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OPINION
Boots on the ground
Y ou know what they say – even the best-laid plans can go awry. What looks good on paper doesn’t always translate well on a construction site. In engineering, your staff need a practical understanding of how their designs come to life, which is why spending time in the field is so important. But how do you prepare your staff to be field ready? When your people understand not just what is being built, but how and why, they’re better equipped to adapt and solve problems ahead of time.
Tom Robinson, PE
These tips can help bridge the gap between design and construction and get your team’s boots on the ground with confidence: ■ Size matters. The size of structures in a design matters. What you see on a drawing might not accurately represent the true scale of a structure in real life. A wall may look like a simple line on paper, but a 12-foot wall might have long tiebacks. Now what are you impacting – utilities, existing structures, property lines? Paper doesn’t show vertical challenges and effects, and engineers need to understand how designs translate in the field. designing a pump station, or any drainage system, you need to ask: What’s downhill? If you’re not ready to pump anything, the consequences won’t stay on your site. Water ■ It flows downhill unless you pump it up. When
could find its way into a neighboring property, a parking lot, or someone’s basement. Always consider where your water is flowing. ■ Location, location, location. Knowing your site inside and out is critical, and that means relying on a constant, up-to-date survey. A common example is utility location. Our team might show existing utilities in the plans and design around them accordingly. But when we arrive on-site, utilities are sometimes not where they’re shown on our data. This leads to field adjustments, which can be complicated if the original placement was determined by calculations or design parameters. Understanding site conditions early helps avoid any surprises. ■ Act of God. Let’s face it, Mother Nature will always have the final say. And when she does, the best thing you can do is prepare for the unexpected.
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THE ZWEIG LETTER AUGUST 18, 2025, ISSUE 1598
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