managers may be
immigration rules. among those most likely to move, according to the survey
“
Highly skilled people
may be more in demand
elsewhere in the world, so they
might take the opportunity to work
elsewhere in Europe or abroad.
a points-based system could prove problematic in terms of
bringing in the right labour.”
McGinley agrees: “The attention at the moment is mostly
at the highly skilled level. I don’t think it will be appropriate
just to overlay the system that is used for people from
outside Europe, because that wouldn’t deal with the skilled,
semi-skilled and low-skilled levels.”
Arcadis has looked at two possible post-Brexit scenarios,
and calculated the net loss of EU workers to housebuilding
and infrastructure by 2020 for each. It says: “A “hard” Brexit
scenario – for example extending the points-based system
currently in place for non-EU migrants – could see the
number of EU construction workers entering the UK fall at
the rate of attrition.
This would mean that those EU nationals leaving the
industry will not be replaced at the same rate by new
EU workers. If that was the case, Arcadis anticipates a
cumulative loss of 214,542 people from the industry.
Even the so-called “soft” Brexit option still leaves the
industry short of workers, according to the report: “In the
event of a “soft” Brexit, the construction workforce could
see a steady reduction in numbers. We have estimated a
report, Migration and construction: The view from employers, scenario whereby, for instance, rigid quotas are introduced
recruiters and non-UK workers. It says: “…those qualified to or policies implemented on a sector-by-sector basis,
graduate level were far less likely than average to plan to allowing for a degree of EU migration into the sector.” In this
work in the UK until they retire (41%), and more likely to be scenario the net loss would be 136,081 by 2020.
undecided (32%), suggesting that they have more options The construction industry is looking at imaginative ways
around their work mobility.” to fill the looming skills gap, but also genuinely believes
McGinley agrees. “It depends how portable your skills there will always be a need to top up the home grown talent
are,” he says. “Highly skilled people may be more in demand pool with workers from outside the UK. Civil Engineering
elsewhere in the world, so they might take the opportunity Contractors Association external affairs director Marie-
[of Brexit] to work elsewhere in Europe or abroad.” Claude Hemming says: “Industry can and should always
A commitment to allow EU nationals currently working in look at ways to improve productivity and/or increase
the UK to stay would help employers plan for the immediate recruitment to close skills gaps. However, there will still be a
future while they are waiting for details of the post-Brexit requirement for EU labour.”
immigration rules. She adds: “As an industry we need to do as much work
“Any information they can give us on existing EU as we can collaboratively to understand where the skills
nationals’ rights on staying in the UK would have an impact,” pinch points are. We also need to work with government to
says McGinley. ensure that steps are taken to address these pinch points in
The focus would then switch to what long term plans the short-medium term, while also putting in place a clear
the government intends to put into place for limiting framework for migration in the long term.”
immigration – a key issue for pro-Brexit campaigners and McGinley adds: “The UK has become used to the EU
voters. It is currently assumed that the government is supplementing our workforce – in construction and in other
looking at some form of points-based system, similar to areas. I don’t think the construction industry should be
those in Australia and Canada, designed to attract people singled out; the government has to deal with this skilled/
with skills that will contribute to the economy and fill labour semi-skilled issue across the board. Whatever immigration
shortages. But there is concern in the UK construction rules and regulations are put into place, there should be a
sector that this type of policy may mean highly skilled permanent system that deals with semi-skilled and skilled
workers – including engineers and project managers – can resources to access the construction market from the EU
get working visas, but low- and semi-skilled workers would and outside.”
lose out. He suggests a “bidding” system in which the sectors that
In its 2016 report The real extent of Britain’s construction regularly employ people at the lower skills levels could bid
labour crisis, consultant Arcadis concludes: “Construction to allow a certain number of appropriately skilled people to
is heavily reliant on unskilled or semi-skilled workers, and enter the UK.
THE NEED
TO READ
TECHNOLOGY BRINGS MORE DEMAND
FOR WORKER LITERACY SKILLS
BY MARGO COLE
T
he theme for this year’s United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation
(Unesco) International Literacy Day in September KEY STAT
was “Literacy in a Digital World”. This seems
particularly appropriate theme in an era of
15%
increasing automation and digital communication
– and in an industry that is rapidly deploying these Percentage
technologies. of UK adults
But does increased automation mean the construction
workforce can rely less on basic functional skills like which can be
literacy and numeracy – or might these skills be even more described as
important in the future? The 2017 education and skills
‘functionally
survey carried out Pearson for the CBI identifies that the Its June 2017 report Innovation 2050 - A Digital Future
jobs of the future will require higher levels of skill. illiterate’ for the Infrastructure Industry predicts a world in which
“The shape of the UK economy is constantly evolving,” the construction site will be “human-free”, with the role
it says. “.... technological change means the level of skills of the “human overseer” being to remotely manage
required to do different jobs is rising. These are positive 39.8% multiple projects simultaneously, using data from on-site
trends, and as a result, the average job is increasingly skilled Percentage of machines. As a result, it says, the sector will need a more
and better paid. But there are also challenges. The digital agile workforce, with new skills.
people getting
age is likely to reduce the number jobs of process and create “Increasing use of robots and automation will mean that
more jobs based on judgement.” below a C in the industry becomes more productive, creating new roles
The report claims the biggest growth in jobs in the years GCSE English for skilled workers in cutting-edge areas, while reducing the
ahead is expected to be in management, professional and need for those undertaking repetitive, manual tasks, such as
technical roles, which require better levels of education and bricklayers,” says the report.
skill. Skilled trades and what the report calls “elementary But this is going to require higher levels of basic
occupations” are set to decline. skills among the construction workforce. Traditionally,
We can already see this trend in the construction sector. A construction trades were seen as an attractive option
lot of construction equipment is capable of full automation, for non-academic school leavers, says McGinley Support
and earlier this year contractor Balfour Beatty predicted Services head of safety John Jebson.
that, by 2050, low and unskilled jobs, and “those relying on “The traditional route was that your family background
repetition of tasks” will disappear as robots become more or educational background steered you towards a certain
prevalent in construction. industry. A lot of people working in the industry used to
“
One of the most important
aspects of supporting
adults with low literacy levels is
to increase their self-esteem and
persuade them of the benefits
of improving their reading and
writing
and obtain information from everyday sources, but reading
information from unfamiliar sources, or on unfamiliar topics,
could cause problems.
The Trust says: “Many adults are reluctant to admit to
their literacy difficulties and ask for help. One of the most
important aspects of supporting adults with low literacy
levels is to increase their self-esteem and persuade them of
the benefits of improving their reading and writing.”
Jebson agrees. “It’s very difficult to get across to people
that they haven’t failed,” he says. “We as a society have
failed. The construction industry needs to do lot more to
promote literacy.”
According to the CBI/Pearson report, 45% of UK
employers say they have had to organise training in at least
one basic skill area for some adult employees recruited
in the past 12 months. But, says Jebson: “The rise of
the gig economy means a lot of people are not in secure
employment, which makes it difficult to train them. People
can slip through the net.”
The CBI/Pearson report says 39.8% of candidates did not
achieve a grade C or better in GCSE English, with a similar
number not getting the grade at maths (39%). But employers
are more likely to focus their training on construction-
specific skills than literacy and numeracy. Jebson points out
that a lot of training involves using electronic media – PCs
or tablets. It is often pictorial, and may well be tested using
multiple choice tick boxes. “If you’re lucky, you can get 25%
right without understanding the question,” he points out.
However, he believes technology may also be part of the
answer when it comes to improving basic skills. “We live in
come from areas that once had heavy industry. They left an electronic world, so why can’t we make literacy more of
school at 14 or 15, and education was not really a priority. an electronic thing?” he says. “Nearly everyone is IT literate
“This group is still there among the older workforce; to a point – they can all use the latest smart phones, but
the groups that come through now are getting much more they’re not very good when it comes to using pen and paper
training – for example track induction, National Vocational for some form filling.
Qualifications (NVQs) and Construction Skills Certification “But whenever you text someone, or go onto Facebook
Scheme (CSCS) courses. But I still know people who can’t or YouTube you’re improving your literacy. So let’s find a
read and write. They can function in the industry to certain medium that works for these people.”
level, but it knocks people’s confidence and makes them One answer might be a mobile phone. US start-up Cell-
think they can’t do better. For example you have labourers ED has developed a technology that uses texting as a tool
who don’t think they can be managers because of their to teach literacy. It is based on a cloud communication
literacy skills.” platform, and delivers bite-sized courses in reading via text
Jebson says a survey of the McGinley workforce found message and audio that people can work on whenever they
that the average reading age was seven to nine years lower have the time. The company says that the success rate with
than it should be. According to the National Literacy Trust, its literacy programme is far higher than classroom-based
around 15%, or 5.1M adults in England, can be described as literacy programmes.
“functionally illiterate”. “We’re shedding light on the importance of creating an
They would not pass an English GCSE and have literacy industry focusing on the needs of low-literate adults – which
levels at or below those expected of an 11 year old. They can is the majority of the world,” says Cell-Ed co-founder Jessica
understand short, straightforward texts on familiar topics, Rothenberg-Aalami.
GREEN
ROUTE
BRITAIN’S LARGEST ROAD PROJECT IS
FULL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MITIGATION
BY MARGO COLE
E
very major project in the UK has to satisfy a
wide range of environmental requirements,
whether it is by protecting wildlife habitats, KEY STAT
minimising the number of trees that are felled,
or cleaning up water courses. But Highways
£1.5bn
England has decided that the A14 Cambridge
to Huntingdon project – the largest road project currently Value of A14
under construction in the UK – should go above and beyond project
the usual requirements when it comes to environmental
mitigation and environmentally-minded project management.
“There are a number of things we have to do by law, like 866,000
survey the land where the road will be built to assess how
Number of
the scheme might affect wildlife, or talk to environmental
organisations to get their advice and give them the replanted
opportunity to feed back on our proposals,” explains plants on the
Highways England ecology lead for the A14 project Patrick
Howard. “And we have to look after protected wildlife project
species, such as great crested newts, water voles, bats,
badgers and a number of birds that breed on the site of the
scheme. “An important part of any road construction project is
“But we’ve also decided to build into the project ways the planning of environmental mitigation so that, by the
to minimise our environmental impact now and to leave a time a project is completed, its footprint on the surrounding
positive legacy for the future.” natural environment is as small as possible,” he explains.
He adds: “We began thinking about the environment at “As well as leaving a positive legacy for local communities
a very early stage in the project, well before construction and businesses, we’re keen to create an environment where
started. “Our team of ecologists started working on the the local wildlife can flourish too. That’s why we’re creating
project as soon as it was given the go ahead, and they will new, connected habitats along the new road which will make
continue until after completion.” it easier than currently for wildlife to move between areas.
Their aim, Howard says, is to set a high standard when it And we’ve also ensured that our design takes into account
comes to reducing the overall impact of a road scheme on where mammals are more likely to cross the new road –
the local environment both during construction and after the creating ways for them to pass safely under the new road.
scheme is finished. “In addition, all the energy we’re using at our three
“
Wherever we can, we’re
trialling ways to reduce
our use of fossil fuels on the
construction site, like using
hybrid generators, solar-panelled
floodlights or hydrogen powered
vehicles
water supply, with water coming from treatment plants, the
scheme’s borrow pits, and local watercourses.
All the vegetation cleared ahead of construction,
including felled trees, has either been used within the local
community or been sent to a biomass facility for energy
production. And 866,000 plants from 50 different species will
be replanted once the scheme is completed, including oaks,
field maples, elms, hawthorns, blackthorns and elder.
Several rare plant species have been found across the
route and moved so they can be replanted in the same area
along the road verges once the scheme is finished. These
include bee orchids, common spotted orchids and slender
tare – a rare wildflower found near Girton.
Protected wildlife species include great crested newts,
water voles, bats, breeding birds such as yellow wagtail,
skylark, corn bunting and yellowhammer, and badgers. More
than 200 bat boxes are being installed to provide additional
habitat and help bats during migration, as well as the barn
owl boxes – the first five of which were used for nesting this
year, with three of the birds successfully rearing chicks.
Once the scheme is complete, nesting boxes for kestrels will
be installed around borrow pits and balancing ponds.
New habitats are also being created at three locations.
These are for water voles, Britain’s fastest declining wild
mammal. Ten water voles were re-located to their new home
in Alconbury over the summer. Activity around five badger
setts is being monitored, and the team is deciding how best
to help the badgers relocate so they are not disturbed or
endangered by the new route.
“It’s great when one of the ecologists is able to share
footage from one of our badger monitoring cameras,
or pictures of one of the nesting barn owls, with the
construction teams,” says Howard.
Work on building the £1.5bn upgrade to the A14 between
Cambridge and Huntingdon started in November 2016.
The project involves widening 11.2km of the A14 in each
direction across two sections, a major new bypass south
compounds is generated from 100% renewable sources of Huntingdon, widening a 4.8km section of the A1, and
like wind and solar,” Howard adds. “And wherever we can, demolishing a viaduct at Huntingdon.
we’re trialling ways to reduce our use of fossil fuels on Three contracts have so far been let to deliver the £1.5bn
the construction site, like using hybrid generators, solar- scheme: a £35.3M detailed design contract awarded to an
panelled floodlights or hydrogen powered vehicles.” Atkins CH2M joint venture; a construction package, valued
Initiatives include creating 271ha of new, connected at £598M and covering the A1 at Alconbury to the East
habitats for wildlife, replanting two trees for every one Coast Mainline, and east to Swavesey, awarded to a Costain/
felled, gathering rare wildflower seeds and specimens to Skanska JV; and a £292M contract to widen the existing
replant after the end of construction, using renewable A14 from Swavesey to Milton awarded to a Balfour Beatty/
energy where possible, and making the most of naturally- Carillion joint venture. A fourth package – for the demolition
occurring materials on site to build the road. In addition, of the viaduct over the East Coast Mainline at Huntingdon –
only non-drinking water is being used for construction will be awarded in 2019, and the entire scheme is due to be
purposes to minimise the impact on the local drinking completed in 2020.
Institution of Civil Engineers Record
PROFESSION
Careers portal for

schools and parents
New education portal promoting civil
engineering careers goes live on the internet
during Tomorrows Engineers Week
The ICE has launched What is type or career stage for

Civil Engineering, a web portal inspiration and to grow their
advising young people, teachers understanding of the diverse
and parents about careers range of career paths.
in civil engineering. There What is Civil Engineering is at
is also guidance for workers www.ice.org.uk/inspiration.
considering a career change. The new portal was launched
The portal features to coincide with Tomorrow’s
educational resources, including Engineers Week, now in its fifth have been heavily involved throughout the year delivering
activity packs, presentations, year. The event is intended in delivering Tomorrow’s inspirational talks and providing
links to further online content, to inspire the next generation Engineers Week over a number practical demonstrations on
and guidance for working with of engineers. The ICE joined of years through our work with engineering while our national
children and young people. over 300 employers and schools and colleges across and regional teams attend
There are also in-depth case professional bodies from across the UK,” said ICE membership careers fairs and events such as
studies of civil engineering the engineering community to director Sean Harris. Big Bang.
projects and the people behind deliver events and activities “Our science, technology, “As technology matures and
them. across the UK. engineering and maths (STEM) develops, so too do the range of
Users can search by project “The ICE is proud to ambassadors work tirelessly rewarding careers within civil
ICE200 WALES ICE AWARDS TRANSPORT
Masterchef Arup engineer wins Public vote for People’s Transport conference
contestants to cook ICE Wales photo Choice Award opens to focus on improved
for ICE President competition on 13 November performance
The next series of MasterChef: An image featuring the new BBC The public vote for this year’s Senior engineers, asset owners
The Professionals will feature studios in Cardiff has won the ICE People’s Choice Award, and operators will gather at
an episode showcasing the ICE 2017 “This is civil engineering which celebrates the UK civil the ICE’s Transport Asset
and its members. The show’s in Wales” photo competition engineering projects that Management (TAM) conference
contestants, who are catering run by ICE Wales Cymru. Arup have made the most positive on 21 November to discuss
industry professionals, will cater senior engineer Greg Garson, impact on a local area and ways to improve performance.
a fine-dining event for President won the £200 first prize on communities, opens on 13 Specialised streams will focus on
Lord Mair and other ICE guests. following a unanimous vote by November. The 12 nominees highways, railways, airports and
The dinner, to be held in the the award panel. Sean Hughes will be announced on the ICE ports. Railway Civil Engineers
Great Hall at One Great George won second place for his waste website and social media and Association chair Andrew Boagey,
Street, marks the Institution’s sector image. Third place voting will be open until 1 who will chair the railway stream,
upcoming bicentenary and went to Morning Shadows by December. Everyone who said there is “growing pressure
celebrates the work that civil Matthew Hartley, also showing votes will be entered into a to change our approach to asset
engineers do to transform the BBC Cardiff development. prize draw to win a Kindle and management. TAM offers us a rare
society and improve lives. The Awards were made in made a six month Kindle Unlimited opportunity to learn about new
episode is due to air on BBC in the Fairness, Inclusion and Membership. The winning solutions and adapt ideas.”
Two at 8pm on Thursday 7 Respect, Heritage and Under-16 project will be announced on l Visit www.ice-tam.com for
December. categories. 13 December. more information.

MORE ICE NEWS
GO TO NEWCIVILENGINEER.COM/ICE
The new portal is intended to

encourage young people to PAST PRESIDENT’S VIEW
take up civil engineering careers
PRESSING AHEAD
TO THE FUTURE
When I gave my Organisations from all levels of the supply
inaugural address, I chain agree that the current operating model
set out a clear theme is broken – with projects too often being
and ambition for delivered over budget, past deadline and
engineering a digital below par. The Project 13 model aims to
engineering. We will continue future. overcome disparate relationships between
to work with educators and I am happy to say owners and suppliers and in so doing
influencers to ensure we rise Tim that headway has increase productivity and performance.
to the challenge of bridging the Broyd clearly been made. When the Project 13 community was launched
engineering skills gap. We will The State of this year we had an overwhelming response,
inspire the next generation of the Nation Digital with more than 200 organisations signing up to
civil engineer and support them Transformation report be a part of this exciting opportunity for change.
in their design and delivery of published in March discussed the practical steps During my time as President, the ICE has
the infrastructure that society to take to keep up with the pace of digital change helped to shape the agenda, but there are times
needs.” and fully embrace the benefits. when outside events have taken centre stage.
It set clear and ambitious recommendations The horrific tragedy of the Grenfell Tower
to ensure that infrastructure makes the most of fire shocked the entire nation. In light of that it
new digital technologies. is only proper that professional organisations
PASS LISTS, BYLAW 15 However, the pace of technological change is across the built environment sector should
fast and the possibility that artificial intelligence examine the actions that need to be taken
As New Civil Engineer is now could herald a new industrial revolution has to deliver safer and more effective whole-life
published monthly, the names become a reality. stewardship of assets.
of candidates recently awarded a To fully understand the potential impact this I asked past-President Peter Hansford to
professional qualification with ICE may have on civil engineering, the ICE hosted lead a review to consider whether we fully
will only be published online at thought-leadership workshops with the National understand the potential vulnerabilities in our
www.newcivilengineer.com/latest/ Infrastructure Commission. economic infrastructure. We have recently
icenews. They will no longer be We also held our “Shaping a Digital World” published the interim report and work will
published in the print edition. conference in October, the programme for continue into next year (see p26).
which mapped out a path forward for industry. Reflecting on my time in office, I have seen
The pass lists will also be published The 50 speakers shared their insights with the the impact that civil engineers have on people’s
on ICE’s website, along with the sector and students who will be the workforce of lives. I have been lucky enough to meet
names of all candidates applying the future. members across the country as I visited the
for professionally qualified Digital transformation is also embedded as a UK regions, as well as those around the world
membership (Bylaw 15). Both work strand for Project 13, which means it is at as I travelled to see the work the ICE has been
can be viewed at www.ice.org.uk/ the very heart of our efforts to develop a more doing internationally.
bylaw15 under “newest qualified a collaborative and enterprising business model I am optimistic that the future is
member”. Lists will remain on the for infrastructure delivery. in safe hands, having worked with my eight
site for 28 days. To view lists on Project 13 is a concerted effort by the industry wonderful President’s Apprentices, who will
the New Civil Engineer website, to move towards a long-term, value driven perhaps one day go on to become presidents
visit www.newcivilengineer.com/ approach to major infrastructure projects and themselves.
latest/icenews programmes. l Tim Broyd is the ICE’s immediate past President

Institution of Civil Engineers Record
PROFESSION
Hammond: Former
ICE revamps transport minister

and APPGI chair
mentor
matching
scheme
The ICE has named the eight
successful candidates for
its Future Leaders scheme,
formerly the President’s
Apprentices Scheme.
They are: Environment
Agency graduate civil engineer
Ayo Sokale; Waterco Consultants
graduate engineer Louisa King;
Arup assistant technician
Meghan Fick; Arup graduate
structural engineer Charlotte
Murphy; Transport Scotland
graduate engineer Asif Huq;
Atkins graduate structural
engineer Will Lavelle; MTR
Corporation graduate engineer POLICY
MPs urged to push for clear

Max Ng; and Wood Thilstead
graduate geotechnical engineer
Simone Schmieder.
Northern Powerhouse plans

The group will receive
guidance and support from
current ICE president Lord
Mair throughout their term.
They will now work with ICE
representatives on their choice
of nine projects, which are The ICE hosted the All-Party forward for planning and pan-northern level is absolutely
integral to ICE’s Plan for 2018/20. Parliamentary Group on delivering high performing crucial, he said.
They will also play an Infrastructure (APPGI) for a infrastructure alongside regional He added that infrastructure
important role in the ICE’s briefing session in early October. coordination and an ambitious projects that are taken forward
ICE200 bicentenary activities, The session concentrated on investment programme. Twelve in the North must be ambitious
serving as civil engineering the ICE’s recently published key recommendations outline in terms of technology and
ambassadors. Delivering a Northern how well planned, delivered and their capacity to deliver the
Infrastructure Strategy report. managed infrastructure has the best outcomes for users. This
The group, chaired by MP capacity to unlock the North’s should include autonomous and
and former transport minister potential, increase productivity connected vehicles, digitising
Stephen Hammond discussed and improve quality of life. rail across the region and
the issues highlighted in the Threlfall said that rather than developing the business case for
report and examined what work just trying to close the current a Hyperloop system.
could be done in Westminster to gap in economic development Attendees agreed that it
empower the metro regions in between the North and the was crucial for government
the North. South of England, emphasis at all levels, the public, and
ICE Northern Powerhouse should be put on what it would businesses to work together and
chair Richard Threlfall gave an take to make the North a leading speak with a united voice.
overview of the report before area of economic growth in its Only an integrated and
taking questions. own right. strategic approach to
The report was coordinated For the region to be able to delivering economic and social
by the ICE and delivered by articulate its infrastructure infrastructure will enable the
an expert steering group. needs in strategic and project creation of a true Northern
Mair: Working with Future Leaders It recommends a clear way terms, strong governance at a Powerhouse they said.

WEST MIDLANDS VIEWPOINT
New Civil Engineer
4th Floor, Telephone House
HOW FIT IS THE ICE FOR

69-77 Paul Street, London EC2A 4NQ
EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES
Email: nceedit@emap.com
Editor | Mark Hansford
(020) 3953 2821 mark.hansford
THE NEXT 200 YEARS?

Deputy Editor | Alexandra Wynne
(020) 3953 2822 alexandra.wynne
Associate Editor | Emily Ashwell
(020) 3953 2094 emily.ashwell
Technical Reporter | Katherine Smale
(020) 3953 2044 katherine.smale
Technical Reporter | Fiona McIntyre
(020) 3953 2870 fiona.mcintyre
News Reporter | Jess Clark
(020) 3953 2876 jess.clark
Chief Sub Editor | Andy Bolton
Next year the ICE needs of our members, industry and society. (020) 3953 2823 | andy.bolton
celebrates its 200th Digitisation of the library, a key asset, and Technical Editor Emeritus | Dave Parker
birthday. This year, I overhauling membership systems is making dave.parker
complete six years as them accessible and useful. Re-structuring
ONLINE ACCESS ENQUIRIES
West Midlands council membership grades opens AMICE to other
Email: customerservices@nce.co.uk
member and over 45 professionals working in our industry and
years in industry. broadens the appeal of our institution without EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD
David Our industry has diluting professional standards. Using the Rachel Skinner (chair), Bill Grose, Alan
Johns changed more in the magnificent library at One Great George Street Clucas, Andrew Mylius, Martin Knights,
last 50 years than for key exhibitions opens our institution Mike Napier, Miles Ashley, Rob Naybour,
in the previous 150 to the wider public. Proactive engagement Tim Chapman, Tony Gates, Zakiyya
years. I graduated at the start of the digital with political parties and key government Adam, Aimi Elias, John Dillon, David
Caiden, Andrew Crudgington, Fay Bull,
age. CAD was in its infancy; calculators were departments in Westminster ensures they
Sophie McPhilips, Stephen Wells, Jennifer
replacing slide rules. Computers, and now understand the benefit of continued investment
Cooke
mobile phones and tablets have transformed in infrastructure. Academic and industrial
our daily lives. Time pressures have increased partnerships are strengthening our relationships Magazine of the
as communication speeds and methods have with educationalists and employers. Broadening Institution of Civil Engineers
changed and prices for services are squeezed. our global presence has started. 1 Great George Street,
Our industry is safer. Asset information There is still much to do. Devolution of power London SW1P 3AA
modelling is in its infancy and is transforming to the UK regions means we must spread our 020 7222 7722 www.ice.org.uk
how we develop, operate and manage engagement activity to the new authorities. ICE MEMBERS’ ADDRESS
infrastructure assets. Civil engineers are involved Maintaining our digital offer will be challenging CHANGES/ SUBSCRIPTIONS
with a wider variety of professions on projects. as technology (and how it is used) changes so QUERIES
Boundaries between clients, consultants and rapidly. Digital development is led by multi- www.ice.org.uk/myice to update your
contractors have been blurred and businesses billion dollar companies – how can the ICE afford address quickly online. For subscription
have become huge, global operations. to invest in this area? queries, please phone 020 7665
When I joined Council, meetings were formal Council is more diverse and younger, but is 2227, or email subs@ice.org.uk
and very boring, with occasional illuminating still majority white and male. To attract young SUBSCRIPTIONS
debates to wake you from slumber. This has people and more diverse members, we must For subscription queries contact;
changed. More delegated power to our Executive show how society benefits from civil engineering. dsb.net Ltd, 3 Queensbridge,
provides Council with time to consider the ICE200 will kick start this. Northampton NN4 7BF
strategic development of the ICE and our The ICE is fitter, but success over another Telephone: 01604 251030
member services. We now have two-day 200 years will require speedier adaptation to All rights reserved © 2017 New Civil Engineer.
annual strategy meetings and a rolling three- meet the changing needs of our members and Published by EMAP Publishing Ltd;
year business plan. Cabinet-style meetings society – without diluting our core strengths Printed by Henry Stone Ltd, Ashford, Kent
Registered as a newspaper with the Post Office
and workshops, focused on strategic plan of knowledge and professionalism. Why not ISSN 0307-7683; Issue No: 2056
development, constructively engage the intellect volunteer to help us respond, or even stand for Statements made or opinions expressed in New
Civil Engineer do not necessarily reflect the
of our council members. Main committees are council? This is a challenging and exciting time views of ICE Council or ICE committees
empowered to make decisions, subject to approval for ICE and you can make a difference.
by Executive rather than submission to Council. l David Johns is ICE Council
The ICE is adapting to meet the changing member for the West Midlands

Careers Classified
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Inside: Special feature: Learning from failure p25 Dutch sand engine for UK p54

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