Soil/Survey Turnaround Explanatory Notes
Site Investigation
Date
28 March 2023
Document Revision History
Date | Rev | Author | Description of Changes |
23/3/2023 | A | Gavan Jaroszek | Document Created |
6/04/2023 | B | Tracy El-Asmar | Document title revised |
Table of Contents
1 Purpose
2 Scope
3 Due Date Extension Outlines
3.1 No-Hold Automatic Due Date Extension
3.2 Auto On-Hold Due Date Extension
3.3 No Due Date Extension
4 Monitoring and Review
5 Appendices
A01 Definitions and Acronyms
A02 Roles and Responsibilities
1 Purpose
This document outlines the reasons and process where due dates will be extended due to:
· No Hold sites outside of Intrax control where due date will be extended
· Auto On-Hold sites where client has prior opportunity to correct issue and outside of Intrax control
The document will also outline instances where due dates will NOT be extended.
The purpose of this document is to make transparent to Intrax’ s valued clients our internal processes and where each stakeholder is held accountable regarding delivery of soil and survey tasks to our volume housing clients, including clients themselves.
This document is a collaborative effort between multiple Intrax departments and team members.
2 Scope
The document applies to all staff overseeing, project managing, scheduling or completing a soil or survey task under the management or control of Intrax Consulting Engineers Pty Ltd, and within or directly associated with the Site Investigation department.
3 Due Date Extension Outlines
Broken into 3 sub sections and tables respectively, each one lists the reasons currently used by the Intrax field team to mark jobs as unable to complete.
Definitions for each are given in the most comprehensive manner available at the time, however these may be updated, added too or culled where required and within this document at any time.
A notification of and updated version of this document will then be made available.
3.1 No-Hold Automatic Due Date Extension
These reasons are ‘acts of god’ or outside of any one party’s control. The extension timeframes given are based on reasonable time given for Intrax to return to site to complete the works.
The projects are not put on hold and where a scheduler is advised or can see opportunity to complete the task, the task may be scheduled at any time, however the due date extension already applied will remain.
Reason | Definition | Extension Period |
Excessive Forecast for Rain | Scheduler and TL has determined suburb via BOM to be 90% chance of rain and over 10mm predicted and determined time of wet weather is outside reasonable allowable time for scheduling (Office/working Hours). If a task is delayed to be scheduled after a rain day and that task falls on the due date, the scheduler will place the task at the beginning of the day where practicable and advise the field team to complete earliest on their run. | 3 Business Days No Hold |
Verbal Confirmation Boggy/Waterlogged Site – External Source | Foreman, site supervisor, owner, client, developers states that the site is too boggy/waterlogged where a vehicle or works will create damage or mess to a site or get bogged. A due date extension will only be applied from when the task reaches its original due date from first booking, and confirmation of the site conditions is given 24hrs in advance as above. | 7 Business Days No Hold |
Excessive Rain/Weather Conditions - On site | Excessive rain which poses a risk to electronic equipment or other equipment. Confirmed by FT from site with supporting photo/other evidence provided. | 3 Business Days No Hold |
Boggy/Waterlogged Site Conditions | Field technician determines the site is too boggy/waterlogged where a vehicle or equipment will get bogged and can confirm they cannot complete 1 borehole from driveway and the rest with hand auger or all with hand auger. | 7 Business Days No Hold |
Weather OHS | Where weather poses risk to personnel and equipment for example extreme flooding events, lightning, extreme wind – Immediate Threat. Confirmed by field technician from site or otherwise the FT’s line supervisor or department management. | 3 Business Days No Hold |
3.2 Auto On-Hold Due Date Extension
Each of the reasons used for due date extension shown within section 6.2 will be an automatic extension of 5 business days.
Where Intrax is advised to proceed from external source, the task will be taken off hold and the due date will be extended from the date the task is taken off hold. The task may be scheduled as soon as it is taken off-hold, however the due date will still be extended.
The reasons given below are deemed within the clients control to eliminate as an issue, before Intrax may become affected and delay caused in completing a soil/survey task.
Reason | Definition | Extension Period |
OHS Risk | Where the site conditions pose a risk to the person's well-being or other people’s well-being, other than livestock on site, weather or long grass (excluding drone requirement), refer to Intrax document ALL-SWMS-Geo & Survey SWMS-B for list of reasons and defined OHS risks. Note: The removal or relocation of temporary fencing secured or fastened in any way by Intrax field personnel is deemed an OHS risk and the same SWMS document mentioned above may be referenced. | 5 Business Days On Hold |
Long Grass | Where there is long grass located on site that is over 10cm for drone survey sites and over 30cm for rural or residential lots. This includes swale drains in the road reserve and within the lot itself. | 5 Business Days On Hold |
Insufficient Access (ISA) | Where the site is inaccessible to complete the required tasks with appropriate equipment and outside of Intrax control; i.e. locked gates and tried to contact required personnel, locked temp fencing, locked rural permanent fencing, people not on site at the specified time, other trades on site with other equipment/materials that hampers the ability to complete the tasks, being told to leave site by renters/homeowners/construction workers/foreman's/supervisor's. | 5 Business Days On Hold |
Site Contact Unavailable | Cannot get in contact with site access contact or other operational clientele, where 2 phone calls and 1 email with no reply within 1 business day has been attempted. | 5 Business Days On Hold |
Subdivision Incomplete | Where the subdivision is fenced off and cannot gain access to the site, final leveling of earthworks has not been completed for the subdivision/site, field technician was informed by subdivision foreman/supervisor that they cannot attend site due to incomplete works. | 5 Business Days On Hold |
Not Constructed | Where the structure from the scope of works to be surveyed has not been constructed or finished construction. | 5 Business Days On Hold |
Footing Probe Inaccessible | Where the footing probe cannot be conducted due to being outside of client specific requirement tolerances, fences, footpaths, driveways hampering completion of the task. | 5 Business Days On Hold |
Existing House Not Demolished | To be used where Intrax engaged to conduct a 2nd soil/survey task and the existing dwelling on site has not been demolished. | 5 Business Days On Hold |
Request for Compaction | To be used where compaction is requested for a site and the request is on process by outside resources. Once compaction received then report may be completed and issued. For clients where compaction request is automatically required as client preference and use of DCP is not acceptable to issue report. | 5 Business Days On Hold |
3.3 No Due Date Extension
The below are reasons deemed within Intrax’ s control which are nominated at field stage by Intrax field personnel, and do not warrant a due date extension.
Reason | Definition | Extension Period |
Time Constraint | Where Intrax field staff does not have enough time to complete a task within the days schedule on the day it has been assigned as a task. | Nil |
Other Equipment Required | When Intrax field staff do not have the correct equipment to complete the task or scope of works assigned, in order to deliver the correct service to the client. | Nil |
AHD Requires GPS | Where Intrax personnel does not have line of sight from permanent marker (PM) to where the total station (TS) has been setup, and GPS equipment is then a requirement to complete the task. | Nil |
Shallow Rock | Used where there is shallow rock that does not allow Intrax field personnel to complete the assigned task to the minimum requirements of that said task and no alternative sampling method applicable. E.g.: · Shrink swell testing · Atterberg Limits testing · CBR testing · Other Geotechnical Sampling | Nil |
Too Much Sand/Gravel in Profile | To be used when there is too much sand/gravel for a specified test and associated sampling. | Nil |
Clay Too Hard to Sample | Where the clay material for sampling for a shrink swell is too hard to retrieve an undisturbed sample according to Intrax minimum sampling requirements. | Nil |
Not Enough Clay in Profile | Where there is not enough clay in a profile for shrink swell or linear shrinkage sampling. | Nil |
Not Required/Applicable | Other (Must supply sufficient reasoning) | Nil |
4 Monitoring and Review
Intrax actively applies continuous improvement to each and every aspect of the business.
As such Intrax will review and update this document and any associated document, policy or process as the need arises or otherwise at a yearly interval.
Change Management records exist for transparency, and data on updated due dates or and hold reasoning is available on request.
5 Appendices
A01 Definitions and Acronyms
The following definitions and acronyms are relevant to the terms used in this document only and may not be applicable when employed elsewhere.
OHS | Occupational Health and Safety |
Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) | a document outlining the hazards, risks and controls associated with a particular work process |
No-Hold/On-Hold | A project is not placed on hold/A project is placed on hold. That is a project is ‘frozen’ until further advised when placed on-hold |
Due Date | The date a project is due as agreed in the client specific fee proposal taken from the date the project is booked, or as adjusted as described in this document |
BOM | Bureau Of Meteorology website |
Scheduling | The assignment of a soil or survey task to an Intrax FT or contractor |
Livestock | Any farm or otherwise domestic animal |
Owner | Legal proprietor of the property Intrax must attend to complete any works |
Client | The party which engages Intrax to complete any works |
Boggy/Bogged | Conditions which are generally wet enough to forego getting out a shovel and a winch |
Waterlogged | As above although in a chronic fashion (prolonged) |
Site Access Contact | Person nominated by the client to provide access to a site Intrax must attend to complete any works |
Task/s | All or part of a soil/survey project |
Soil/Survey | Soil Investigation/Feature Survey |
Work Area | Place where Intrax personnel must attend to complete works |
AHD | Australian Height Datum Link |
GPS | Global Positioning Survey Equipment |
NCR | Non Conformance Case – Intrax internal quality control and continuous improvement mechanism |
Access | Unhindered and available admission to a property or site that Intrax must attend to complete any works, arranged in advance |
Demolished | Existing structure/s removed from a site including any debris causing hinderance or OHS risk to in Intrax field personnel |
Profile | Soil horizon/s encountered when a site has undergone a geotechnical investigation by Intrax |
Well-being | The health and safety of one’s own person |
Personnel | Those employed or contracted by Intrax |
A02 Roles and Responsibilities
Account Manager (AM) | Overall responsibility for the administration and communication to the client to achieve the desired outcome. |
Team Leaders (TL) | Responsible for ensuring that the policies and procedures are applied at a site level. |
Field Technician (FT) | Intrax field personnel completing the soil/survey task. |
Scheduler | Responsible for scheduling a soil/survey task to the FT and updating AM/TL where appropriate to ensure a desirable outcome. |
Scheduling Support Staff | Responsible for placing job on hold/off hold manually, updating clients and general scheduling administration including access arrangements. |
Contractor | Person or persons completing any works on Intrax’ s behalf |
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