This week’s Sector Spotlight is on events by the Midlands region, GB region and South East region.

The Development and Construction of the Athlone Flood Alleviation Scheme

Westmeath County Council and the OPW commissioned the Athlone Flood Alleviation Scheme to address flooding from the River Shannon in the town. In this presentation hosted by the Midlands region, OPW Engineers Vincent Rhatigan and Andrew Mannion discuss the history of flooding in the area and the development of the scheme from planning to construction looking at the challenges faced during the construction phase and some of the innovative solutions developed in response to these challenges.

The Athlone Flood Alleviation Scheme is being constructed using the OPW Direct Managed Works Model and this method of delivery was explored. The presentation concluded with an overview of Public Realm opportunities, identified by Westmeath County Council and the OPW, that will be incorporated into the scheme.

Contract Law - Guidance for Engineers

In this webinar hosted by the GB region, Chartered Engineer and Trainee Solicitor Christopher Quebral of Dias Solicitors gives a review on the basics of contract law, some rules in contract interpretation, express and implied terms of a contract and the common contracts entered into by consulting engineers. It also included an overview of liability in contract and in tort. The event provided some guidance to small business practice owners where entering into an agreement is a regular occurrence. This guidance will minimise the need for going to a lawyer for legal advice on contracts presented, which on many occasions, proves to be very expensive and disproportionate to the cost of the contract itself.

Kent Stainless- Engineering, Manufacturing and Innovation in today’s challenging environment

In this webinar hosted by the South East region, Kent Stainless outline how they have developed training plans for staff and also how they have entered the export markets and the innovation required to do so. Kent Stainless offers customisable products on any scale of order, the company continues to grow in pharmaceutical, landscape/public realm and contract manufacturing industries. Michael Holton (operations director) gave an update on training, recruitment, resource management, planning and upskilling issues and challenges faced by Kent Stainless. William Colfer (Senior Sales Manager – MENA Region) outlined Kent Stainless export markets and the innovation driven by entering these markets. 

The event formed part of the South East Region Webinar Series 2020/21 which showcases engineering projects, innovations and initiatives for the improvement of society and economy in the South East Region and beyond. The webinars are a CPD series, which aim to promote the positive impact Engineers in our region have on our everyday lives across a range of engineering disciplines and areas of expertise. From innovation, online working, key infrastructure developments, STEM, medical devices, carbon reduction, sustainable and active transport, this series will present high quality content of guaranteed interest to all engineers.

Last week, also saw the launch of the Women in Engineering Group (WEG) with a panel discussion on Breaking down Barriers – Choose to Challenge. You can read the press release on the event here or an interview with the Chair of the Group here. The group are now focusing on the next event which they hope to run for International Women in Engineering Day in June.

Coming up in Sector events this week:

• “This is Engineering…” Film Festival by the West region in association with MaREI will take place on Tuesday (16 March) at 12pm, register here.
• ‘Installation of large monopiles as offshore wind foundations using impact hammers or drills’ by the Cork Region will take place on Tuesday (16 March) at 7pm, register here.
• ‘Fire Duct: Changes from BS476-24 to EN Standards 12101-1 & 15871’ by the Fire and Safety division will take place on Thursday (18  March) at 7pm, register here.

The Sector Spotlight series showcases and celebrates the events of our Regions, Divisions and Societies. This community facilitates networking and connectivity, encourages continuing professional development and the exchange of knowledge and expertise, and informs public policy. You can join these communities and groups by logging into your member dashboard here.