I don't know if you've worked in the industry recently but 'being on the plans' counts for jack. People generally draw plans and let the contractor work out the methodology.

Half of the jobs I get called out to are troubleshooting problems such as excavation stability or trenching issues.

That's the problem. Arrogance. Do you know how many people like you I deal with who don't respect anyone because they think they know better? People too often ignore common sense and sound engineering practice because their ego can't take a professional opinion from a younger person. The funny thing is that this idiot commissioned a site visit from me in the first place and yet was annoyed that I didn't tell him what he wanted to hear.

If you're an engineer as you claim, if you make a 4m near vertical cut in fill material next to a highway, what kind of factor of safety are you looking at? What happens if a fully loaded semi stops in the left hand lane? The answer is no and if you do it you're not only a moron but you're negligent.

Sounds about right. Sometimes a site visit from the engineer could save a whole lot of time wasting.

Love how his "if you want a house get a better paying job" quote has been blown wayyyy out of context by the left.

Politics in the country are out of control.

Oh it has, but his follow up interviews for it have been pretty bad lol.

-PB

Well he's put his whole leg in his mouth following up.

The left media seem to find a way to turn everything he says into 'Joe Hockey is disconnected'. It's on par with me complaining about the government because I can't afford a million dollar house.

What if that million dollar house was a pretty average one?

He's disconnected with the lower middle class and below. This is to be expected with the party he belongs too but some people are stupid and need to be reminded.

The Killing Season makes me feel like this the whole time




Also makes me want to reach for a vicodin

The problem IS arrogance. You're full of it.

Apparently 3 years of work experience makes you an expert in just about every aspect of site works and more knowledgeable that the collective experience of the 3 or 4 blokes that contributed to the design process that made it's way onto the plans.

You said it was on the plans. What did the site engineer do that was wrong if he's followed the plans? He may well question the design. That's called due diligence but if he's questioned it and got the OK from above then WTF are you bitching about?

By the way, did the cut collapse?

What's that? It didn't.

Well crisis averted then. Maybe experience counts for something after all.

There are arrogant fuckers in every industry.

You need to engage an engineer with a more flexible outlook.

If possible the first thing the engineer should do is have a meeting with the client and the contractor and say this is we propose to go about it, what do you think?

And then go from there.

A stitch in time and all that.

So just because it didn't means its ok?...

-PB

Dunno PB. Maybe, maybe not.

From what Benels is saying it was on the plans to be done like that. Presumably somebody sat down and worked it out and said it would be OK, had the drawings reviewed, signed the drawings and issued the certificate to say it was designed in accordance with the relevant codes and standards.

All I am saying is what is dodgey to one bloke is right as roses for another.

Benels reckons it was dodgey as. Ol' mate didn't.

Seemed like Ol' mate may have been right in this instance.

There are clauses all over soil reports and drawings though that say if ground conditions are encountered that are different from those in the borelogs (Benels mentioned fill) and the report that the geo should be contacted for further information.

Most builders ignore that and just blast ahead.



Edited by MUNRUBENMUZ: 10/6/2015 03:56:48 PM

Comments Benels?

Not quite 4.0m vertically but close. (Probably 1500 horizontally from edge of house footing.)

(The red stuff isn't rock BTW.)








Edited by MUNRUBENMUZ: 10/6/2015 04:05:52 PM

I hope it's because you just hate politics rather than thinking there was something particularly special about that period of time. The stuff they've talked about happens in all political parties and indeed anywhere you have a bunch of ambitious people working together. The "unique" bit was that the leadership challenges were successful so many times in a short period.

Personally I'm enjoying the program :lol:

It was excellent. High praise for Rudd from those in the know. Apparently he was all over it.

Still a weasly milky bar kid though.

Rudd is clearly a psychopath. However, lots of politicians are.

Full marks to Combet for giving it both barrels.

There was a bit there when Conroy said they waited until Rudd was out of the country if they needed sign off from the PM's office. IE When Julia was sitting in. I wish they expanded more on that.

It's what I do best.

How about Joe Hokeidonian doesnt speak at all?

1. if you cant afford it, dont drive

2. if you want a home, you need a good job and good money -

With regards to the second comment, being in the studio audience for SBS's Insight for Hidden Homelessness, that comment is insensitive. Hidden homeless come in the form of war vets who were not able to deal with their PTSDs, with that in mind he wants people to 'get a good job' to not be homeless? What on earth? And its a fine line we tread- between having somewhere to live and being out on the street :-$

Dear god lets not do this.



No. I'm a geotechnical engineer. I deal in my area. Unlike some dickheads I don't tell steel fixers how to fix steel. I did my job.



Excavation methodology isn't on plans generally. The plans show where the wall goes and a cross-section but nothing about excavation works.

They usually have hold points.



No it doesn't, you would know that it's poor practice to 'hit and hope'.

I'm pleased to see you ignore my question on the factor of safety.





Edited by benelsmore: 10/6/2015 08:56:54 PM

Natural material. Completely different kettle of fish but of course you know that. Natural clay is cohesive and will generally stand up ok providing it doesn't dry out and crack or get wet.

Highway embankments are like 30/30/40 clay/sand/gravel. They contain boulders and all sorts. If you're generous you give them a friction angle of 34 degrees with almost no cohesion. With a cut slope at 80 degrees or worse, it doesn't take a genius to see the issue ;)

If you were to model it in a program like PLAXIS or GSLOPE, what sort of numbers would you expect?

The issue i have with shit like this is that builders do it constantly. They think that cuts are all the same. They think that because something has stood up for a week that there won't be any future problems.

I'm sure that in your experience you've seen cuts fail after sitting there for weeks looking unstable. Then you get people who are 'too experienced' to think things over properly. It's a trap for the arrogant and the careless ;)

If the government released cheap land like it should have 10 years ago and used the money to build trains to these places the problem wouldn't be so bad (I recognise that this is a very basic view).

In modern construction yes. No accountability in decision making these days.

Too many old blokes who think they know what they're doing when in reality their 'methods and experience' are the reason why we still have serious workplace incidents.

At the end of the day, these guys usually try and pay people like myself to take responsibility for their work. As in if I go to site and assess their work, I am liable for anything that happens unless I explicitly explain what they need to do to fix it (in writing).

The photos Munrubenmuz posted aren't too bad. However no one in their right mind is going to take responsibility for a 4m cut in clay with a house 1.5m behind it. Will it stand up? Maybe. What if it rained and the top 2m slipped exposing the house footings? No amount of experience can cover a f*ck up like that. But i'm just a 4th year grad who doesn't know anything ;)

Edited by benelsmore: 10/6/2015 08:48:31 PM

Factors of safety. You make me laugh. You blokes take a dozen samples, take the lowest value of the lot and then divide that by 3 and state that as the capacity of whatever was asked for.

If that's not bad enough to top it off you plaster that report with more disclaimers than actual report making sure at no stage does anything resemble a recommendation or actual information.

But anyway what would I know when clearly you know it all.

All you need to do is get that RPEQ badge, bung a sign over your door and go out on your own.

I'll look out for you on the M1 in that Lamborghini you'll be driving.

That's you Batty. What do you think of them apples?

Short term stability is generally a FOS of 1.2. Terzaghi Bearing Capacity is 2.5 to 3.0, depends how much of a f*ckwit the site engineer is ;)

You know that Geotech is the dark arts. The ground's not like concrete or steel which is made to order. The ignorance of people who seem to think we can drill one hole and tell them everything they'll ever need to know it amusing.

Disclaimers are necessary though. Just because you've freshly cut a face doesn't mean it's going to stay the same.

If you cut a face and then it rains why would the report still be valid? You're introducing conditions. If you cut a face and have a geotech out to site who gives you a report and then cut a 1m deep trench at the toe of the cut what's going to happen?

I get blokes complain about our disclaimers all the time. The simple fact is that the ground is not homogenous and is susceptible to all sorts of adverse conditions. Anyone who has a problem with that or doesn't understand that shouldn't play with the adults.

or 99% of engineers are wankers and can't admit being wrong or making a mistake......it comes from not having ever installed or carried out the work they are specifying......

i'm an old bloke that's correct, if you regard 53 as old????....i am not a qualified engineer but after 37 years in the electrical and communications field i think i am experienced and knowledgeable,

Put it like this, would you get on a plane that was piloted by a student who had studied all about flying theory but didn't have any hours flying time????

this whole thing about not being able to afford a house is a pile of shit.......

i have 4 kids and two of them have bought houses with no drama's or help at all.......

when i purchased my first house it was far harder, you had to have a 20% deposit minimum, banks were not throwing money at people you just about had to promise your left testicle or give up your first born and interest rates were over 12%, the was stamp duty and state taxes,

Banks don't throw money at you now either, they're far more cautious since the GFC. There's still stamp duty and state taxes...

Here's a nice graph to help you understand why it's harder now