Index & Notes

Field Work Order for saturated soil

And this one is more expensive still. It notes that the soil is very wet, spongy and unstable. It then instructs the contractor to rip all the pipe out, remove the soil, and replace with 40mm washed rock, then re-install - and while he's at it, he should re-install with thrust blocks twice as large, just in case.

Our inspectors issue a couple of these forms every working day - over 400 last year. Very few did NOT cost a contractor thousands of Euros in lost time.

It's like safety or environmental issues. Staying safe, or following environmental rules, demands constant vigilance and constant inspection and reminder - and frankly, it also needs heavy fines. When a young inspector has the full backing of our entire city corporation to fine you several thousand Euros worth of time if he doesn't like your work, you learn to do good work.

© Roy Brander, P.Eng 2003