The Australian Asphalt Pavement Association (AAPA) Training Centre will present its highly-regarded, three-day training course, “Bituminous Surfacing – Principles & Practice” in Melbourne on Tuesday-Thursday, 9-11 August, 2011 – just a few weeks away.
This ever-popular training course is focused on engineers, supervisors and technical officers, who have a basic knowledge of bituminous materials.
A small number of places are still available and closing date for registrations has been extended for one week to Wednesday, 27 July, 2011.
The course brochure which includes the registration form and venue details can be accessed through this url www.aapa.asn.au/images/stories/pdf/Melbourne_TC1144.pdf
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Infrastructure Australia released its 4th major report to the Council of Austraian Governments “Communicating the Imperative for Action” in June 2011. Of note is EA assessment of local roads and rail infrastructure as barely adequate. Take a look at hte document here.
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Here is an article about ECI (Early Contractor Involvement). Wyndham Harbour will be delivered using ECI with BMD Constructions being selected as the preferred contractor expecting to lead in to a D & C $50m proejct
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A copy of the Department of Treasury and Finance Victoria “Pactitioners Guide to Alliance Contracting” October 2010 can be found here.
The Department of Treasury and Finance, Victoria has developed several guidance notes on various aspects of alliance contracting. Guidance Note No 5 “Developing the TOC in Alliance Contracting” was published in March 2011 as was Guidance Note No 4 Reporting VfM Outcomes in Allaince Contracting.
More information relating to alliancing can be found on the dft website
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As at 1 August 2011 the EOA 2010 will come into play. The aims of the EOA 2010 are to eliminate discrimination and encourage identification and elimination of systemic causes of discrimination, sexual harassment and victimisation. Some definitions are changed in the 2010 EOA and the Act cites a requirement for “positive duty” or obligation to take reasonable and proportinate measures to eliminate discrimnation, sexual harassment or victimisation as far as possible taking into account the desired outcome, the size, resources and service priorities of the obligation holder and the practicability and cost of compliance.
Tools to help you comply with the 2010 Equal Opportunity Act are available here.
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Have you ever thought that there is a lack of alignment in expectations between the engineering service provider and the receiver of those services? The Warren Centre has developed the PPIR (Professional Performance Innovation and Risk Protocol for Engineering Practice) and is rolling it our throughout the country.
The protocol is consdiered necessary due to the increasingly unpredicability of the commercial and professional world in which the professional engineer operates. The Warren Cetnre PPIR website lists a number of rasons for the increased unpredictability:
- “the commercial relationships between engineers and their clients are becoming too complex and ‘legalistic’ and less responsive to the engineering task the client’s expectations
- the community has come to have unrealistic expectations about engineering risk
- real-life risk management has given way to risk segmentation and allocation
- engineering insurance underwriters find it harder to understand risks and accurately assess exposure
- engineering litigation has become more time-consuming and costly, its outcomes increasingly unpredictable and the quality of engineering expert testimony is often questioned.
As a result, the professional engineer now spends too much time dealing with the consequences or potential of past events and juggling current risk issues, and has much less opportunity and enthusiasm for applying new engineering knowledge and for considering engineering innovation. While there is no one cause, a common underlying theme is that there is no shared and accepted view within the engineering profession, and between buyers and sellers of engineering, of the engineering perspective that should govern the relationships between the parties to an engineering task and of the professional engineer’s duty and standard of care in that task.”
The engineering profession already has Competence and Ethics standards. The PPIR provides the expected Performance of professional engineers in terms of how he/she deals with a new task and how it is undertaken to ensure delivery of the final agreed outcome.
Access the PPIR here Visit the website www.ppir.com
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The Winter 2011 edition of SPECnotes, the quarterly newsletter from NATSPEC together with the latest TECHnotes Index can be downloaded here.
Updates on all TECHnotes and ESD TECHreport can be found on the NATSPEC website.
If you would like to participate in assisting NATSPEC in reviewing worksections please contact mail@natspec.com.au.
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VicTrack convened an electricity industry summit with Transport Safety Victoria, rail operators and key power industry stakeholders in June 2011 to discuss the criteria and proceeses involved in third party access. Presentations were given on third party access licensing, environmental management, regulating for rail safety, access to the VLine network, electrical rail crossings, safework considerations and risk assessment.
Presentations from the summit can be viewed on the VicTrack website accesssible here.
Any questions relating to the summit can be directed to Sue-Ann Lowther, Manager Third Party Access & Licensing – Rail Group e: sue.lowther@victrack.com.au
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Mark Varmalis and Ross Goyne are the IPWEAvic representatives on the IPWEA National Board. The IPWEA National Board met recently in Perth for two days. Here is a report on outcomes from that Board meeting.
Please contact Mark Varmalis or Ross Goyne to discuss issues relating to IPWEA National board activities.
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Thomas Kuen is IPWEAvic Board representative on the NAMS committee. Here is an update of the committee activites around australia as at May2011.
Please contact Thomas Kuen for further information on IPWEA activities relating to asset management.
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