September 2022 THE GEOETCHNICAL DATA CONFERENCE Full information on the forcoming AGS event to be held in December RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LOLER & MACHINESDRILLING Clarity provided by the AGS Safety Working Group BROWNFIELD AND BIODIVERSITY NET GAIN The opportunities and risks posed by brownfielddevelopingsites AN INTRODUCTION TO CONE TESTINGPENETRATION From CPT experts at In Situ Site Investigation and Insitu Testing Image Credit: In Situ Site Investigation
ABOUT THE AGS
We are always on the lookout for additional, informative content for the magazine, so if you have a case study or technical article that you think the wider geotechnical and geoenvironmental public would find beneficial, please do get in Wetouch.would be interested in your feedback on the magazine and our future plans. Please contact ags@ags.org.uk if you have any comments.
CONTACT US AGS Forum Court, Office 2FF, Saphir House, 5 Jubilee Way, Faversham, Kent, ME13 8GD ags@ags.org.uk 020 8658 8212 Association of Geotechnical & Geoenvironmental Specialists www.ags.org.uk@agsgeotech
The Association of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Specialists (AGS) is a not-for-profit trade association established to improve the profile and quality of geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineering. The membership comprises UK organisations and individuals having a common interest in the business of ground investigation, geotechnics, geoenvironmental engineering, engineering geology, geochemistry, hydrogeology, and other related disciplines.
2 Magazine
Sally HudsonAGS Chair Chair’s Foreword
Welcome to the September issue of the AGS Magazine. I trust you will find it as informative as always. As ever, the AGS is committed to promoting improvements in our industry and in this magazine edition we feature two important aspects of exploratory work in the sector. We address the issue of the application of LOLER to drilling plant and we explore the benefits of Cone Penetration Testing and how to best analyse and apply the results. Our voluntary working groups continue to address matters of environmental protection and, following the passing of the Environment Act last year, in this magazine we highlight the new SOBRA guidance on accounting for climate change effects in controlled water risk assessments, and examine those risks and opportunities affecting biodiversity when considering brownfield reYoudevelopment.maywonder what makes our working group leaders tick – well Alex Dent, leader of the Geotechnical Working Group, shares his industry experience and insights in our Q&A session. The Geotechnical Working Group has in fact put together our next free webinar in November, which promises to provide interesting discussion on Direct Strain Pressuremeters. Read on for information on other forthcoming events and how to view webinars you may have missed in this busy world. I hope to see you soon.
EDITORIAL BOARD Sally Hudson, AGS Chair Caroline Kratz, Forum Court Associates (FCA) Katie Kennedy, FCA Julian Lovell, Equipe Group Calum Spires, Equipe Group David Entwisle, BGS Chris Vincett, Hydrock Lauren Hunt, Arcadis Adam Latimer, Ian Farmer Associates Dimitris Xirouchakis, Structural Soils Emma Anderson, HaskoningDHV UK Daniele Fornelli, ObservationsGeotechnical EDITORIAL STORY
If you have a news story or event which you’d like to tell our editorial team about, please contact the AGS on 020 8658 8212 or ags@ags.org.uk. Please note that articles should act as opinion pieces and not directly advertise a company. The AGS is under no obligation to feature articles or events received.
September 2022 3 PAGE 4 News in Short: Incl. upcoming AGS Events PAGE 8 AGS Webinars Upcoming & on-demand PAGE 40 Standards Update August 2022 Inside this month’s issue FEATURE PAGE 14 The relationship between LOLER and drilling machines The HSE requires industry bodies, such as the AGS and BDA, to provide guidance to their own sectors to help ensure legal compliance and encourage safety improvements. This article examines how elements of LOLER are applicable to the drilling machines in operation in the geotechnical and geoenvironmental industries. COVER STORY PAGE 16 CPT experts at In Situ Site Investigation and Insitu Testing provide an overview of Cone Penetration Testing MORE INSIDE NEW SOBRA CLIMATE CHANGE GUIDANCE PAGE 24 The climate change effects on Controlled Waters Risk Assessments of Land Contamination BROWNFIELD AND BIODIVERSITY NET GAIN PAGE 30 The opportunities and risks posed by developing brownfield sites Q&A: ALEX DENT PAGE 38 The AGS Magazine conducts a Q & A with Alex Dent, Associate Director at WSP UK Ltd.
4 Magazine News in Short 1. AGS Guidance on Waste Classification for Soils - A Practitioners Guide 2. AGS Guidance on the Description of Anthropogenic Materials – A Practitioners’ 3.GuideAGS Client Guide for Ground Investigation Activities - Rotary Drilling To download the publications for free; click here The top three AGS publications in the last month This year’s AGS Awards took place during the AGS Annual Conference at the Warwickshire Event Centre on 6th July 2022. A select number of AGS Working Group Members, who were nominated by their Working Group Leaders, were awarded to thank them for their contribution and dedication to the AGS over the past year. AGS Business Practice Working Group David Hutchinson (award) AGS Safety Working Group Jon Rayner (award) Julian Lovell (award) AGS Instrumentation & Monitoring Working Group Katharine Barker (award) Steve Walthall (award) Andrew Ridley (commendation) AGS Geotechnical Working Group Peter Reading (award) Stephen West (commendation) Services to the Association Jackie Bland (award) AGS Data Management Working Group Asitha Senanayake (award) AGS Contaminated Land Working Group Geraint Williams (award) Andy O’Dea (award)
Date: Thursday 1st December
AGS
Breaking Ground, a podcast collaboration between Ground Engineering Magazine and the Ground Forum, have released two new episodes which are available for free listening: Î George Tuckwell & Richard Pidcock on Geophysics Yuli Doulala-Rigby on Geosynthetics, Product Types & Applications
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Virtual Events
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Location: The Burlington Hotel, Birmingham Fee: £145 for AGS members and £215 for non-members. Prices exclude VAT. Click here to register. Sponsorship: Packages can be viewed HERE. Full details to be released in due course Live and 2022
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Hosted by Steve Hadley, Breaking Ground covers a wide range of ground engineering related topics. Key themes include sustainability, design, commerce, diversity, health and safety, welfare, construction techniques, education, and industry challenges. Episodes also profile industry members careers within the context of discussing industry issues, construction techniques and case studies. Breaking Ground is available for free download on channels including Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts. To listen to the podcast, click HERE For further information on the podcast or for podcast sponsorship opportunities please email gforum@ground-forum.org.uk.
Breaking Ground Podcasts: New Episodes Now Live
September 2022 5 A Guide to Pressuremeter Testing: From Site to Design (webinar) Î Date: 10th November 2022 Î Location: Online Î Fee: FOC Î Sponsorship: Headline and Associate packages available Î Speakers include: ∙ Emma Cronin (Senior Geotechnical Engineer at SOCOTEC) ∙ Alex Dent (Associate Director at WSP) ∙ Thomas Cragg (Director, Cambridge Insitu Ltd) ∙ Yasmin Byrne (Senior Engineer, Cambridge Insitu Ltd) Ross Thompson (Associate Director at WSP UK) The Geotechnical Data Conference 2022 (live event) Î
The AGS data transfer format was introduced in 1992. Thirty years later, using AGS data to its full potential in geotechnical and geoenvironmental practice remains challenging. Mathematica notebooks provide an elegant solution. Combining word processing with powerful computational and visualisation capabilities, Mathematica provides a flexible, cohesive environment for working with AGS data and presenting outputs. This short presentation can only scratch the surface of what’s possible. After summarising some key principles of Mathematica and the process for importing AGS data into a notebook, it will conclude with several examples showing just a few of the tasks that can be performed on BY
National Highways have been long time supporters of the AGS format with functionality available for the storage and display of AGS data within the Geotechnical and Drainage Management Service (GDMS). Currently hosting over 800 AGS files, National Highways wants to ensure that these are referenced and re-used as effectively as possible, and that new data coming into the system is of consistent high quality. Improving quality and access to AGS data adds significant value to preliminary ground modelling and limits unnecessary duplication of ground investigations. Saving time, money, disruption to road users and exposure of the supply chain to unnecessary risk on the network. This presentation will summarise the work National Highways have done to improve the quality and access to the AGS data that they host and showcase the potential benefits to the wider industry.
Geotechnical Data
SPONSORED
Ian Williams, Director at GeoConsult Limited and Ground Investigation Limited
Working with AGS data in Mathematica notebooks
NationalSPEAKERSHighways
The AGS is pleased to announce The Geotechnical Data Conference 2022 will be taking place on Thursday 1st December 2022 at The Burlington Hotel in Birmingham City Centre. The conference will present current developments and investigates the future of ‘AGS Electronic Transfer of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Data (AGS 4.1.1)’, a new opensource Validator and formally releases AGSi the AGS’ ground modelling transfer format. This will include a review of the AGS Data Management Working Group’s input into the new ‘UK Specification for Ground Investigation, Edition 3’ (Yellow Book) and the updated requirements for data transfer/sharing. We will be welcoming questions from attendees (submitted in advance) on the overall AGS Data Format ‘experience’, lessons learned, irritations, suggested improvements for the future with discussion from a panel of experts. There will also be unique insight from major infrastructure asset owners on their vision of the importance and use of data in large organisations both now and in the future.
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Improvements: Better Use of AGS Data Verity Wadesmith, Principal Geotechnical Engineering at Mott MacDonald
**terms*onefollowers)packageavailableandconditions apply
• ½ page advert in AGS magazine (worth £250, over 5,450 subscribers)
• Company logo and overview on the event programme Company overview on the AGS website
• Company logo and overview on the event programmeCompany overview on the AGS website ½ page advert in AGS magazine (worth £250, over 5,450 subscribers)
• A designated area to exhibit company initiatives, research and software. This exhibition space can also showcase marketing materials, literature and banners
Two announcements of your company’s involvement on the AGS Twitter page (over 3280 Twofollowers)announcements of your company’s involvement on the AGS’ LinkedIn page (over 5970
ASSOCIATE SPONSOR (AGS Member Rate: £500 Non-Member Rate: £650)
• Company overview on the AGS website
Entry for one delegate into the event Company directory in AGS magazine
• Company logo on event PowerPoint Presentation holding slide
•
Full page advert in AGS Magazine (worth £400)**
Three announcements of your company’s involvement on the AGS Twitter page (over 3280 followers)
*Limitedfollowers)packages available
Entry for three delegates into the event
Company logo on the event PowerPoint presentation holding slide
SPONSORSHIP
DIAMOND SPONSOR* (AGS Member Rate: £1250 / Non-Member Rate: £1600)
EMERALD SPONSOR (AGS Member Rate: £1000/ Non-Member Rate: £1250) Entry for three delegates into the event
• Company logo on the event PowerPoint presentation holding slide Company logo and overview on the event programme
Announcement of your company’s involvement on the AGS’ LinkedIn page (over 5970 followers)
Entry for two delegates into the event A designated area to exhibit company initiatives, research and software. This exhibition space can also showcase marketing materials, literature and banners
September 2022 7 the data and outputs that can be generated. Tickets are priced at £145 for AGS Members and £215 for non-members. Members of the Data Management Working Group and Students can attend the conference for £75. Prices exclude ToVAT.register your place, please click here.
• A designated area to exhibit company initiatives, research and software. This exhibition space can also showcase marketing materials, literature and banners
• Company logo on the event programme
• Company overview on the AGS website
Catering sponsor with logo on menu
•
Two announcements of your company’s involvement on the AGS Twitter page (over 3280 followers)
GOLD SPONSOR (AGS Member Rate: £800 / Non-Member Rate: £1100)
The AGS has a range of sponsorship packages available for this event, each offering a varying level of exposure. Sponsorship packages start from just £500 and provide an affordable way to reach a worldwide audience across the AGS Magazine, our database of over 4500 delegates, our social media channels and of course, during the event itself.
*Limitedfollowers)packages
Two – three page company Q&A article in AGS magazine (over 5,400 subscribers)**
available
• Company logo on the event PowerPoint presentation holding slide
Announcement of your company’s involvement on the AGS Twitter page (over 3,280 followers)
Three announcements of your company’s involvement on the AGS’ LinkedIn page (over 5970
• Two announcements of your company’s involvement on the AGS’ LinkedIn page (over 5970
If you’d like to confirm your support please contact Caroline Kratz on ags@ags.org.uk before Friday 14th October. Please note that packages are limited and are offered on a first come, first served basis.
WEBINARAGS
8 Magazine NEWS
The AGS is pleased to announce a free webinar will be taking place on the topic; A Guide to Direct Strain Pressuremeters: From Site Survey to Engineering Parameters, on Thursday 10th November 2022 at 11am. Event Overview A sheet of paper has a thickness of about 0.1 millimetres. Direct strain pressuremeters can reliably measure changes in displacements more than 100 times smaller than this, about the wavelength of infra-red light. In a practical sense, this level of resolution allows the shear stress/shear strain response of the ground to be determined for shear strains of less than 0.01% to over 25%. This permits a high precision assessment of ground conditions ranging from competent rocks to very soft soils. A direct strain pressuremeter is an instrumented downhole tool measuring pressure and displacement, allowing for calculation of engineering parameters including stiffness, strength and in situ stress. This discussion will include: Î An introduction to direct strain pressuremeters such as those manufactured and used by Cambridge Insitu, Î A summary of the different types of pressuremeter and how they are deployed in different situations, Î An explanation of how testing is carried out, Î An outline of the theory in which the data analysis is based, Î An overview of how the analysis is undertaken in a real world context, Î Survey design and recommendations for efficient testing regimes, Î Applications for pressuremeter data.
This free webinar, co-Chaired by Alex Dent and Emma Cronin, will introduce the guide and why it has been written. It will be aimed at both consultants and geotechnical contractors, with a focus on pressuremeter testing in soil, but also acknowledging the technique as conducted in rock.
EVENTSUPCOMING&
Î A summary of the different types of pressuremeter and how they are deployed in different situations. Î An explanation of how testing is carried out.
Î An introduction to direct strain pressuremeters such as those manufactured and used by Cambridge Insitu.
Î An outline of the theory in which the data analysis is based.
Î Thomas Cragg (Director, Cambridge Insitu Ltd)
Image credit: Cambridge Insitu Ltd
There are sponsorship packages available for this webinar which start at just £350. For further information about sponsorship, click HERE or email ags@ags.org.uk.
‘Consultant’s view on pressuremeter testing in relation to foundation design‘, presented by Ross Thompson (Associate Director, WSP UK Ltd.) and featuring: A brief overview of how various pressuremeter derived parameters have been used in the design of foundations, in particular the design of foundations for high rise developments. The talk will also cover how pressuremeter testing has been used to optimise foundation design and a comparison between other methods of testing.
9September 2022
Î Yasmin Byrne (Senior Engineer, Cambridge Insitu Ltd)
Presentations
Î Alex Dent (Associate Director at WSP)
To register for the free webinar, please click HERE.
Speakers include: Î Emma Cronin (Senior Geotechnical Engineer at SOCOTEC)
Î Ross Thompson (Associate Director at WSP UK)
‘A guide to direct strain pressuremeters, from site survey to engineering parameters‘, presented by Thomas Cragg (Director, Cambridge Insitu Ltd) and Yasmin Byrne (Senior Engineer, Cambridge Insitu Ltd) and featuring:
10 Magazine AGS Webinar Replays - On Demand The AGS currently has 15 webinar replays, available for on-demand viewing on www.ags.org.uk. Webinar topics include our highly successful Sample Disturbance: What is it?, The New Yellow Book – UK Specification for Ground Investigation, Improving Company Performance through Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, AGS 4.1, AGSi, the Standard Penetration Test and much more. To view our entire back catalogue, click HERE, or take a look at some of our topics below: The New Yellow Book – UK Specification for Ground Cost:Investigation FOC Webinar Overview: This webinar replay sets the context for the revision and explains the changes made and reasons behind them. Speakers: Speakers include Julian Lovell (Immediate Past AGS Chair and Managing Director at Equipe Group), Matthew Baldwin (Independent Consultant) and Stewart Jarvis (Associate Director, Ground Engineering, Arup). NEWS EVENTSUPCOMING&WEBINARAGS
Please note: Speaker information correct at the time of the webinars.
Overview: This webinar discusses the new Code of Practice for the Sustainable Use of Soils and its implications to development, legal perspective on the liabilities imposed on developers and consultants under the revised Duty of Care and tips and experience so as to better assist practitioners in the classification of soils.
Sustainability in the Delivery of Brownfield Regeneration: Sustainable Management of Cost:Soils
£25 for AGS members or £30 for non-AGS members
Cost: FOC Webinar Overview: This webinar replay aims to inform about the decline in students enrolling in geoscience courses at university and update on the progress with the Degree Apprenticeship in Geoscience
Speakers: Speakers include Sally Hudson (AGS Chair and Regional Director at Coffey Geotechnics Limited, A Tetra Tech Company), Dr Nick Koor (Reader in Geological Engineering, University of Portsmouth (School of the Environment, Geography and Geoscience)) and Paul Roberts (Regional Director at AECOM).
Sample Disturbance: What is it?
Speakers: Speakers include Ian Bishop (Managing Director at One Touch Data), Nick Willenbrock (Manager - Definition of Waste: Development Industry Code of Practice at CL:AIRE), Anna Willetts (Partner at Gunnercooke LLP), Will Fardon (Technical Director at Chemtech Environmental) and Chris Swainston (Principal Environmental Consultant at Soils Limited).
Speakers: Speakers include Sally Hudson (AGS Chair and Regional Manager & Associate at Coffey Geotechnics Limited, A Tetra Tech Company), David Norbury (Director at David Norbury Ltd), John J M Powell (Technical Adviser at Geolabs Limited) and Tom Lunne (Expert Adviser at Norwegian Geotechnical Institute).
Webinar
Webinar Overview: This webinar discusses The Environment Act, the now mandatory 10% biodiversity net gain (BNG) target for developments in England and Sustainable Management Practices. Speakers: Speakers include Alexander Lee (Technical Director, Environment at WSP), Jill Crawford (Senior Associate Solicitor in the Planning and Environment Team at Irwin Mitchell), Jon Davies (Director at RSK Biocensus / RSK Wilding) and Nicola Harries (Technical Director at CL:AIRE).
Sustainability in the Delivery of Brownfield Regeneration: Sustainable Remediation Cost:Solutions
Cost: FOC Webinar Overview: This webinar replay aims to stimulate a discussion and start a process whereby we can begin to decide on factors which might build to be a disturbance classification.
11September 2022
£25 for AGS members or £30 for non-AGS members
The Development of a Degree Apprenticeship in Geoscience
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HEADLINE SPONSOR *one package available per webinar Price: £800 (members) or £1,100 (nonmembers) Company website link or pop-up promotion to feature during the live webinar Large logo on sponsor slide during the webinar Company mention during webinar opening and closing address Logo and overview in the event program Company Q&A feature in AGS Magazine (5,440 subscribers) Full page advert in AGS Magazine (worth £400) Two complementary event registrations (worth up to £180) Company logo and overview featured on the webinar registration page Logo featured on promotional marketing emails Company logo and overview on the AGS’ Twitter page (3,208 followers) Company logo and overview on the AGS’ LinkedIn page (5,730 followers) Company logo featured on replay email campaigns Company inclusion in a follow up article in AGS Magazine (5,440 subscribers) SPONSOR *10 packages available per webinar Price: £350 (members) or £650 (nonmembers) Logo on sponsor slide during the webinar Logo and overview in the event program Company mention during webinar opening & closing address Logo featured in promotional marketing emails Company directory insert in AGS Magazine, worth £50 (5,440 subscribers) One complementary webinar registration (worth up to £90) Company logo and overview on the AGS’ Twitter page (3,208 followers) Company logo and overview on the AGS’ LinkedIn page (5,730 followers) Company mention in a follow up article in AGS Magazine (5,440 subscribers) Company overview on the AGS website Company logo featured on replay email campaigns All prices exclude VAT. If your company would like to support any AGS webinars or if you’d like any further information on the events, please contact Caroline Kratz on ags@ags.org.uk
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Since our first webinar in July 2020, our virtual event programme has been a huge success with 5,000+ delegates registering to attend from countries across the globe. We frequently have attendees from USA, Canada, Hong Kong, Australia, Italy and UAE to name but a few, and sponsorship provides a fantastic opportunity to put your company and its initiatives in front of a worldwide audience. The AGS has both Headline and Associate sponsorship packages available for all webinars in 2022. Packages are limited, however, bespoke packages can be developed with companies (subject to space) to suit all budgets. Please see package details below:
T he Health and Safety Executive (HSE) requires industry bodies, such as the Association of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Specialists (AGS) and British Drilling Association (BDA) (who represent the majority of the land drilling sector), to provide guidance to their own sectors through documented standards of good practice and guidance to help ensure legal compliance and encourage safety improvements.
The relationship between drilling machines and the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) has been regularly contested as the primary use of a drilling machine is not to lift, thus precluding a drilling machine from the scope of LOLER. However, the components forming, and added to the mechanism in order to create a borehole, are the same as those used by machines for lifting. It is, therefore, prudent that the drilling industry implements robust examination and certification requirements to ensure the safe operation of the drilling machine.
Following consultation with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), and subsequently underpinned by the release of L113 Safe use of lifting Equipment, (HSE 2014), the land drilling sector represented by the AGS and BDA: Î mirrored the requirements of LOLER, where it could be applied, Î reinforced the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) in its entirety. Why has the drilling industry chosen to mirror elements of LOLER? The mechanism for progressing a borehole is either, rotational, resonance or percussion, or a combination. It is reasonable to conclude that a drilling machine is not designed “for” lifting or lowering loads but for creating boreholes; confirming that a drilling machine cannot be tested against LOLER as it fails at the first Tohurdle.explain why aspects of LOLER 1998 are adopted; an understanding of the failure modes that are aligned between machines designed for lifting and machines designed for drilling must be considered. Both types primarily use either or a combination of steel wire ropes, sheaves, and winches. Additional components are used on both types, to connect auxiliary items to enable the activity to take place. Therefore, both types of machines will have similar failure characteristics caused by overloading, under rating, damage Article contributed by AGS Safety Working Group and BDA Safety Sub-committee
Current AGS and BDA guidance documents, combined with the BDA audit, require that the maintenance and inspection requirements of drilling machines should be undertaken to the same standard, with regards to competence, thoroughness, and recording, as that required for components legislated for by LOLER.
The relationship between LOLER and drilling machines
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LOLER prescribes (regulation 9, 10 & 11), and the AGS and BDA supports, a regime of inspection with two significant, prerequisites which are:
Following good practice is not a legal requirement in itself, but should an organisation choose not to follow good practice, and something goes wrong, that organisation may well be found liable of a tort of negligence under the Health and Safety at Work Act, 1974 and face a financial penalty and or a custodial sentence for it's Directors.
Examination certification shall mirror Schedule 1 of LOLER and contain the following particulars:
More information regarding the Application of PUWER and LOLER to Land Drilling can be obtained from the AGS website.
Essentially, the AGS and BDA has combined the constant application of PUWER and the two elements of LOLER to provide further documented good practice to follow for the drilling industry and thereby continue to improve drilling machine safety.
1. A specific regime for inspection; annual thorough examination of the drilling machines and six- monthly thorough examination of accessories, and 2. A legal onus emphasising that the competent person (for examination), “must be sufficiently independent and impartial to allow objective decisions to be made”.
Î Name and address of the company for whom the examination was made, Î Address of the premises at which the thorough examination was made, Î Sufficient identification of the drilling machine, its winches, ropes and lifting accessories including, where known, their date of manufacture, Î The date of the last thorough examination, Î The safe working load (SWL) of the drilling machine, its winches, its accessories, and the Factor of Safety (FOS) applied to each, Î The type of examination i.e., six monthly examination or annual examination or if after the occurrence of exceptional circumstances, Î Identification of any part that had a defect, which is or could become a danger to persons, detailing the description of the defect, Î Any repair, renewal or alteration required to remedy a defect found to be a danger to persons, Î Any defect, which is not yet but could become a danger to persons, the time by which it could become such a danger, along with details of any repair, renewal or alteration required to remedy it, Î The latest date by which the next thorough examination must be carried out, Î Where the thorough examination included testing; the particulars of any test undertaken, Î Name and competency qualifications of the person making the report, Î Name and address of the examiner’s company / employer, Î Name and address of the person signing or authenticating the report on behalf of its author, Î Date of the thorough examination.
Where specific tooling, used by drilling machines, to enable the lifting process does not currently conform to LOLER inspection or examination, the manufacturer should be consulted to obtain the Safe Working Load (SWL) in order that the equipment can be added to an inspection regime.
What is the legal standing of AGS & BDA guidance?
September 2022 15 and deterioration due to use or working environment. Where failure modes are aligned it is obvious that mitigation of failure should also be aligned. Which elements of LOLER 1998 are applied to drilling machines?
one Penetration Testing (CPT) or Piezocone (Cone Penetration with pore water pressure measurement (CPTU)) have seen a significant increase in use over the last 20 years. It has grown from a rarely used test to forming a significant element of most ground investigations carried out today. The publication of documents such as Eurocode 7 and the ISO standard has helped push the use of CPTs as a reliable and important method of gaining quality repeatable in situ data from the ground for design purposes. Developments in the cone technology allowing equipment to be more robust has also helped, along with the ever-increasing number of sensors that can be added to a CPT to make the test even more powerful.
The test procedure is clearly defined in the British Standard, BS EN ISO 22476-1. In its simplest form, a cone is pushed into the ground at a standard penetration rate. The cone is connected by an umbilical cable that feeds the data to a data logger and logging computer, which displays these results in real time on screen. The cone is pushed in using a series of 1-metre-long rods by a set of hydraulic rams inside the CPT rig.
Article contributed by Darren Ward – Managing Director, In Situ Site Investigation Ltd Luisa Dhimitri – Geotechnical Engineer, In Situ Site Investigation Ltd John Holt - Pressuremeter Testing ManagerSenior Geologist, Insitu Testing Introduction to Cone Penetration Testing
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Photo Credit: In Situ
Test Procedure
Site Investigation Ltd
A standard CPT rod is only 36mm in diameter and most rigs will push between 10-20 tonnes, so care has to be taken not to damage or break the equipment. A good understanding of the probable ground conditions is vital when deciding if CPTs will give you the required outcome on your site.
Cone technology has seen major developments over the past 20 years. The standard CPT cone now measures pore pressure and is referred to as a piezocone. The pore pressure element can also be mounted in one of three positions, depending on ground conditions and the purpose of the test.
There are several checks and some preparation of the cone that needs to be done before commencement of the test which is outlined in the British Standard in more detail. These include things such as checking the dimensions of the cone, checking zero values, being aware of temperature differences and saturating the piezo element of the Whencone.compared to traditional drilling techniques, the test is carried out at a relatively fast rate of two centimetres per second. This enables between 100 to 150 metres of testing in a shift, depending on ground conditions. It is also vitally important to fully understand the limitations of CPTs.
Over recent years, the importance of temperature affecting the electronics inside the cone has been recognised and this has led to better temperature compensation.
Cones have also moved from being analogue to digital, which has allowed for many more sensors to be added to a standard CPT to gain additional data. These include magnetometers for detecting unexploded ordnance and pile lengths; sensors that measure the natural gamma radiation in the soil which can assist in solution feature investigations and the seismic cone which can measure shear wave velocities
CPT ConesEquipment
“ When compared to traditional drilling techniques, the test is carried out at a relatively fast rate of two centimetres per second.
September 2022 17
18 Magazine down hole. A more detailed list is provided in Table 1. There has also been a significant development in the application of environmental cones that are capable of measuring most types of contamination. Two common examples of environmental cones are the membrane interface probe and the optical imaging probe. These are used to rapidly map contamination plumes over large areas. A more detailed list of these cones are provided in Table 1. Other cone types that are regularly used are the soil moisture probe, video cone with a camera mounted on the side that records an image and the hydraulic profiling tool which pumps out water as the cone is penetrating the ground to measure hydraulic conductivity. There are also specialist cones for working in very soft soils. These can be specially calibrated CPT cones or modified cones such as the ball cone and T-Bar.
Normally 2 sets of geophones with a 0.5m or 1m separation
Direct measurement of Shear wave velocity and Pressure wave velocity Video Cone Spall video camera mounted in the side of the cone. Visual confirmation of the soil and can be used to find contamination.
Cone Type Additional Sensor/s Application SeismicCone
Soil ConeMoisture Resistivity and dielectric constant sensors which combined can derive soil moisture. For the measurement of soil moisture content.
ResistivityCone Resistivity sensor to measure resistivity/conductivity.direct Contamination investigation.
Ball Cone Full flow penetrometer in shape of a ball that replaces a standard conical tip. More accurate measurement of tip resistance in very soft soils.
Cones are not the only thing a CPT rig can push into the ground! There are specially modified vanes that can be used to measure shear strength directly and driven sampling systems. The CPT rig can also be used for installing instrumentation such as piezometers and inclinometers. Rigs CPT rigs come in all shapes and sizes depending on what is needed for each particular project. The larger the rig the more reaction weight it will have to push the cone “ Cones are not the only thing a CPT rig can push into the ground! There are specially modified vanes that can be used to measure shear strength directly and driven sampling systems.
Tbar Cone Full flow penetrometer in the shape of a circular bar perpendicular to the cone that replaces a standard conical tip. More accurate measurement of tip resistance in very soft soils.
ProfilingHydraulicTool Has a filter on the side of the cone from which water is injected into the ground and pressure is recorded. Measurement of conductivity.hydraulic
Table 1. List of some of the different cones and modules commonly used.
Gamma Cone Naturally occurring gamma sensor Solution feature investigation
September 2022 19
Rigsinstead.are often divided into wheeled and tracked versions and these can come in different sizes. You can also get rigs that have both wheels and tracks on them, known as tracktrucks. A good thing about the larger rigs is that they provide comfortable places for work not only for the CPT operator but also the supervising engineer. Smaller CPT rigs such as crawlers can be between one and a half and three tonnes. These rigs typically come with some sort of anchoring system to provide extra reaction force for the test. The use of the anchors can slow down the overall operation and reduce the amount of testing that can be completed in a shift and consideration also needs to be taken for the potential to damage underground services, if used. The major advantage of these rigs is that they can be used to access difficult to reach locations and they are often used on Jack up platforms and pontoons for carrying out work over water.
There are even smaller rigs which are hand portable that are often used in basements. These are bolted to the concrete slab in the building which then provides the reaction force for the test. These can be powered by an electric power pack which enables emission free testing inside a building with no need for fume Furthermore,extraction.there are rigs that have been specially adapted for work in certain environments. The rail environment is a good example where rigs have been modified to fit on rail vehicles to enable testing to be carried out from the track.
Offshore is also a major area for CPTs and “ Smaller CPT rigs such as crawlers can be between one and a half and three tonnes. These rigs typically come with some sort of anchoring system to provide extra reaction force for the test.
20 Magazine in the ground. However, it is not always the case that you need a large rig to achieve the required depths in a certain ground condition. You also don’t always have the space for a large CPT rig so smaller ones may need be deployed
Data Processing While performing a piezocone test, the measured data is automatically converted from millivolts to engineering units. The results of cone resistance qc, sleeve friction fs, and porewater pressure u2 are shown graphically on the computer screen, giving real time access to the interested parties. Inclination and penetration rate are also monitored; although they are not used directly in soil classification and geotechnical parameters derivation, they assist in the process of quality checking the Datadata. processing starts with generating the corrected cone resistance, qt and friction ratio, Rf through very simple calculations which involve measured results only. At this phase of data processing, Soil Behaviour Type (SBT) can be plotted on one of the charts available based on qc / qt and Rf to give a name to the soils encountered during penetration. To derive more soil properties, it is nearly always necessary to have information on groundwater conditions, GWL and density/unit weight, γ to establish total and effective vertical stresses, σv0 and σ’v, to derive pore pressure ratio, Bq and other normalized parameters, Qt and FR, which can be used to classify soils based on more advanced SBT charts, like Robertson 2016, which interpret soils strictly based on their behaviour (contractive or dilative, drained or undrained) instead of giving the geological descriptions (sand, silt or clay).
Furthermore, data processing continues with the derivation of geotechnical parameters based on many correlations published in literature linking the measured CPT/U data to the required soil properties. These correlations are incorporated into various software packages making it a very easy
September 2022 21 it is this industry that funded a lot of cone development research during the 1970s and 80s. The speed of the CPT and the quality of data that we get from it makes it ideal for work in marine environments. Rigs have been developed that are fully submersible which can be lowered to the seabed to carry out tests. Projects in this sector are commonly for pipeline routes and foundations for wind farms.
CPTU based methods to assess the liquefaction potential (the phenomenon that turns solid ground into a liquid-like state) of soils are straightforward to determine the cyclic resistance ratio (CRR). They have proven to be very successful in tailings materials and regions prone to earthquakes. In addition, CPTUs are widely used as a quality check for ground improvement projects where cone resistance, QC pre and post ground improvement application helps the designers to make real time decisions. In areas where the geology is Chalk, cone penetration tests are becoming a cost-effective method to identify chalk and solution features, especially by taking measurements of the gamma radiation while penetrating the soils.
Parameters Symbol Unit Relative Density Dr % Undrained Shear Strength su kPa Water Content wc % SPT number N60Shear Wave Velocity vs m/s Unit weight γ kN/m3 Small Strain Shear Modulus G0 MPa Small Strain Youngs Modulus E0 MPa Constrained Modulus M MPa Coefficient of volume change mv m2/MN Compression Index Cc Overconsolidation Ratio OCR Friction Angle φ ° Effective Cohesion c’ kPa Sensitivity StCoefficient of Lateral Earth Pressure K0 Rigidity Index Ir Hydraulic Conductivity k (kh and kv) m/s Table 2. List of possible parameters to derive from correlations available in the literature
22 Magazine electronic process to plot the results on soil behaviour type charts and to generate all possible soils properties. However, the use of software to process CPTU results into geotechnical information should be done with care. Although these packages perform the mathematical calculations correctly, they are often used with too little basic information, experience and/ or knowledge (Powell & Dhimitri, 2022). A list of soil properties that can be derived from CPTU measured data is presented in Table 2. Use of CPTs in Geotechnical Practice CPTUs are a powerful tool not only for soil characterisation, but also to give extensive information on soil properties and their behaviour in situ. Over the years, they have proven to be very successful to provide information regarding the design parameters in difficult soil conditions. The use of CPTU tests is worthwhile in settlement evaluation, especially when you perform a dissipation test by suspending the penetration at the required depth and waiting for the excess pore water pressure to dissipate. This provides us with valuable geotechnical information such as ground water level at that position in that moment if the dissipation test is left to run to equilibrium, drainage conditions and consolidation parameters. Furthermore, measured or derived parameters from CPTs can be used to perform bearing capacity analysis for shallow and deep foundations.
Reference Powell, J. J. M., Dhimitri L. “Watch out for the use of global correlations and “black box” interpretation of CPTU data [taylorfrancis. com]”. 5th International Symposium on Cone Penetration Testing (CPT’22), 8-10 June 2022, Bologna, Italy. CRC Press. p. 651-656
September 2022 23 Association of Geotechnical & Geoenvironmental Specialists ■ Good practice in geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineering ■ Quality companies providing a quality service ■ Health and Safety ■ AGS Data Format WHY BECOME AN AGS MEMBER? Enhance your status in the industry. Make a statement about quality and good practice. Participate in the AGS Working Groups and help shape the industry and set the standards. ■ Guidance to good practice ■ Listing in the Directory of Members ■ AGS Magazine focused on ground engineering ‘hot topics’ ■ Legal helpline ■ Chemical safety helpline ■ AGS Loss Prevention Guidance Document ■ Seminars, conferencesmeetings,andwebinars ■ Collaboration with other bodies ■ Liaison with UKAS ■ Lobbying on matters important to the sector ■ Developing and maintaining the AGS Data Format For further information on the AGS and details on how to become a member visit www.ags.org.uk Established in 1988, the Association of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Specialists is a not-for-profit trade association which represents over 140 leading companies specialising in site investigation, geotechnics, geoenvironmental engineering, engineering geology, geochemistry, hydrogeology, and other related disciplines. WHAT DO WE OFFER? MEMBERS DOCUMENTSPRODUCINGCONTRIBUTECANBYSUCHAS: ■ AGS good practice guidance ■ AGS publications ■ AGS safety guidance ■ AGS client guides MEMBERS PARTICIPATECANIN AGS WORKING GROUPS: ■ Laboratories ■ Contaminated Land ■ Safety ■ Business Practice ■ Loss Prevention ■ Data Management ■ Executive Committee ■ Geotechnical ■ Instrumentation and Monitoring WHAT DO WE STAND FOR?
24 Magazine I n May 2021 a SoBRA sub-committee was established to develop guidance to help practitioners in the land contamination sector to account for climate change effects in controlled water risk assessments (CWRA) in a robust and consistent manner. The subcommittee has representatives from geoenvironmental consultancy and UK regulatory bodies (a full list of contributors is provided at the end of this article). The full guidance entitled “Guidance on assessing risk to controlled waters from UK land contamination under conditions of future climate change” (V.1.0, dated August 2022), will soon be available for download from the SoBRA website1. Climate change is expected to alter the frequency and distribution of rainfall, increase atmospheric temperatures, and increase the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, leading to longer periods of drought and more extreme rainfall events with associated rising groundwater and surface water levels causing flooding and coastal inundation. Furthermore, long-term changes in climate are forecast with the Meteorological Office projecting that by 2070, on average across the UK, summers will be between 0.9 and 5.4 °C warmer, and winters will be between 0.7 and 4.2 °C warmer2. Precipitation is also expected to be affected, with a -47% to +2% UK average change during the summer months, and a -1% to +35% change during winter months3. The projected pattern of rainfall across the UK is not uniform and will continue to vary on seasonal and regional scales into the future –see information provided by the Met Office4 for seasonal and regional variations. Changes in recharge rates, and to a lesser extent atmospheric temperature, can be important factors in determining the outcome of CWRAs5 being completed to assess the impacts to receptors from contaminant Article contributed by Dr. Emma Hipkins, Helen McMillan, and Isla Smail on behalf of the wider SoBRA Climate Change and Controlled Waters sub-group.
Photo Mark Caldon
Credit:
New SoBRA Guidance on the Incorporation Future Climate Change Effects into Waters Risk Assessments of Land Contamination
Future climate change could foreseeably affect any given CSM. For example, an increase in precipitation could lead to increased recharge resulting in rising groundwater levels; source (e.g. soil) erosion; or overland flow. It can further be seen how these scenarios could affect the pathways from source to receptors e.g. unsaturated zone thickness, hydraulic gradients and dilution factors, or the introduction of new pathways e.g. from overland flow, or previously unsaturated drains/culverts acting as new preferential pathways (see Figure 1). As a result of the change in pathway, the number and type of receptors may also be affected, all of which could change the calculated ‘risk’ posed to controlled waters7.
IncorporationContaminationControlledof“
September 2022 25 sources. Climate change could, therefore, alter the risk posed to controlled waters (including to groundwater resources, surface water bodies, marine bodies, and groundwaterdependent terrestrial ecosystems), and the required management of these risks.
The need to incorporate the predicted effects of future climate change into qualitative and quantitative risk assessments have been recognised but rarely implemented in practice. This need is set out within the Environment Agency’s 2010 “Managing and reducing land contamination: guiding principles (GPLC2) FAQ 8”, and within the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) for England and Wales and LCRM.
Effect of Future Climate Change on Controlled Waters Risk Assessments
It is understood that the National Planning Framework 4 and WAT-PS-10 in Scotland will also in future include the need to consider climate change within land contamination risk assessments. Within the recently published BS213656 there is a requirement to consider and identify ‘possible foreseeable events’ within CSMs that could affect contaminant impacts or create new exposure pathways, e.g. flooding, rising groundwater or seawater levels and extreme weather, which all go hand in hand with climate change. The absence of published UK guidance has resulted in variable ways of inclusion of climate change effects into CWRA, or, more usually, the influence of climate change being ignored entirely.
The need incorporateto the predicted effects of future climate change into qualitative and quantitative rarelybeenassessmentsriskhasrecognisedbutimplementedinpractice.
All CWRA are underpinned by a conceptual site model (CSM), which synthesises the key physical, chemical, and biological processes that characterise the system, and establishes any potential Source-Pathway-Receptor linkages (i.e. no linkage, no risk).
26 Magazine
By way of another example, an increase in extended periods of hot dry weather or drought i.e. as predicted for the summer months, could result in reduced overland flow; falling groundwater levels which could, for example, change the pathway length by increasing the unsaturated zone thickness or increase dependency of baseflow to rivers; source drying increasing the risk of wind erosion/dust generation, and the development of desiccation cracks creating preferential vertical flow paths; changes in water demand e.g. through the installation of new abstraction wells or enhanced drawdown. All of which could again alter the calculated ‘risk’ posed to controlled waters (see Figure 2).
evidence-basedprofessional,andbymustchangerecognises[...],industrywithstandardstheSoBRAguidancethatanytoaCSM[...]bedeterminedasuitablyqualifiedexperiencedusingreasoning...
In line with industry standards (e.g. LCRM8), the SoBRA guidance recognises that any change to a CSM (due to future climate change effects) must be determined by a suitably qualified and experienced professional, thedeterminedifand(i.e.progressprocessTheevidence-basedusingreasoning.riskassessmentshouldonlytohighertiersgenericquantitativedetailedquantitative)theriskcannotbe‘acceptable’atpreliminarystage.The
SoBRA guidance supports practitioners in doing this by setting out “What-if” scenarios for source, pathway, receptor CSM components that could be affected by climate change, in order to guide evidence-based reasoning. This Figure 1 – Indicative CSM considerations based on a climatic shift to ‘wetter’ weather.
“ In line
Adequacy of Available Datasets
September 2022 27 is in line with the approach detailed in BS21365.
“ The bestcurrentsource of information understandingfor future meteorological [...] and sea level rise projections is the Met Office UK ProjectionClimate(CP)18dataset...
The current best source of information for precipitation)(e.g.futureunderstandingmeteorologicaltemperatureandandsea level rise projections is the Met Office UK Climate Projection (CP) 189 dataset. This dataset was primarily developed to inform water resource management and flood risk assessment and as such the data modelled under the worst case high emissions scenario (RCP 8.5) is the most comprehensive, particularly when considering effects at the local scale. Projections are available until the end of the century. The projections consider average effects and do not necessarily include the effects of extreme events. The Enhanced Future Flows and Groundwater10 (eFLaG) Project, which is based on UKCP18 meteorological data, is the most up to date source of information detailing projections to recharge and river flows. This may be a more useful data source in relation to understanding changes to the hydrogeological CSM in relation to future climate change. The choice of data set used to understand future climate change influences on the CSM is ultimately the responsibility of the risk Figure 2 – Indicative CSM considerations based on a climatic shift to ‘drier’ weather.
5. Controlled waters is a term used in legislation in England and Wales. Its equivalent in Scotland is the water environment. It is understood that Northern Ireland use both terms. Throughout this article the term ‘controlled waters’ is used to refer to regulated groundwater and surface water throughout the UK.
6. BS EN ISO 21365:2020 Soil quality – conceptual site models for potentially contaminated sites
7. Changes to a Conceptual Site Model can also be envisaged because of increases in the frequency and duration of extreme cold weather events, changes to wind intensity and duration, pluvial or groundwater flooding, marine inundation, and river or coastal erosion.
SoBRA Sub-Committee Members
3. Where a negative value denotes a reduction in precipitation.
2. UK Climate Projections: Headline Findings. July 2021 (available at https://www.metoffice.gov.uk). Values presented are based on Met Office high emissions projections (RCP8.5) for 10% and 90% probability levels.
12. http://www.consim.co.uk/
Adequacy of Available Modelling Tools Commercial modelling tools used in the higher tiers of risk assessment e.g. the Remedial Targets Methodology worksheet (‘P20’)11, and ConSim12, currently assume environmental conditions remain constant, however, the effects of future climate change are projected to vary over time, and so, therefore, will the established pollutant linkages. This poses a challenge for practitioners with tools ill-equipped to model changes to the values of parameters over time. Although distributed flow models exist (e.g. MODFLOW and FEFLOW), in addition to compartmental modelling environments (e.g. ConSim), the data requirements, time, and computational and staff resources required to develop and run these models is unlikely to be proportionate to most routine land contamination risk Itassessments.is,therefore, evident that further tools need to be developed (or current tools adapted) to model the transient effects of future climate change. However, until such time, the SoBRA guidance recommends that existing tools are employed, except where risks are borderline acceptable (in which case an existing transient modelling approach may be most appropriate). The SoBRA guidance sets out recommendations for how this can be achieved using commercially available tools.
28 Magazine assessor and should be suitably justified with uncertainties and limitations clearly stated. As the effects of climate change vary seasonally and spatially across the UK, careful consideration should be given to the site setting when choosing the appropriate climate model output for use in risk assessment.
David Drury (Golder Associates / WSP); Emma Evans (Arcadis); Emma Hipkins (Golder Associates / WSP); Emma Khadun (The LK Group); Helen McMillan (RSK Geosciences); Isla Smail (The Scottish Environment Protection Agency); James Wilson (Atkins); Jesse Davies (Ramboll); Jonathon Atkinson (The Environment Agency); Katie Gamlin (WSP); Leon Warrington (Hydrock); Roisin Lindsay (WSP); Sarah Poulton (Natural Resources Wales); and Suzanne Blackman (Mott WeMacDonald).wouldalso like to thank Simon Cole (SoBRA chair) and the wider SoBRA Executive Committee for their support and contributions in making this guidance possible. References 1. https://sobra.org.uk/
4. UKCP18 Climate Change Over Land (available at https://www.metoffice.gov.uk).
8. Land Contamination Risk Management Guidance. Available at management-lcrmpublications/land-contamination-risk-https://www.gov.uk/government/ 9. approach/collaboration/ukcphttps://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/ 10. eflag-enhanced-future-flows-and-groundwaterhttps://www.ceh.ac.uk/our-science/projects/ 11. remedial-targets-worksheet-v22a-user-manualhttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/
BONUS: Storage and
3. Easy to clean Contaminants from samples soak into wood when they get wet. That means you can’t use that box again due to cross-contamination issues. That’s not a problem for plastic RhinoCoreboxes. Just jet-wash them down and they’re ready to go again. Reuse.
Plastic coreboxes are the future –here are 5 reasons why
ADDED transport In comparison to clunky, flimsy wooden boxes, empty RhinoCoreboxes save you 300% on transport costs and up to 300% in empty storage costs. That means more space in your stores for equipment and gear and massive cost reduction on getting boxes to site. Spacious savings.
1. Zero waste RhinoCoreboxes are made from 100% recycled polypropylene and remain 100% recyclable at the end of their lifecycle. Zero waste. Nothing to landfill.
In today’s increasingly eco-conscious world, plastic is often a bad word. It pollutes. It takes an age to degrade. It’s killing our planet. On the contrary, wood is renewable, degradable and doesn’t pollute. In short, plastic is not environmentally-friendly. But what if it was? Now available in both single 1.5m channel and double 1m channel variations, RhinoCorebox is a plastic core transport and storage box made from 100% recycled materials. It is unequivocally the future of soil and rock core storage and is by far the best corebox on the market today. Here are 5 reasons why:
4. Safer to use Gone are the days of flimsy, painful string handles tearing hands apart.
RhinoCoreboxes are ergonomically designed to make sure they’re comfortable to carry. They are lighter than their wooden counterparts, so they reduce your manual handling risk, and they even interlock when stacking for increased stability. Safe.
5. Core security Samples are the name of the game in ground investigation. Wooden boxes are not designed to house samples in a secure, supported manner. It’s literally a round core in a square box. Not good. RhinoCoreboxes are different. They cradle your core and ensure it doesn’t get damaged in transit. Take better care of your core. RhinoCorebox has been developed by industry experts to tackle the issue of dangerously heavy, cumbersome, inefficient, ineffective and unsustainable wooden corebox useage. They replace something that is outdated, ineffectual and wasteful with something you can use again and again. In short, RhinoCorebox turns a consumable into an asset.
1M BOXES £30.5 + VAT EACH 1.5M BOXES £30.5 + VAT EACH
2. 700% cheaper per use On average, wooden coreboxes get used a maximum of four times before being binned and/or replaced. That’s around £4 per use. RhinoCoreboxes can be used upwards of 50 (yes, FIFTY) times. That’s a miserly £0.60 per use for the 1m boxes. Bargain.
September 2022 29
30 Magazine B iodiversity net gain (BNG) is an approach to development that aims to leave biodiversity in a measurably better state than before. BNG is both an outcome and a process. The approach to BNG consists of ten guiding principles as outlined in the Good Practice Principles for Development1 and in England, the application of an excel-based tool, the Biodiversity Metric 3.1 Calculation Tool2 (hereafter ‘the Metric’), as a proxy measure of biodiversity. In this article, we will explore how the Principles for Development are essential to the best practice application of the Metric to avoid biodiversity being considered as a numbers game. We will also discuss the opportunities and risks presented by BNG and its delivery to the development of brownfield land. Across the UK, the BNG approach is known and associated with policy and legislation to different degrees. In England, the Environment Act 2021 has made the BNG approach a mandatory requirement of planning permission. This primary legislation requires all size developments, excluding permitted development, to achieve a minimum of a 10% net gain in biodiversity for at least 30 years, demonstrated through the Metric. It will come into effect between 2023 and 2025 and
Article contributed by Hannah Williams (Principal Ecologist, BNG) & Harriett Ricketts (Natural Capital Specialist)WSP
Photo Credit: Andy O'Dea, Cognition Land and Water
BiodiversityandNet
Gain –opportunities and risks
Brownfield
“ In Wales, under the Planning Policy Edition 11, there is the requirement for development to prevent biodiversity losses or compensate for losses where damage unavoidable...is
In Northern Ireland, Planning Policy Statement 2: Natural Heritage 2013 states ‘planning policies of this statement must have regard to any strategy designated for the conservation of biodiversity…’ and ‘protection and/or enhancement’ of ‘natural heritage features and designated sites’ is
September 2022 31 tie in with secondary legislation providing further details of how the approach will work in practice. In the meantime, Local Planning Authorities already expect net gain to be achieved in developments, as required by the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF); the difference being that the NPPF does not define a Inpercentage.Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, legislation for BNG does not yet exist. Current policy, however, suggests the use of BNG as a valid and robust way to meet policy requirements. For example, in Scotland, the latest National Planning Framework 43 must implement the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 stipulation for development to secure positive effects for biodiversity. In Wales, under the Planning Policy Edition 11, there is the requirement for development to prevent biodiversity losses or compensate for losses where damage is unavoidable4 and that any development must provide a net benefit for biodiversity.
32 Magazine Online Geotechnical Courses Delivered in partnership with Plough Geotechnical Basic Foundation Design - £250 + VAT Shallow foundation overview for geotechnical practitioners and engineers Further Foundation Design - £250 + VAT Complex & deep pile foundations for geotechnical practitioners and engineers Earthworks Design and Construction - £250 + VAT A general overview of materials sourcing / selection for design & construction Slope Stability Design - £250 + VAT Comprehensive overview for geotechnical practitioners and engineers Health and Safety Courses Delivered in partnership with RPA Safety Services IOSH Safe Supervision of Geotechnical Sites (3 Days) - £495 + VAT Learn in detail how to keep yourself and your on-site operatives safe in the field - industry SSSTS equivalent IOSH Avoiding Danger from Underground Services - £175 + VAT In accordance with the requirements and guidance set out within HSG47 WITH WORLD CLASS GEOTECHNICAL TRAINING FROM EQUIP E Other Health and Safety Courses Delivered in partnership with EB Safety Solutions & RPA Safety Services MARGI - Managing & working with Asbestos Risk in Ground Investigation - £225 + VAT Comprehensive guidance to deal with asbestos in a GI environment, including CAR 2012 Geotechnical Courses Prof. David Norbury’s Soil Description Workshop - £295 + VAT Providing a detailed approach to soil description practices and techniques Prof. David Norbury’s Rock Description Workshop - £295 + VAT Providing a detailed approach to rock description practices and techniques
Thisrequired5.article will focus on England, where policy and legislation are most developed in BNG, allowing for better exploration of implications for brownfield land. However, many of the principles of how the approach works, as well as drawbacks and opportunities, could apply elsewhere in the UK. Initially, Natural England (NE), the relevant non-departmental public body, considered whether brownfield land should be excluded from the Metric. However, following a recently completed consultation6, the government is proposing not to apply exemptions to brownfield sites that meet set criteria. They state that ‘an exemption based on an appropriate combination of these criteria would deliver little added benefit and would greatly complicate the requirement’s scope for developers and planning authorities alike.... furthermore, many brownfield sites offer significant potential for achieving biodiversity net gain as they often have a low predevelopment biodiversity value’7. Therefore, brownfield developments are seen to offer significant biodiversity value, especially in urban environments. The habitats found on brownfield land vary from areas of remaining bare ground or hard standing, to ruderal and ephemeral vegetation, to grassland and scrub. Where a combination of these habitats occurs within a certain continuous area, they can fit the description of Open Mosaic Habitats on Previously Developed Land (OMH). The periodic disturbance and abandonment of the land replicates the ‘disturbance’ process found in natural ecosystems. Disturbance is often essential to ‘restart the clock’ of succession (the process by which the structure and mix of species and habitats in an area change over time). Disturbance supports the creation of a variety of habitats across a landscape, which in turn supports species diversity. This is where brownfield land can be valuable to biodiversity. Brownfield land often falls into the category of a biodiversity rich habitat or one that is very poor for biodiversity. The type of species and habitats found on brownfield land are often rarer than those found in the countryside,
Photo Credit: Andy O'Dea, Cognition Land and Water
September 2022 33
Photo Credit: Andy O'Dea, Cognition Land and Water
34 Magazine with evidence suggesting between 12% and 15% of all nationally rare and scarce insects are recorded on these sites8. Whilst the countryside is often viewed as more biodiverse, many modern farming methods prevent the establishment of diverse habitats and species. Therefore, often brownfield land is more biodiverse than the farmed countryside. Where brownfield land does not have OMH and is classified as poor quality, it can offer significant opportunities for habitat banking. Habitat banks are habitats that are created in advance of development i.e., banked for later. When a development goes ahead, and the habitat can’t be saved, the habitat bank can be called upon to offset the habitat lost providing the previous steps of the mitigation hierarchy have been applied9. There are various opportunities with brownfield land to provide a bank. Where low scoring brownfield habitats are present, such as with hardstanding, bare ground or certain ruderal, ephemeral, grassland and scrub types, much can be done to improve biodiversity. For example, taking up the hardstanding to plant, planting up bare ground, adding more native species variety to existing grassland or scrubby areas or adding a range of habitats instead of one. As habitat banking is in its infancy, expert advice is necessary before setting up a habitat bank to ensure that the correct governance, registration (with the LPA but likely also with NE) and monitoring procedures are in place to meet the Environment Act (2021) requirements. Currently, there is no regulation around habitat banking; regulation is expected between 2023 and 2025 when BNG will become Whenmandatory.brownfield land has low scoring habitats of condition and distinctiveness, they can be used to contribute toward a development project to achieve net gain, as they can be
September 2022 35 replaced with almost any other habitat and result in significant biodiversity improvements. This is providing that they are not OMH or other priority habitats i.e., some ponds or native woodland. For example, a site consisting of one hectare area of bare ground provides 2 biodiversity units according to the Metric. Should twothirds be lost to development and the landscapedremainderwithnative scrub, 2.21 units could be provided, making a 10% net gain. In the UK, there is a focus on the remediation of brownfield sites. However, remediation can decrease habitat diversity if it involves intense management instead of natural processes. The addition of nutrient rich topsoil and seeding grass species that require intense management regimes homogenises sites, decreasing plant and animal diversity. Where remediation is not considered, brownfield sites are often neglected and result in scrub encroachment, which can in some cases reduce biodiversity. High quality brownfield sites may be OMH, which must be considered separately. As a mosaic habitat it may include other habitats of principle importance and is not easily defined so its definition depends on meeting a number of quality criteria. It can be made up of a wide range of habitats including grassland, tall ruderal plant species, native and nonnative invasive species and early pioneer communities and is particularly valuable to rare and declining invertebrates10. They are vital in ensuring high levels of biodiversity in the UK, supporting pioneer species and species that move between habitat patches, and providing refuge for others. OMH is a Habitat of Principle Importance under Section 41 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 due to its ability to support a rich assemblage of invertebrates. To qualify it needs to be at least 0.25ha, have more than one specified habitat type within the mosaic, and meet other specific criteria including a known history of disturbance at the Withinsite11. the Metric, OMH is assigned a high ‘distinctiveness’ level. Distinctiveness is a term used in BNG to describe innate qualities of a particular habitat type and can range from very low to very high. Due to the high distinctiveness of OMH, encountering a site with OMH can be problematic for the developer. Instead of losing and needing to replace 2 units/ha (as would be
“ In the UK, there is a focus on the remediation of brownfield sites. However, remediation can decrease habitat diversity if it involves intense management instead of processes.natural
36 Magazine the case for bare ground), losing OMH habitat would result in the loss of at least 6 units/ha. OMH must also be replaced with the same habitat. Finally, OMH is considered to be of medium difficulty to create in the ‘difficulty to create’ risk factor of the Metric, meaning that it will likely only be successfully created twothirds of the time. Thus, the Metric requires 1ha of lost OMH to be replaced with 1.9ha of the same habitat of the same quality.
One of the aims of the Metric is to disincentivise development on particularly valuable habitats, which might occur with OMH. However, though it is difficult to create, other habitats in the Metric are considered harder to create. OMH may also be easier to manage because the habitat is a result of previous disturbance, more disturbance can be used to ‘reset its clock’. This could be as simple as clearing areas rotationally from time to time. Also, this habitat is only considered to require four years to reach moderate condition in the ‘time to target’ risk factor of the Metric, and ten years to reach time to target good condition. However, the site would need to be managed for 30 years under the Environment Act. It should be noted that each site is unique and there is no set time period in which OMH will develop. This period is dependent on various factors like the type of brownfield site, proximity to other landscape features, topology and climate. Furthermore, because the distinctiveness of the habitats is high, they produce high numbers of biodiversity units relative to their area. Finally, these areas punch above their weight in biodiversity terms compared to other habitats and can be particularly valuable in urban areas where other greenspace is lacking. For these reasons, OMH could be a good habitat to investigate when setting up a habitat bank.
Whilst this is viewed as a way to boost local economies and home ownership, there is a significant risk to biodiversity and ensuring climate resilience within cities. Research has shown that ex-landfill sites contain assemblages of rarer birds, which could be lost through new housing developments (Macgregor et al., 2022)13.
Photo Credit: Andy O'Dea, Cognition Land and Water
There are several opportunities associated with this type of habitat, including the multifunctionality of these sites and the creation of habitats from the start of the succession, thus
The government has identified that at least 300,000 new homes would need to be built in order to meet the increasing housing supply demands. It recently announced an initiative to promote the development of derelict sites into new homes under a new brownfield fund12.
6. Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs (2022) ‘Consultation on Biodiversity Net Gain Regulations and Implementations. expectedregulations/team/consultation-on-biodiversity-net-gain-defra.gov.uk/defra-net-gain-consultation-https://consult.(accessed01/08/222).ResultsAutumn2022.
13. Mcgregor.C., Bunting. M., Deutz.P., Bourn.N., Roy.D., Mayes.W. ‘Brownfield sites promote biodiversity at a landscape scale. Science of the Total Environment, Vol 804, Jan 2022, 150162.
4. Welsh Government. Planning Policy Edition 11 [online]. Available at: policy-wales-edition-11_0.pdfdefault/files/publications/2021-02/planning-https://gov.wales/sites/
5. Department of the Environment (2013). Planning Policy Statement 2 Natural Heritage [online]. Available at: publications/retained-planning-policyhttps://www.infrastructure-ni.gov.uk/
References 1. CIEEM, CIRIA, IEMA (2016) ‘Biodiversity Net Gain: Good practice principles for development Net-Gain-Principles.pdfpractice-principles-for-development/cieem.net/resource/biodiversity-net-gain-good-https://Biodiversity-(cieem.net)
12. Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (2022). ‘Derelict sites to be transferred into new homes as new brownfield sites new-brownfield-fund-openssites-to-be-transformed-into-new-homes-as-https://www.gov.uk/government/news/derelict-opens’(accessed29/07/22).
14. Garnter.T., (2010) ‘Habitat Credit Trading’ PERC Reports, Volume 28, No.1.
2. Natural England (2022), The Biodiversity Metric 3.1. The Biodiversity Metric 3.1 - JP039 (naturalengland. org.uk)
3. Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 [online]. Available at: section/2/enactedhttps://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2019/13/
September 2022 37 supporting more biodiverse pioneer species than had previously occurred. Additionally, naturally occurring OMHs, which develop as a result, will enhance biodiversity in a fragmented landscape through the creation of habitat corridors, which will have an overall significant beneficial impact on future Inbiodiversity.conclusion, brownfield sites, through the presence of OMH, can have greater biodiversity than that of countryside land and other land within the UK, as shown through the Metric. This increased biodiversity uplift in both condition and distinctiveness occurs through the development of OMH on brownfield land that is in a poor condition. However, to realise these benefits, further awareness is required including the correct management regime of these sites and to increase the public and developers’ perception of the benefits of these sites. OMH provides vital successional habitats for a wide variety of species if the natural ecosystem process is allowed to occur. These habitats are Habitats of Principle Importance and are key to enhancing biodiversity, climate resilience and wider natural capital benefits. These sites have commercial potential through offering habitat credits (i.e., a unit of trade that places monetary value on habitat preservation or restoration) to both developers and Local Planning Authorities via the creation of habitat banks. However, allowing OMH to occur on these sites is not considered in line with the current government plans to build new homes and boost the local economics.
7. Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs (2022) ‘Consultation on Biodiversity Net Gain Regulations and Implementations. regulations/team/consultation-on-biodiversity-net-gain-defra.gov.uk/defra-net-gain-consultation-https://consult.(accessed01/08/222).Pg26.
9. Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (2021) ‘Good Practice Requirements for Delivering Biodiversity Net Gain (On-and Off-site)
8. Lush.M., Kirby.P., & Shepherd.P. (2013) ‘Open Mosaic habitat survey handbook’ Open Mosaic Habitat Survey Handbook (buglife.org.uk) (accessed 29/07/22).
10. 01/08/22)of%20this%20priority%20habitatland,sites%20support%20good%20examples%20habitats%20on%20previously%20developed%20pdf#:~:text=The%20Open%20mosaic%20On%20Previously%20Developed%20Land.-%20Open%20Mosaic%20Habitats%20files/2018-02/Priority%20Habitat%20https://www.nature.scot/sites/default/.(accessed
11. Riding, A., Critchley, N., Wilson, L. and Parker, J. 2010. Definition and mapping of open mosaic habitats on previously developed land: Phase 1. Defra Research Report WC0722. London, Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs.
Job Title: Associate Director Company: WSP UK Ltd Brief Biography: Alex has 25 years experience in ground engineering, covering a wide variety of ground conditions, market sectors, geotechnical structures and deliverables. He has worked on UK and international projects. Alex has extensive experience in the design of foundations, basements and earthworks and in the assessment of ground movements and slopes. Alex is also WSP’s Geotechncial Net Zero lead and mentors a number of junior team members on their route to chartership. Alex believes that the best way to deliver cost effective ‘joined up’ design solutions is through close collaboration with structural, civil engineering and colleagues.geo-environmental
38 Magazine
Alex Dent B.Sc. M.Sc. EurGeol C.Geol FGS
Q & A with...
What or who inspired you to join the geotechnical industry? Desperation! I graduated from a B.Sc in Geology and Geophysics (University of Durham) in the mid 90s recession and jobs in the oil and gas sector were hard to come by. Out of desperation I researched other geological opportunities and Engineering Geology came up as an option. It sounded like and interesting technical challenge involving geology, physics and maths. I also liked the idea of an industry that that provides direct benefit to society. What does a typical day entail? There is no such thing a typical day! But broadly speaking this week; Providing technical advice for the ground investigation on part of HS2, reviewing settlement monitoring data on another project, resolving contactor queries on a slope stabilisation project, line management duties, progressing WSPs Net 0 priorities and duties as an AGS Committee member. Are there any projects which you’re particularly proud to have been a part of? Geotechnical design for the award-winning Proton Beam Therapy Centre for UCL Hospitals – at 24m, then London’s deepest basement with nearby tube tunnels, Thames Water assets and surrounding buildings all requiring Freetown,consideration.SierraLeone. A lovely locally based client team and a project with great vision and the potential to raise people out of poverty. What are the most challenging aspects of your role? Clients, or perhaps more correctly, their Project Managers and QSs, nearly all mistaking cost for value. Clients should be educated to ‘invest’ in ground investigation and ‘invest’ in design –this could pay substantial dividends over the project lifecycle. But no: they would sooner quibble over a handful boreholes or ‘brow beat’ over design fees etc.
Some better quality logging (and checking of logs prior to issue) would be nice too – how is it 25years in and I still see logs with ‘stiff SAND’, ‘dense CLAY’, ‘very sandy very gravelly CLAY/SILT with many cobbles and boulders’ and the like in factual reports?
QS’s/ProjectClient’s/Manager’s attitude to
A change in
a report it is meant to be read, understood and its advice considered - not ‘ticked’ as done and then filed. A chance to be ‘on the top table’ and present the findings of our reports and our design solutions directly to clients. This might help them better understand the issues that their projects face, the key role we play in helping them manage their risks, the value geotechnical engineers can bring to a project and ultimately help them to ‘invest’ in what we do.
39September 2022
Photo Credit: Equipe Group
There are also a number of factors that may influence a given soil parameter, e.g. strain magnitude. Modelling of the ground is therefore a perpetual joy and challenge. What AGS Working Group(s) are you a Member of and what are your current focuses? I am the leader of the AGS Geotechnical Working Group (GWG). My focus is to ensure that our meetings are stimulating and provide tangible results for the benefit of the AGS membership. The GWG are looking at a number of matters relation to Net Zero in geotechnical design, the next generation of Eurcodes and a number of other interesting topics. What do you enjoy most about being an AGS Member? Sharing knowledge. What do you find beneficial about being an AGS Member? A sense of community; we are all in this together. We are facing the same challenges and generating guidance to benefit of each other. Why do you feel the AGS is important to the industry? It provides some great resources which are really helpful for briefing and guiding more junior team members. It helps ensure that the quality of work produced by its members is of a suitable standard, and hence drives up standards for the whole industry, and through the Ground Forum, it gives us a collective voice. What changes would you like to see implemented in the geotechnical industry?
The theories behind our designs assume that soils are homogenous and isotropic. They aren’t. We only sample (let alone test) as small fraction of the ground we are modelling.
The industry wide lack of qualified and suitably experienced engineers/ geologist, with resultant resourcing issues is a challenge. This challenge is only going to get harder if the numbers taking up geology degrees continues to decrease.
application.toinvestigationonengineeringengineeringgeotechnical–GeotechnicalisnotabolttoaGeoenvironmentalrequireddischargeaplanningWhenwewrite
Geotechnical investigation and testing – Laboratory testing – Part 1: Determination of water content Replaces BS ISO 17924:2018 Soil quality — Assessment of human exposure from ingestion of soil and soil material — Procedure for the estimation of bioaccessibility/bioavailability of metals in soil technicalproducedCorrected PD CEN 24283-1:2022ISO/TS
STANDARD SUBJECT / TEST SUPERSEDED/WILL
Geotechnical investigation and testing – Qualification criteria and assessment –Part 2: Responsible expert 2011)Part PD CEN 24283-3:2022ISO/TS
Geotechnical investigation and testing – Qualification criteria and assessment –Part 3: Qualified enterprise 22475-3:Replaces
TEST
Geotechnical investigation and testing – Qualification criteria and assessment –Part 1: Qualified technician and qualified operative New CEN ISO 24283-2TS
SELECTED INTERNATIONAL & EUROPEAN “GEOTECHNICAL”
CEN prEN 1997-1 Eurocode 7 - Geotechnical design – General Rules Will CEN prEN 1997-2 Eurocode 7 - Geotechnical design – Ground properties Will CEN prEN 1997-3 Eurocode 7 - Geotechnical design – Geotechnical structures Will EN ISO 18674-7 Geotechnical investigation and testing – Geotechnical monitoring by field instrumentation – Part 7: Measurement of strains: Strain gauges New ISO DIS 18674-8 Geotechnical investigation and testing – Geotechnical monitoring by field instrumentation – Part 8: Measurement of forces: Load cells New ISO FDIS 22476-1 Geotechnical investigation and testing – Field testing –Part 1: Electrical cone and piezocone penetration test BS ISO ISO DIS 22476-5 Geotechnical investigation and testing – Field testing –Part 5: Prebored pressuremeter test ISO CD 22476-16 Geotechnical investigation and testing – Field testing –Part 16: Borehole shear test ISO DIS 22477-2 Geotechnical investigation and testing – Testing of geotechnical structures –Part 2: Testing of piles: static tension load test New ISO FDIS 24057 Geotechnics - Array measurement of microtremors to estimate shear wave velocity profile New
August 2022Standards Update
STANDARD
40 Magazine RECENTLY PUBLISHED SUBJECT / SUPERSEDED/WILL BS ISO 11271:2022 Soil quality – Determination of redox potential – Field method Replaces BS EN ISO 1:2014+A1:202217892-
New standard Published July 2022 Part 2 - ISO TS 22475-2:2006 (BS ISO 22475-2: 2011) Published Aug 2022
SUPERSEDED/WILLSTANDARDSSUPERSEDE
Corrected standard. The revised text has been produced to incorporate a number of essential technical corrections Published July 2022
SUPERSEDED/WILL SUPERSEDE STATUS PUB DATE
New standard ISO comment period ends 20 October 2022 2023 ISO 22476-1:2012 ISO comment period ends 29 August 2022 2022
New standard Comment period on DIS ended 5 June 2022 2023
Comment period ended 5 June 2022 2023 ISO comment period ends 27 September 2022 2024
partially replace BS EN 1997-1: 2004 + A1: 2013 Comment period for prEN ended 6 January 2021 2023
Will replace BS EN 1997-2: 2007 Comment period for prEN ended 6 January 2021 2023 Will partially replace BS EN 1997-1: 2004 Comment period for prEN ended 6 January 2021 2023
STATUS PUB DATE
PUBLISHED
Replaces Part 3- ISO TS 22475-3:2007 (BS ISO 22475-3: 2011) Published July 2022
New standard ISO comment period ends 22 September 2022 2022/23
Replaces BS ISO 11271:2002 Published Aug 2022 Replaces BS EN ISO 17892-1:2014 Published Aug 2022
“GEOTECHNICAL” STANDARDS – In preparation
New standard Project initiated 2023
41September 2022
SELECTED INTERNATIONAL & EUROPEAN STANDARDS STANDARD SUBJECT / TEST SUPERSEDED/WILL ISO DIS 4974 Soil quality – Guidance on soil temperature measurement New ISO NP 7303 (New project) Simplified method for oral bioaccessability of metal(oids) in soils WillNew ISO CD 8529 Soil quality – Bioaccessibility of organic and inorganic pollutants from contaminated soil and soil-like material WillNew CEN prEN 17505 Soil and waste characterization – Temperature dependent differentiation of total carbon (TOC400, ROC, TIC900) New CEN FprEN 17516 Waste – Characterization of granular solids with potential for use as construction material – Compliance leaching test – Up-flow percolation test Characterization……upwardCENTextNew ISO DIS18400-301 Soil quality – Sampling – Sampling and on site semi-quantitative determinations of volatiles in field investigations New ISO DIS 22036 Soil treated biowaste and sludge – Determination of elements using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) Includes ISO CD 24212 Soil quality - Remediation techniques applied at contaminated sites New Transform your reporting and analysis capabilities with gINT and Datgel Datgel is an independent company developing and reselling ground engineering data management and reporting software. Founded in Sydney Australia in 2005, Datgel now has an international presence with Datgel software product users in 37 countries. Datgel Software Datgel DGD Tool gINT Add-In • The first commercial software to support import and export of AGS 4.1.1 Format data • Site investigation reporting, summary reports, calculations and efficiency tools • gINT report, database and gINT Rules development • Customisation and feature development in Datgel Software • Training for gINT and Datgel Software • Custom software development – desktop, web, cloud and mobile using MS .NET technologies Hit the ground running with a complete range of supported software packages and solutions for world-class geotechnical data management. LICENSE SALES: gINT and Plaxis Other gINT Add-In Tools for: • CPT/CPTU • Instrumentation and monitoring • User access control for gINT Pro Plus • Automated batch reporting • User-definable fence & map reports • Lab testing • Lugeon water test / packer test Services Want to know more? • Watch past webinars datgel.com/yt • Book a web meeting datgel.com/imt • Download a trial datgel.com/tl T +44 20 3695 3856 sales@datgel.com datgel.com
STANDARDS ON SOIL & SITE ASSESSMENT - In preparation SUPERSEDED/WILL SUPERSEDE STATUS PUB DATE New standard Comment period ended 6 April 2022 2022/23 New standard Will complement BS ISO 17924 – see also NP 8529 Approve to proceed March 2022 2023 New Standard Will complement BS ISO 17924 – see also NP 7303 BSI Comment period ends 23 September 2022 2023 New standard Second enquiry completed 2023 New standard Text will be identical to that in revised standard CEN TS 16637-3 Construction products –Characterization……upward percolation test Proceeding to FDIS 2022 New standard Proceeding to FDIS 2023 Includes merger of ISO TS 16965 & EN 16171 Comment period on DIS ended 6 August 2022 2023 New standard Proceeding to DIS 2024 geoeng.co.uk Geotechnical Engineering is the UK Leading independent provider of ground investigation services, with over 60 years’ experience of geo information data capture. Ground Investigation I Restricted Access I Laboratory Testing For more information contact us: Centurion House, Olympus Park, Quedgeley, Gloucester GL2 4NF | 01452 527 743 | geotech@geoeng.co.uk
Î 26th October 2022 - Slope Stability Design (Online Course)
Places on these courses can be booked online here, or via contacting Equipe on +44 (0)1295 670990 or info@equipegroup.com
Training Courses
Î 20th September 2022 - Professor David Norbury’s Soil Description Workshop
Î 27th October 2022 - Earthworks Design and Construction (Online Course)
Equipe Training: Specialist Geotechnical Heath and Safety Courses
Equipe Training: Specialist Geotechnical Courses
Equipe Training and their health and safety training partners RPA Safety Services and EB Safety Solutions are delighted to announce their collection of specialist health and safety courses for the geotechnical market have resumed being delivered in person, as well as being delivered online where required. These courses are approved and certified by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) and meet the requirements of UK Health and Safety regulations for working on geotechnical and land drilling sites. Upcoming courses have limited numbers of places available in order to maintain social distancing within the classroom environment. Upcoming dates include:
Equipe Training's specialist geotechnical training courses are delivered both in person at our dedicated training facility just outside of Banbury, Oxfordshire, and also online via Zoom! Available upcoming dates are provided below:
Î 13th October 2022 - IOSH Avoiding Danger from Underground Services
Î 24th November 2022 - Basic Foundation Design
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Î 25th - 27th October 2022 - IOSH Safe Supervision of Geotechnical Sites Places on these courses can be booked online here, or via contacting Equipe on +44 (0)1295 670990 or info@equipegroup.com
Î 14th September 2022 - Professor David Norbury’s Rock Description Workshop
CHEMICAL SAFETY HELPLINE Marquis & Lord Tel: +44 (0) 121 288 www.marquisandlord.com2386
If a Member has any issues with regard to Safety, Contaminated Land, Geotechnical, Instrumentation & Monitoring or Laboratories which you think the industry should be aware of please email ags@ags.org.uk, we will then forward your email to the relevant AGS Working Group. Member Reporting Service for Industry Issues (Please quote ‘AGS Helpline’)
All articles in the AGS Magazine are the opinions of the authors and are not intended to be a complete or comprehensive statement of the law, nor do they constitute legal or specialist advice. They are intended only to highlight current issues from date of publication that may be of interest. Neither the writer(s), nor the AGS, assumes any responsibility for any loss that may arise from accessing, or reliance on the material and all liability is disclaimed accordingly. Professional advice should be taken before applying the content of the articles to particular circumstances. LEGAL HELPLINE Beale & Co Tel: +44 (0) 20 7469 www.beale-law.com0400
To become a Member of the AGS, please visit http://www.ags.org.uk/about/become-a-member and submit your application online. Please note that all membership applications are reviewed by the Membership Committee 6 weeks in advance of each quarterly Executive meeting.
All Members of the Association of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Specialists are entitled to free chemical and contractual advice through the use of Loss Prevention Committee Members, Marquis & Lord and Beale & Co. For advice on chemical safety and best practice, Marquis & Lord will provide 30 minutes of free advice to all AGS Members. Additionally, if you’re an AGS Member and are looking for legal advice, please contact Beale & Co and quote ‘AGS Helpline’ where the first 15 minutes of legal advice will be free of charge.
September 2022 45 AGS Members all share a commitment to quality in the geotechnical and geoenvironmental industry. This has become widely recognised by clients, governmental bodies and other associations that touch issues to do with the ground. We welcome both companies and individuals who want to be recognised for their quality of practice to join our growing membership of over 130 Members. We shape our industry, continually improve practice and collaborate on issues that affect us all; from clients, all the way through to the people who use the land and the buildings we help develop.
If you have any queries regarding AGS Data Format, there is a discussion forum on the AGS Data Format website, where queries can be posted and answered by the Data Format team.
Disclaimer
The deadline for the next round of completed applications is Tuesday 18th October 2022
How to become a Member of the AGS AGS Chemical and Legal Helplines
46 Magazine An online advertising campaign within the AGS Magazine will help to build and increase industry awareness of your company’s profile, initiatives and offerings. The AGS can help build a package to suit your needs and budget; whether it’s a series of adverts across multiple issues, a combination of event sponsorship and advertising, or a single advertorial. How to Advertise in the AGS Magazine The AGS Magazine is a free email publication that looks at a range of topical issues, insights and concerns, whilst publishing new guidance notes, working group activities and information on upcoming industry seminars. With 6 issues each year, our subscribers include industry professionals such as practitioners, chartered specialists, senior decision makers and managing directors To receive a media pack or to discuss advertising rates, please contact Caroline Kratz on 0208 658 8212 or email ags@ags.org.uk Advert Sizes and Rates All adverts should be sent in a PDF, PNG, JPEG, TIFF, PSD (Photoshop) or EPS priorukemailedArtworksizeartworkusingdeliveredArtworkdpimustAllformat.(Illustrator)advertisingartworkbesuppliedin114resolution.mustbetotheAGStheagreedspecificationlistedleft.shouldbetoags@ags.org.nolaterthan10daystopublication. RequirementsAdvertising HALF PAGE FULL PAGE QUARTER PAGE W:DIRECTORY 210mm H: 145mm RATE: £250 W: 210mm H: 297mm RATE: £400 W: 105mm H: 145mm RATE: £160 Company name, address, contact number, email and one logo. RATE: £50 COMPANY NAME CONTACTADDRESS NUMBER EMAIL LOGO Advertising and Rates
September 2022 47 AGS Dates for Your Diary A Guide to Pressuremeter Testing: From Site to Design Î Date: 10th November 2022 Î Fee: FOC Î Sponsorship: Headline and Associate packages available Î Speakers include: ∙ Emma Cronin (Senior Geotechnical Engineer at SOCOTEC) ∙ Alex Dent (Associate Director at WSP) ∙ Thomas Cragg (Director, Cambridge Insitu YasminLtd)Byrne (Senior Engineer, Cambridge Insitu Ltd) ∙ Ross Thompson (Associate Director at WSP UK) The Geotechnical Data Conference 2022 (live event) Î Date: Thursday 1st December Î Location: The Burlington Hotel, Birmingham Î Fee: £145 for AGS members and £215 for non-members. Prices exclude VAT. Click here to register. Î Sponsorship: Packages can be viewed HERE. Î Full details to be released in due course
