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JURUTERA Bulletin of IEM is the official magazine of The Institution of Engineers, Malaysia (IEM) and is published by Dimension Publishing Sdn. Bhd. The Institution and the Publisher retain the copyright over all materials published in the magazine. No part of this magazine may be reproduced and transmitted in any form or stored in any retrieval system of any nature without the prior written permission of IEM and the Publisher.
Pro P osed f uture themes
July 2011
Women in Engineering (Submission by May 1, 2011)
august 2011
Reduce, Recycle and Reuse (Rethink) (Submission by June 1, 2011)
september 2011 Remediation and Management of Contaminated Land-Focus on Asia (Submission by July 1, 2011)
JURUTERA
Number 6, June 2011 IEM Registered on 1 May 1959
Majlis Bagi s esi 2011/2012 (ie M Coun C il s ession 2011/2012)
YA ng D I pe RtuA / pR es ID ent:
Ir. Chen Kim Kieong, Vincent
tI mbA l A n YA ng D I pe RtuA / Deput Y pR es ID ent:
Ir. Choo Kok Beng
nAI b YA ng D I pe RtuA / V I ce pR es ID ents:
Ir. Prof. Dr Ruslan bin Hassan, Y.Bhg. Dato' Ir. Hj. Abdul Rashid bin Maidin, Ir. Lee Weng Onn, Ir. P.E. Chong, Y.Bhg. Dato' Ir. Lim Chow Hock, Ir. Prof. Dr Wan Mahmood bin Wan Abdul Majid, Ir. Yim Hon Wa
s et IAus A h A Keho R m At / h ono RARY s ec R etARY:
Ir. Prof. Dr Lee Teang Shui
b en DA h ARI Keho R m At / h ono RARY tR eA su R e R:
Ir. Assoc. Prof. Dr Chiang Choong Luin, Jeffrey
WAKI l AWAm / c IVI l Rep R esentAt IV e:
Ir. Gunasagaran a/l Kristnan
WAKI l m e KA n IKA l / m ech A n I c A l Rep R esentAt IV e: Y.Bhg. Dato' Lt. Gen. (R) Ir. Ismail bin Samion
WAKI l e le K t RIK / e lect RI c A l Rep R esentAt IV e:
Ir. Mohd. Aman bin Hj. Idris
WAKI l s t R u K tu R / s t R uctu RA l Rep R esentAt IV e: Ir. Yam Teong Sian
WAKI l K I m IA DA n D I s I pl I n lAI n / c hem I c A l An D othe R s Rep R esentAt IV e: Ir. Razmahwata bin Mohamad Razalli Wakil lain-lain displin / Rep R esentative to othe R disciplines: Ir. Assoc. Prof. Dr Cheong Kuan Yee
WAKI l m ult I me DIA / m ult I me DIA Rep R esentAt IV e:
Ir. Noor Iziddin Abdullah bin Hj. Ghazali
A hl I m A jl I s / c ounc I l m embe Rs:
Ir. Prof. Dr Lee Sze Wei, Ir. Tuan Hj. Mohd. Ali bin Yusoff, Ir. Yee Yew Weng, Ir. Mah Soo, Ir. Dr Ahmad Anuar bin Othman, Ir. Kok Yen Kwan, Ir. Yau Chau Fong, Ir. Wong Chee Fui, Ir. Mohd. Khir bin Muhammad, Y.Bhg. Dato' Ir. Hj. Mohd. Isa bin Hj. Sarman, Ir. Assoc. Prof. Dr Marlinda binti Abd. Malek, Ir. Zainuddin bin Mohammad, Ir. Lai Kong Phooi, David, Y.Bhg. Dato' Ir. John Chee Shi Tong, Ir. Gopal Narian Kutty, Ir. Tan Yean Chin, Y.Bhg. Dato' Ir. Ahmad Murad bin Hj. Omar, Ir. Ng Shiu Yuen, David, Ir. Kim Kek Seong, Ir. Chong Chew Fan, Ir. Dr Tan Kuang Leong, Ir. Lau Yuk Ma, June, Ir. Dr Norlida binti Buniyamin, Ir. Ishak bin Abdul Rahman, Ir. Hoo Choon Sean, Y. Bhg. Dato Ir. Samsuddin bin Ismail ahli majlis / council m embe Rs (by a ppointment):
Dato' Ir. Hj. Mohamad bin Hj. Husin, Ir. Abdul Ghani bin Hashim, Ir. Abdullah bin Isnin
b e KA s YA ng D I pe RtuA t e RAK h IR / Imme DIAte pA st pR es ID ent:
Y.Bhg. Dato' Ir. Prof. Dr Chuah Hean Teik
be KA s YA ng DI pe RtuA / pA st pR es ID ent s: Y.Bhg. Dato' Ir. Pang Leong Hoon, Y.Bhg. Dato' Ir. (Dr) Hj. Ahmad Zaidee bin Laidin, Ir. Dr Gue See Sew, Y.Bhg. Datuk Ir. Prof. Dr Ow Chee Sheng, Y.Bhg. Dato' Paduka Ir. Prof. (Dr) Keizrul bin Abdullah penge R us I c AWA ng A n / b RA nch ch AIR m A n:
1. Pulau Pinang – Ir. Ng Sin Chie
2. Selatan – Ir. Mohd. Khir bin Muhammad
3. Perak – Ir. Assoc. Prof. Dr Md. Azlin bin Md. Said
5. Negeri Sembilan – Ir. Hj. Baharuddin bin Ahmad Nasir
6. Timur – Ir. Hj. Roslan bin Abdul Azis
7. Terengganu – Ir. Mohd. Azmi bin Ali
8. Melaka – Ir. Mohd. Khalid bin Nasir
9. Sarawak – Ir. Dr John Panil
10. Sabah – Ir. Teo Chee Kong
11. Miri – Ir. Ting Kang Ngii, Peter
A hl I jAWAtA n KuA s A I n F o R m A s I DA n pene R b I tA n / stA n DI ng comm I ttee on I n F o R m At I on A n D publ I c At I ons 2011/2012: Pengerusi/Chairman cum Chief Editor: Y. Bhg. Dato' Ir. Hj. Abdul Rashid bin Maidin Naib Pengerusi/Vice Chairman: Ir. Prof. Dr Lee Sze Wei Setiausaha/Secretary: Ir. Lau Tai Onn Ketua Pengarang/Chief Editor: Ir. Prof. Dr Lee Sze Wei Pengarang Buletin/Bulletin Editor: Ir. Ong Guan Hock Pengarang (Jurnal)/Journal Editor: Ir. Assoc. Prof. Dr Marlinda binti Abdul Malek Pengerusi Perpustakaan/Library Chairman: Ir. CMM Aboobucker Ahli-Ahli/Committee Members: Ir. Yee Thien Seng, Ir. Tan Yean Chin, Ir. Chin Mee Poon, Engr. Abi Sofian bin Abdul Hamid, Ir. Prof. Dr Mohd. Saleh bin Jaafar, Ir. Hj. Look Keman bin Sahari, Ir. Mohd. Khir bin Muhammad, Ir. Yee Yew Weng, Y. Bhg. Datuk Ir. Prof. Dr Ow Chee Sheng, Ir. Cheong Loong Kwong, Allen, Ir. Prof. Dr Arazi bin Idrus, Ir. Tey Choo Yew, Calvin, Engr. Shuhairy bin Norhisham, Engr. Abul Aswal bin Abdul Latiff
IEM Secretariat: Nor Aziah Budin, Nurul Aida Mustafa
the institution of engineers, M alaysia Bangunan Ingenieur, Lots 60 & 62, Jalan 52/4, P.O.Box 223, (Jalan Sultan), 46720 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan. Tel: 603-7968 4001/4002 Fax: 603-7957 7678 E-mail: sec@iem.org.my Homepage: http://www.MyIEM.org.my
risk Management in engineering
by Ir. Ahmad Rasdan bin Ismail
risk is defined as the probability of obstacles that may lead to the failure of a project. While risk cannot be eliminated from projects, it can be reduced by risk management. Robert Charette pointed out that “risk management does not deal with future decisions, but the future of present decisions”, while Smith (2010) stated that “risk management is a systematic application of management policies, procedures and practices for the task of identifying, analysing, evaluating, responding and monitoring risk”.
The common risks that always occur in engineering projects are in the form of finance, materials and manpower resources, hazards related to the safety of human beings and the scheduling of project completion. As engineers, it is compulsory to be concerned about any possible risks that may occur during the project period. Therefore, it is a significant concern to most engineers that their engineering projects be completed within the estimated cost and duration without any fatality. Safety issues have become a major concern in engineering projects. The Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) is a government body that monitors every work sector on issues related to occupational safety and health at the workplace.
The risk management process begins by identifying the risks before the start of any work or project. Identifying the risks in the early stages will help reduce losses and prepare us to face the consequences of the problems. Inspect the workplace and identify the possible hazards before analysing the risks. Then, evaluate each risk and classify the level of the risk accordingly. The risk response planning addresses the various ways to deal with the identified risk such as transferring the risk, prepare to avoid or reduce the risk, as well as prepare a contingency plan. Finally, implement the developed management plan to continuously monitor the risks and prepare the documentation of the risk management plan.
Risk management principles always start with creating a risk management plan. Assigning a risk engineer who is responsible for forecasting potential project problems is a good solution. The budget and schedule should include a calculated risk reserve to avoid over cost overruns and delay in project completion. After implementing the risk management plan, the risks must be continuously monitored. Furthermore, all parties need to establish an efficient communication channel at the workplace by adhering to specific procedures and comprehensive documentation.
In conclusion, brainstorming is the most common risk identification method using the SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threat) analysis. It is also important to develop a Risk Management Plan that meets the requirements for Continuous Risk Management (CRM) processes and to monitor the risks frequently. Providing proper training and organising risk management workshops would help increase risk management awareness among staff members or workers. Besides implementing safe work practices by providing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to workers, safety rules and regulations must be enforced at the workplace. Risk management can help to avoid or lessen the impact of issues that threaten the success of a project. Last but not least, as engineers, we need to develop a sensitivity to expect unexpected events in order to be well prepared to deal with any eventuality. n
risk Management for Mrt project
iMpleMenting risk management strategies for massive infrastructure development can be daunting to say the least. Currently, one of the largest upcoming developments in the country is the Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit (KVMRT).
JURUTERA contacted En. Zulkifli bin Mohd. Yusoff, Group Director of Project Development Division at Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad, for his take on the issue.
What is the current progress on the Mrt proJect?
The first line of the KVMRT covers critical townships between Sungai Buloh and Kajang. The line is 51km long of which 9.5km will be underground travelling through the city centre of Kuala Lumpur. The line is targeted to be operational by early 2017. Two other lines to complete the KVMRT network are still being studied by Suruhanjaya Pengangkutan Awam Darat (SPAD) and will be made public when it is completed.
The three months public display of the railway scheme, which started on 14 February 2011, has just been concluded on 13 May 2011. Relevant public feedback will be incorporated in the final railway scheme to be endorsed by the Government by the end of May 2011.
As of last month, we have also received the Detailed Environment Impact Assessment (DEIA) and Environment
Management Plan (EMP) approval from the Department of Environment (DOE). We have also issued Section 4 Land Acquisition Act, which freezes the Sungai Buloh–Kajang corridor. Once the final railway scheme is approved, Section 8 will be issued to the affected resident and property owners. Detailed design will commence once the final railway scheme has been approved.
What are soMe of the biggest challenges that the proJect is facing?
There are several big challenges for this project which include the alignment impacting on properties and residences, station integration with community land use and other railway networks, impact on the environment, capital cost escalation and interagency concerns.
The railway alignment needs to take into consideration the targeted catchment area while minimising the social, cost and environmental impact. Cost is a major challenge that needs to be managed in order to make the project financially viable.
Since the KVMRT will become the biggest infrastructure development in the country, many agencies in the government and private sectors will be affected. The ability to make informed and timely decisions is a mammoth challenge to undertake.
We also need to inform the public so that they can get first hand information and understand the benefits of this project in regards to improving the liveability of the entire Klang Valley community in the foreseeable future. We have managed more
than 30 public engagements with residents, businesses, local authorities, resident associations, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), State Legislative Assembly Members (ADUNs) and Members of Parliament (MPs).
While most residents and businesses would like the line to be underground, the costs can be exorbitant and generally in the order of about five times higher as compared to an elevated line. A balance needs to be struck in order to provide a defensible business case for the viability of the project.
For environment issues, we have engaged consultants to assess the potential impacts and advise us on mitigation measures, especially in the areas of traffic management, air and noise pollution; both during and after construction. We hold meetings with related agencies on a weekly basis chaired by Ketua Setiausaha Negara (KSN) Y.Bhg. Tan Sri Mohd. Sidek bin Haji Hassan to address any outstanding issues in order to move the project forward.
What is the risk ManageMent plan for this proJect?
We have had various discussions and workshops among government agencies, contractors, consultants, etc., to identify all potential risks and proposed mitigating measures to reduce them. The risk log register covers areas that potentially
have unacceptable risks on safety, quality, cost and time implications. The risk register is a live document created at the planning stage of the project, updated throughout the various stages of design and construction, and finally closed off prior to the operational startup of the MRT.
What are soMe of the risk Mitigation Measures that are being iMpleMented?
For the environment, we will be strictly implementing the EMP which will be subjected to regular audits by the DOE. For construction, sufficient site investigation is being carried out to identify all significant risks which could be to the detriment of the work progression.
Experienced local and international consultants have been engaged to assist with the planning strategies for the construction and operation of the MRT. This will help to mitigate the risks and, at the same time, provide sufficient data for constructors to perform the works with minimal disruptions. As mentioned previously, a risk log register has been created to detail the mitigation measure for each risk, which will be updated and used throughout the life of the project.
in terMs of risk ManageMent, hoW challenging is the Mrt proJect coMpared to siMilar proJects in other parts of the World?
The technical challenges for this project are essentially similar to major projects executed in other parts of the world in terms of complexities and scope. The major difference may be in the ambitious time frame targeted for the delivery of the KVMRT network. n
risk Management in engineering
enterprise Risk Management is a relatively new field for most Malaysian firms. In the past, risk was usually dealt with on a project to project basis. Part of the problem could be attributed to the lack of qualified personnel in this field and poor appreciation of the benefits of effective risk treatment. To address this matter, JURUTERA got in touch with Dr Zahedi bin Fisal, Principal Consultant and Head of Science and Environmental Services at UKM Pakarunding Sdn Bhd.
According to Dr Zahedi, risk management is about recognising the potential effects if the objectives of an organisation are not met, or if there is an unexpected occurrence of events with respect to the activities of the organisation that have deleterious consequences on properties, environment and human lives; and then assessing the likelihood of such events and making decisions so that such likelihoods can be accepted or implementing measures for the consequences or likelihoods to be lowered to a level considered “as low as reasonably practicable”.
For certain categories of local firms, such as those operating in a capital intensive environment or those intending to venture overseas, he believes that there is a need for managers of these enterprises to be educated on the need to take a more systematic approach to risk management. In general, he stated that Malaysian firms are familiar with the ISO 14000 (where the emphasis is in managing the impact to the environment by an organisation) and OSHAS 18000 (where the emphasis is in managing the occupational health and safety by an organisation), while some are striving to obtain certification of having such management systems.
Dr Zahedi bin Fisal
En. Zulkifli bin Mohd. Yusoff
Although conceptually the standard follows the same line of approach as ISO 14000 and OSHAS 18000, Dr Zahedi feels that implementing ISO 31000:2009 is a better alternative. However, he cautioned that, since most Malaysian firms may not be aware of the existence of the standard, these firms may not be ready to implement the elements of the standard. ISO 31000:2009 takes a holistic approach to risk management emphasising on the need for the proper systems and resources to be available within an organisation to deal with risk, requiring a person to be made accountable for it and underscoring the need for long-term process improvement.
In ISO 31000:2009, risk is defined as “the effect of uncertainty on objectives”. It is claimed that this definition is neutral, and can lead to either a gain or a loss, which differs from the general perception that risk is a hazard, and the traditional consideration of risk as a negative event, especially in the financial and insurance circles.
Dr Zahedi however is of the view that the word “uncertainty” should be looked at objectively. He said, “What this means is, there is the “possibility” that the objectives of the firm may not be met, and obviously the effect would be negative. In running a firm, the objectives would be set such that there will be positive gains. Thus, the “effect of uncertainty on objectives” should be a loss or negative consequences.”
In his opinion, managing risk is like managing occupational health and safety, the environment, the human resources, finance, quality of services or products, etc., i.e. all aspects of the operation of the organisation to achieve its objectives. Therefore, he feels that ISO 31000:2009 can become a standard for a harmonised management system incorporating aspects of ISO 14000, OSHAS 18000 as well as ISO 9000.
For many organisations, risk management can be a useful tool in terms of managing the latter to achieve its objectives. Currently, Dr Zahedi pointed out that most local firms recognise the risks involved in their operation and are managing their operations without formally following the elements of risk management. He said, “Although these firms may not be aware that they are following what is known as “risk treatment strategies”, they are taking measures to reduce such risks (either to reduce the likelihood or chance of unwanted event occurrences, or to reduce or eliminate the consequences of unwanted events) or subscribing to insurance policies to transfer the risks.”
In the engineering field, risk management is not new to the oil and gas industry, large-scale manufacturing concerns and contractors venturing overseas. Besides these areas of business or industry, Dr Zahedi believes that all kinds of public and private enterprise including government agencies can benefit from the implementation of risk management principles.
He said, “Risk management can be applied by the Government in the formulation of long-term policies and strategies by examining the consequences if such policies or strategies do not meet their objectives and proposing corrective measures that can be carried out during the period such policies and strategies are being implemented whilst being monitored.”
However, he added that the implementation of risk management principles both by the public and private sectors will depend very much on the objectives of the organisation, and will include an evaluation of the effects if the objectives are not met, an evaluation on the chance of realisation of the effects, assessing the extent of the effects or the chance of realisation of the effects, whether unacceptable or tolerable, as well as formulating and implementing practicable measures to either reduce (or even eliminate) the effects or the chance of realisation of the effects. n
Note: Dr Zahedi bin Fisal can be contacted at zahedi@pakarunding.ukm.my.
an ‘astronomical’ engineer
My mother told me stories about the sky when I was young. She used to point towards the three evenly spaced stars in the sky and told me about ‘the three sisters’. And being a mother, she warned me against pointing my finger at the moon, or else my ears will get cut the next morning. Although all these stories were fascinating, nobody could explain what the little points of light mean in the bigger scheme of things.
The breakthrough came about one night 15 years ago while on the way to a floating restaurant in the sea off Bintan Island, Indonesia. The engine misfired and failed, and the boat drifted. To save on diesel, the boatman switched off all the lights in his desperate attempt to restart the engine.
It was then that I saw the night sky in its full glory, with the arms of the Milky Way spanning the full width of the sky from one end of the horizon to the other. I immediate made plans to learn more about astronomy.
In 2000, I registered with the Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, for an online Masters course. The 12 units accredited Masters course took me five years to complete and, in October 2004, I graduated with a M.Sc. (Astronomy) from the Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne. Since then, I have been giving talks on astronomy as well as organising observation sessions for students in Kulai, Senai and Johor Bahru free-of-charge.
I am currently in charge of the Rotary Observatory in Senai which houses a 12” computerised reflector, the largest telescope in the state of Johor. Group observations are by appointment only. I have also brought the telescope to those who may not be able to go to the observatory. Such groups include handicapped children and old folks in various nursing homes. All observations and talks are free.
Under the Rotary Club of Johor Bahru, three astronomy camps have been carried out since 1998. These 3D/2N camps include
the author:
by Ir. Ooi Kao Yang
astronomy lectures, observations as well as hands-on projects. The lecturers were from Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Here are some tips for those who are interested to know more about astronomy:
• If you are interested in astronomy, start reading any book that explains the basics such as what are constellations and how to identify them; the various planets in our solar system.
• Avoid the temptation of jumping into the theories of black holes and Albert Einstein.
• Learn the sky like the back of your hands first.
• All of us have the most important basic tool; our eyes.
• Constellation identification can only be done with your naked eyes.
• After you are familiar with the constellations, you might then want to invest in a pair of good binoculars; possibly nitrogenfilled.
• From then on, you should be able to see globular clusters, craters of the moon, and if the binoculars is fixed onto a tripod, you can even see Jupiter with its moons and Saturn with its ring.
• If you are still interested after the many nights of constellation identification, you may want to graduate to a small telescope.
• Do not be tempted into buying one from the hypermarket which boasts of very high magnification. What you need is good resolution, not magnification.
• High magnification on poor lenses gives you a big blob of light without details.
The cost of a telescope with good resolution is expensive, so be prepared to spend thousands of ringgit. However, if you are truly interested in astronomy, the money you spend on the telescope and the time you spend at night peering into the scope will be well worth all the effort, even with mosquitoes buzzing around you. n
active IEM member in the southern region and had served as Branch Chairman for the 1987/1988 and 1988/1989 sessions.
About
Ir. Ooi Kao Yang graduated from the University of Singapore in 1975 in Civil Engineering. Having worked in various positions within the government departments (both in Singapore and Malaysia), as well as with a local contractor and an international consultant, he is currently operating an engineering consulting firm called Perunding OA which is based in Johor Bahru. He is an
Four Geothermal Power Generation Sites Identified
Four potential geothermal power generation sites in Peninsular Malaysia, which could collectively generate more than 2MW of electricity, has been identified by
Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB). These projects, which are expected to be fully implemented by 2016, are in the early stages of a feasibility study jointly conducted by Generation Asset Development (GAD) and TNB Research Sdn Bhd. TNB’s proposed geothermal power plants use steam produced from hot water springs to generate electricity. With more than 40 thermal springs in Peninsular Malaysia, most of these springs are good potential sites to generate geothermal power as part of the nation’s plan to enhance its renewable energy potential.
According to Ms. Shahrina Abdullah, TNB Manager cum engineer for renewable energy, the company had completed the first phase of a feasibility study on the prospects of generating geothermal power in the four undisclosed locations. So far, it had managed to secure a 20% confidence level for the projects. TNB is now entering the second phase of the feasibility study, for which it hopes to secure a 60% and 90% confidence level by 2012 and 2013 respectively. Once that has been achieved, the company would begin exploratory drilling in the four sites. Shahrina admitted that the group faced some challenges, especially in terms of rights and land ownership, to proceed with the geothermal power generation projects.
(Sourced from The Star)
Safeguard Investigation on Hot rolled Coil Imports Initiated
A preliminary safeguard investigation on hot rolled coil (HRC) imports into Malaysia has been initiated by the government. The latter undertook the investigation after receiving a safeguard petition from Megasteel Sdn Bhd, which represented the domestic HRC industry, which alleged that HRC importation increased between 2007 and 2010, causing a negative impact on the local industry. The International Trade and Industry Ministry said in a statement that further investigation will be carried out if preliminary affirmative determination is made by the government. Preliminary determination will be made within 90 days from the commencement of the investigation on May 1. During this time, the government may impose a provisional safeguard duty on the imports of HRC for the purpose of providing temporary protection and reduce the effects of serious injury to the domestic industry. HRC is used in the automotive, construction, electric and electronics, fabrication, engineering and manufacturing industry.
(Sourced from BERNAMA)
Qingdao Bay Bridge Set to Open to Traffic
Qingdao Bay Bridge, the world's longest cross-sea bridge located in east China's Shandong Province, is expected to open to traffic this month. The construction of the 41.58km long bridge has so far cost nearly 9 billion yuan (RM4.2 billion), accounting for 94% of the budget. The bridge, linking the urban district of the port city Qingdao to its Huangdao district, will shorten the route by 30km and reduce travel time to about 20 minutes. China started research and planning work for the project eight years ago while construction work began in 2007.
(Sourced from BERNAMA)
robotics World Cup in New Zealand
The first ever Robotics World Cup will be held from 11 to 13 October 2011 in Auckland. University teams from Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Mexico and Columbia have already confirmed their participation in the event, which is being organised by the New Zealand Information and Technologies Group and Kiwibots New Zealand, which runs Vex Robotics competitions in schools.
Based on the Vex Robotics World Championship, the Robotics World Cup will involve designing, building and maintaining robots that compete in a game of speed, strategy and skill. Vex Robotics was launched in New Zealand in 2008 in response to a worldwide shortage of engineers as a platform for high school students with an interest in science, technology, engineering and math to participate in games requiring teamwork, leadership and problem solving.
(Sourced from BERNAMA)
rM3 Billion Integrated Petroleum Hub in Labuan
RG Gas and Chemicals (M) Sdn Bhd will invest RM3 billion over the next 10 years to build an integrated oil and gas hub on Pulau Daat, about 15 minutes by boat from Labuan. The hub is one of the nine new Entry Point Projects of the Economic Transformation Project. Jimmy Y.M. Tang, Group Project Director, said the hub would be built over four phases and provide land-based logistics and support services. Earthworks for the first phase will be completed by year-end.
The first phase, with an investment of RM500 million, would involve the building of a storage tank terminal with a capacity of 300,000 cubic metres and is expected to commence operations by end-2012 or early 2013. The other three phases include building a 1.5 million cu metres storage tank terminal, engineering fabrication yard and other facilities including water storage facilities. The hub would likely benefit from the opening of new oil fields around the area.
(Sourced from BERNAMA)
risk-Based Inspection and Maintenance in asset Management Strategy
the oil and gas industry is one of the major industries in the world that regularly appears in the news for the wrong reasons. Catastrophic incidents in a process plant or a serious rupture of a hydrocarbon transmission pipeline that lead to severe damages to the environment or fatalities often grab major headlines. In many of the investigations outcome, human error is widely cited as the probable cause of these incidents. This is generally true, however, the seriousness and extent of the damages could be compounded if the facilities were operating with a fleet of ageing and poorly-maintained assets.
A report published in 1992 to identify the causes of leaks in refineries and hydrocarbon plants around the world had shown that the highest percentage of containment loss incidents was actually due to mechanical failure, which is indirectly influenced by maintenance and inspection activities [9]. If the plants or pipelines’ operators diligently utilise their facilities’ assets according to the standard operating procedures and apply the highest standard of safety, asset deterioration and integrity loss could still influence the consequences of a disaster. The difference could be as harmless as a short shutdown of equipment in a process unit, for example, or a total wipeout of an entire operating plant to quote the extreme.
Typically, due to its nature in handling hazardous and volatile hydrocarbons, the equipment in oil, gas or petrochemical facilities have to be designed and maintained in a very stringent and regimented way. The facilities are usually designed to widely accepted international codes and standards such as API (American Petroleum Institute), ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) or ISO (International Standards Organization). Based on these, the equipment or physical assets within the facilities are designed to last for between 20 to 25 years.
Nonetheless, the design life factor alone will not guarantee that the equipment within the oil, gas or petrochemical facilities will last as intended. If the maintenance activities are poorly planned and executed or the equipment in operation is stressed beyond its safe design parameters, the facility could become a potential time bomb. A systematic asset management and care strategy must be developed even as early as the design stage to ensure that the reliability of the facilities is achieved with the expected requirement to meet the operating company’s business plans.
eVOLutION OF MaINteNaNCe StrateGIeS
The old maintenance management strategy of corrective maintenance “fix it only when it breaks” has evolved tremendously since the 20th Century, giving birth to new approaches such as Scheduled Maintenance and Condition-Based Maintenance. Maintenance philosophies such as Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), ReliabilityCentred Maintenance (RCM) and Business-Case Maintenance (BCM) were also introduced to complement the maintenance strategy in providing a more economical approach. The latest development in maintenance focuses on Risk-Based Inspection (RBI) and Risk-Based Maintenance (RBM) that aims to further strengthen the existing maintenance practices by focusing on high-risk items in parallel with a practicable maintenance cost reduction.
The type of maintenance for a particular equipment or component in a plant differs depending on its importance and impact on other components. Non-critical equipment could still utilise the corrective maintenance strategy, but for equipment which is dependent on periodic attention, a scheduled maintenance strategy based on the principle that every critical component should be cared and maintained as per prescription must be adopted.
The evolution in the maintenance approaches described earlier was transpired by the need to properly maintain a plant or facility to improve availability and reliability, entail greater safety, enhance product quality, prolong equipment life and be environmentally-friendly with an effective cost utilisation [2]. The evolution of these philosophies and approaches is shown in Figure 1.
Often, the periodic inspection of equipment or component in a plant was seen to impair the plant’s safety by diluting inspection resources, induce unnecessary costs
by Engr. Fadzil Harman Shah bin Muhammad Johar and Ir. Ahmad Rafidi Mohayiddin
Figure 1: Development in maintenance philosophies [2]
and produce a false image of the plant’s actual health conditions [3]. These concerns were later addressed by the newer maintenance concepts available such as ConditionBased Monitoring (CBM), RBI and RBM, which decided to move away from time-based maintenance basis.
The RBI/RBM strategy originated from equipment safety efforts in nuclear power plants and from the refinery industry in Canada in the 1980s. RBI/RBM has been implemented mainly in the oil, gas and petrochemical sector even before the release of the API RP 580 (RiskBased Inspection) recommended practice in 1995. Since then, this recommended practice has served as a guideline for the practical applications and implementations of RBI/ RBM, specifically for mechanical static equipment such as tanks, heat exchangers and pressure vessels. RBI/RBM was also believed to be used during the development of RCM in the aircraft industry to counter problems posed by the increased complexity of modern aircraft systems. However, the initial phase was merely for inspection and maintenance scheduling.
Outstanding results were shown by the process industries since the inception of RBI/RBM thereon. From that stage onwards, turbomachinery equipment such as steam or gas turbines had also started to use RBI/RBM leading to its implementation in the railway system and power distribution system in improving reliability performance [2].
In Europe, Risk-Based Life Management (RBLM) has been developed from RBI, initiated by the European RIMAP (RIsk based and MAintenance Procedures) project [5]. The RBLM shows how the risk-based approach and prioritisation of tasks serve as input to the final plant life management, as shown in Figure 2. It is starting to gain recognition for use in the safety implications to the United Kingdom HSE regulations.
DeFINItIONS
In order to fully appreciate the RBI/RBM strategy, a full understanding of what ‘risk’ is needs to be discussed. ‘Risk’ is defined as the combined effect of the probability
(likelihood) of a failure and the consequence of a failure to personnel safety, quality of product, environmental damage and economic loss [1].
risk = Probability of Failure x Consequence of Failure
Risk-Based Inspection (RBI) is a systematic methodology to measure the risk of specific equipment by evaluating its current operating parameters and its mechanical condition. The risk ranking process will optimise the inspection programs to enhance process safety, improve operability and reduce maintenance and inspection costs.
Risk-Based Maintenance (RBM) is a total maintenance approach which includes the equipment or process risk in improving the maintenance management systems and practices. By considering the risk factor, work and resources prioritisation can be easily identified to assist the maintenance decision-making.
rISK BaSeD INSPeCtION (rBI)
The often-used guideline for RBI in the oil, gas or petrochemical industry in Malaysia is the API RP 580. It was developed by API as the recommended practice in undertaking a RBI program. It summarises the objectives of a risk-based inspection program as follows:
• Review operating units within a plant to point out high-risk area
• Estimate a risk value associated with the failure modes for equipment in a refinery or a chemical process plant based on a consistent methodology
• Prioritise equipment based on measured risk to optimise the inspection program
• Employ systematic risk management on the risks associated with equipment failure
The RBI concepts and methodologies are summarised as follows:
• Equipment/process risks are evaluated in detail – the risk analysis process uses the probability of an event occuring and the consequences related to it
• Requires detail equipment information for the analysis
• Risk analysis can be either qualitative or quantitative
• Requires knowledge on common equipment failure mode(s) and its failure rate(s)
• The risk analysis process has a feedback loop to reevaluate the risk and decision/action made; which also serves as a continuous improvement practice
• Feedback loop also serves as a ‘gatekeeper’ where evaluated risks are used to formulate the maintenance strategy to suit changed operating conditions
The RBI concept is applied on critical equipment or system by analysing the data and information gathered in regard to risk in terms of the consequence of failure and probability of failure. From the assessment, a specific
inspection plan is drawn up for the equipment or system based on its risk ranking as shown in Figure 3.
The fundamentals of RBI execution depends on the people and organisation in terms of the competencies and capabilities of the designers, operators, maintainers and the RBI team in evaluating the risk of a plant or equipment or system failure to formulate a viable RBI program as shown in the example in Figure 4.
aSSeSSMeNt aPPrOaCh
API RP 580 also presents the approaches of RBI assessments. These are broken down into three components:
• Qualitative – requires descriptive data inputs based on engineering judgment and experience as basis. Results are given in qualitative terms ( e.g. high, medium and low) with associated numerical values. It enables the completion of risk assessment without detailed quantitative data. The accuracy of this assessment is dependent on the capability of the analysts.
• Semi-quantitative – a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches to take advantage of the speed of the qualitative and the rigour of the quantitative. Results are given in consequence and the probability categories are represented by numerical values.
• Quantitative – integrates information about facility design, operating practices and history, human actions, the physical progression of accidents and potential environmental and health effects. It uses logic models, i.e. event trees and fault trees to estimate accident sequence. Results are presented as risk numbers ( e.g. cost/year).
Each approach provides a systematic way to screen for risk, identify areas of potential concern and develop a prioritised list for more in-depth inspection or analysis [4]. Risk-ranking measures are used to evaluate the probability of failure and the potential consequence of a failure to produce the estimated risk for the respective equipment or component or system.
The continuum of the RBI approaches is illustrated in Figure 5, whereby qualitative and quantitative approaches being the extremes of the continuum and everything in between are semi-qualitative approaches [4].
The quantitative RBI is an equipment-level risk assessment tool that calculates the risk associated with the equipment, which is then used to rank the equipment according to its criticality, for example, high-risk, mediumrisk and low-risk in order to prioritise the inspection planning and maintenance works by list of importance.
rISK PreSeNtatION
As outlined in API RP 580 also, there are two ways of presenting the risk calculated from the risk assessments either by using the Criticality Risk Matrix in Figure 6 or the Risk Plot in Figure 7.
The 5 x 5 Risk Matrix with designated risk numbers is commonly used as it is effective, with a clear color representation and risk definitions, in communicating the information to the general workforce. On the Risk Matrix, the Probability of Failure (PoF) is on the vertical axis with numerical factors starting from a small value and increasing upwards (more critical) depicting the likelihood
Figure 3: Risk-based inspection planning process [4]
Figure 4: RBI process based on ASME code [6]
Figure 5: Continuum of RBI approaches [4]
Figure 6: Example of a risk matrix [4]
of a failure to occur while the Consequence of Failure (CoF), in terms of health and damage, is on the horizontal axis with assigned letters representing the most damaging effects on the outermost fifth column.
On the other hand, the Risk Plot uses a log scale and is used when numeric risk values are important to stakeholders. The item with the highest risk is plotted towards the upper-right-hand corner. From both risk presentations, the items residing at the upper-right-hand corner of the Matrix or Plot are likely to be prioritised for inspection planning as they are of high risk. Similarly, items at the lower-left-hand corner will have lower priority as they have the lowest risk.
Since the RBI assessment is sometimes subjective and difficult to quantify, some typical considerations for RBI analysts to come up with the most reasonable risk rating could be based on the description given in Figure 8.
When all the equipment or system risks and its associated factors have been evaluated and the items are ranked accordingly, the next step is the optimisation process that takes into consideration the value of money spent for the work. This includes the possibility of delaying the maintenance decision to another time without incurring production loss, or the plant or unit breakdown, and without compromising safety within that duration. In making this decision, the accurate value of money with regards to resources and materials must be measured by its Net Present Value (NPV). Figure 9 illustrates the relationship between inspection costs and repair costs. The optimisation line gives the best value for money which complements the opportune time to repair or inspect with respect to the total costs. From this, the maintenance planning can derive the maximum inspection interval feasible without compromising production, quality and safety.
rISK-BaSeD MaINteNaNCe (rBM)
RBM is a holistic approach which comprises RBI being built into a workable maintenance strategy. It is based on integrating a reliability approach and a risk assessment strategy to obtain an optimum maintenance schedule. The RBM methodology comprises these four modules [1]:
• Identification of the scope
• Risk estimation: consists of risk identification and estimation calculations
• Risk evaluation: consists of risk aversion and risk acceptance analysis
• Maintenance planning: a maintenance plan built-in with risk factors
In summary, RBM first formulates the likely equipment failure scenarios with the most probable one to be further analysed with detailed consequences. Subsequently, a fault tree analysis is used to determine the failure scenario probabilities. Finally, the risk is calculated as the product of
Figure 8: Factors that affect PoF and CoF
Figure 9: Cost optimisation of repair plan and re-inspection interval [7]
Figure 7: Example of a risk plot [4]
Figure 10: Simplified architecture of RBM methodology [1]
the failure consequences and the failure probabilities which have been analysed earlier. For the risk acceptance criteria, the calculated risks are compared against known acceptable criteria. The maintenance or inspection intervals are then derived by minimising the estimated risk.
The architecture of the RBM methodology is presented in Figure 10 for a clearer representation of the four modules.
IMPLeMeNtatION
With the right support from the management on the maintenance management policy and the correct RBI/RBM implementation, an operating hydrocarbon plant will benefit from the many advantages of the maintenance strategy. Decision-making on maintenance and inspection works will be improved when the integrated risk information is made available. Furthermore, reduction in maintenance costs could be realised by the optimised plant’s planned maintenance activities, optimised inspection frequency and rationalised warehouse spares inventory. Resources could be optimised to only undertake corrective maintenance on highrisk and critical equipment. The comprehensive equipment inspection and maintenance schedule will improve a plant’s turnaround planning for equipment inspections as there will be longer inspection intervals, shorter turnaround duration and less field work required.
No single asset maintenance strategy is fault-free and the RBI/RBM method also has its limitations due to the qualitative risk assessment approach that it utilises. Quite often, the risk-ranking results are conservative and highly dependent on the RBI assessors’ skills, experiences and knowledge in analysing the data. The criterion for the risk ranking is also judgmental and difficult to be documented. There are also areas where there are difficulties with RBI/ RBM implementation such as the need to have a substantial and accurate existing equipment or plant data and information. In addition, the risk matrix is time consuming to prepare since many aspects have to be considered and entails more resources for its continuous implementation.
Nevertheless, with the right implementation and continuous improvement to the maintenance approach, the RBI/RBM strategy has shown significant benefits to the operators. In one case, a chemical plant recorded an economic potential of 5 million Euros (RM20 million) per year by extending the turnaround interval, reducing unplanned
reFereNCeS:
[1] Faisal I. Khan, and Mahmoud M. Haddara. ‘Risk Based Maintenance (RBM): A Quantitative Approach for Maintenance/ Inspection Scheduling and Planning’ Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries 16 (2003) 561-573.
[2] John Moubray. Reliability-Centered Maintenance, 2nd Edition. New York: Industrial Press Inc, 1997.
[3] Jovanovic, A. ‘Risk-Based Inspection and Maintenance in Power and Process Plants in Europe’. Nuclear Engineering and Design 226 (2003) 165-182.
[4] API RP 580. Risk-Based Inspection, 1st Edition. Washington DC: American Petroleum Institute, 2002.
[5] G.L Gall, A. Jovanovic, M. Renner, J. Szabo et al. ‘Risk-Based Inspection and Maintenance Procedures for European Industry’, RIMAP CEN Workshop (2007).
outages and improving prime production time when the RBI/RBM was applied. Similarly, a petrochemical plant showed a 5% increase in production and a 10% reduction in maintenance cost without any increase in HSE risks with a similar RBI/RBM strategy [9]. Many of the hydrocarbon plants in Malaysia are also undertaking RBI/RBM activities but the economic impacts have not been widely shared within the industry or not available for public consumption.
CONCLuSION
An unfortunate disaster resulting from an equipment failure in a hydrocarbon plant or facility will affect the operating company’s business and market share, not forgetting the legal actions that may be initiated upon it. The impact of this failure can be in terms of monetary loss since the higher the impact, the more money it will cost the operator. This will distort the operating company’s cash flow and Returnson-Investment (ROI) as well as denting its products market share. It could also tarnish the company’s reputation for a long time such that it may take years for it to regain its business stature prior to the disaster, if that ever materialises again.
Besides investing in safeguarding mechanism and the continuous training of the company’s personnel, investment in a systematic physical infrastructure assets management is critical to prevent any untoward accidents from happening due to a plant’s equipment failure. RBI/RBM has proven to provide major impacts on the oil, gas and petrochemical industry by introducing a strategy that is based on equipment prioritisation and integrating the maintenance decisionmaking with the calculated risk involved. It has resulted in an optimised maintenance planning and scheduling, an optimised inspection planning and scheduling, and has rationalised equipment spares inventory without compromising the plant’s operational safety.
Cost savings are gained by not spending the capital at hand earlier than necessary. Although there are limitations and difficulties in RBI/RBM implementation, continuous developments are being made to enhance the risk assessment approach so as to make it less rigorous. There is no single clear and hassle-free strategy to guarantee that an accident would never happen but a systematic and structured method will definitely minimise the risk to the lowest state possible. n
[6] N.S Arunraj and J. Maiti. ‘Risk-Based Maintenance Techniques and Applications’. Journal of Hazardous Materials 142 (2007) 653 – 661.
[7] GE Energy Oil and Gas. ‘Post Inspection Evaluation’ http://www.gepower. com/pii, accessed on 15 June 2009.
[8] J.B Wintle, and B.W Kenzie ‘Best Practice for Risk Based Inspection as a Part of Integrity Management’ http://www.hse.gov.uk/research, accessed on 15 June 2009.
[9] Jens P. Tronskar. ‘Application of Risk and Reliability Methods for Developing Equipment Maintenance Strategy’, 5th Annual Plant Reliability and Maintenance Conference, Bangkok, Thailand (30 Nov 2004).
evaluating risk using COPe
COPe is an acronym which stands for the four characteristics an underwriter reviews [1] when evaluating the risk presented by a building: Construction, Occupancy, Protection and Exposure.
Although the COPE approach has traditionally been used to evaluate the risk presented by existing buildings, this approach can also be used to manage the risk presented by a project. By classifying risks into the four groups of Construction, Occupancy, Protection and Exposure, an engineer can systematically identify and manage the key risks associated with a project. This will ensure that the final product is a building with a low risk. In this article, we will show how the COPE approach can be used by project engineers to build a low risk building. This advice is based on FM Global’s extensive experience and expertise in project risk management.
Before we begin, it is worthwhile to talk about why risk management is important. Studies have shown that companies with strong physical risk management deliver more stable earnings [2]. Businesses with strong physical risk management programs produced earnings that fluctuate an average of 18%, compared to an average
by Ir. Loo Chee Kin
earnings volatility of more than 30% among companies with weak physical risk management practices. The best kind of risk management not only stops bad things from happening, but also has a positive impact on the bottom line for companies.
COnstruCtiOn
Plastic has been labelled as an environment unfriendly material in many ways. In risk management, most common plastics are a similar foe too. Plastics are used as pipe insulation, insulated wall panels, exhaust ducts, cable insulation, skylights and corrosive material bench. Small and large scale fire tests have shown that ordinary plastics will ignite easily and burn rapidly. Burning plastic typically releases heavy dense smoke, fumes, as well as toxic and corrosive gases. Fire retardants are added to plastics to make them safer. But not all plastic additives and formulations are the same. Large scale fire tests will validate the plastics that are fire safe. FM Approvals [3] maintains a list of such test materials. Plastic materials used for cleanrooms (such as in semiconductor or pharmaceutical plants) should inherently be fire safe. Materials meeting the FM 4910 test protocol have the heat, smoke and combustion gases measured during the test and damage indexes developed.
A building will have to be built to code as a minimum. It would have been ideal if the building only consisted of four-sided solid brick walls with a well-installed roof. However, due to occupancy requirements, buildings are made multi-floors with different areas for various uses.
Figure 1: Fire testing at the FM Global Research Centre, fire on storage racks without any form of active fire protection. The fire was well developed within five minutes
Figure 2: Storage racks with an installed in-rack automatic sprinkler system
This introduces hazards that need to be segregated and, typically, these separations will be with fire rated walls. On any wall, there will be openings made for people and material movement and these need to be protected. The weakest fire wall is the penetration with the lowest fire rating. As such, personnel doorway needs to have fire doors or shutters. Utility, ducts and cable penetrations need to have fire stops installed. Additionally, the conveyor of the material handling system needs to be stopped, the conveyor tracks parted and the wall opening closed automatically. A breach in a fire wall will allow smoke, heat, ambers and even flames to travel to the other side.
Depending on the occupancy hazard and available protection, fire resistive rated construction may be needed. An all steel frame building will collapse in minutes when it is exposed to the heat from a fire – steel loses about half its strength when heated to temperatures of 540°C or higher. Often, steel structures in warehouses storing flammable liquids will need building columns and overhead steel protection. When the occupancy handles materials that have a high explosive potential, the building needs to be engineered such that the explosion impact is controlled. The engineering of this is with damage-limiting construction (DLC). DLC will have two components; pressure-resistant and relieving elements. The internal wall, floor and roof construction are designed to resist the overpressures caused by a deflagration. As the explosion energy needs to be dissipated, pressure relieving construction is needed. This will come in the form of lightweight, exterior wall panels designed to barely resist design wind loads and yet are easily released during a deflagration.
There is a common English idiom that states, ‘Don’t put all your eggs in one basket’. The same holds true when planning a site. Larger properties are generally subdivided into fire areas to limit the spread of fire. Horizontal fire spread is limited by space separations between buildings or by maximum foreseeable loss (MFL) fire walls [4]. In multi-storey buildings, it is a bit more complex as vertical fire spread from one storey to another needs to be limited by floor construction, exterior wall construction, and by enclosures around stairways, elevator shafts and other openings.
OCCuPanCy
Occupancy related risk can be as varied as the type of goods we see on a supermarket shelf. Every manufacturing location has dissimilar hazards. The fire risk in a warehouse could be devastating as the neat storage arrangement will allow quick fire spread to create an intense fire. A semiconductor facility uses various types of flammable, pyrophoric, corrosive and toxic liquid and gases. Additionally, in their ultra cleanrooms, any small incident from a fire, chemical spills or accidental release will cause major contamination to the controlled environment.
There are many occupancy hazards in today’s specialised industry that requires specific engineering knowledge. In occupancy risk identification, an engineer will need to work very closely with the client, other engineers and stakeholders. The site’s production process has to be understood in detail, as at this stage, the occupancy risks that have been identified will dictate the construction to contain the risk and also determine the level of protection that may be needed.
At times, the occupancy risk could be overlooked or under-quantified. Typical of most manufacturing locations, there will be a separate area for raw material, work-inprogress and finished goods. Depending on the storage or staging configuration, these could resemble a store or warehouse, and the storage racks in those areas should be protected as such. Where the storage area is large or there is exposure to the production area, the warehouse should be separated by appropriate fire walls.
PrOteCtiOn
Protection falls into two broad classes: active and passive. Passive was discussed previously, while active protection comes in many forms. Most engineers would be familiar with fire protection. There are other forms of protection being put in place to prevent a hazardous condition, take action for proper control, intervene on an upset condition, or activate when the condition is out of control.
Take, for instance, the example of a powder spray paint booth, ventilation is provided to prevent the accumulation of dust to dangerous concentrations. The spray gun is interlocked from spraying until an exhaust flow is detected in the face of the booth. Infrared or ultraviolet detectors may be needed to detect a spark or fire from the spray gun, and to shut the entire system if needed. The system may be equipped with a booth protection to control a localised fire. For complete fire protection, an automatic sprinkler system is needed as the fire could persist and continue to consume the fugitive residual powder. Other preventive protection is provided to control ignition sources such as hazardous location rated electrical equipment (commonly known as explosion proof equipment, but should not be exclusive to these types of equipment), bonding and grounding.
Taking the above example further, there are more hazards in handling the exhaust or powder recycling system. There will typically be a dust explosion risk. Thus an explosion protection system is needed. This can be in the form of explosion vents on the cyclone or bag collectors. Whenever there are multi-spray booths, an explosion suppression system or fast-acting isolation gates may be needed to prevent a cascading explosion between equipment.
To take a different approach, when flammable liquids are handled, special fire protection may be needed.
For bulk tanks, a foam-water sprinkler system would be most suitable. The foam-water sprinkler system forms a blanket over the pool fire and snuffs out the fire. It should be noted that foam-water sprinkler systems are more complex than standard sprinkler systems, and are most suited for flammable-liquid floor-spill fire ( i.e. a two-dimensional spill fire) in places such as aircraft hangars, flammable liquid stations and single-level flammable-liquid product manufacturing/processing/storage facilities.
When such flammable liquid fire risk is present in equipment, the option would be to protect it with a fixed fire suppression system. Special protection systems that are available include gaseous protection (such as carbon dioxide or FM-200), fine water spray or water mist. It should be noted that these protection systems are to be used in hazards and configurations of which the system has been tested and approved for. A system that worked successfully in a small test may not necessarily extinguish a fire in a large enclosure. For example, an FM-200 system that works well to extinguish a wet bench fire does not mean it will put out a gas turbine fire despite the system being up scaled in the same ratio. A list of FM Approved special protection systems and their intended applications can be found online. [3]
In many cases, automatic sprinklers have proven to be the best and most cost effective protection to most occupancies. With one set of fire pump and water supply, a large building or even a campus project can be protected. Sprinklers are an environmentally sustainable [5] risk management answer for fire protection.
exPOsure
Exposure is all around. There are usually two main forms of exposure. For any site, there will be direct exposure which surrounds the facility. The second is natural hazard exposure.
The first exposure is something that is within the control of the owner during site selection. For a proposed printing facility, the owner should not select a site that has an adjacent cement plant for obvious reasons; dust can affect their prints. Other exposures that need to be considered are the availability of stable, reliable utilities in the area. Early consultation with utility providers (TNB, JBA, gas, etc .) would help the engineer get the appropriate utility systems’ reliability-availability data or their commitment on infrastructure development.
Natural hazard exposure is no stranger to us. This can be in the form of earthquake, rain, flood, freeze, snow, volcano eruption, lightning, windstorm and hail. There are other location specific hazards such as landslide, brush fire and, for location on the coast, tsunami and tidal surges. Fortunately for us in Malaysia, most of the colder climate natural hazards are not an relevent. However, engineers still need to consider soil movement, rain, flood and strong wind exposure hazards.
Most losses that are due to natural hazard can be prevented. The hindrance for an engineer or owner to manage these risks can be due to [6]:
● Risk underestimation – people may understand the risk, but assume that future disasters would not happen to them. The classic line is, “I have been here for 10 years and my place has never flooded.”
● Procrastination – the natural tendency to postpone taking action, especially if it involves investing time and money to address the risk through actions such as putting in a floodgate to basement entrances.
● Short-term focus – the difficulty of computing the cost-benefit of disaster preparedness. If a plant manager invests in a new machine, production goes up, but if he adds in seismic dampers or bracing, he gets nothing till an earthquake actually occurs!
In flood mitigation, the higher the better, meaning the site should be as high from any body of water as possible. In hydrology, flood severity is normally designated by a recurrence interval of the flood (i.e. 25-year, 100-year, 500year). The recurrence interval of an event gives the average length of time between occurrences. See the following table:
So what does this mean? If a location is built on a 25-year recurrence interval flood level, should the plant be around for five years, the chance of flooding is 18.13% and if it was occupied for 50 years, the chance increases to 86.47%. So, by building a plant at the 500-year recurrence level, the probability of flooding would be drastically reduced
Figure 3: Example of a site platform being elevated higher that the surrounding
to 9.52% if the client were to occupy the premises for 50 years. As such, the best option to engineer the floor risk is to elevate the site higher than the 500-year flood level. As part of the engineering practice, a margin of safety should be included – floodwaters are not known to be still and would have waves and velocity flow.
For existing locations, elevating the platform would not be possible – more so when the facility has below ground spaces. In these locations, engineered flood structures or defences are needed. This includes levees, floodgates, pumps, etc . Irrespective of the engineered system, it has to operate fast, be water tight, as well as be able to withstand the hydrostatic loads, hydrodynamic loads, breaking wave action and debris impact.
the FiFth FaCtOr
When engineering has taken care of the COPE, there is still a fifth factor. This comes into play as an element that can provide a stop-gap measure for something that cannot be engineered; or it can be a factor that could make the engineer go back to the drawing board. The fifth factor is people, or better known as the human element in risk management circles. It should be acknowledged that every engineered facility will be used by man. When the facility is operated and maintained well, it will serve them well.
However, when safeguards fail or when there is a system breakdown, people are expected to take emergency action. Having a proper emergency response plan (ERP) in place will ensure that when an incident happens, people will take the appropriate action to mitigate the situation and put the recovery plan in action.
It can be argued that such an emergency happened in the first place because the engineering had failed. But any system owner will point out that one cannot over engineer the safeguards, otherwise the project will become unviable or the equipment will not operate appropriately. For example, a rice cooker can break down, yet the majority of us would not keep a spare cooker – at most, they may have a spare cylinder of gas. To expand further, there are only so many emergency brakes that can be provided on an elevator to prevent it from freefalling.
If there is a detailed evaluation of the COPE risk, proper planning can be made and resources can be allocated for it. This would typically be a business contingency plan (BCP) or a disaster recovery plan (DRP). Engineering backup can be provided in those plans, such as having a hot site, disaster recovery locations, duplication of records or providing redundancy. Redundancy could be in the form of secondary utility lines, spares or n+1 approach for critical equipment.
COnClusiOn
The COPE approach can be successfully used to manage the risks during a project to ensure that the final product is a low risk building. The Construction, Occupancy,
Protection and Exposure factors would be different in every project. For example, in a chemical factory, the occupancy hazard would be the highest and, as such, warrants the highest protection level for the risk faced. On the other hand, in a dam project, the exposure risk would be the highest, which needs to be addressed by construction. By following best practices and proper design standards, a balance between these four factors can be achieved.
The human element is important for proper facility operation. The engineering should be planned in such a way that the facility or system can be easily operated and maintained. If the latter is lacking, the possibility of an emergency happening is greater. Thus the engineering cycle starts again, that is to address or reduce the risk by engineering.
There is no single answer for any particular project. An engineering team effort is required to identify the risk and propose the COPE solutions. When the engineers make the risk evaluation and engineering recommendations, they will need to consider other interested parties and stakeholders as well, such as the authorities, safety, insurance, environment, sustainability and the community in general. n
reFerenCes:
[1] International Risk Management Institute “Glossary of Insurance and Risk Management Terms.” Available online at www.irmi.com
[2] FM Global, “Risk/Earnings Ratio Study - New Perspective for Achieving Bottom-Line Stability ”, May 2010
[3] FM Approval Guide, http://www.approvalguide.com/
[4] FM Global Property Loss Prevention Data Sheet 1-22 “Maximum Foreseeable Loss”, June 2009.
[5] FM Global, “Flirting with Natural Disasters - Why Companies Risk It All”, August 2010
[6] Christopher J, et al, “Environmental Impact of Automatic Sprinklers”, FM Global Research Technical Report, April 2010
About the author:
Figure 4: Example of a flood door to a below ground space
Periodic inspection of Buildings
by Ir. Lim Boon Chye
Our government had enacted an Act in 1994 for the mandatory inspection of all buildings exceeding five storeys to be carried out at intervals of 10 years by a Professional Engineer. The purpose of this periodic inspection is to ascertain the condition and structural integrity of the buildings and to avoid major incidences such as:
● Severe cracks in integral structural elements, e.g. main beams and columns which may lead to failure and collapse
● Severe corrosion of reinforcing bars in structures
● Cracks and/or tilt in retaining walls, etc.
This is stipulated in the government enacted Street, Drainage and Building Act, 1974 (Act 133), Amended 1994, Act A903, Section 85A – Periodical Inspection of Buildings. However, to date, the engineering community has not heard of any enforcement of this Act by the authorities concerned.
Building inspections has been carried out as needed, and usually at the request of private owners or prospective owners of existing buildings. Such inspections has also been carried out on government buildings sporadically. In many cases, it is carried out after an incident such as a fire outbreak, an earthquake tremor, the collapse of a nearby slope or the appearance of large cracks in the structural element of the building.
PeriOdical insPectiOn Of Buildings (act a903, sectiOn 85a)
In most cases, the owner of deteriorating buildings may be reluctant to carry out a proper inspection of their property. However, with this Act, the local authority has the power to issue an official notice to owners of such buildings to get their premises inspected by professional engineers. This notice must be complied within the stipulated time as stated in the notice (usually 60 days).
If the owner fails to comply, the authority may inspect the building or appoint an engineer to carry out such an inspection and recover the cost from the owner.
The engineer will carry out a preliminary inspection (by visual survey) before preparing and submitting a report together with the Visual Inspection Certification Form (to be endorsed by a professional engineer) to the authorities. If he has reason to suspect that the structural integrity of the building is being compromised, he may also recommend for an immediate full structural investigation to be carried out.
The full structural investigation may involve structural analysis, load test, non-destructive test (NDT), e.g. rebound hammer test,
ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) to check the strength of the structure, half cell potential test to check corrosion and the use of monitoring devices.
Here, the engineer will analyse and evaluate the test results and, if required, recommend the repairs or action to be carried out. Again, this report must be submitted to the authorities together with the Structural Inspection Certification Form (to be endorsed by a professional engineer).
If urgent repairs are required and are then carried out accordingly, the engineer will issue the Completion of Remedial Work Certification Form (to be endorsed by a professional engineer) to the authorities.
The costs of such work, including inspections and repairs, are to be borne by the owner of the affected building.
As stated in the Act, failure to take the necessary measures to rectify the defects recommended by the engineer may lead to the conviction of a fine not exceeding RM100,000 or imprisonment not exceeding five years or both.
Benefits
Buildings are usually exposed to the weather and will deteriorate with time. Also, if maintenance is lacking, the structure will be under distress or strain.
New construction projects adjacent to a building, as well as renovation works or realignment of drains and poor maintenance of slopes may affect its foundation. A visual inspection by an experienced professional engineer will
be able to detect and highlight such danger signs so that remedial action may be taken immediately.
Therefore, this Act, if fully implemented, may help to alleviate, mitigate or even pre-empt the occurrence of a building collapsing or similar mishaps.
The safety of the users and members of the public is of utmost importance. The collapse of any building, whether low rise or high rise, may lead to the tragic loss of lives and severe loss of the property. It is also bad publicity for the government locally and internationally.
By managing their assets prudently, the government and country will save on major costly repair works. Minor defects will be highlighted during such inspections and can be rectified with minimum cost.
Additionally, the enforcement of this Act will require the services of professional civil engineers. Besides providing work opportunities, the interaction between the authorities, engineers and owners may lead to creating awareness among the rakyat on the importance of the work of civil and structural engineers and even promote the caring image of engineers.
cOnclusiOn
Malaysians have a habit of reacting only after the occurrence of a tragedy. In such an event, the rakyat may even accuse the engineering community of inaction and incompetence. Let us be proactive and help prevent a tragedy. n
1Sudoku centerpiece "1"
by Mr. lim teck guan
About the puzzle:
In this Sudoku variant, only 1 number is given as clue, thus the name 1Sudoku. The rest of the clues are given in the numbered cages (the dotted frame encompassing 2 or more squares). You are to search for the right combinations to fit the total for the cages and end up with a Sudoku Grid, the 9 by 9 composite of squares where there is no repeat of the number 1 to 9 in every Row, Column or Block.
Fill in the remaining 80 squares with single digits 1-9 such that there is no repeat of the digit in every Row, Column and Block. The number at the top left hand corner of the dotted cage indicates the total for the digits that the cage encompasses.
for tips on solving, visit www.1sudoku.com.my Twin Tree Publishing Answer is in the following pages of this edition.
an introduction to risk Management
risk management is an issue that affects all aspects of life. There is a general idea of what risk entails, what activities and assets are ‘risky’, and a desire to achieve acceptable levels of risk. In the engineering sphere, the definition of risk is a little more precise, so that comparisons of risk against a common scale are possible, and quantitative assessments may be made. This allows for the comparison of the various risks that are present as well as to determine the efforts required to reduce risks to acceptable levels.
The chemical process industry (CPI), particularly the oil and gas industry, has experienced several unfortunate major events, which have contributed to a negative image of the CPI in terms of the level of risk. One such event was the 6 July 1988 Piper Alpha incident, which resulted in 167 deaths and 10% loss in the North Sea oil and gas production. It is the worst offshore oil disaster in terms of lives lost, and had a major impact on the safety standards of the offshore petroleum industry.
Another incident was the Exxon Valdez oil spill on 24 March 1989 where between 260,000 and 750,000 barrels (41,000m3 to 119,000m3) of crude oil was spilt. A more recent accident was the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, also known as the Gulf of Mexico oil spill or the BP oil spill. It is the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry.
risk
Risk can be defined as the ‘combination of the frequency of occurrences of harm, and the severity of that harm’. Another way of defining it is as the ‘product of the probability or likelihood of a hazard resulting in an adverse event, times the severity of the event’. Based on these definitions, there is an interaction between the severity of an event and the likelihood of the occurrence of the event. ‘Low’ and ‘high risk’ are considered a qualitative assessment of a risk. A low risk scenario may involve a very severe outcome (e.g multiple fatalities, significant environmental impact), but a very low frequency of occurrence.
Various tools are used to depict risk and assist in the risk management decision-making process. Among the common methods is the use of a risk matrix. Severity of harm is shown on one axis, and likelihood of the harm’s occurrence is depicted on the other. The matrix can be coloured to indicate the different risk levels of high, medium and low (see Figure 1).
A sample data used to define risk is shown in Figure 2. In this case, the frequency (fatalities per 10,000 vehicles) and the severity (fatality) are used to determine whether the activity meets the definition of acceptable risk (i.e. a maximum number of fatalities per 10,000). Note that the graph does not define what is an acceptable risk, i.e. what number of fatalities is acceptable.
vehicles
(Source: Overview of Current Road Safety Situation in Malaysia, En. Mohd. Nizam bin Mustafa, Highway Planning Unit, Road Safety Section, Ministry of Works)
The definition of risk is related to the definition of safety, which is ‘freedom from unacceptable risk’. Unacceptable risk is defined by the project stakeholders, either encompassed in a definitive statement (cost to reduce the occurrence of a fatality is set at a maximum limit) or a quantitative comparison (risks must be lower than a certain level of tolerance).
by Ir. Razmahwata bin Mohd. Razalli
Figure 1: A sample of a risk assessment matrix
Figure 2: Road fatalities per 10,000
risk ManageMent
Risk management is the identification, assessment and prioritisation of, followed by the coordination and economical application of resources to minimise, monitor and control the probability and/or impact of the occurrence of harm. Therefore, risk management focuses on the risks inherent in an activity or an asset, and takes appropriate countermeasures so that the risk becomes acceptable.
Risk management should be implemented in a logical manner. Humans have a tendency to perceive recent occurrences as having a higher risk now than before the accident occurred. Those responsible for risk management should be aware that even though there is a requirement to take action in response to an accident, a proper analysis (cost-benefit screening for instance), needs to be conducted to ensure the extensiveness of the response is tempered in light of the benefits obtained, and the desired risk reduction is achieved without implementing excessive measures.
Risk management should not be taken in isolation. It should be an integral part of the design philosophy. In the oil and gas industry, it is engrained in the engineer’s methodology to manage risks as part of the engineering process. At the design stage, documents such as the API RP 14C (Recommended Practice for Analysis, Design, Installation and Testing of Basic Surface Safety Systems for Offshore Production Platforms) and API 521 (Pressurerelieving and Depressuring Systems) are referred to. These documents will provide guidance as to what measures should be in place to achieve the minimum acceptable levels of risk.
In addressing safety issues, the consequences of risks are typically broken down into various categories, for example, safety, environmental impact, public relations, commercial and financial. Each consequence is evaluated according to the appropriate category. Each category may have a different weighting, which subsequently determines the suitable response to address the risk. For example, every risk consequence identified in the environmental impact category will have to be reduced, whereas risks in the commercial category will only be addressed if their risk ranking is categorised as ‘medium’ or ‘high’.
Milestones and deliverables should be included in the project to address risk management. One example would be the production of a safety philosophy document at the start of the engineering phase, defining the approach that will be taken for risk mitigation. The document provides guidance when a hardware approach to risk management is applicable, and it will recommend procedural methods in a case where a hardware implementation would be economically unreasonable. Another document that may be considered is the Safety Memorandum and Process Safety Flow Scheme (PFSF). This document is used as a record for specific safety concerns related to instrumentation and devices. Formal safety reviews may be conducted at appropriate stages of the design, thus facilitating a forum for discussion.
Engineering addresses risk management by either eliminating the cause or mitigating the severity of the risk. Elimination attempts to reduce the frequency of harmful occurrences to zero. One such method can be encapsulated in the title of a paper written by Trevor Kletz ‘What you don’t have, can’t leak’. For example, if a design can be improved such that a required hazardous substance, such as a reaction intermediate product, does not have to be present in significant quantities, then risks associated with that product can be reduced if not eliminated. It is worth noting that this idea has been introduced following the Flixborough disaster on 1 June 1974.
Another application of the ‘elimination’ strategy is that if the storage of materials is required, eliminate the risk of accident by isolating the storage site far away from people. This principal could have been applied to the 19 November 1894 San Juanico disaster, where the town was allowed to be built around a liquid petroleum gas (LPG) terminal.
Mitigating a risk involves reducing the severity of harm. In most cases, mitigation methods favourably reduce the occurrence of that harm as well. One example would be the installation of isolation systems that could limit the magnitude of a chemical release if the process was breached, causing a leak or a rupture. The isolation systems would assist in limiting the inventory accessible to the breach point, preventing a larger amount of substance to be spilled, or in the case of hydrocarbons, decreasing the probability for the substance to reach an ignition source and escalating the leak into a fire scenario.
Another example would be the application of a firewater or fire fighting system to reduce the severity of a fire. A properly designed system would provide cooling facilities for unit operations that were on fire to prevent further mechanical failure, as well as prevent the escalation of the event by cooling adjacent units that may be damaged or ignited due to the ongoing event.
ConClusion
Risk management in engineering is an integral part of the process, to deliver a product that does not expose workers, the environment and the public at large to unacceptable risks. An understanding and appreciation of risks needs to be incorporated into the engineering exercise. A good balance between capital expenditure against benefits gained from risk reduction is required, to allow for an optimum return on investment. n The Editorial Board would like to apologise to the author, Ir. Lee Boon Chong, for publishing the wrong version of the forum "Talk on Project Learning for Sustainable Innovativeness and Competitive Advantage" in the May issue of the Bulletin. errata
Structural Design to eurocodes: EC4 (Composite Construction) and Fire Engineering Course
by Ir. Chan Zhi Han and Engr.
a two-day course on “Structural Design to Eurocodes –EC4 (Composite Construction) and Fire Engineering” was jointly organised by the Civil and Structural Engineering Technical Division of IEM and the Institution of Structural Engineers, Malaysia Division, on 22-23 November 2010. Held at Armada Hotel PJ, the course was supported by the Board of Engineers, Malaysia and the Malaysian Structural Steel Association.
The speakers invited for the course were Professor Roger Plank, currently the Head at the School of Architecture of the University of Sheffield, and Dr Buick Davidson, also from the University of Sheffield. Both the speakers have 30 years of experience in steel construction and were heavily involved in the development of Eurocodes.
The course, chaired by Ir. Assoc. Prof. Dr Sooi Took Kwong, was attended by 119 participants. Prof. Plank started the course by introducing the Eurocodes and gave a brief overview of the codes, particularly EC1: Actions of Structures and EC4: Composite Construction. While in principle there are similarities between EC4 and BS5950: Parts 3.1, 3.2 and 4, there are also some notable differences, especially on the extensive usage of suffices in terms of conventions. Prof. Plank then moved on to elaborate on the Eurocode system, basis of design, structural loading, material properties, design at the ultimate and serviceability limit state.
Next, Dr Davidson touched on the benefits of composite construction in terms of architectural, economy and functionality. Concrete being efficient in compression, and steel being efficient in tension, complement each other by enhancing ductility and providing protection against fire and corrosion. He showed various examples to illustrate the application of composite structures with direct reference to the Eurocodes.
One of the principal design checks under Ultimate Limit State for composite beam is to ensure that shear connectors must have sufficient deformation capacity to allow shear redistribution before any connector failure. He stressed that continuous beams are beneficial because higher span/depth ratios can be utilised for a given deflection and the floor structure typically has a higher natural frequency to avoid resonating with humaninduced vibration, which will compromise the comfort level of the building.
In the next session, Dr Buick talked about the behaviour of composite slab acting as formwork for wet concrete. One has to be careful of the ponding effect where the depth of concrete increases due to the deflection of sheeting. Profiled steel sheeting must be capable of transmitting horizontal shear at the interface with concrete, and it is insufficient to rely on bond only. Steel sheeting must have indentations (known as embossments) or ‘frictional interlock’ where the lateral pressure is contributed from the shrinkage of concrete in re-entrants profiles.
Once the concrete has hardened, steel sheeting and concrete combine to form a composite slab, which is similar to a conventional RC slab. However, a longitudinal slip may occur before a steel deck yields. As such, the interaction between steel sheeting and concrete may not be fully effective and may lead to flexural or shear-bond failure.
Prof. Plank presented the different types of composite columns that provide good structural performance during the final session of the first day. Although the fabrication for a composite column is complex, it is compensated by an increased axial compression resistance and bending capacity, contributed by steel section, concrete and reinforcements.
Structural fire engineering design in accordance to Eurocodes was presented on the second day of the course. To ensure stability in the event of a building fire, traditional ways are often inflexible and can be expensive. Prof. Plank stated that the new codes have radically changed this and include extensive details of alternative approaches which designers can adopt to achieve structural fire resistance.
The effects of fire should be considered as an accidental limit state. The two most important points mentioned were the introduction of load reduction factors at accidental limit state, and the alteration of material properties as temperature increases not only to steel but to concrete as well. Therefore, it is necessary to apply passive protection.
A variety of systems are available, one of the most commonly used in the United Kingdom is intumescent coatings. There are two basic methods in the Eurocode and BS5950 to determine fire resistance in beams and columns, i.e. a structural performance-based approach and a temperature-based approach. The latter is only applicable when no stability or deflection problems are found.
Yap Ooi Kheng
Following that, Dr Buick explained that light timber structures generally rely on protection such as gypsum boards for fire resistance. On the contrary, heavy timber construction has better fire resistance as a result of charring, which protects the undamaged timber within. As for concrete, it has good fire resistance due to poor conductivity and good insulation, even if its structural properties deteriorate at high temperature.
However, he cautioned that spalling (the separation of concrete from structure’s surface) may occur and expose the reinforcements beneath. One method to minimise risk is to introduce polypropylene fibres to help dissipate water vapour on heating. Prof. Plank ended the course by sharing the results from full-scale fire tests and whole-structure modelling to simulate a realistic analysis of structures exposed to fire. n
Mobile adhoc network (Manet): An Overview
a talk on “Mobile Adhoc Network (MANET): An Overview” by Dr Morris Ezra was conducted on 27 January 2011. Attended by 16 participants, the talk was organised by the Engineering Education Technical Division.
MANET is an autonomous system of mobile routers (and associated hosts) connected by wireless links, the union of which forms an arbitrary graph. The routers are free to move randomly and organise themselves randomly, whereby the network may change rapidly and unpredictably. Sensor nodes comprise sensing, data processing and communication components that build up the adhoc networks. Due to the lack of infrastructure support, each node acts as a router to forward data packets for other nodes.
The system can be classified into two main entities: i) Server and ii) Client, where adhoc networking is like a big community in which the time taken to traverse the network can be up to seconds. This mobile adhoc network has many advantages compared to typical wireless networks in the aspects of on-demand setup, fault tolerance and unconstrained connectivity.
by Engr. Balamuralithara
Research level efforts are still ongoing to design algorithms for mobile adhoc networks.
Dr Ezra highlighted a few issues such as topology pattern and power control, which remain major hindrances for this network to be applied for domestic use. On the other hand, the performance of the system is mainly defined by the effectiveness, efficiency and router properties. These attributes are critical in the construction of the system.
Currently, MANET is used in defence systems for battlefields, but a modified version of MANET called VANET (Vehicular Adhoc Network) is being introduced to pass traffic information between vehicles, which in turn provides more information to the driver or GPS system to plan a new route in case of traffic obstacles. At the same time, this network system can be used in areas hit by a disaster where the cellular and fixed line infrastructure has taken a massive hit. The applications using this system are very wide and are slowly developing. More research and development activities are being carried out in order to adapt MANET for daily use. n
With deep regret, we wish to inform that ir. lee Sing Pen (M 02327) had passed away on 1 May 2011. On behalf of the IEM Council and management, we wish to convey our condolence to his family and acknowledge his past support and contribution to the Institution.
Ir. Lee had been actively involved with the IEM Technical Committees in the drafting of the Malaysian National Annexes in adopting structural Eurocode standards for the design of concrete structures, design for earthquake resistance and also design for wind actions.
With deep regret, we wish to inform that ir. Chuah Chin Kah (M 09213) had passed away on 22 August 2010. On behalf of the IEM Council and management, we wish to convey our condolence to his family.
Balakrishnan
engineering eDuCation teChniCal DiviSion
technical talk on “area-based Slope Hazard assessment”
an evening talk by Ir. Dr Mohd. Asbi bin Othman on “Area-based Slope Hazard Assessment” was delivered on 30 November 2010 at Wisma IEM. The talk was attended by 65 members. Ir. Dr Mohd. Asbi began his lecture with a definition of landslide hazard and went on to discuss landslide assessment methods, which include the geotechnical approach, and the direct and indirect methods.
Next, he provided an overview of the methods to assess landslide susceptibility, which include geomorphological mapping, heuristic analysis which is index-based, analysis of inventories, statistical modelling and process-based method. Data required for the use of these methods were discussed. These methods were further classified as direct method, indirect method, qualitative method and quantitative method, as illustrated in Table 1.
Ir. Dr Mohd. Asbi went on to talk about the direct method with the use of a geomorphological map, ground
Answer for 1Sudoku published on page 20 of this issue.
by Ir. Lee Eng Choy
Date location of Slope Failure
11.12.1993 Highland Tower
14.05.1999 Bukit Antarabangsa, Ampang-Ulu Klang
15.05.1999 Athanaeum Towers, Ulu Klang
05.10.2000 Bukit Antarabangsa
29.10.2001 Taman Zoo View, Ulu Klang
08.11.2001 Taman Zoo View, Ulu Klang
20.11.2002 Taman Hill View
02.11.2003 Condominiums in Bukit Antarabangsa
07.11.2003 Jalan Bukit Mulia, Bukit Antarabangsa, Ulu Klang
31.01.2005 Jalan Tebrau in Dataran Ukay, Ulu Klang
01.02.2005 Jalan Tebrau, Dataran Ukay, Ulu Klang
31.05.2006 Taman Zoo View - Kg. Pasir, Ulu Klang
behaviour map and planning guidance map. He discussed the strengths of the direct method, which provides a direct assessment of the area and is highly accurate. The weakness of this method is the requirement of an extensive geomorphological map. It is suitable only for small areas and requires intensive manpower to implement in addition to the requirement for regular updates.
The selection of appropriate techniques for hazard assessment depends on the nature of the problem, the observation scale and the availability of data. Landslides are local phenomena controlled by a variety of internal and external factors.
Ir. Dr Mohd. Asbi illustrated area-based hazard assessment with the recently completed study of the Hulu Kelang area, an area covering about 100km 2 stretching from Cheras to the north of Taman Melawati. This area has witnessed a series of landslides as illustrated in Table 2.
Ir. Dr Mohd. Asbi discussed the assessment methods used and enumerated the stages of study which include geomorphological mapping in phase 1 of the study. This was accomplished by the combined use of LiDAR and field mapping works. Phase 2 included the preparation of the hazard map and required documentation.
Ir. Dr Mohd. Asbi ended his lecture with a lengthy discussion with the participants during the question and answer session n
Table 1: Landslide assessment methods
Table 2: Slope failures in Hulu Kelang
talk on ‘Balanced approach as a Lady engineer ’
the following is an extract of the talk on “Balanced Approach as a Lady Engineer” presented by Puan Siti Rosnah Ghafar during the tea party gathering organised by the Women Engineer Sub-committee on 20 March 2010.
Women generally have to play many roles, as a career woman, wife, mother, daughter, sister, etc. Balancing the demands of their career as an engineer and the demands of the other roles is vital in ensuring sustainable and continuous success.
The question is, can women engineers really take the ‘abundance’ approach, i.e. be successful in their career as well as personal life? Is being an engineer our true calling?
Women have many natural gifts, i.e. emotional intelligence, attention to detail and the ability to multitask. At the same time, women also possess weaknesses such as lacking in physical strength, prone to distraction, lack discernment, distinction and analytical capabilities as well as limited mobility.
Women engineers can capitalise on their natural gifts in their daily lives. They can seek to achieve a personal balance as they fulfil their role as an engineer in many ways. They naturally have the gift of the gab, which is an advantage when liaising with clients, sales and marketing, event organising, project coordination and lecturing. They also have the innate ability to listen attentively, emphatically and compassionately, which gives them the upper hand in dispute resolution and contract negotiation.
Patience is ideal for women engineers engaged in research and development as they do not get bored doing the same things year in year out. The development of new patents, guidelines and standards, as well as bench marking requires patience. The caring nature of women comes in handy when dealing with information management,
by
document control, quality assurance, audit checks and health safety and environmental works which require diligence and attention to detail.
Good writers are generally in high demand, more so in engineering works involving letter writing, specifications, reports, technical notes, etc. In these areas, women have the advantage due to their attention to detail.
Multi-tasking is without doubt an area where women engineers are the champions. With their experience of multi-tasking at home, they can become good managers of projects and organisations.
If women engineers persistently carry out their jobs with joy using their natural gifts and talents, not only can they achieve perfection in their contribution as engineers, it also allows them to increase their performance in all aspects of their lives.
Women engineers can also seek balance in their relationship with others by adopting positive values and habits when dealing with employers, clients, public, etc., which are imperative to being productive and happy in their profession. Conventional wisdom suggests the development of a healthy self-esteem via a win-win approach in life.
The acceptance and respect of one’s identity as a woman, and the respect for both parties are necessary for win-win deals. Understanding the gifts and abilities of women engineers and choosing job functions that capitalise on their strength will maximise their contributions.
Women engineers should view their job not as a chore but as something they love doing. Peak performance and achievements are more likely when working in jobs that one love. Women engineers can expand their circle of concern beyond their duties to employers by deliberately adopting social responsibility in their jobs, for example, by doing community service.
However, women engineers must be patient and adopt a suitable time frame to achieve their career goals and make
Ir. Toh Ai Ching
Figure 1: Puan Siti Rosnah during her talk
Figure 2: The attentive crowd
SuB-COMMIttee ON WOMeN eNGINeerS
contribution to society as their career can span over 30 to 40 years. Each day may present new opportunities for all to adopt and achieve a perfect balance in life. Thus they must be receptive to all these opportunities.
Here are some quotes to ponder:
Frank : “There is no secret to balance. You just have to feel Herbert the waves.”
Albert : “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, Einstein you must keep moving.”
Mahatma : “Happiness is when what you think, what you say and Gandhi what you do are in harmony.”
Lao Tzu : “If you would take, you must first give.”
Winston : “We make a living by what we get; we make a life by Churchill what we give.”
Anonymous : “Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.”
In conclusion, a balanced approach should be adopted in everything women engineers do. When perfect balance is achieved, one can truly respond to one’s calling as an engineer and as a mother, wife, etc., joyfully. With a perfect balance of life, one can manage challenges, chaos and obstacles with grace and confidence. A woman can then serve as an engineer for 30 to 40 years in harmony with her other life commitments. n
talk on ‘Modelling of undrained Behaviours of Soil in Finite element analyses’
by Ir. Chin Yaw Ming
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• Biomass Boiler
t he talk was delivered by Ir. Dr Chan Swee Huat on 23 February 2010 and was attended by about 20 participants.
Dr Chan defined the conditions of ‘Drained’ and ‘Undrained’, and illustrated the parameters used in the undrained stress-strain relation of soil for finite element analyses. He also elaborated, with a few examples, the effective stress paths on a p’-q plot for various soil models consisting of (i) linear elastic model, (ii) Mohr-Coulomb model with an undrained shear strength parameter (cu), (iii) Mohr-Coulomb model with an effective strength parameter ( φ ’) and (iv) Cam Clay model in the undrained analyses. The stress paths taken by soil elements were different for these few soil models, resulting in differences in displacements and pore water pressure.
The talk concluded with a caution that a full understanding of the subject matter is required and care must be taken in selecting and using a soil model in the undrained analyses based on the available sub-soil parameters n
• Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG)
• Oil/Gas Fired Packaged Boiler
with auxiliary equipment to enhance boiler performance and efficiency
• Grate : Vibrating, Reciprocating
• Boiler Feedwater Economiser
• Air Preheater
technical Visit to a Valve Stockist: Valmatic Engineering Sdn Bhd
the Agricultural and Food Engineering Technical Division (AFETD) organised a technical visit to Valmatic Engineering Sdn Bhd (VESB), Shah Alam, on 20 November 2010. The visit was participated by 18 IEM members. Upon arrival, the participants were greeted by Mr. Falco Lim, the Marketing Director of VESB.
Mr. Lim started by introducing the company and its range of products. Established in 1995, VESB is the exclusive agent and stockist for several reputable brands. It has even established its own house brand known as VALMATIC®. With the variety of valves under its stable, VESB is able to serve three major commercial sectors, i.e . oil and gas, waterworks and industrial.
Mr. Lim also provided basic training on valves to the participants. The short course outlined the various
international standards related to valve manufacturing. This includes the American standards (API, ANSI, ASME, ASTM, MSS), the European standards (DIN, BSI, EN) and the Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS).
Valves are commonly made of brass, bronze, cast iron, ductile cast iron, cast steel/forged steel and stainless steel, although there are times when a special alloy (monel, nickel, hastelloy B or C, etc ) is used for critical applications. Valves are also designed with different end connections such as Butt Weld End, Socket Weld End, Threaded End, Union Female End, Wafer End, Lug Type Tapped End and Flanged End.
In fluid dynamic engineering, valves are always constructed and rated to cater to different engineering applications. Four parameters, i.e. the pressure, temperature (heat), physical (gas, liquid or fluidised
by Ir. Tang Hee Teik
Figure 1: Group photo at VESB
Figure 2: Training in the classroom
powder) and chemistry (caustic and acidity) of the flow medium should be considered in selecting the appropriate valve. To facilitate the easy operation and maintenance of the valves, various types of handles are available, e.g. multi-turns (linear motion type) and quarter-turn (rotary motion type). The stem could also be of the rising type or fixed (nonrising) type.
The delegates were then brought to the warehouse and workshop where the valves are stored and tested prior to shipment. A demonstration on the hydraulic testing of valves was also carried out. With the visit, the participants were able to gain a better understanding on the construction and application of different types of valves n
Figure 4: Several types of valves being exhibited at the factory
Figure 5: Mr. Lim demonstrating how a valve is tested
Figure 3: Training outside the classroom
Young engineers aSean Federation of engineering organizations (YeaFeo) 2010 report
Young Engineers ASEAN Federation of Engineering Organizations (YEAFEO) 2010 was held from 30 November to 2 December 2010 at Meliã Hotel in Hanoi, Vietnam, in conjunction with the 28th Conference on ASEAN Federation of Engineering Organizations (CAFEO).
We were cordially invited by the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Association (VUSTA), the host country, to represent young Malaysian engineers to gather and meet other leaders of young engineers from ASEAN countries to address the theme “Engineering and Technology for a better quality of life in response to climate change challenges”
IEM-YES sent 13 delegates including three students to attend the event, led by the Chairman of the Young Engineers Section, Engr. Shuhairy Norhisham. The purpose of the students’ involvement in the program is for them to receive more exposure to the various engineering organisations and gain some knowledge through the seminars and technical visits.
We reached Hanoi on 30 November 2010 to set up IEM’s booth to promote IEM and the activities of IEM-YES. At the welcoming dinner, the President of VUSTA gave a welcoming speech to kick-off the ceremony. The dinner was
a platform for engineers from various countries to get to know each other before the conference commenced. This was important to ensure all meetings could run through smoothly.
On the first day of the conference, representatives from each ASEAN country presented their country report during the CAFEO meeting in the morning. In the afternoon, the YEAFEO board meeting was conducted and chaired by the Chairman of the Young Engineers Section of VUSTA. Representatives from the Young Engineers Section of each respective country’s engineering associations presented their country report. Several issues were discussed during the YAFEO meeting such as the collaboration of activities between the various countries, internship collaboration and communication within the ASEAN Young Engineer.
by Engr. Lee Cheng Pay and Sdr. Chong Chin Hooi
Figure 1: YES performing at the welcoming dinner
Figure 3: Hand-in-hand collaboration by YEAFEO leaders
Figure 4: Young engineers having fun during the technical visit
Figure 2: YES Chairman presenting the country report
IeM-YeS
The next day, we were invited for a technical visit to the Hanoi Museum and Convention Center Complex. The Hanoi Museum is a new museum shaped like an inverted pyramid and was inaugurated on the first Wednesday of November as part of the millennial celebrations at the Vietnamese capital. Occupying an area of 30,000m2, the museum boasts of many exhibits displaying the history of Hanoi and reconstructed traditional Vietnamese villages upon entering the museum’s compound.
The National Convention Center (NCC) is located within a park landscape, which integrates thematic and symbolic references to the Vietnamese culture and tradition. In front of the NCC, to the south, is a multifunctional urban area known as the “Fountain Square”. This square is intended for festivities and public occasions. The squares are flanked to the east and west by a sea of flags and two calm pools of water. The expressive undulating roof of the NCC accompanies the visitors on their way into the foyer. It rises to an even greater height above the large congress hall, thus making the NCC a distinctive landmark in Hanoi.
The farewell dinner was held at the Meliã Hotel on the last day of the CAFEO. The delegates from each country performed traditional songs and dances during the night. We were proud to present “Cuti-Cuti Malaysia” and “1 Malaysia” to the other delegates. This was the most enjoyable night throughout the trip.
After the event, we took the opportunity to visit one of the most beautiful places in Vietnam, Ha Long Bay. The bay features thousands of limestone karsts and isles in various sizes and shapes. Our visit to the UNESCO World Heritage Site was truly unforgettable.
This conference has provided a good platform for engineers to exchange skills and knowledge towards creating a better quality of life. This year, the 29th CAFEO 2011 with the theme on "engineering challenges and oppurtunities" will be held at The Rizquan International Hotel, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam from 27 November to 30 November 2011 and we hope to meet our friends from ASEAN again n
ContrIButIon to WISMa IeM BuILdIng Fund
RM1,708,998.20 from IEM Members and Committees
RM461,502.00 from Private Organisations
Figure 5: Performing at the closing dinner in traditional costumes
Figure 6: YES members as sailormen in Halong Bay
Doha – a Mirage?
Doha is the capital of Qatar, a tiny emirate on the western fringe of the Persian Gulf, and sandwiched between the United Arab Emirates to its south and Bahrain to its north.
I visited Iran with my wife and two friends in September last year. We flew on Qatar Airways from Kuala Lumpur to Tehran with a long transit in Doha. Instead of wasting our time in Doha International Airport, we decided to pay 100 rial for a single-entry visa to see the world outside the airport.
A taxi took us to the Qatar Islamic Art Museum near the city centre, south of the Doha Bay. It is a modern building designed by world-renowned American architect I.M. Pei and is built over the sea at the southeastern corner of the Doha Bay. As we were early and the museum was still not open, we took a stroll on the waterfront nearby.
Some yachts and junks were anchored in the bay and a row of skyscrapers in the distance lined the northern coast of the bay, reminding me of the most magnificent buildings fronting the Dubai Creek not too far away. The skyscrapers in West Bay, as the central business district across Doha Bay is known, are equally impressive as they consist mainly of unconventional, avant-garde designs.
We spent the morning visiting the Qatar Islamic Cultural Centre and some of the souqs in the city. As the
by Ir. Chin Mee Poon
sun rose towards its zenith, so did the air temperature which reached a maximum of 40°C. To escape from the heat, we spent a good two hours of the afternoon in the fully air-conditioned, two-year-old Islamic Art Museum.
A friend working in Doha met us at the museum and drove us on the beautiful Corniche to the West Bay Business District for a cursory look at the high-rise buildings. To our surprise, the business district was not busy at all and most of the impressive-looking skyscrapers were actually empty. And yet, quite a number of similar, impressive-looking high-rise buildings were still under various stages of construction!
Like Dubai, Qatar has but a small population, 80% of which is in Doha. Yet, the number of high-rise office blocks in Doha’s Central Business District is staggering. Where is the demand coming from? Who is going to run their businesses from here? Is this little country’s huge oil and gas reserves really inexhaustible?
I know Qatar is making a serious attempt to get away from its heavy reliance on those two natural resources and transform its economy into a knowledge-based one, but I am not sure how far it has succeeded in achieving this goal to date. From what I observed, however, the situation does not appear to be that rosy. n
To All Members,
Date: 11 April 2011
CaNDIDateS aPPrOVeD tO SIt FOr Year 2011 PrOFeSSIONaL INterVIeW
The following candidates have been approved to sit for the Professional Interview for 2011. In accordance with Bylaws 3.9, the undermentioned names are published as having applied for membership of the Institution, subject to passing the year 2011 Professional Interview.
If any Corporate Member of the Institution has any reason as to why any of the candidates is not a fit and proper person for election, he should communicate in writing to the Hon. Secretary. Such communication should be lodged within a month from the date of publication.
Thank you.
Ir. Prof. Dr Lee Teang Shui Honorary Secretary,
NeW aPPLICaNtS
Name Qualifications
CHeMICaL eNGINeerING
MAJAHAR BIN ABD RAHMAN, DR BE HONS (MALAYA) (CHEMICAL, 1991) MSc (BRUNEL UNI) (OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH & SAFETY MGMT, 2002)
MOHD KHAIRULAFIFFIN BIN SAMIN BE HONS (USM) (CHEMICAL, 2005)
CIVIL eNGINeerING
LAI CHEE FONG BE HONS (UTM) (CIVIL, 2003)
MUHAMAD YUSRI BIN ZAINAL BE HONS (UTHM) (CIVIL, 2005)
SHAARI BIN HASAN BE HONS (UTM) (CIVIL, 1995)
SHAHRIZAM BIN MAT SALLEH BE HONS (UTM) (CIVIL, 2004)
SHARIFFUDDIN BIN SULAIMAN BSc HONS (MISSOURI) (CIVIL, 1988)
THILAGAR A/L SUBERAMANIAM BE HONS (UTM) (CIVIL, 1999)
eLeCtrICaL eNGINeerING
AZIZUDDIN BIN ZAKARIA BE HONS (GLAMORGAN) (ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC, 1997)
NG WIN SIAU BE HONS (NUS) (ELECTRICAL, 2002)
RAJSEKARAN A/L ILANGOVAN BE HONS (UTM) (ELECTRICAL, 2006)
eLeCtrONIC eNGINeerING
MUHAMAD HASSAN BIN OTHMAN BE (NAGAOKA) (ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONIC, 1998)
WONG HWEE LING BE HONS (UTM) (ELECTRICAL, 2005)
MaterIaL eNGINeerING
DUAN KELVIN SELING BSc (SAN JOSE' STATE) (MATERIALS, 2004)
tO
CIVIL eNGINeerING
03394 AHMAD HUSAINI BIN SULAIMAN BSc (HONS) (LOUGHBOROUGH UNI OF TECH) (CIVIL, 1978) MSc (CATHOLIC UNI, OF LEUVEN, BELGIUM) (1986)
13940 JOHN PANIL BSCC (NOTTINGHAM) (CIVIL, 1985) DBA (SOUTH AUST) (2005)
28066 TIANG JUN JIAT BE HONS (MMU) (ELECTRONICS, 2004)
20380 WONG HIN YONG BE HONS (SUSSEX) (ELECTRONIC, 1997)
46772 WONG WAI KIT BE HONS (MMU) (ELECTRONICSTELECOMMUNICATIONS, 2003)
MeCHaNICaL eNGINeerING
25407 CHEN FUN CHIEN BE HONS (UM) (MECHANICAL, 2002)
27114 LEE CHANG QUAN BE HONS (UTM) (MECHANICAL, 2005)
22377 LIM HOU BE HONS (UPM) (MECHANICAL, 2000)
24131 NORHAZREE BIN AZMAN BE HONS (UNITEN) (MECHANICAL, 2001)
29645 RAMLI BIN MANAP BE HONS (UTM) (MECHANICAL, 2004)
33962 TAN CHIAT JOON BE HONS (USM) (MECHANICAL, 2006)
26781 WONG KIEN LONG BE HONS (UTM) (MECHANICAL, 2001)
25272 ZAIRY JUAZRY BIN ZAKI @ BE HONS (UMIST) (MECHANICAL, 1999) MOHD ZAKI
32660 KOW FUAN WAI BE HONS (UTM) (CIVIL, 2001)
25162 LAI WOON FATT BE HONS (UTM) (CIVIL, 2005)
24718 LAW HUI KIUK BE (OKLAHOMA STATE) (CIVIL, 1999)
26895 LEE AI SUN BE HONS (UTM) (CIVILENVIRONMENTAL, 2005)
21456 LEONG HONG WEI BE HONS (UM) (CIVIL, 2000)
19701 MOHD NADZRI BIN MOHAMAD BE HONS (UiTM) (CIVIL, 1998)
26419 MOHD SHAHRULNIZAM BIN BE HONS (UKM) (CIVIL & MAT RANI ENVIRONMENTAL, 2004)
25282 MOHD ZUBIDI BIN ABD RAZAK BE HONS (UTM) (CIVIL, 2004)
25276 MUHAMMAD FARID BIN ZULKIPLI BE HONS (UTM) (CIVIL, 2003)
23084 NG LING YING, ADELINE BE HONS (UTM) (CIVIL, 2001)
13470 NORAZIDAH BINTI MOHD TAUFEK BE HONS (UKM) (CIVIL & STRUCTURAL, 1993)
18642 NORHISYAM BIN MAT YUSUF BE HONS (Uitm) (CIVIL, 2000)
37050 PHOON TUCK CHOY BE HONS (UKM) (CIVIL & STRUCTURAL, 2005)
28039 PHUA WEE HIONG, ROGER BE HONS (UTM) (CIVIL, 2005) 42016 PON CHEE CHEN BE HONS (UM) (CIVIL, 2004) 22462 RAIZAL SAIFULNAZ BIN BE HONS (UTM) (CIVIL, 1998) MUHAMMAD
COMMuNICatION eNGINeerING
SIVA PRIYA A/P THIAGARAJAH BE HONS (UTM) (ELECTRICALTELECOMMUNICATIONS, 2004)
eLeCtrICaL eNGINeerING 26213 AZRIL HANIF BIN ZAINAL BE HONS (UTM) (ELECTRICAL, 2006) 29626 CHENG HOCK LIM BE HONS (UNITEN) (ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONICS, 2004) ME (UM) (ELECTRICAL ENERGY & POWER SYSTEMS, 2007) 18562 EOW CHAI KOK BE HONS (STAFFORDSHIRE) (ELECTRICAL, 1995) 20852 GOH HUI HWANG BE HONS (UTM) (ELECTRICAL, 1998) PhD (UTM) (ELECTRICAL, 2008) 20425 JUNAIDI BIN JAMALUDDIN BE HONS (STRATHCLYDE) (ELECTRICAL, 1986)
LEE SU YEN BE HONS (UTM) (ELECTRICAL, 2007)
LEE TOH HOCK BE HONS (UTM) (ELECTRICAL, 2001)
LEE YAN WUU BE HONS (HERTFORDSHIRE) (ELECTRICAL, 1999)
NG KOK CHIANG BE HONS (WESTERN AUSTRALIA) (ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONIC, 2005) PhD (NOTTINGHAM) (PHILOSOPHY, 2005)
PHANG CHEE MAN BE HONS (MMU) (ELECTRICAL, 2003)
POH FONG TEE BE HONS (UMS) (ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONIC, 2001)
SHAHRIZAMAN BIN ZAMHURY BSc (LAMAR UNI, BEAUMONT, USA) (ELECTRICAL, 1990)
aDMISSION / eLeCtION / traNSFer
The IEM Council, at its 376th meeting on 21 March 2011 approved the admission / election / transfer of a total of 1848 members, consisting the following:
The Members’ names and qualifications are detailed on pages 51 to 52. The Institution congratulates the members on their admission / election / transfer Thank you.
Ir. Prof. Dr Lee Teang Shui Honorary Secretary, The Institution of Engineers, Malaysia
traNSFer tO tHe GraDe OF MeMber
Mem No. Name Qualifications
23918 TAN MENG SOON PART 2 (ECUK) (ELECTRICAL, 2003)
25571 WAN MOHD HAZAIRIN BIN BE HONS (UMS) (ELECTRICAL & WAN DAUD ELECTRONIC, 2001)
eLeCtrOMeCHaNICaL eNGINeerING
18296 LIEW PAK WAI BE HONS (UMIST) (ELECTROMECHANICAL SYSTEMS, 1998)
MaNuFaCturING eNGINeerING
43693 SANJAY A/L SUPPAIAH BE HONS (USM) (MECHANICAL, 1999)
MeCHaNICaL eNGINeerING
25802 ABDUL RAHMAN BIN KIFLI BE HONS (UTM) (MECHANICALMANUFACTURING, 1999)
42458 CHIN SEE WENG BE HONS (UPM) (MECHANICAL, 1992)
20737 FUN CHEE KEONG BE HONS (UKM) (MECHANICAL, 1990)
23637 IKHWAN MOEID BIN ISHAK BSc (RHODE ISLAND) (MECHANICAL, 1996)
22673 LIEW KUO FUNG BE HONS (PORTSMOUTH) (MECHANICAL, 2001)
29180 LIEW KUOK JEW BSc HONS (UTM) (MECHANICAL, 2002) ME (UTM) (MECHANICAL, 2005)
Name
CHeMICaL eNGINeerING
Qualifications
SITI ROZAIMAH SHEIKH ABDULLAH ME HONS (NOTTINGHAM) (CHEMICAL, 1992)
23499 LING SOON YICK BE HONS (HERTFORDSHIRE) (MECHANICAL, 2000)
30563 MAZELAN BIN RAMLI BE HONS (UiTM) (MECHANICAL, 2001)
18171 NG BOON KIAT BE HONS (UM) (MECHANICAL, 1999)
30573 RAFEZI BIN HAZIZI BE HONS (UTM) (MECHANICALMARINE TECHNOLOGY, 2003)
16719 SHAMSUNAZARUDDIN SHAH BE HONS (UKM) (MECHANICAL & BIN MOHD SALLEH MATERIAL, 1995)
31748 SHEIKH FAHMI BIN SHEIKH MOHD BE HONS (UM) (MECHANICAL, 2005) 19092 THANARAJ A/L THAVAMANI BE HONS (UPM) (MECHANICAL/ SYSTEM, 1997)
43813 ZURAIDI HANAFI BIN HANAFI BE HONS (UiTM) (MECHANICAL, 1996)
MeCHatrONICS eNGINeerING
38872 MAZLAN BIN AHMAD MANSOR BE (TOHOKU, JAPAN) (MECHATRONICS, 1998)
PetrOLeuM eNGINeerING
29131 JEYANTHI A/P RAMASAMY BE HONS (UTM) (PETROLEUM, 2006)
Name
eLeCtrONIC eNGINeerING
Qualifications
AMIR RUDIN BIN MAT DIN BE HONS (UTM) (ELECTRICAL, 2000) ME (UTM) (ELECTRICAL-ELECTRONIC & TELECOMMUNICATIONS, 2007) ONG BOON LING BE HONS (UKM) (ELECTRICAL, ELECTRONIC & COMPUTER, 2000)
ZULKIFLI BIN MOHAMED BE HONS (PORTSMOUTH) (ELECTRONIC & ELECTRICAL, 1997)
INStruMeNtatION aND CONtrOL eNGINeerING TAN AI LENG BE HONS (MMU) (ELECTRONICS, 2003)
MaterIaLS eNGINeerING
NG GUAT PENG BE HONS (USM) (MATERIAL, 1998) ME (UNITEN) (MECHANICAL, 2004)
MeCHaNICaL eNGINeerING
AZNIDA BT MOHAMED RAZALI BE HONS (MANCHESTER) (MECHANICAL, 1995)
GOH CHEE KONG, ALBERT BE HONS (UM) (MECHANICAL, 2001)
HARRIS BIN ABD RAHMAN SABRI BE HONS (UTM) (MECHANICALAUTOMOTIVE, 2004)
KAMAL BIN WOK BSC (ALABAMA) (MECHANICAL, 1988)
LIM CHONG HU BE HONS (LEICESTER) (MECHANICAL, 1997)
MOHAMMAD ZAFWAD BIN BE HONS (UTM) (MECHANICAL, 2005)
MOHAMMAD HANZAM
NORKAMAL LATIF BIN ZAINUDDIN BE HONS (UTP) (MECHANICAL, 2002)
RAFIDAH BINTI AHMAD BE HONS (UTM) (MECHANICAL, 1993) MSC (UPM) (EMERGENCY RESPONSE & PLANNING, 2004)
SABRUDIN BIN MOHAMAD SUREN BSC (WISCONSIN-MADISON) (MECHANICAL, 1982) ME (UITM) (MECHANICAL, 2009)
UNAZIE ISKANDAR BIN ABD RAZAK BE HONS (UNITEN) (MECHANICAL, 2003)
PaSS Pae
Name
eLeCtrONIC eNGINeerING
Qualifications
KHAIRUL NIZAM BIN PUNIRAN BE (SWINBURNE) (ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONIC, 2000)
traNSFer tO tHe GraDe OF GraDuate
Mem No. Name Qualifications
teLeCOMMuNICatIONS eNGINeerING 34340 AMARMUAZAM USMANI BE HONS (MMU) (ELECTRONICS BIN OTHMAN (TELECOMMUNICATIONS), 2002)
PaSS Pae
Mem No. Name Qualifications
CIVIL eNGINeerING 11683 MOHD NOOR AZUDIN BSc (ASTON) (CIVIL, 1983) BIN MANSOR
eLeCtrICaL eNGINeerING 18282 KOH SHIONG LEE BSc (MISSISSIPPI STATE) (ELECTRICAL, 1993) ME (UTAR) (SCIENCE, 2010) 18945 LOO LING WAH BSc (OKLAHOMA) (ELECTRICAL, 1995)
traNSFer tO tHe GraDe OF GraDuate
Mem No. Name Qualifications
CHeMICaL eNGINeerING
31867 MOHD ARIF BIN MOKHSEIN M.E.HONS.(NOTTINGHAM)(CHEMICAL,10)
KAMARUDDIN 19212 KURUPARAN A/L M. KASILINGAM B.E.HONS.(UTM)(CIVIL,00) MSc(SURREY,UK,02) 41388 KWONG KOK ZEE B.E.HONS.(CURTIN)(CIVIL & C'TRUCTION E'RING,09) 27400 LAW EE WOON B.E.HONS.(USM)(CIVIL,08) 37339 LEE MAO RUI B.E.HONS.(UTHM)(CIVIL,10) 33277 LIYANA BINTI SAMSUDIN B.E.HONS.(UiTM)(CIVIL,09) 33483 MOHD AMIN BIN ZULKIFLI B.E.HONS.(UiTM)(CIVIL,10) 17741 MOHD AZHARI BIN ABDULLAH B.E.HONS.(UiTM)(CIVIL,00) 31045 MOHD DANIAL BIN ZAMMERI B.E.HONS.(UMP)(CIVIL,10) 31873 MUHAMMAD SHAHROM B.E.HONS.(UMP)(CIVIL,2010) BIN MAZLAN 23135 NOR AZLEEN BINTI OMAR B.E.HONS.(UTM)(CIVIL,06) 27800 NORADILA BINTI MOHD TAIB N.E.HONS.(UiTM)(CIVIL,09) 31573 NUR HANIM BINTI ABD GHANI B.E.HONS.(UTM)(CIVIL,09) 38982 ONG CHERK ERN, JONATHAN B.E.HONS.(UTAR)(CIVIL,10) 26597 SITI NOR AISHAH BINTI MANSOR B.E.HONS.(UTM)(CIVIL,08) 35702 TAN SHI YEONG B.E.HONS.(UTM)(CIVIL,10) 28925 WAN MOHD FIRDAUS BIN B.E.HONS.(UNISEL)(CIVIL,08) WAN OMAR 26622 WONG AIK PEOY B.E.HONS.(UTM)(CIVIL,06)
36267 ZALIPAH BINTI IBRAHIM B.E.HONS.(UKM)(CIVIL & STRUCTURE,00)
eLeCtrICaL eNGINeerING
37854 HIDAYAT PUTRA BIN AHMAD YATI B.E.HONS.(UNITEN)(ELECTRICAL,09) 34717 MOHD SHAHIR BIN AB RAHIM B.E.HONS.(UTeM)(ELECTRICAL,09) 37794 YAW MEI WYIN B.E.HONS.(UNITEN)(E'TRICAL & E'TRONIC,10)
eLeCtrONIC eNGINeerING
28554 AHMAD SHAHRIL BIN ALI B.E.HONS.(UTeM)(ELECTRICAL,06)
FOOD aND PrOCeSS eNGINeerING 19922 TAY CHEOW HWANG B.E.HONS.(UPM)(FOOD & PROCESS,02)
MeCHaNICaL eNGINeerING
30508 CHAN WEI LOONG B.E.(MONASH)(MECHANICAL,08) 22508 CHOW WAI KEAN B.E.HONS.(UTP)(MECHANICAL,04) 30775 M. THURAI A/L MUTHUSAMY B.E.HONS.(UTM)(MECH-MATERIALS,09) 32721 MOHAMAD SHAHMI BIN MAHAMAD YASRI B.E.HONS.(UTM)(MECHANICAL,09) 37504 MOHD RAZI BIN RAZALI B.E.HONS.(UKM)(MECHANICAL,09) 26671 SHATYA SHARMEN B.E.HONS.(UTM)(MECHANICAL,08) A/L KUPPUSAMY 20820 TAN YEONG JIN B.E.HONS.(UPM)(MECHANICAL,04) 26172 TAUFIQ BIN HUSSAIN B.E.HONS.(IIUM)(MECHATRONIC,08)
B.E.HONS.(UTM)(CHEMICAL,06)
B.E.HONS.(USM)(CHEMICAL,09)
47096 MUHAMMAD AKRAM @ GUSTA M.E.HONS.(LONDON)(CHEMICAL,99) IRAWAN BIN MOHD SAFIAN 45829 NORKARAMINA BINTI ABLLAH B.E.HONS.(UTP)(CHEMICAL,10) 45811 NURUL BAHIYAH B.E.HONS.(UTM)(CHEMICAL,00) AHMAD KHAIRUDIN MSc(BIOCHEMICAL,02)PhD(USM,10)
AHMAD AZHAMIZI BIN OTHMAN B.E.HONS.(UTM)(CIVIL,03)
47120 AHMAD FAIRUZ BIN OTHMAN B.E.HONS.(UiTM)(CIVIL,05) 45846 ARRESHVHINA A/L NARAYANAN B.E.HONS.(UTM)(CIVIL,00) MSc(UTM)(STRUCTURE & MATERIAL,03)
46776 ASNOR BIN BAHAROM B.E.HONS.(UTM)(CIVIL,09) 45789 AZMAN BIN WAHID B.E.HONS.(UTM)(CIVIL,10)
TECK TIANG, LUKE B.E.HONS.(RMIT)(CIVIL & INFRASTRUCTURE,10)
Where Do We Stand?
I believe in sharing openly and adopting best practices whenever it makes sense. Likewise, many governments look at one another to see what the other country is doing in terms of Occupational Safety and Health. You will then see a pattern (similarities) in the way regulations are structured.
Let us have a peek at what other countries say about Occupational Safety and Health accountabilities. (You might need to refer to the February 2011 article entitled “Accountable or Responsible?” to compare with the Malaysian context.)
Here is what a random selection of countries requires (these are excerpts and best effort translations):
Country Coverage
Country Coverage
Hong Kong and China
by Ir. Shum Keng Yan
Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance (CAP 509): The scope has been expanded to cover offices, commercial premises, educational institutions, hospitals, clinics, laboratories and other workplaces. The legislation imposes general duty of care on employers, occupiers of premises and employees, and set down basic requirements in accident prevention, fire prevention, working environment, workplace hygiene, first aid, manual handling operation and use of display screen equipment. http://www.oshc.org.hk/eng/resource/law02.asp
Australia Model Work Health and Safety Act (26 November 2010): Part 2: Health and Safety Duties including Subdivision 2 “What is reasonably practicable” and Division 2 “Primary Duty of Care”.
Singapore The WSHA emphasises the importance of managing workplace safety and health proactively by requiring stakeholders to take reasonably practicable measures to ensure the safety and health of workers and other people that are affected by the work being carried out.
Indonesia Act of the Republic of Indonesia Number 1 Year 1970 Regarding Safety refers to a. right to be protected, b. safety with regards to others within workplace, c. safe use of materials, d. method to ensure safety in the workplace, e. to take into account developments in society, industrialisation, technique and technology http://www.nakertrans.go.id/perundangan.html,1,235,1
Philippines Occupational Safety and Health Standards
Rule 1005: Duties of Employers, Workers and other Persons: (1) Each employer covered by the provisions of this Standards shall: a. furnish his workers a place of employment free from hazardous conditions that are causing or are likely to cause death, illness or physical harm to his workers;
b. give complete job safety instructions to all his workers, especially to those entering the job for the first time, including those relating to the familiarisation with their work environment, hazards to which the workers are exposed to and steps taken in case of emergency; etc http://www.oshc.dole.gov.ph/29/OSH-INFO-MATERIALS/
Thailand Factory Act B.E. 2535, Section 7 The Minister shall have the power to prescribe the ministerial rules fixing the factory of any type, kind or size to be the group 1 factory, group 2 factory, or group 3 factory as the case may be by taking into consideration the necessity for the control, prevention of nuisance, prevention of damage, and prevention of danger in accordance with the gravity of impact on the public or environment by classifying as follows, etc
Ministerial Regulation on the Prescribing of Standard of Administration and Management of Occupational Safety, Health and Environment B.E.2549 (2006): require employers of 13 categories of businesses ranging from mines to department stores to adhere to more stringent occupational safety standards, etc
Note: The Commonwealth and each state and territory government have agreed to harmonise their work health and safety laws (including Regulations and Codes of Practice) so that work health and safety laws are similar in each jurisdiction via the Model Work Health and Safety Act. The expected commencement is in 2012. http://safeworkaustralia.gov.au/AboutSafeWorkAustralia/WhatWeDo/ Publications/Documents/560 ModelWorkHealthAndSafetyAct26November10.pdf
South Korea Occupational Safety and Health Act (Act 4220):
Article 5 (Duties of Employer)
(1) An employer shall observe the standards for the prevention of industrial accidents as prescribed by this Act and any order issued under this Act, provide workers with information on safety and health in the workplace, prevent workers’ health problems caused by physical fatigue, mental stress, etc., protect the lives of workers, maintain and promote the safety and health of workers by creating a proper work environment through the improvement of working conditions, and comply with the industrial accident and disease prevention policy of the State.
Article 6 (Duties of Worker), etc http://english.kosha.or.kr/bridge?menuId=1240
The above are sourced from the relevant acts or guidance notes provided by the national agencies. I stand corrected if there are translation errors or omissions.
Clearly, each government looks seriously at the accountabilities, roles and responsibilities of the Employers, Employees and Others affected by the work. The concept of “Duty of Care” is also used in each of the countries listed above.
If I were to summarise in a nutshell, the legislative framework around the world is modelled after the European/ British system on one hand and the United States’ system on the other. Understanding this helps you to find out where the relevant sections can be found and how to navigate the various regulations, ministerial orders, provincial rules, Codes of Practices and so on.
If you would like to share free EHS legislations links of various countries, drop me a note at pub@iem.org.my. I would like to publish a collection of free legal links in a future article n
India Every occupier shall ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of all workers while they are at work in the factory. http://www.legalindia.in/provisions-of-the-factories-act-1948
China Law of the People's Republic of China on Work Safety (Order of the President No.70)
Chapter II Work Safety Assurance in Production and Business Units
Chapter III Rights and Duties of Employees
Chapter IV Supervision and Control over Work Safety
Chapter V Accident Rescue, Investigation and Handling
Legislations are quite uniform from country to country. The difference is in the level of details and enforcement, thus creating a misnomer that regulation in Asia is “less strict” compared with developed countries. Then again, should we not implement good EHS because it is “the right thing to do” rather than “because the law says so”?
