Current articles / submissions:
NSW Legislative Council – Inquiry into regulation of building standards. (refer link below)
Amos Branch’s presentations / papers
Examples of Industry issues:
Selection of engineers based on the lowest fee tendered for a poorly defined and / or poorly enforced scope of work
Short cuts being taken in the services provided by engineers
Limited involvement of engineers through shifting responsibility to other parties
Minimal or no research into engineering solutions which provide maximum long-term benefit to the client and the community
Cursory if any peer review of work within engineering companies
Limited mentoring of young engineers to develop technical skills and professional ethics
Poor control of the quality and experience of engineers granted registration
Out sourcing design and documentation to ‘off shore’ companies without adequate review
Adoption of computer results without thorough checking through independent analysis
Use of perceived or promoted ‘cheaper’ engineering solutions without assessment of the long-term risks and potential costs of such solutions
Reduced number and quality of construction compliance inspections.
Acceptance of ‘cheaper’ design by an engineer or supplier rather than obtaining a second or third opinion on the veracity of the design before taking up the ‘saving’. Many initially perceived small capital savings have resulted in massive long-term costs.
Reliance on construction compliance without evidence that sufficient and adequate quality control inspections have been undertaken during construction to confirm that the critical requirements of the adopted design has been achieved.
