Day 4 Safety Meeting Once a month the public works department holds a safety meeting for everyone in the department. Today's topic was fire safety. We learned about the fire triangle: oxygen, heat, and fuel. We also learned that there are four classes of fire: Class A: Ordinary combustibles such as paper Class B: Flammable…
Category: Civil Engineering
A Day in the Life of a Civil Engineer – Day 3
Day 3 Staff Meeting Today started off with a staff meeting for the engineering division. Normally in our meetings we discuss the status of projects and developments. Today we also discussed engineering policies for our division. Many of the other departments in the city are documenting the policies, processes, and work flows by which their…
A Day in the Life of a Civil Engineer – Day 2
Today was one of those days filled with many micro tasks. And as @motownmutt pointed out yesterday on Twitter, listing tasks is most definitely something an engineer does. So here we go with most of the things I focused on today brought to you in typical engineering list fashion: Picking out Frames and…
A Day in the Life of a Civil Engineer – Day 1
So many people seem to have no idea what civil engineers do each day. Is this because civil engineers typically avoid promoting their work and profession? Or is this just something that people are not taught in school? Or does anyone, other than engineers, really care? Or is it a little of all of that?…
Getting to Know PROWAG
A clearer understanding of ADA design seems to be on the horizon. Today, the U.S. Access Board released a formal set of proposed guidelines for accessible rights-of-way, also known as PROWAG, at a public briefing and press conference. This document, once adopted, will finally provide the elusive guidance those of us in the design community have…
Every Day Counts – Report from the Midwest Meeting
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to participate in a Peer Exchange workshop on Project Delivery as a representative for APWA. The meeting was one of four regional meetings organized and hosted by AASHTO to facilitate dialogue between federal, state, and local agencies. By encouraging discussion and building partnerships, they are hoping to provide guidance for…
Every Day Counts Peer to Peer Networking
Over the summer, FHWA is hosting Peer-to-Peer Exchanges in partnership with AASHTO, NACE, and APWA for the purpose of highlighting and promoting best practices in implementing the Federal-aid program by local governments. I'll be attending the meeting for the midwest region on July 19th in Cincinnati, Ohio, to participate in discussions with people from all levels…
Climbing the Uphill Battle for ADA on a Non-compliant Curb Ramp
My primary involvement in ADA has been as an engineer designing and building infrastructure in the right of way and in years past, as a building inspector approving private development. During my career, I have always made a dedicated effort to learn about and meet the requirements of this federal law. But it's been a…
Does Civil Engineering Have a “Next Paradigm?”
"We were no longer able to truly see beyond the horizon of what we had built and to make the necessary leaps in innovation." – Stephan Paternot Today I read a blog post by Stephan Paternot, the co-founder of theglobe.com, and in it, I saw a glimpse of the point I was trying to make in…
The Rise and Fall (and Rise Again?) of Engineering Consulting Firms
It's no secret that engineering consultants have been hit hard by the economic downturn. Some firms closed completely while many firms had to lay off technical staff and institute furlough days. I would imagine the annual bonuses received by employees at these firms have also decreased. The dynamics and operations of engineering firms has always…