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Lessons learned
A s a supervisory civil engineer for the federal government in Albuquerque, I’ve had some real life experiences with problems that can arise in this industry. Here are some insights for other engineers on lessons learned and pitfalls to avoid. Trust your judgement, speak up, and keep learning. Your efforts will pay dividends down the road.
well: They stated other engineers designed the facility and that’s what the drawings specified, so that’s what was installed. Disturbed with the answer I went back to the office trailer and looked at the structural drawings to confirm the beam sizes per the contract. The “I truly believe the lesson here is to trust your engineering judgment, and if something seems off follow through and complete your own research of the topic until you receive an answer that relieves your concerns in any situation.”
SATISFY YOUR QUESTION BY COMPLETING YOUR OWN RESEARCH OF THE TOPIC: It was a spring afternoon in eastern New Mexico and I found myself completing routine activities while walking my jobsite for a rebar inspection prior to our next concrete placement. I was the project engineer for two Squadron Operation Facilities estimated at $22 million and approximately 60,000 square feet of new construction. As the contractor was approaching concrete placement on the second floor metal deck, I noticed several wide flange beams that appeared smaller, but were supporting the same spans as the larger ones directly adjacent. I asked the superintendent and quality control manger why those specific beams were different when they were supporting the same span as the adjacent larger beams. The response did not sit
James Vigil
See JAMES VIGIL, page 10
THE ZWEIG LETTER November 11, 2019, ISSUE 1320
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