RE: List Reborn [bcc][faked-from][mx][spf]

Geoff:

I have to get my 2 cents in on this comment:

> Although we have centres of excellence the average project engineer is
far too busy with environmental, community, quality assurance, occupational health and safety, non discrimination, planning, concept engineering and non specific training to actual learn and practice their craft of design engineering in depth.

I get a lot of paying gigs out of compliance to environmental, QA, health and safety. I began to notice, back in the 70s, that the guidelines, policies, and regulations associated with them USUALLY make sense, once you get an understanding of the legalese wording. I believe that they are generally there to force or allow a good engineer to do the job right. I have successfully used compliance to allow me to do what the MBAs and other managers didn't want to do. There are some really stupid regs out there, written to appease some special focus tree-hugger type, that accomplish nothing other than waste time and help get a politico re-elected, but in general they are based on good practice. A less talented designer or engineer can even produce a relatively functional system if the regs are followed (but, usually a less talented type is also less talented at recognising helpful tools, or just uses the regs to spin wheels and make noise but accomplish nothing!

I worked on a project less than 5 years back where the client's lead "designer" mostly quoted code and standards, accused everyone else (even his co-workers) of incompetence, and approved nothing without being forced, as it was obvious that he was terrified of everything because he had some very base understanding of the regs. He also seemed to have only a very base understanding of CAD. He insisted on referencing a surveyor's monument about 500 m from the nearest point of the new construction - in the x, y and z directions. He also required that every elevation be within 2 to 4 mm (running 50 to 300 mm pipe and insisting that the contractors meet the 2 - 4 mm tolerance spec would have been hilarious if it hadn't been so painful!). All this because the software allowed it and the trainer for the CAD design software said that he could.

Plenty of steam to blow.....

                            ... Bruce D. Bullough ...
                            Sebesta Blomberg & Associates, Inc.
                            2381 Rosegate
                            Roseville, MN  55113          USA
                            desk: 651-634-7344   fax: 651-634-7400
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