AGS Magazine - April / May 2021

April / May 2021

GROUND MOVEMENTS ON UNDERPINNING Is a lack of data one of the biggest issues facing ground movements on underpinning projects?

Photo Credit: Helium Engineering WHY? WHY? WHY? WHY? WHY? GI AND LEAN

CPD FOR EARLY CAREERS GEOPRACTITIONERS

EXPECTANT AND NEW MOTHERS IN CONSTRUCTION

How were the Lean principles utilised on the LTC Project?

The return of face-to-face education and networking at Geotechnica 2021 in July

A look at how pregnancy is currently managed within construction

ABOUT THE AGS

Chair’s Foreword This will be my final foreword, as Chair of AGS, as my tenure will pass to the safe and extremely capable hands of Sally Hudson at the AGM on 11th May 2021.

Since the last issue we have been progressing the Third Edition of the UK Specification for ground investigation and the draft is likely to be available for industry review in June. Despite the inevitable delays due to COVID and the challenges of managing a review process entirely virtually we hope that the new ‘Yellow Book’ will be published by ICE in early 2022. To accompany this and in line with our aim to improve the ground investigation procurement process, we have also been in discussion with NEC and hope to soon announce a working group to develop improved NEC documents for ground investigation contracts.

The revisions and publication of British Standards continues with significant support from AGS members and I am pleased to announce that we have recently appointed Gary Evans as AGS Representative on the B526 committee.

Congratulations to Gary and we look forward to receiving your reports which will accompany the reports from Mike Smith on the geoenvironmental standards. I am also pleased

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to announce that the revision of BS EN ISO 22475 now looks to have reached a compromise and will be voted for publication within CEN and ISO very shortly. More details on publication of standards are provided later in the magazine.

The Association of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Specialists (AGS) is a non-profit making trade association established to improve the profile and quality of geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineering. The membership comprises UK organisations and individuals having a common interest in the business of ground investigation, geotechnics, geoenvironmental engineering, engineering geology, geochemistry, hydrogeology, and other related disciplines.

EDITORIAL BOARD

It has been a busy and exciting two years and I would like to thank my fellow officers, Forum Court and the members of the Working Parties for the significant achievements made by the AGS during my tenure.

I will be providing a more complete overview at the AGM which will be held virtually through BigMarker. It is free to register and so I hope to see you all there.

Julian Lovell, AGS Chair Caroline Kratz, Forum Court Associates (FCA) Katie Kennedy, FCA Calum Spires, Equipe Group Neil Parry, GEL David Entwisle, BGS Jim Poole, Coffey Chris Vincett, Hydrock Vivien Dent, RSK Adam Latimer, Ian Farmer Associates Dimitris Xirouchakis, Structural Soils Emma Anderson, HaskoningDHV UK Jonathan Gammon, Geotechnical Observations

We are always on the lookout for additional, informative content for the magazine, so if you have a case study or technical article that you think the wider geotechnical and geoenvironmental public would find beneficial, please do get in touch.

EDITORIAL STORY If you have a news story or event which you’d like to tell our editorial team about, please contact the AGS on 020 8658 8212 or ags@ags.org.uk. Please note that articles should act as opinion pieces and not directly advertise a company. The AGS is under no obligation to feature articles or events received.

We would be interested in your feedback on the magazine and our future plans. Please contact ags@ags.org.uk if you have any comments.

CONTACT US AGS Forum Court, Office 205 Devonshire House Business Centre, 29-31 Elmfield Road Bromley, Kent, BR1 1LT  ags@ags.org.uk  020 8658 8212

Julian Lovell AGS Chair

 Association of Geotechnical & Geoenvironmental Specialists  @agsgeotech www.ags.org.uk

Inside this month’s issue

FEATURE PAGE 16

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Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Does Lean help with ground investigation?

COVER STORY PAGE 12  Ground movements on Underpinning – A problem with data? The AGS Geotechnical WG discuss.

The Lower Thames Crossing is described as ‘the biggest road project’ since the M25’. It’s also set to become the third-largest bored tunnel in the world, being built under the river in the heart of one of the world’s busiest cities. It needs to be right!

This article explains how the Lean principles were utilised throughout the project.

AGS UPCOMING EVENTS PAGE 6  Webinar replays are available to view online via the AGS website.

CPD FOR EARLY CAREERS GEOPRACTITIONERS PAGE 20  Face-to-face education is back on the menu for earlycareers engineers at Geotechnica 2021.

INSIDE: RST INSTRUMENTS PAGE 32  The AGS Magazine conducts a Q & A with Grant Taylor, Managing Director - UK at RST Instruments.

MORE INSIDE

PAGE 4

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News in Short: Ground Forum Podcast

PAGE 36 

Working Group Update Geotechnical

PAGE 38 

Standards Update April 2021

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News in Short AGS Annual Conference Sponsorship Opportunities We’re delighted to announce that the AGS Annual Conference will be back this year on Wednesday 22nd September at the National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham.

This will be a full day event, and we have some great sponsorship opportunities available for both Members and non-Members of the AGS. All packages are listed below. If you’d like to confirm your support please contact Caroline Kratz on ags@ags.org.uk. Please note that packages are limited and are available on a first come, first served basis.

Platinum* (AGS Member Rate: £1250 / Non-Member Rate: £1500) •

Company logo on each attending delegates’ lanyard

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Two – three page company Q&A article in AGS magazine (over 5,400 subscribers)**

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Full page advert in AGS Magazine (worth £400)**

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Entry for three delegates into the event

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A designated area to exhibit company

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initiatives, research and software. This exhibition space can showcase marketing materials, literature and banners •

Company logo on the event PowerPoint presentation holding slide

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Company logo and overview on the event programme

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Company overview and URL on the AGS website

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Three announcements of your company’s involvement on the AGS Twitter page (over 3,000 followers)

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Three announcements of your company’s involvement on the AGS’ LinkedIn page (over 4,800 followers)

*one package available **terms and conditions apply

SOLD

Diamond* (AGS Member Rate: £1250 / Non-Member Rate: £1500) •

Catering sponsor with logo on menu

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Two – three page company Q&A article in AGS magazine (over 5,400 subscribers)**

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Full page advert in AGS Magazine (worth £400)**

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Entry for three delegates into the event

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A designated area to exhibit company initiatives, research and software. This exhibition space can also showcase marketing materials, literature and banners

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Company logo on the event PowerPoint presentation holding slide

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Company logo and overview on the event programme

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A designated area to exhibit company initiatives, research and software. This exhibition space can also showcase marketing materials, literature and banners

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Company overview on the AGS website

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Three announcements of your company’s involvement on the AGS Twitter page (over 3,000 followers)

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Company logo on the event PowerPoint presentation holding slide

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Three announcements of your company’s involvement on the AGS’ LinkedIn page (over 4,800 followers)

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Company logo and overview on the event programme

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Company overview on the AGS website

*one package available **terms and conditions apply

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Announcement of your company’s involvement on the AGS Twitter page (over 3,000 followers)

Emerald (AGS Member Rate: £950/ NonMember Rate: £1200)

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Announcement of your company’s involvement on the AGS’ LinkedIn page (over 4,800 followers)

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Entry for three delegates into the event

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A designated area to exhibit company initiatives, research and software. This exhibition space can also showcase marketing materials, literature and banners

*Limited packages available

½ page advert in AGS magazine (worth £250, over 5,400 subscribers)

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Entry for one delegate into the event

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¼ page advert in AGS magazine (worth £160)

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Company logo on the event PowerPoint presentation holding slide

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Company logo on event PowerPoint Presentation holding slide

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Company logo and overview on the event programme

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Company logo on the event programme

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Company overview on the AGS website

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Company overview on the AGS website

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Announcement of your company’s involvement on the AGS Twitter page

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Announcement of your company’s involvement on the AGS Twitter page (over 3,000 followers)

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Announcement of your company’s involvement on the AGS’ LinkedIn page

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Announcement of your company’s involvement on the AGS’ LinkedIn page (over 4,800 followers)

•

*Limited packages available

Gold (AGS Member Rate: £750 / NonMember Rate: £1000) •

Silver (AGS Member Rate: £500 NonMember Rate: £650)

All prices exclude VAT. Unlimited silver sponsorship packages available.

Entry for two delegates into the event

The top three AGS publications in the last month 1. Standards relating to investigation, assessment, remediation and development of potentially contaminated and contaminated sites 2. AGS Guidance on Waste Classification for Soils – A Practitioners Guide 3. Guidance on dealing with contamination during a ground investigation To download the publications for free; click here.

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News in Short UKAS Inspection Bodies Surveying Contaminated Land for Asbestos – AGS Survey Results In the December 2020 / January 2021 issue of the AGS Magazine, it was reported the AGS had opened a survey

to obtain feedback from members regarding the pilot programme being established

by UKAS for the development

of accreditation for ‘ISO 17020:2012 for the surveying of contaminated land for the presence of asbestos’.

The survey has now closed and the results of the survey can be viewed here.

Thank you to all those who responded to the survey. The results have been shared with UKAS.

FPS Podcasts Listen to the entire back catalogue now!

The Federation of Piling Specialists (FPS) have a series of podcasts with a number of industry experts and specialists which are available to listen for free at your leisure.

Speakers include: •

Alasdair Henderson, BAM Nuttall Executive Board Member

•

Jim De Waele, President Europe at Keller.

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Anusha Shah, Director of Resilient Cities at Arcadis and future President of the Institution of Civil Engineers.

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Jyoti Sehdev (Chartered Engineer and Group Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Lead at Costain), Richard Totty (Senior Design Engineer at Bachy Soletanche and Ambassador for Stonewall) and Fiona Connor (Lead Project Geologist at Applied Geology and InterEngineering’s representative at the Ground Forum) to discuss what it’s like to be LGBT+ and working within the construction industry.

•

Writer, actor, comedian and mental health campaigner Ruby Wax, and James Rudoni, (Managing Director of mental health charity Mates In Mind).

To view these podcasts and the entire FPS’ back catalogue please click HERE.

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Breaking Ground – a New Podcast from the Ground Forum The Ground Forum are pleased to announce the launch of Breaking Ground, a new industry podcast in association with Ground Engineering Magazine.

This free, monthly podcast will feature Steve Hadley, (Chair of the Federation of Piling Specialists and MD at Central Piling) where he will interview the movers and shakers of the ground engineering industry.

The first episode features Yvonne Ainsworth (Director of GDG) and Martin Pedley (Managing Director of GSS Piling) where they discuss the Piling 2020 Conference. The episode is sponsored by Central Piling and can be listened to HERE. Steve Hadley says, “I’ve been involved with the FPS podcast now for nearly a year and we’ve attracted a really supportive group of listeners.

The topics have been much broader than piling and technical aspects of our industry’s work, with regular themes related to environmental sustainability, equality and wellbeing. This has helped ensure that those tuning in are from a variety of backgrounds. Interestingly, the latest data shows that over 30% of our listeners now are female, which compares well to the industry percentage of 11%. “ “Perhaps, unsurprisingly, with this form of media, our average listener is also relatively young. Therefore, I feel that a geotechnical podcast can play an important role in attracting people from all demographics into the industry and building its community. The support of the Ground Forum and Ground Engineering Magazine enables us to do this in a more expansive way. They will help us provide content across the range of geo disciplines and promotion of the show.”

Breaking Ground is available for free download on channels including Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.

The Ground Forum is an umbrella trade association made up of 13 learned societies and trade associations, with an overall aim to provide focus for the UK ground engineering industry by effective communication between member organisations, enhancing their profiles, promoting awareness at a governmental and national level and taking the lead on common interests.

These associations feature, Association of Geotechnical and Geo environmental Specialists, British Drilling Association, British Geomembrane Association, British Geophysical Association, British Geotechnical Association, Engineering Group of the Geological Society, Federation of Piling Specialists, Ground Source Heat Pump Association, UK Chapter of the International Geosynthetics Society, Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, Near Surface Geophysics group, Pipe Jacking Association and Soil and Groundwater Technology Association.

To further information on the podcast or for podcast sponsorship opportunities please email gforum@ground-forum.org.uk

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AG S W E BI NAR

NEWS & UPCOMING EVENTS

Webinar Replays - Available on Demand The AGS currently has eight webinar replays, available for on-demand viewing on www. ags.org.uk. Webinar topics include our highly successful Improving Company Performance through Equality, Diversity and Inclusion virtual event, AGS 4.1, AGSi, the Standard Penetration Test, Critical Links in Ground Engineering and much more.

To view our entire back catalogue, click HERE. Alternatively you can visit the Webinar Archive section of the AGS website or take a look at some of our topics below: Improving Company Performance through Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Cost: FOC Webinar Overview: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) is often spoken about at strategic, policy and procedural level but how can these be developed to raise awareness and influence positive actions within the geotechnical and geoenvironmental sector?

The webinar discusses the barriers as well as positive approaches and initiatives to EDI, such as flexible working, which will help change attitudes, attract new talent and improve retention within the industry.

Speakers: This webinar is hosted by AGS Chair Elect, Sally Hudson (Regional Manager at Coffey Geotechnics Limited, A Tetra Tech Company) and AGS Chair, Julian Lovell (Managing Director at Equipe Group). Speakers include Emma Stewart MBE, (co-founder of Timewise), Sharon 8

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Slinger, (Director at Constructing Rainbows Ltd.), Steve Hadley (FPS Chair and Managing Director of Central Piling) and Martin Griffin (Principal Geotechnical Engineer at COWI).

Commercial Risks and How to Manage Them: Limiting Particular Liabilities Cost: £25 for AGS Members or £30 for non-AGS Members Webinar Overview: Limiting Particular Liabilities is part two in the Commercial Risks and How to Manage Them webinar series from the AGS. This webinar provides in depth and practical advice on aspects of contractual risk and how to avoid the pitfalls and better manage your potential liabilities.

Speakers: This webinar is hosted by Jo Strange (Technical Director, CGL). Speakers include Zita Mansi (Senior Associate, Beale & Company), Rachel Griffiths (Contracts Manager, Fugro) and Joe Jackson (Managing Director, Jackson Remediation) Striding into the Future with AGS 4.1 Cost: FOC Webinar Overview: This webinar replay provides in depth detail on the new AGS 4.1 format.

Speakers: Speakers include Jackie Bland (IT and Data Manager at Geotechnics and AGS Data Format Working Group Leader, Mark Bevan (Associate Director (Data Management Team

Leader) at Structural Soils), Paul Chaplin (Data Manager, Ground & Water at WSP UK Ltd), Peter Hepton (Principal Geotechnical Engineer and Ground Investigation Engineering Manager at SOCOTEC UK), Leon Warrington (Principal Hydrogeologist at Hydrock), Romain Arnould, (Global Product Owner Digital Applications at Fugro), Philip Child, (Senior Consultant, Geotechnical Information Management at Bentley Systems) and Julian Lovell (AGS Chair and Managing Director at Equipe Group).

Speakers: Jonathan R A Gammon (NonExecutive Director / Advisor at Geotechnical Observations Limited and AGS Instrumentation & Monitoring Working Group Leader), Philip Child (Senior Consultant, Geotechnical Information Management at Bentley Systems), Paul Burton (Executive Leader at Geotechnics (New Zealand)), Dr Andrew Ridley (Managing Director at Geotechnical Observations Limited) and Julian Lovell (Managing Director at Equipe Group and AGS Chair).

Exchange of ground model and interpreted data – Introducing AGSi

The Standard Penetration Test: its origin, evolution and future

Cost: FOC

Cost: FOC

Webinar Overview: This webinar sees the official launch of AGSi; a new transfer format for ground information, in particular ground models and interpreted data. Developed by the AGS Data Management Working Group, this new format has been created for anyone involved in the construction or sharing of ground models.

Webinar Overview: The Standard Penetration Test (SPT) is a much-loved test and specified on the majority of UK ground investigations but do practitioners and clients truly understand its origins and limitations when used to determine parameters? During this webinar replay, AGS members will provide facts about the SPT test, its use or misuse, limitations and potential future developments.

Speakers: Jérôme Chamfray (Chief Geo-Digital Engineer, Jacobs), Neil Chadwick, (Independent Consultant & Digital Geotechnical Specialist), David Farmer (Geotechnical Engineer, Arup), Osvaldas Tylenis (Senior Software Engineer, Bentley Systems), Tony Daly (Managing Director at Amageo) and Julian Lovell (Managing Director, Equipe Group and AGS Chair).

Critical Links in Ground Engineering Cost: £70 for AGS Members or £90 for Non-AGS Members Webinar Overview: This event identifies and addresses the hurdles likely to be encountered when setting up an Instrumentation and Monitoring strategy and system, and the provisions that must be made for an effective and meaningful programme. Such provisions include an ability to store the vast amount of data that Instrumentation and Monitoring can generate, and the software necessary to present and assist with the interpretation of that data.

Speakers: AGS Chair, Julian Lovell, Peter Reading (Managing Director at PRGC and Senior Teaching Fellow at the University of Portsmouth), Stuart Wagstaff (Director at Soil Consultants) and Stephen Lawrence West (Director, Ground Engineering at Ramboll UK and AGS Geotechnical Working Group Leader).

Urban Geoscience: opening up the industry to a more inclusive and diverse community Cost: FOC Webinar Overview: This webinar discusses the decline of the geoscience sector, examines the concept of urban geoscience and investigates what can be done to support the delivery of a new and relevant geoscience education fit for the 21st century.

Speakers: Hosted by AGS Chair, Julian Lovell and Nick Koor (University of Portsmouth).

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Date: Wednesday 30th June 2021 Time: 11am – 12:45pm Price: £25 for AGS Members. £30 for nonMembers

– approaches to assessment, Laboratory Geotechnical Samples, Quality and Quantity and Environmental Sample Submissions and Sample Deviations.

Laboratory Assessment and Sampling Practice is the first webinar organised by the AGS Laboratories Working Group, and will include presentations from Will Fardon (i2 Analytical), Geraint Williams (ALS) and John Powell (Geolabs). The event will be hosted by AGS Chair Elect, Sally Hudson (Coffey Geotechnics).

This CPD, virtual event will be of benefit to those with limited experience of sample submission, or for those who are looking to refresh knowledge and keep abreast of developments, changes to existing practices and raise questions that are affecting their current activities.

In the webinar, our three guest speakers will investigate various aspects of sample submission, discussing best practice and guidance for how to get the most from the laboratory, the testing and some pitfalls to avoid.

To register for this event visit: https://www.ags. org.uk/item/webinar-laboratory-assessmentand-sampling-practice/ Diamond and Gold sponsorship opportunities are also available. For full details click HERE or email Caroline Kratz at ags@ags.org.uk

Presentations will include Vapour Intrusion

2021 AGS Webinar and Live Events Programme Laboratory Assessment and Sampling Practice (webinar) •

Date: 30th June

•

Speakers: Will Fardon (i2 Analytical), Geraint Williams (ALS Global) and John Powell (Geolabs). This webinar will be chaired by Sally Hudson (Coffey Geotechnics).

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Sponsorship: Diamond and Gold packages available

Annual Conference (live event) •

Cost: TBC

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Location: National Motorcycle Museum, Birmingham

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Sponsorship: Platinum, Emerald, Gold and Sliver packages available. See pages 4 and 5 for full details.

Net Zero Carbon (webinar) •

Date: October

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Cost: Free of Charge

•

Sponsorship: Diamond and Gold packages available

Geotechnical Baseline Reports (webinar) •

Date: November

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Cost: Free of Charge

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Sponsorship: Diamond and Gold packages available

Webinar Sponsorship Packages Since our first webinar eight months ago, approximately 3,000 people have registered to attend our events and have attended from countries across the globe including Australia, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa, USA, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, United Arab Emirates and Canada, to name but a few.

The AGS have Diamond and Gold sponsorship packages available for each of our webinars. They offer an affordable way to reach a worldwide audience via our various platforms including AGS Magazine, our ever-growing database, social media channels and of course, during the webinar itself, which will be available on the AGS website post-event for ongoing company exposure.

Please see package details below:

DIAMOND SPONSOR

GOLD SPONSOR

*one package available per webinar

*10 packages available per webinar

Price: £800 (members) or £1,100 (nonmembers)

Price: £350 (members) or £650 (nonmembers)

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Company website link or pop-up promotion to feature during the live webinar

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Logo on sponsor slide during the webinar (and webinar recording)

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Large logo on sponsor slide during the webinar (and webinar recording)

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Logo and overview in the event program

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Company mention during webinar opening & closing address •

Company mention during webinar opening & closing address

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Logo and overview in the event program

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Company Q&A feature in AGS Magazine (4,250 subscribers)

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Full page advert in AGS Magazine (worth £400)

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Two complementary event registrations (worth up to £180)

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Company logo and overview featured on the webinar registration page

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Logo featured on promotional marketing emails

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Company logo and overview on the AGS’ Twitter page (2803 followers)

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Company logo and overview on the AGS’ LinkedIn page (4128 followers)

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Company logo featured on replay email campaigns

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Company mention in a follow up article in AGS Magazine (4,250 subscribers)

Logo featured in promotional marketing emails

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Company directory insert in AGS Magazine, worth £50 (4,250 subscribers)

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One complementary webinar registration (worth up to £90)

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Company logo and overview on the AGS’ Twitter page (2803 followers)

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Company logo and overview on the AGS’ LinkedIn page (4128 followers)

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Company mention in a follow up article in AGS Magazine (4,250 subscribers)

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Company overview on the AGS website

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Company logo featured on replay email campaigns

If your company would like to support any AGS webinars or if you’d like any further information on the events, please contact Caroline Kratz on ags@ags.org.uk.

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Photo Credit: Helium Engineering

Ground movements on Underpin – A problem with data?

Article contributed by Matthew Penfold, Principal Geotechnical Engineer, Geotechnical & Environmental Associates, Katharine Barker, Senior Geotechnical Engineer, CampbellReith Stephen Lawrence West, Director, Ground Engineering, Ramboll he construction of domestic basements has become big business and generates headline news; often for all the wrong reasons. It is recognised that designers and contractors delivering these small-scale basements have used lessons learned from the construction of underpinning.

in place a fixed process of design and risk assessment that need to be provided for an application to be successful. Neighbours in these boroughs are also becoming more likely to seek to protect their own interests through the engagement of their own party wall or engineering advisors. This can lead to a significant increase in the time required of the ground engineering consultant to ensure progress of the project and an increase in project cost for clients due to these additional requirements.

However, in response to the growing number of planning applications and increasing concern regarding the effects of the basement excavations on groundwater and surrounding properties, many London boroughs have put

Within some London Boroughs Planning Departments require the production of a basement impact assessment to predict the anticipated ground movements and provide mitigation to limit potential impact

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most appropriate form of analysis for a given application.

In the absence of specific guidance, and in particular, published data on the potential range of movements associated with underpinning, practitioners have developed a wide range of approaches. These often rely on data from other types of retaining structure as a proxy for underpinning, with various assumptions made with respect to the contributing factors or sources of any potential movements. These, in themselves, can vary greatly, with various weight given to movements arising from wall deflection during installation and excavation, settlement due to loading, heave from the bulk excavation, the temporary works adopted, the duration of construction, and the quality of construction monitoring.

nning

But why, when underpinning is such a widely adopted technique, is there so little formal guidance or consensus of opinion on what constitutes a sensible range of potential movements? On the whole, movements due to underpinning on well controlled sites, in appropriate ground conditions, are unlikely to be excessive. The traditional approach has, on any nearby structures. This can be a therefore, been to assume that the relatively straightforward underpinning excavation will process when dealing with not result in any damage, But why, when a basement formed with with detailed analysis and / underpinning is embedded retaining walls ; for or monitoring not required such a widely adopted which guidance and methods as part of planning. This for the estimation of potential technique, is there so approach is generally borne ground movements, such little formal guidance out by the large number as those presented in CIRIA or consensus of opinion of successfully completed C760, is well-established. domestic basements and on what constitutes However, guidance is underpinning projects, a sensible range of lacking when underpinning, with instances of issues or underpinning type potential movements?. with excessive ground techniques, are adopted. movements associated This often leads to protracted with underpinning being discussions during planning whilst agreement relatively rare. However, with the rise of is sought on the likely range of movements and basement impact assessments, and an

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Photo Credit: Helium Engineering

increase in more complex domestic basement This lack of data is of course common to all constructions that push the underpinning forms of basement construction. However, it is technique to its limits, the particularly problematic with This lack of data is requirements for ground respect to underpinning, movement assessments where little alternative of course common (GMAs) have meant that to all forms of basement guidance exists, but a analysis of these generally detailed assessment of the construction.

However, small movements has likely ground movements is it is particularly become critical due to the required nonetheless as part problematic need to keep damage within of the planning process. acceptable limits. This with respect to So, what can be done to approach can be problematic underpinning... provide AGS members with given the lack of available data better evidence to support from which any reliable guidance liaison with the planning authorities and party can be developed to recommend suitable wall surveyors? In order to answer this, there methods of analysis for small scale basements. are a number of questions that we first need to A study by Newcastle University of seven ask of our industry: London boroughs found that there were 4,650 • How often are ground movements applications for basements between 2008 and associated with underpinned 2017, a large percentage of which are likely to basements actually monitored and how have involved underpinning in some form or comprehensive is this data i? another. It is clear, given the large number of basements that are constructed that there • Who is undertaking this monitoring must be a large amount of monitoring data out and what happens to this data after the there. However, it is unusual for this data to find monitoring has been completed? its way back to the geotechnical specialist, or otherwise make its way into the public domain. • Once a need for monitoring has been

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Underpinning movements - Site in Central London

established, should it be a condition that this data is submitted to the local authority?

And should industry then be lobbying these authorities to publish this information in some fashion?

•

If yes, should the developer/client also be responsible for providing some form of check to accompany this information, or should this remain the responsibility of the local authority and their appointed specialists?

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If sufficient data does become available, could an industry body, such as the AGS or BRE, collate it, and from this look to produce some meaningful guidance that practitioners, local authorities and assessors could use?

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In the meantime, could some ‘informal’ guidance be produced that summarises the key issues and outlines a set of key principles or methods of analysis that represent current industry best practice?

Can we revert to empirical estimates of movements that can be relied upon, provided good standards of workmanship are maintained?

of ground movements that can arise due to underpinning and the construction of small-scale basements through analysis of actual ground movement data recorded as part of the construction process. The first step is to gather case study data where monitoring of the host building and/or adjacent structures has been carried out. In addition to the monitoring data itself, details of the depth of underpinning, construction sequence, method and programme will provide valuable context for each case study. A key objective of the subsequent assessment of the case study data will be to identify trends that may be used to develop an empirical method for estimating ground movements associated with underpinning that can be used by designers, contractors, and planning authorities to establish a common platform of understanding. Within the Geotechnical Working Group of the AGS we are looking to facilitate the collation of case study data, so we will be setting up a suitable on-line system to allow members to share their experience.

This will then be used to generate guidance for members through suitably reviewed research of the case studies.

The objective of this article is to launch a process to better understand the magnitude

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Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Does Lean help with ground investigation?

Article contributed by Patrick Cox. Managing Director for Environmental Contracting, AECOM Dr Emma Langman, Managing Partner of BakerFish

T

he Lower Thames Crossing is described as ‘the biggest road project’ since the M25’. It’s also set to become the third-largest bored tunnel in the world, being built under the river in the heart of one of the world’s busiest cities. It needs to be right!

The client, Highways England, needed to ensure that all the data necessary regarding ground conditions and wider environmental considerations be available to ensure that the project is designed and built safely, efficiently, and with care to protect the natural and human environments.

Perfect Circle Joint Venture (a partnership between Pick Everard, Gleeds and AECOM) was appointed through the SCAPE framework to carry out multiple phases of the ground investigation work required.

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Phase 3 began in early 2021, just as news began to emerge of the new Coronavirus threat.

The same month that the country went into lockdown, Perfect Circle appointed BakerFish as their Lean Consultant.

Does Lean apply to Ground Investigations? We are different!

Managing Partner, Dr Emma Langman explains: “In 20 years of working with organisations to apply Lean principles, I have never yet come across one that didn’t claim to be ‘different’ and ‘unique’ and that Lean – with it’s background in manufacturing’ would “not work here.

“The ground investigation sector is no exception to this rule of thumb.

“I remember going head-to-head with one of the leadership team and saying ‘listen – if Lean can work on the oil fields of Iraq, it can certainly work in a farmer’s field in Essex’ “It was one of those moments when a

What is Lean?

There are five Lean principles: Define Value, Map the Value Stream, Create Flow, Establish Pull and Pursue Perfection.

These five principles provide a framework for creating an efficient and effective organization. Lean allows managers to discover inefficiencies in their organization and deliver better value to customers. The principles encourage creating better flow in work processes and developing a continuous improvement culture.

consultant holds their breath to see what will happen. But I knew that Patrick and his team were fully committed to creating a culture of Lean and delivering efficiencies for Highways England, so it didn’t feel too risky to challenge.

their client.

Managing Director, Patrick Cox gives an interesting example of how changing thinking towards a Lean mindset can have incredible results for a tiny investment in this anecdote:

“At the end of the day Lean only works when leaders engage and lead it. And in this project they certainly did”.

When you consider the nature of ground investigations, they are “not standard engineering” Emma explains, rather they are “huge open air science experiments, with large samples of soil rather than small samples of chemicals in test tubes”.

“Before Emma joined the team we had done a lot of ‘common sense’ improvements, which we later learned were examples of Lean Thinking.

Recognising that

“ GI is all about the

“For example, my team went to visit the laboratories in flow of data through our supply chain to look at a system, the team best practice for laying out used Lean principles to logging and testing facilities.

From this we decided to implement some huge savings for their client. create a shared logging facility that was specifically designed to provide a In fact, over the course of the Lean number of benefits including protecting our intervention, the entire team appreciated that team from bad weather, enabling digital ground investigations are about the flow of labelling and tracking of samples, providing a data – not of soil! controlled environment for sample storage and more.

Did you really become more efficient

because of Lean?

Recognising that GI is all about the flow of data through a system, the team used Lean principles to implement some huge savings for

“This had already achieved savings in the hundreds of thousands of pounds, as well as driving up consistent and efficient ways of working to ensure quality and value for money.

“Even so, towards the peak of the ground

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investigation fieldwork we found that the logging facility was being swamped by samples for processing.

candidate for Lean improvement. The team used tools like TIMWOOD, root cause analysis, the 5 Whys (where you literally ask Why? 5 times) to find a number of improvements.

“Under pressure we slipped back into For example, using our partner Equipe to conventional thinking undertake audits on machinery, patterns and considered the before it was used, helped to ... using our solution to running out of avoid breakdowns, as well space was obvious – increase partner Equipe to as (most important of all) the space! undertake audits on improving the safety of the “However, the costs of machinery before it was workforce. renting more facility space used helped to avoid In Package C, which hosted would come at a heavy cost. breakdowns, as well as the Highways England “Instead, Emma nudged us site visit for their lean (most important of all) on the call to remember that improving the safety of assessment (Simplified Lean Lean is all about flow and that Capability Assessment), the the workforce.

GI is all about data. assessors were delighted “So keeping front of mind that to see how rig-side layouts Lean is about reducing variation and waste, were standardised and value-enabling work the answer became obvious. Instead of (such as setting up and taking down fencing procuring more space we simply arranged for etc) were provided by a support team, leaving more frequent ‘drop-offs’ of sample, which the highly specialised rig teams free to focus ‘smoothed the flow’ through the logging on the ‘value-adding’ work of drilling. facility, flattening the demands curve, and What did the client think of your efforts meant that we saved the cost and effort of in Lean? extending the facility.

The Simplified Lean Capability Assessment What about improvements in the field? undertaken by Highways England scored an Again, since GI work is essentially ‘a giant impressive 3.3 out of 4 (where 4 is ‘world class’ outdoor science experiment’ it is a great such as Toyota).

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What are the key lessons for our readers?

Patrick shares “I was genuinely surprised to see the extent that Lean is applicable to GI work. It was great to be able to deliver several million pounds worth of efficiency savings to our client while still achieving the project goals and collecting high quality data for the Lower Thames Crossing. Lean was key to that saving being realised”.

Emma says “it’s all about leadership. The Perfect Circle team really led from the top and over 30 managers (including several of the senior leadership team) engaged in one-toone coaching to help them take on this new way of thinking. It was also great to see the high levels of partnership working between Perfect Circle and their client team LTC, and Highways England, as well as the enthusiasm

and engagement of the specialist suppliers involved in the project. In twenty years of working in Lean, this was the most ‘joined up’ working and commitment to efficiency and quality I have seen. And that starts from the top”.

For more information and details including 40 different case studies of how Lean improved this project, please contact Patrick.Cox@ aecom.com or emma@bakerfish.com.

And, last but not least, if you would like to learn more about the leadership that makes Lean work, take advantage of this offer for AGS readers who can claim a 10% reduction in ticket fees for the Servant Leadership Conference in May 2021. Find out more at www. servantleadershipconference.com and claim your discount using the code: AGSdisc10.

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CPD and education for early careers geopractitioners

T

he geotechnical community may soon be facing one of its biggest challenges ever as geoscience degrees have reported significant declines in numbers of students on their courses. The AGS and other bodies are working with the University Geoscience UK Group to monitor the effects on industry but in the meantime training of our young and early career geopractioners remains a priority.

With webinars and online conferences increasingly available, CPD and training is, hypothetically, more readily accessible than at any time in history. However, whilst there are increasing options for online-learning, opportunities for in-person education have been few and far between because of COVID restrictions. The impact and benefits of collective learning, alongside the immediacy

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of one-to-one questioning of subject matter experts, means that in-person training is still vital to the continual development of geopractitioners starting their careers in geotechnics.

This collective learning and in-person sharing of ideas to promote development has been sorely missed, leaving many asking: “When can we get back to normal?”

Step forward, Geotechnica 2021 on 7th & 8th July at the Warwickshire Event Centre.

Unlike other large-scale events that feature ‘geo’ content, Geotechnica has always been entirely focussed on the UK geotechnical and geoenvironmental industry. This year the timing for Geotechnica could not be better as it will be the first major event and opportunity to network face to face after lockdown has



HOSTED BY

SUPPORTED BY

ORGANISED BY

Why should you be at Geotechnica 2021? · · · ·

C o m m u n i c a t e with industry leading practitioners, academia, suppliers and manufacturers.

P r o m o t e your specialist services, latest products and innovations.

N e t w o r k with peers, suppliers, manufacturers, new potential clients and customers.

L e a r n about different approaches, techniques and what is going onwithin and around the industry, as well as discovering new business opportunities.

What Exhibition Packages are available?

Exhibition Packages for Geotechnica 2021 start from as little as £875 + VAT. There are stands available indoors as well as outdoors, so if you have plant or equipment that you would like to display or even demonstrate, we can help you find the perfect space to do so.

NEW FOR 2021: AGS Members can obtain a 10% discount on all exhibition packages. Contact Geotechnica organisers for more information.

How do you register?

Simply head online to www.geotechnica.co.uk to register to Sponsor, Exhibit or Visit.

+44 ( 0 ) 1 2 9 5 6 7 0 9 9 0

|

i nf o @ g e o t e c h n i c a . c o . u k

|

www.geotechnica.co.uk

April / May 2021

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been lifted; and it’s all about geotechnics and their careers. contaminated land. The potential positive The Early Career Geopractitioner’s Conference impact of this cannot be understated. will comprise a series of hard-hitting short Networking, business development and duration talks provided by leading UK experts. education – few would argue that they are This will provide a unique training and learning not all at their very best development experience for when conducted in the flesh. recent graduates and those The Early Career Geotechnica intends to serve in the early development as the launch point for a Geopractitioner’s of their geotechnical / return to normality for the Conference will geoenvironmental career. industry, especially in terms The principle aim of the comprise a series of of development for personnel. conference will be to engage

“

hard-hitting short

Along with the major with the future practitioners duration talks provided geotechnical exhibition, of our industry, share by leading UK experts. this year there will be two knowledge and provide an major technical conferences opportunity for discussion. focussed on development and With the demand for growth for the geotechnical market. The geoscience degree falling, it is crucial that the main conference will focus on aspects which industry make the very most of the current promote improved procurement, future crop of early career practitioners, with every growth, safety and well-being. New for 2021 opportunity for learning development taken. and looking to help plug the gap for in-person Geotechnica 2021 is sure to be one of those CPD is the Early Career Geopractitioner’s such opportunities.

Conference. This separate conference will For further information, visit www. provide a series of high quality technical talks aimed to develop our future talent whose focus geotechnica.co.uk. may be purely field-based in the early stages of

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VertaseFLI Ltd as the Gold Sponsor.

Speakers Joe Jackson of Jackson Remediation Ltd, presented on Remediation and Risk: Identification, Mitigation and Transparent Apportionment Joe looked at the importance of Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) and mechanisms to engage with Contractor preContract. Transparent and collaborative Risk (and Opportunity) identification methods were discussed along with suitable methods of apportionment and mitigation.

Follow Up

T

Dr. Alan Thomas, Technical Fellow at ERM & CoChair of SuRF UK, gave a presentation on The SuRF UK Sustainability Process and Indicator Guidance.

his year’s SiLC Annual Forum was held virtually on Tuesday 30th March between 09:30-13:30.

Over 100 delegates joined us The interactive on the webinar. event encouraged Hosted by SiLC PTP Chair, Ian Evans (Technical Director at Wood PLC), the event featured a stellar line up of expert, industry speakers, each covering a wide array of topics.

The interactive event encouraged audience participation via live polls, the webinar chat facility and Q&A sessions. Delegates also had the opportunity to network in one of the multiple breakout rooms, each co-hosted by our presenters and members of the SiLC PTP.

“

audience participation via live polls, the webinar chat facility and Q&A sessions.

Delegates also had the opportunity to network in one of the multiple breakout rooms, each co-hosted by our presenters and members of the SiLC PTP.

The event was sponsored by Jackson Remediation Ltd as the Diamond Sponsor and

The SuRF UK sustainability indicator set was originally published in 2011 and has been widely used both in the UK and internationally. Following review SuRF UK has further developed the guidance to provide a greater depth in the rationale for each headline and a more explicit set of instructions for their use. Alan provided an introduction and brief overview of this recently

revised guidance.

Ellanor Joyce, Project Manager within the Magnox Winfrith End State Project, presented on the phased assessment of land quality for

 April / May 2021

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the Winfrith site through the final stages of decommissioning to support site closure

of acceptance, trust and confidence being restored.

Ellanor is responsible for integrating site Highly experienced conrestoration objectives, interfacing with taminated land officers Ann decommissioning projects and ensuring Barker and Rebekah Norbury effective stakeholder jointly provided engagement to support an introducEllanor provided the final stages of tion to the an overview of decommissioning and National site restoration. The Contamithe approach and Magnox Winfrith nuclear process for land quality nated Land site is moving through to Officers’ assessment and decommissioning process to Group management across deliver the next planned land (NCLOG) the site to allow the use of Heathland with Public from inAccess and the eventual ception through to progress next land use and release from regulatory release from regulatory to date plus an updated view controls after 60 years of on NQMS from a Contamicontrols. operations. nated Land Officer’s viewpoint.

Ellanor provided an overview

“

of the approach and process for land quality assessment and management across the site to allow the next land use and release from regulatory controls.

Dr. Tom Henman, Director at RSK Geosciences and Deputy Chair of the SiLC PTP, presented on Effective Risk Communication and Stakeholder Engagement Starting with the question are we paying enough attention to communicating understanding of land contamination risks, Tom provided a reminder of relevant guidance and key principles for effective risk communication and stakeholder engagement. The award-winning Buchanan St. Ambrose Schools independent review was presented as a case study. Here such techniques were applied successfully to achieve a transition from stakeholder concern regarding health impacts and potential links to land contamination at the site and suspicion of public authorities’ motives to one

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Dr. Paul Nathanail, Technical Director Contamination Assessment and Remediation at GHD UK and Deputy Chair of the SiLC Board, provided an interesting and useful presentation on Professional Qualifications and their recognition in a post-Brexit world.

A professional is someone who is recognised by their peers as having special knowledge or skills and who applies them under a code of conduct. Working in different jurisdictions as a recognised professional can allow knowledge transfer and provide suitable opportunities for the individual. With the UK’s departure from the European Union, it is no longer the case that our professional qualifications are recognised within the EU - or vice versa. Paul reflected on what this means for individuals and their potential clients.

In addition to the webinar speakers and presentations, a workshop on Sustainability

was provided by Louise Allan MIEMA, CEnv, who is a Sustainability Manager in the Defence Infrastructure Organisation. Louise provided a workshop during the breakout sessions, bringing with her, 20 years experience in a variety of sustainability and environmental teams across the estate and equipment branches of the Ministry of Defence. Her expertise has lain in the strategic tools and processes that co-ordinate

and encompass the many specialist topics under the Sustainable Development banner (including Land Quality objectives). These include Sustainability Appraisals and Strategic Environmental Assessment, Sustainable Procurement, and corporate Sustainability Strategies and governance.

Her current priorities include refining DIO’s Sustainability Strategy and embedding Social Value in infrastructure procurements. Both workshops were well attended and provided some thought provoking discussions.

Sponsor Overview Jackson Remediation is a specialist Remediation and Enabling contractor which focusses on value creation and quality delivery, drawing upon deep technical expertise and profound understanding of the construction process. By consistently striving to address contamination issues in the most robust yet cost effective manner, clients never need to choose between price and quality again. https://www. jacksonremediation.co.uk/ VertaseFLI are extremely pleased to be sponsoring the SilC conference once again.

VertaseFLI are one of the largest remediation contractors in the UK and technical excellence has always been at the core of our offering to clients.

Our full range of service can be found at www. vertasefli.co.uk.

Contact SiLC@SiLC.org.uk if you have any queries about this event or our future events.

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The Big Borehole Dig investigation data. Since the beginning of the organisation in 1835, we have been a repository Article contributed by for geological and subsurface information.

Steve Thorpe, Geospatial Data Specialist, We have a store of over 1.4 million digital British Geological Survey borehole records, and over 4 km of shelves full of physical samples and paper records. These he “Big Borehole Dig” is a citizen days of course technology has given us space science initiative by British Geological saving alternatives, so that now the capacity Survey (BGS) to enhance the number focuses on our servers and digital storage. of digitised borehole logs we host and make The AGS data format is a big part of this digital available to everyone. BGS are enabling this transformation, it allows fast communication call for help by asking all of geological data and information parts of the sub-surface between different users community to join in and The automatic and software. In 2014, digitise borehole scans in we began the process of ingestion of AGS the AGS data format using automatically ingesting AGS data aligns well with Groundhog geological data – where users submit the BGS’ open data software or Bentley digital records. We built a initiatives and means Holebase/OpenGround. database to handle the AGS that the BGS remains a data, allowing the files to Unforeseen ground world-leading national be automatically validated, conditions are quoted as being responsible for up repository of geological stored, and served exactly as they were deposited with to 50% of construction and subsurface 1 us. It’s important to note project overruns , and BGS information... here that no interpretation aims to minimise this by of the data is done by BGS, it making early-stage geological is assumed that the user of the AGS format will information readily available. check that the files are fit-for-purpose.

This article describes the Big Borehole Dig and The automatic ingestion of AGS data aligns well all the information you need to join in. with the BGS’ open data initiatives and means The AGS data format that the BGS remains a world-leading national repository of geological and subsurface The use of AGS data format within the information – a fact that we are very proud geotechnical and geoenvironmental of. Anyone starting a new project can access community is increasing every day. I’ll assume the GeoIndex and find all the information that everyone reading this article already they need, such as boreholes and geological understands what AGS data is, so I won’t go maps, and can start their desk study safe in into the details or its history. the knowledge that they have up-to-date BGS How we use AGS data digital open data resources.

BGS has always ingested borehole and ground

T

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The Big Borehole Dig The Big Borehole Dig is a citizen science project aiming to convert the open borehole scans held

by BGS into more useable AGS data which will then be available for everyone.

Of the 1.4 million borehole records the BGS hosts, each contains a variety of supporting information called metadata2. Attached to the majority of these borehole records is a digital scan of the original drillers log.

These open borehole records can be accessed through the BGS GeoIndex viewer (shown here). Despite being held in digital format (usually PDF), the information within these documents is not standardised and often

requires translating and transcribing into borehole software or a database before it can sensibly be used for ground investigation desk study or creating a ground model.

We believe it is essential that future generations have access to historical borehole data so we came up with a citizen-science project in which volunteers convert our open borehole records into AGS format in order to improve the availability and accessibility of borehole information to a wider audience.

This will enable users to build better ground models, more informative desk studies, better designed ground investigations and so save costs on construction projects and reduce the amount of time lost due to unforeseen ground

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conditions.

We estimate that over 600,000 downhole geology logs exist as PDFs and these will be available as AGS format for everyone to use as the BBD project progresses.

These data can feed directly into ground investigations, conceptual ground models and academic projects, providing a much greater understanding of the sub-surface when its needed at the start of projects. The Big Borehole Dig gives people around the world the tools they need to digitise our PDF scans, create an AGS file and send it back to BGS for storage, so that everyone can benefit from it.

You can take part in the Big Borehole Dig by downloading our free Groundhog Desktop software, or alternatively, you can use OpenGround (or Holebase SI). We have produced a user guide for both software so please download the relevant user guide from the BGS Big Borehole Dig webpage.

In addition to the Big Borehole Dig, BGS is co-leading on the Dig-To-Share initiative with partners Atkins and Morgan Sindall. We are actively encouraging the sharing of data across the construction and civil engineering industry and using AGS boreholes to share the data is central to that philosophy. The Dig-To-Share first-year target was to digitise and release 10,000 boreholes in the AGS data format and we succeeded by releasing over 14,000! The more people that use and share AGS data, the better we, as a community, understand the challenges of the subsurface and fill in the knowledge gaps. This will drive further innovation and data use, ultimately resulting in better ground models and more certainty in the construction processes. The Dig-To-Share team have created a Super User Network to encourage sharing within various organisations and are actively looking for new recruits.

Concluding remarks The Big Borehole Dig aims to use volunteers to

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convert the openly available borehole scans held on the BGS website into AGS data.

The technical advances made by the AGS Data Management Working Group in developing and maintaining the AGS data transfer format allows fast communication and retrieval of borehole data and has been absolutely pivotal in the development of the BGS database, as well as the industry as a whole. It has provided the impetus for change in many organisations, including the BGS and with initiatives like the Big Borehole Dig we are opening people’s eyes to the possibility of sharing data, communicating in a standard way, and producing better ground models. Ultimately, this means that these boreholes will be available for everyone to use in their own projects, and will provide a valuable resource for future engineers and geoscientists.

The novel use of the AGS data format to digitise the thousands of legacy boreholes held by BGS will hopefully be a marker that people look back on as a turning-point in ground modelling. Imagine being able to import an initial 3D geological model made up of a plethora of BGS hosted AGS borehole records in to your virtual report, designing where to investigate based on known unknowns.

Come and join the Big Borehole Dig and play your part in digitising borehole data for the future!

References 1. Foundations: Proceedings of the Second BGA International Conference on Foundations, ICOF2008. Brown M. J., Bransby M. F., Brennan A. J. and Knappett J. A. (Editors). IHS BRE Press, 2008. EP93, ISBN 978-1-84806-044-9. www. ihsbrepress.com 2. Information held in the BGS database include: X,Y location, ground level, drilling company, purpose, and date drilled. Not all boreholes have this information attached but we try to record where it’s available

Expectant and New Mothers in Construction

Article contributed by Roseanna Bloxham, Senior GeoEnvironmental Engineer, RSK and AGS Safety WG Leader.

“

in the industry, to understand the challenges they faced and how we can help in the future.

Pregnancy is We have a part of life. taken the So why does it present such opportunity to talk to a stigma in a number of women the world of in the industry, to construction?

Could you understand the Having continue challenges they done some your role research there faced and how we as normal is no official can help in the when guidance to you were future. help employees pregnant? and employers The experience for the woman when pregnancy occurs for during pregnancy is dependent a woman working in the on the physical nature of construction industry. This their original role and the is, in part, due to its male communication provided from dominated past. their employer. The women We have taken the opportunity interviewed that had a more to talk to a number of women office-based role found that,

during the pregnancy, they were able to work as normal, however, the women with a more site-based role had a very different experience.

It is obvious that a site role is going to cause challenges, especially when standard tasks include handling of heavy objects or working with contaminants. The majority of responses we received were positive, with women commenting that companies provided specific risk assessments and arranged for alternative staff to do manual tasks or cover the on-site portions of the project.

However, in the absence of guidance, many contractors approached the issue differently. ‘It was interesting that each Framework  April / May 2021

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Contractor approached my “condition” very differently with one Contractor actually not allowing pregnant women on to site at all.’

“

... each Framework Contractor approached my “condition” very differently with one Contractor actually not allowing pregnant women on to site at all.

Did you feel supported by your company throughout the pregnancy?

The majority of women felt supported by their main employer including being offered flexible working hours to attend appointments. ‘I was able to take time for antenatal classes and go to various appointments.’

The support provided is somewhat dependent on the employer and line manager.

Some women felt isolated and ignored with little to no communication. ‘I was not consulted about my risk assessment, merely sent the 30

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assessment to sign, and the document implied that I had written it myself.’

to help you?

Is there anything your company could have done differently

been fantastic if a pre-existing, provisional risk assessment existed before I became pregnant, which could be used immediately and until a more specific one was in place.’

Upon returning to work did you feel supported to progress your career as you wanted?

‘Return to work was not well handled, I felt somewhat forgotten about. Keeping in touch and ensuring that staff are welcomed back is really important.’

Aside from difficulties associated with maternity pay, which affects all industries.

The majority of women The main issue raised was interviewed felt upon return the lack of generic risk to work they were treated assessment. All the women differently with interviewed their role being The majority commented ‘softened’ that risk of women despite no assessments interviewed felt longer having were upon return to work the risks developed by associated they were treated their company with differently... to assess their pregnancy. individual role ‘Although I and outline ways to know this was coming from adapt, however, this is not an a good place, I felt his attitude instant process. ‘It would have to me returning to work, and

“

my presumed ability to work, was antiquated.’

“

Most companies offered flexible working hours to new mothers...

Most companies offered flexible working hours to new mothers, enabling them to adapt to the new work-life balance. However, most felt the push was on the mother to be the child carer with little discussion or foresight given to a father wanting the same role. ‘I’d really like to see a gender-neutral approach (post pregnancy of course!) with discussion around shared childcare and parental leave’.

The UK government website states that up to 37 weeks of leave can be shared between the two parents, however within the construction industry there still appears to be a stigma over the split.

What was the one major challenge you faced during pregnancy at work?

The responses for this question were quite mixed dependent on the role of the individual.

‘At that time, lack of flexibility to work from home and adjust working hours.’

‘It’s a while ago now, but I can’t really think of one. I feel I have been really fortunate with the support I got during my pregnancies but, more importantly, not side-lined and given boring work when I

returned parttime.’

‘Generally feeling unable to carry out, to the best of my ability, my site visits due to the “rules” of differing contractors.’

Coronavirus affecting pregnancy and young mothers

On the other hand, some found that the pandemic has ‘levelled the playing field between working mothers and fathers’.

The school and office closures have forced the main parent or bread winner to be at home at the same time as their children, they have, therefore, been ‘expected to contribute to the childcare situation more equally than they might have done in the past.’ One woman commented that they have ‘positive attitude shift from the male dominated senior management to leave work on time, keep meetings short etc.’

The current Coronavirus pandemic has meant that a larger number of people are working from home, Whilst the lockdown has been and in some cases caused a difficult, it has opened up the disconnect in communication. conversation on not only new During our interviews, we and expectant mothers but identified that some women also childcare in general within who were pregnant when the construction industry. This the pandemic started felt article is a small they were insight into a discriminated Whilst the much larger against lockdown has conversation. because of been difficult, it We would like their situation, has opened up the to hear your with nonviews on the conversation on pregnant topic. Do you workers being not only new and feel a guidance given the expectant mothers document is majority of the but also childcare needed? What work, causing in general within has been your the pregnant experience the construction party to either being feel like industry. a pregnant that was the woman or reasoning for managing one? being furloughed. Whilst this might not have been the companies intention, the lack of communication during the situation made the women feel forgotten.

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I N S I D E R S T I n stru ments and updating monitoring systems. Our 40,000 squarefoot plant has the capacity, the machinery, and the skilled staff to meet long production runs, big orders, and tight schedules. That’s a legacy worth protecting.

Where are your offices located?

Getting to know RST Instruments with Managing Director – UK, Grant Taylor.

What does the company do and what areas does it specialise in?

Our headquarters are based in Maple Ridge, Canada. Our UK office is located in Stowmarket, Suffolk.

How many people does the company employ?

RST instruments employs over 130 people.

How long have

For over 40 you worked years, RST’s For over at the pioneering company?

40 years, technologies RST’s pioneering Five years. have enabled technologies have Before that, I iconic worked for a enabled iconic infrastructure distributor of projects, infrastructure them for about including projects...

10 years. groundbreaking dams, What is your tunnels and more. From our career background, and base in Western Canada, what enticed you to work we’ve grown a reputation for for RST Instruments? right-fit solutions that span the lifecycle of your project, At the time, there were a lot of from designing and building to changes with the company I training, installing, inspecting, was working for. I reached out

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to RST Instruments to ask if there was something we could do. Four weeks after that RST UK was set up. It was a very quick process.

What is your current role within RST Instruments and what does a typical day entail?

My current role in the company’s managing director for which is equivalent VP for rest of the world sales. But the title is managing director UK because I run the UK office.

So, I wear two hats. What does the typical day look like or a typical COVID day? Because they are quite different. Typical day is emails. Meetings with customers, partners, looking at strategic kind of plays in terms of new technology, new geographical partners. I also help on some of our more technical projects from a sales perspective.

What are our RST instruments company values?

Quality. I believe it to be one of our values, I think. I think it’s important for us that people get information and the appropriate data from the systems we provide. I think I would say are at our

core is delivering value on the systems that we sell. You know, it sounds cliché, but we don’t just sell the system and run. We want to make sure that people are getting data, that it’s useful. It helps with the whole instrumentation industry get a better reputation in the market. I think there’s a lot of people out there that just they sell sensors and they don’t care whether they work.

Are there any projects or achievements within RST Instruments that you are particularly proud that you have been a part of?

My proudest achievement is the growth that we have achieved in markets you wouldn’t expect, like Africa and Kazakhstan. One project I am quite proud of was the AECOM Bridge project that we did. There’s a case study online

where we did the dynamic monitoring with strain gauges and the crack meters and laser distance meters. It was an interesting project located in Leeds.

“

Sustainability is important to RST from both an environmental perspective, but I think also from a sustainability of business perspective.

important. We are one of the companies that can offer that kind of sustainable approach.

How important is sustainability within the company?

How does RST Instruments support graduates in early career professionals who are just entering the industry?

Sustainability is important to RST from both an environmental perspective, but I think also from a sustainability of business perspective. We want to build systems that are going to be around well into the future.

The sustainability of our monitoring, to give continuity through a project life cycle is

RST has got quite a young and dynamic sales team in the UK the sales team. I think the same thing could be said of Measurand. We’ve often got students going through in Maple Ridge, BC. There’s a few roles where we do employ people as part of their graduate training and the work experience.  April / May 2021

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to many people because Teams is the way to go, we can do monthly meetings for example—but I also feel there’s nothing like having a beer with the customer to build a relationship.

Why does RST Instruments feel the AGS is important to the industry?

I think it’s important to the UK, not only the UK, but further afield. The kind of premise of having a generalized data format for the site investigation, for geotechnical instrumentation and monitoring. As we move forwards it makes sense to have a global standard and I think the AGS committee, group if you like, is really at the forefront of pushing that. It’s very difficult to standardize an industry.

What are RST Instruments’ future ambitions?

How has COVID-19 affected the day-today running of RST Instruments. How have staff adapted?

traveling, not doing exhibitions, has opened our eyes to newer, different ways to do business.

I would say we miss the faceto-face approach with our partners and key customers.

I think the staff of adapted very We would like to get that well to a new environment back to normality soon as we where we’re all working from can because it’s great doing home. I think the impact of Microsoft Teams—and in COVID on our organization, not some ways we’ve got closer

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Magazine

RST Instruments’ future ambitions are to continue to strive to be the world leader in providing geotechnical and structural instrumentation monitoring solutions. Our goal is to be kind of part of the process—I wouldn’t want to say cradle to grave—but we want to be involved from inception through to delivery and continued delivery of that service.

WE MAKE

MONITORING INSTRUMENTS. YOU MAKE

SOUND DECISIONS.

Monitor with Confidence

+44 1449 706680 sales@rstinstruments.com www.rstinstruments.com April / May 2021

35

AGS Working Group Focus

Geotechnical Overview requirements for local authority and third party permissions for developing small-scale basements for residential properties in different parts of the country.

2. Net Zero Carbon Webinar 2021 The Geotechnical Working Group are currently in the process of organising a webinar Stephen West, Leader of the AGS on Net Zero Carbon. The webinar Geotechnical Working Group, is scheduled to take place has provided an update on the in October 2021 and further top issues the Geotechnical details will be announced in Working Group discussed at due course. Potential topics their last meeting which took include the management place virtually in February 2021. of embedded Carbon in investigation processes, 1. Underpinning Ground design lower carbon whole life Movements solutions for infrastructure An article on the topic and buildings, measuring our of underpinning ground success in managing carbon movement that the Geotechnical as part of overall schemes, and Working Group have been considering the resilience of working on appears in this issue schemes in the face of Climate of the AGS Magazine. The article Change. looks at how members should 3. Soakaway Testing approach the assessment of ground risk associated Members of the Geotechnical with the underpinning Working Group are currently ground movements and the looking at preparing a statement

36

Magazine

Photo credit: S M Associates

on the use of inspection pit infiltration testing considering issues of cost, programme, and health and safety risks.

The GWG are also looking at alternative methods to trial pit infiltration tests for the design of soakaways, which may require modification of existing design guidance.

4. Digitisation The Geotechnical WG have been discussing the topic of digitisation of geotechnical interpretation and design process with a focus on analysis automatisation and machine learning when carrying out geotechnical interpretation and analysis. The GWG are aiming to proceed by producing an article on this topic which looks at industry developments without removing the importance of the human element in the development of good value solutions.

If you wish to attend AGS Geotechnical Working Group meetings, please contact the AGS Secretariat by emailing ags@ags.org.uk.

WITH WORLD CLASS ONLINE GEOTECHNICAL TRAINING FROM EQUIPE Equipe are delighted to announce that a range of our geotechnical and health and safety courses can now be delivered as trainer-led online distance-learning during the COVID-19 enforced shutdown. This means you can stay up-to-date with your training from the comfort of your own home/office.

The courses will still be delivered live by our training team and will be fully interactive, but some courses will be split into modules that will be delivered across multiple days.

Online Health and Safety Courses

Delivered in partnership with RPA Safety Services & EB Safety Solutions

IOSH Safe Supervision of Geotechnical Sites - £495 + VAT

Learn in detail how to keep yourself and your on-site operatives safe in the field - industry SSSTS equivalent eligible for CITB Levy

MARGI - Managing & working with Asbestos Risk in Ground Investigation - £225 + VAT

Comprehensive guidance to deal with asbestos in a GI environment, including CAR 2012

Online Geotechnical Courses Delivered in partnership with Plough Geotechnical

Geotechnical Foundation Design - £250 + VAT

Comprehensive overview for geotechnical practitioners and engineers

Earthworks Design and Construction - £250 + VAT

A general overview of materials sourcing / selection for design & construction

Slope Stability Design - £250 + VAT

Comprehensive overview for geotechnical practitioners and engineers

Classroom-Based Courses

IOSH Avoiding Danger from Underground Services - £175 + VAT

In accordance with the requirements and guidance set out within HSG47

Prof. David Norbury’s Soil Description Workshop - £295 + VAT

Providing a detailed approach to soil description practices and techniques

Prof. David Norbury’s Rock Description Workshop - £295 + VAT

Providing a detailed approach to rock description practices and techniques

April / May 2021

37

Standards Update

April 2021

RECENTLY PUBLIS STANDARD

SUBJECT / TEST

[BSI] PD CEN NTS

Guideline for the validation of physico-chemical analytical methods

16800:2020 BS EN ISO 22282-4:2021 Geotechnical investigation and testing – Geohydraulic testing – Part 4: Pumping tests BS EN ISO 23753-

Soil quality – Determination of dehydrogenases in soils -Part 2 Method using iodotetrazolium chloride

2:2019 + A1:2020

(INT)

BS EN ISO 54321:2021

Soil, treated biowaste, sludge and waste – Digestion of aqua regia soluble fractions of elements

BRITISH STANDARDS ON SOIL, GROUND STANDARD

SUBJECT / TEST

BS 1377-2

Methods of tests for soils for civil engineering purposes – Part 2

BS DPC 1337-3 +A1

Amendment to BS 1377-3:2018 Methods of tests for soils for civil engineering purposes – Part 3, Chemic and electrochemical testing

PAS 128 (revision)

Underground utility detection, verification and location – Specification

SELECTED INTERNATIONAL & EUROPEAN STANDA STANDARD

SUBJECT / TEST

ISO CD 4974

Soil quality – Guidance on soil temperature measurement

BS FDIS/FprEN 12404 Soil & Waste - Selection & application of analytical screening methods for on-site use BS prEN 15935

Sludge, treated biowaste, soil and waste – Determination of loss on ignition

BS prEN 15936

Sludge, treated biowaste, soil and waste – Determination of total organic carbon (TOC) by dry combustio

ISO NP 7303

Simplified method for oral bioaccessability of metal(oids) in soils

BS prEN 17505

Soil & waste characterization – Temperature dependent differentiation of total carbon (TOC400, ROC, TIC9

BS FprEN 17516

Waste – Characterization of granular solids with potential for use as construction material – Complianc leaching test – Up-flow percolation test

ISO DIS 23400

Guidelines for the determination of organic carbon & nitrogen stocks & their variations in mineral soil at plot sca

ISO CD 24212

Soil quality - Remediation techniques applied at contaminated sites

SELECTED INTERNATIONAL & EUROPEAN “GE STANDARD

SUBJECT / TEST

BS prEN 1997-1

Eurocode 7 - Geotechnical design – General Rules

BS prEN 1997-2

Eurocode 7 - Geotechnical design – Ground properties

BS prEN 1997-3

Eurocode 7 - Geotechnical design – Geotechnical structures

ISO CD 24283-1

Geotechnical investigation and testing – Qualification criteria and assessment –

ISO CD 24283-2

Part 1: Qualified technician

ISO CD 24283-3

Part 2: Responsible expert Part 3: Qualified enterprise

FDIS/FprEN ISO

Geotechnical investigation and testing – Sampling of soil, rock and groundwater – Part 1 – Technical

22475-1

principles

DIS/prEN 22476-4

Geotechnical investigation and testing – Field testing –Part 4: Prebored pressure test by Ménard proced

ISO CD 24057

Array measurement of microtremors to estimate shear wave velocity profile

38

Magazine

SHED STANDARDS SUPERSEDED/WILL SUPERSEDE

STATUS

PUB DATE

PD CEN/TS 16800:2015

Published

December 2020

BS EN ISO 22282-4:2012

Published

April 2021

BS EN ISO 23753-2:2019

Published

March 2021

ISO 54321:2020

Published

Feb2021

SUPERSEDED/WILL SUPERSEDE

STATUS

PUB DATE

Will cover those tests in Parts 2 and 4to8 of BS

Project initiated in BSI. Public consultation

2022

1377:1990 that have not been replaced by Parts 1 to 12 of

expected August/September

D & SITE ASSESSMENT - In preparation

cal

BS EN ISO 17892.

Will amend BS1337-3:2018

Consultation on Draft for Public Comment (DPC)

Oct 2021

ends 12th July 2021 PAS 128: 2014

Public comment period ended 16 March 2020

2021

SUPERSEDED/WILL SUPERSEDE

STATUS

PUB DATE

New standard

Comment period ends on 29 April 2021

2022

BS EN ISO 12404: 2015 and BS EN 16123:2013

Comment period ended 4 April

2021

BS EN 15169:2007 and BS EN 15935:2012

Proceeding to FprEN

2021

BS EN 15936:2012 and BS EN 13137

Proceeding to FprEN

2021

New standard

Comment period ends 24 May 2021

2023

900)

New standard

Not approved. Second enquiry pending

2022

ce

New standard Text will be identical to that in revised

Further consultation on the two parallel

2021

standard CEN TS 16637-3 Construction products –

documents in progress.

ARDS ON SOIL & SITE ASSESSMENT - In preparation

on

ale

Characterization……upward percolation test New standard

Proceeding to FDIS

2021

New standard

Comment period on CD ended March 2021

2022

SUPERSEDED/WILL SUPERSEDE

STATUS

PUB DATE

Will partially replace BS EN 1997-1: 2004 + A1: 2013

Comment period for prEN ended 6 January 2021

2023

Will replace BS EN 1997-2: 2007

Comment period for prEN ended 6 January 2021

2023

Will partially replace BS EN 1997-1: 2004

Comment period for prEN ended 6 January 2021

2023

Part 1- New standard

To be published as Technical Specifications

2021

BS EN ISO 22475-1:2006

Future still subject to debate.

2021

BS EN ISO 22476-4:2012

Proceeding to FDIS

2021

-

Comment period ended 8 March 2021

2022

EOTECHNICAL” STANDARDS – In preparation

dure

Part 2 - ISO TS 22475-2:2006 (BS ISO 22475-2: 2011) Part 3- ISO TS 22475-3:2007 (BS ISO 22475-3: 2011)

April / May 2021

39

Training Courses Equipe Training: Specialist Geotechnical Courses Equipe Training are delighted to confirm that their specialist geotechnical training courses are continuing to be delivered, both in person at our dedicated training facility just outside of Banbury, Oxfordshire., and also online via Zoom! The in-person courses will be operating with limited places to ensure social distancing.

Available upcoming dates are provided below: •

20th July 2021- Professor David Norbury’s Soil Description Workshop

•

21st July 2021 - Professor David Norbury’s Rock Description Workshop

•

9th September 2021 - Earthworks Design and Construction (Online Course)

•

14th October 2021 - Slope Stability Design (Online Course)

•

28th July 2021 - Geotechnical Foundation Design (Online Course)

Places on these courses can be booked online here, or via contacting Equipe on +44 (0)1295 670990 or info@equipegroup.com

Equipe Training: Specialist Geotechnical Heath and Safety Courses Equipe Training and their health and safety training partners RPA Safety Services and EB Safety Solutions are delighted to announce their collection of specialist health and safety courses for the geotechnical market have resumed being delivered in person, as well as being delivered online where required.

These courses are approved and certified by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) and meet the requirements of UK Health and Safety regulations for working on geotechnical and land drilling sites. Upcoming courses have limited numbers of places available in order to maintain social distancing within the classroom environment. Upcoming dates include: • 14, 15 & 16 July 2021 - IOSH Safe Supervision of Geotechnical Sites • 22nd July 2021 - IOSH Avoiding Danger from Underground Services • 2nd – 3rd June 2021 (Online Course) - Managing and working with Asbestos Risk in Ground Investigation (MARGI) Places on these courses can be booked online here, or via contacting Equipe on +44 (0)1295 670990 or info@equipegroup.com

40

Magazine

How to become a Member of the AGS AGS Members all share a commitment to quality in the geotechnical and geoenvironmental industry. This has become widely recognised by clients, governmental bodies and other associations that touch issues to do with the ground.

We welcome both companies and individuals who want to be recognised for their quality of practice to join our growing membership of over 130 Members. We shape our industry, continually improve practice and collaborate on issues that affect us all; from clients, all the way through to the people who use the land and the buildings we help develop.

To become a Member of the AGS, please visit http://www.ags.org.uk/about/become-a-member and submit your application online. Please note that all membership applications are reviewed by the Membership Committee 6 weeks in advance of each quarterly Executive meeting.

The deadline for the next round of completed applications is Tuesday 17th August 2021 .

AGS Chemical and Legal Helplines All Members of the Association of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Specialists are entitled to free chemical and contractual advice through the use of Loss Prevention Committee Members, Marquis & Lord and Beale & Co. For advice on chemical safety and best practice, Marquis & Lord will provide 30 minutes of free advice to all AGS Members.

Additionally, if you’re an AGS Member and are looking for legal advice, please contact Beale & Co and quote ‘AGS Helpline’ where the first 15 minutes of legal advice will be free of charge.

CHEMICAL SAFETY HELPLINE Marquis & Lord Tel: +44 (0) 121 288 2386 www.marquisandlord.com

LEGAL HELPLINE (Please quote Beale & Co ‘AGS Helpline’) Tel: +44 (0) 20 7469 0400 www.beale-law.com

Member Reporting Service for Industry Issues If you have any queries regarding AGS Data Format, there is a discussion forum on the AGS Data Format website, where queries can be posted and answered by the Data Format team.

If a Member has any issues with regard to Safety, Contaminated Land, Geotechnical, Instrumentation & Monitoring or Laboratories which you think the industry should be aware of please email ags@ags.org.uk, we will then forward your email to the relevant AGS Working Group.

Disclaimer These articles are the opinions of the authors and are not intended to be a complete or comprehensive statement of the law, nor do they constitute legal or specialist advice. They are intended only to highlight current issues from date of publication that may be of interest. Neither the writer, nor the AGS, assumes any responsibility for any loss that may arise from accessing, or reliance on the material and all liability is disclaimed accordingly. Professional advice should be taken before applying the content of the articles to particular circumstances.

April / May 2021

41

Advertising and Rates An online advertising campaign within the AGS Magazine will help to build and increase industry awareness of your company’s profile, initiatives and offerings.

The AGS can help build a package to suit your needs and budget; whether it’s a series of adverts across multiple issues, a combination of event sponsorship and advertising, or a single advertorial.

How to Advertise in the AGS Magazine The AGS Magazine is a free email publication that looks at a range of topical issues, insights and concerns, whilst publishing new guidance notes, working group activities and information on upcoming industry seminars.

With 6 issues each year, our subscribers include industry professionals such as practitioners, chartered specialists, senior decision makers and managing directors To receive a media pack or to discuss advertising rates, please contact Caroline Kratz on 0208 658 8212 or email ags@ags.org.uk

Adversiting Requirements

Advert Sizes and Rates

All adverts should be sent in a PDF, PNG, JPEG, TIFF, PSD (Photoshop) or EPS (Illustrator) format.

 FULL PAGE W: 210mm H: 297mm RATE: £400  HALF PAGE W: 210mm H: 145mm RATE: £250  QUARTER PAGE

COMPANY NAME ADDRESS CONTACT NUMBER EMAIL

W: 105mm H: 145mm RATE: £160

LOGO

 DIRECTORY Company name, address, contact number, email and one logo.

RATE: £50

42

All advertising artwork must be supplied in 114 dpi resolution.

Magazine

Artwork must be delivered to the AGS using the agreed artwork specification size listed left.

Artwork should be emailed to ags@ags.org. uk no later than 10 days prior to publication.

Directory Geotechnical Engineering Limited Centurion House, Olympus Park, Quedgeley, Gloucestershire, GL2 4NF 01452 527743 Geotech@geoeng.co.uk www.geoeng.co.uk

Stuart Wells Limited Stuart House Hargham Road Shropham, Norfolk NR17 1DT 01953454540 www.stuartwells.co.uk enquiries@stuartwells.co.uk

Structural Soils The Old School, Stillhouse Lane, Bedminster, Bristol, BS3 4EB, UK 0117 947 1000 ask@soils.co.uk www.soils.co.uk

AGS Dates for Your Diary Laboratory Assessment and Sampling Practice (webinar) •

Date: 30th June

•

Speakers: Will Fardon (i2 Analytical), Geraint Williams (ALS Global) and John Powell (Geolabs). This webinar will be chaired by Sally Hudson (Coffey Geotechnics).

•

Sponsorship: Diamond and Gold packages available

Annual Conference (live event) •

Cost: TBC

•

Location: National Motorcycle Museum, Birmingham

•

Sponsorship: Platinum, Emerald, Gold and Sliver packages available. See pages 4 and 5 for full details.

Net Zero Carbon (webinar) •

Date: October

•

Cost: Free of Charge

•

Sponsorship: Diamond and Gold packages available

Geotechnical Baseline Reports (webinar) •

Date: November

•

Cost: Free of Charge

•

Sponsorship: Diamond and Gold packages available

April / May 2021

43