Blogs

Energy Transition News March 2024 Energy Transition News is back for March! We have a fresh batch of interesting articles for you. The main topics of the month are the AEMC’s new customer energy resources rules and electric vehicles. If these do not take your intere st we have an article on fireproof batteries, renewables targets and wind farms as well. March was so full of news that we couldn’t possibly fit it all in . S o , d id we miss anything ? L et us know what news you have been reading on the energy transition in the comments . Scientists Just Invented Fireproof Water Batteries ...

This year Engineers Australia Newcastle hosted the Sally Chapman memorial fundraiser dinner to raise money for funds for Ovarian Cancer research. Sally Chapman was a much respected and admired Executive Director of the Newcastle Division of Engineers Australia. After nearly 27 years with Engineers Australia, Sally became the longest serving staff member in the history of the organisation. She was dedicated to growing public awareness of the role of engineers and encouraged school students to consider engineering as a preferred career. Some of the activities she urged students to take part in were the Science & ...

What should be in a Risk Engineering Body of Knowledge? In an era where information is free (just Google it, or, more likely now, ask AI/ChatGPT), this month we’re asking: what should our dedicated group of REBoK volunteers be focussing on for our little piece of the internet? What is the priority for a Risk Engineering Body of Knowledge? Should it be the basics? Or should it be the in-depth, academic, nuanced complicated information that experts can present? Should it be practical or theoretical? Should it be categorised by topics, or phase in a project? Hint: don’t say “yes, all of the above”. We need to prioritise our attention. One thing’s for certain, ...

Taylor Burns is the Australian representative for the Austrian-based company, RiskConsult. This article was originally published by the REBoK Community of Practice on 19 October, 2020. Why is a ‘big picture’ view important for infrastructure projects? If you don’t know what the big picture is, you’re missing all the uncertainty. There’s an image by Nassim Nicholas Taleb which shows somebody walking across a river that’s just over one metre (four feet) deep on average. But averages vary, so it’s potentially really deep at one end, and really shallow at the other. If you were to walk across assuming it was the same ...

Roger Lim is the principal consulting engineer at Plant Safety Solutions . He has postgraduate qualifications in robotics and 40 years’ experience in the OH&S industry. This article was originally published by the REBoK Community of Practice on 8 March, 2021. What sort of risk assessments are involved in machinery safety standards and why are they important? AS/NZS 4024.1-2019 gives overall guidance in safety design for machines. It includes assessments of the safety related parts of control systems – including emergency stop controls, interlock guards and presence sensing systems. Safety systems might also include non-physical barriers ...

What is SFAIRP, ALARP, AFAP? These, and other, acronyms are used frequently in risk engineering and management. Some people in the risk space are completely wedded to a particular preference, and others are less particular about the nuances between the interpretations. So, this question around ALARP and SFAIRP will probably raise more questions than clear answers…and that’s why we’re hosting these sessions – to allow discussion and debate. As has been said, “Discussion is good, perhaps essential, for deepening your understanding. But if you’re looking for clear answers, discussions can just be confusing.” We don’t aim to confuse you about SFAIRP, ALARP and ...

Jeff Jones is an Associate Fellow of the Risk Management Institution of Australasia and a member of the Queensland Chapter Committee of the Engineers Australia Risk Engineering Society. This article was originally published by the REBoK Community of Practice on 18 September, 2020. What is risk, and how does it relate to risk management? The 2018 update to ISO 31000 defines risk as “effect of uncertainty on objectives”. But this means different things to different people. ‘Effect’ is the first term to unpack, and that’s the deviation from the expected. This can be positive, negative or both, and result in opportunities and threats. That’s ...

Dorothy Saristavros is the Director of DS Construction Engineering Pty Ltd and a Fellow and Chartered Engineer with Engineers Australia. She is also an occupational health and safety consultant with over 30 years experience as a project and construction manager. Her consultancy specialises in delivering health and safety training to construction personnel. Dorothy is Co-Chair of the Risk Engineering Society Victorian Chapter and Secretary of the Australian Cost Engineering Society, Victorian Chapter. This article was originally published by the REBoK Community of Practice on 3 August, 2021. Why is it important for risk engineers, managers and ...

David Skegg is a chartered Fellow and life member of the Australian Institute of Health and Safety, and a former lecturer at the Central Queensland University Accident Forensics Laboratory. This article was originally published by the REBoK Community of Practice on 14 December, 2020. What is systems resilience and how is it different to reliability and redundancy? Resilience is the ability of a system to give you a desired outcome in abnormal circumstances. This is different to redundancy and reliability. A reliable system will give you a consistent output within the parameters of its design. A resilient system goes beyond this by providing ...

Australia's urban landscape is evolving, with an increasing number of buildings having surpassed their original design life. Many building managers and owners may find themselves lacking the necessary technical expertise to navigate the complex nature of asset management. As our cities mature, the need for meticulous building maintenance becomes more critical. Suitably qualified engineers are pivotal in raising the awareness of potential issues and helping to guide building owners/managers through risk-based inspection, maintenance and repair regimes. The silent culprits: rust and water damage Two silent adversaries — rust and water damage — ...

Included here are events, articles, and opportunities from organisations, groups, and professional associations related to the Engineers Australia Humanitarian Engineering Community of Practice (EA HumEng CoP) during February and March 2024. Upcoming Events EA The Harricks Leadership Oration - Reverend Tim Costello AO. The annual Harricks Oration is an evening of celebration and recognition of excellence in engineering. This cocktail event will take place at Parliament House and will feature a keynote address from Tim Costello, an Australian Baptist minister and former CEO of World Vision Australia. In-person, Sydney, March 18, 5.30pm details and ...

This Procedural Control document has been developed to provide freely available advice for the industry on how to manage temporary works on projects. It intends to provide minimum requirements for their management and delivery aided by example documents that could be adopted for use. If you are involved with temporary works, we would appreciate it if you could read the document and provide feedback on its content. Once we receive feedback from the industry in Australia, we intend to adopt comments if appropriate and seek industry endorsement. Be part of the review and help raise the bar in the industry. Thank you! Email your feedback to t ...

This Procedural Control document has been developed to provide freely available advice for the industry on how to manage temporary works on projects. It intends to provide minimum requirements for their management and delivery aided by example documents that could be adopted for use. If you are involved with temporary works, we would appreciate it if you could read the document and provide feedback on its content. Once we receive feedback from the industry in Australia, we intend to adopt comments if appropriate and seek industry endorsement. Be part of the review and help raise the bar in the industry. Thank you! Email your feedback to t ...

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November in Newcastle has seen engineering excellence of many forms celebrated. Our new cohort of Fellows and Engineering Executives were awarded recently at the Newcastle recognition ceremony. We also awarded the prestigious winners of the John Monash Medal, for Engineering Heritage and the David Robinson Award for the ITEE college. Alongside the celebration of engineering achievement in Newcastle we held our annual straw towers competition for budding engineers in Years four to six at school. Newcastle General Manager Helen Link said it has been really special to be a part of both events. “Engineers ...

Energy Transition News November November has been big for energy transition. From new rules for the AEMC when it comes to local transition projects to the world’s first big battery in South Australia. Aerospace engineers will be interested in finding out more about the hydrogen powered electric aircraft Vertii a and we all get to explore how AI integrates with the energy transition. If you enjoy our energy transition blogs make sure to register for our Climate Smart Engineering Conference in Melbourne on the 29 th and 30 th of November, hurry registrations closing soon! #CSE23 Register ...

Included here are events, articles, and opportunities from organisations, groups, and professional associations related to the Engineers Australia Humanitarian Engineering Community of Practice (EA HumEng CoP) during November and December 2023. Upcoming Events People and culture at the heart of engineering - an online panel session exploring how engineers, technologists and designers are placing people and culture at the centre of their practice in order to develop and implement engineering and technology projects in support of local culture. A particular focus will be placed on First Nations culture and knowledge and explore how these can be central ...

To celebrate National Water Week, students from Engineers Australia Student Ambassador group and RMIT University were treated to a site visit of the Western Treatment Plant 5West Nutrient Removal Plant (NRP) Project. A new Nutrient Removal Plant (NRP) is being constructed at the Western Treatment Plant by BMD to improve energy efficiency and increase the capacity of the treatment facility, providing an additional 150ML of treated water per day. The nutrient removal plant has been designed to minimise the carbon and energy consumed in treatment, enabling the Western Treatment Plant to continue to maximise renewable energy generation into the future. ...

Each year Engineers Australia celebrates its office bearers and volunteers alongside its employees at the Engineers Australia STAR (Special Thanks and Recognition) Awards. Office bearers and volunteers are all eligible for the OneEA Award for Office Bearers/Volunteers . The award recognises peers who exemplify working as a team and highlights the amazing achievements and behaviours you and your peers have shown. Engineers Australia staff put forward nominations for this award. In turn you get the chance to nominate an Engineers Australia staff member, who you think has demonstrated excellence and contributed to Engineers ...

E nergy transition news is here for October with plenty of energy articles and reports for you. From solar to electric vehicles to the renewable energy grid in general, there is a lot of news about Australia's renewable journey and different aspects of how the country is handling the energy transition . Australian institutes spearhead global efforts in clean energy innovation This CSIRO article explains how six of Australia's leading research inst i t ut ions are working with international researchers to create innovation and address challenges in clean energy production ...