Elżbieta Bondar-Nowakowska

Risk of Alterations to Project Documentation on an Example of Environmental Engineering Construction

Abstract Investor bears responsibility for proper preparation of the investment process. One of his tasks is to prepare the project documentation and obtaina building permit. Frequently, during his work, there are situations and events whose im pact interferes with the design solutions. Regardless of reasons, alterations to a project constitute a source of cost risk. In each case, the Investor should be prepared for this type of a risk. Exposure to risk should be taken into account in the planning stage of the investment. Also, a model of investment execution should be chosen at this stage. The type of model is associated with the distribution of risk throughout the project. The aim of this paper is to identify events that generate risk related to alterations to Project Documentation in the context of the selection of the investment executionmodel.

Management of Alterations to Project Documentation – a Case Study of Water Supply and Sewerage Works

Background . The implementation of alterations to project documentation is the modification of certain solutions, assumptions or requirements. It mostly involves the verification or the specification of project documentation with regard to the actual conditions of execution or the investor’s expectations. The management of alterations in a construction project is aimed at predicting any negative consequences caused by changes in the investment process and their prevention or mitigation. Previous experience indicates that alterations to project documentation introduced during the execution of the work are widespread. They contribute to loss of time and increase in the cost of the project. For this reason, it is necessary to develop and implement an effective model for the management of such alterations. Research aims . The project manager, before construction, should be aware of any alterations to the project documentation that may have occurred during its execution, and their possible consequences. The aim of the study is to identify the causes, the structure and the consequences of alterations to project documentation with regard to water supply and sewerage construction. Methodology . The basis of the research and analyses constitute a detailed review of documentation compiled from eight projects in water supply and sewerage. Among the documents concerned, the “Records of Necessity” and “Records of Negotiations” were especially valuable for conducting the analysis. Key findings . The research conducted indicated the crucial role of the investor in the process of managing alterations to project documentation. The research revealed that proper preparation of the investment process, i.e. recruiting the best designers to prepare the project documentation, tracking changes in the nearer and farther surroundings, may significantly contribute to reducing or even eliminating many alterations to project documentation during the execution of the work.

The risk as a measure of ecological safety in watercourses

Abstract The study analyses possibilities of PHA (Preliminary Hazard Analysis) usage in ecological risk assessment conducted within technical risk assessment. The analysis was performed based on results obtained in a study performed between 2007 and 2013 in natural and modified lowland Lower Silesian watercourses. The object of the study was communities of hydromacrophytes being good indicators of the water ecosystem quality. The research constituted a base for the determination of ecological risk factors i.e. the probability of hazard occurrence and its effects. It allowed for the acquisition of the risk classification matrix which included three levels - low, medium and high. STRESZCZENIE W pracy przeprowadzono analizę możliwości wykorzystania metody wstępnej oceny zagrożeń (ang. Preliminary Hazard Analysis - PHA), stosowanej w ocenie ryzyka technicznego, do oceny ryzyka ekologicznego. Analizę przeprowadzono na podstawie wyników badań wykonanych w latach 2007-2012 w czterech nizinnych rzekach Dolnego Śląska. Na rzekach tych wyznaczono 15 odcinków badawczych, zróżnicowanych pod względem stopnia ich przekształcenia. Przedmiotem badań były zbiorowiska naczyniowych roślin wodnych. Badania terenowe obejmowały identyfikację gatunków roślin występujących na poszczególnych odcinkach badawczych oraz określenie stopnia pokrycia przez nie dna. Na tej podstawie dla każdego odcinka obliczono wskaźnik różnorodności Shannona-Wienera. W celu oceny zmian jakościowych i ilościowych w rozpatrywanych zbiorowiskach, wynikających z przekształcenia koryt cieków, wykonano analizy porównawcze. Podstawę do klasyfikacji wielkości szkód zaistniałych w wyniku przeprowadzonych robót stanowiły zmiana liczby gatunków w zbiorowiskach naczyniowych roślin wodnych oraz wskaźnika bioróżnorodności, określone w stosunku do odcinków nieobjętych ingerencją techniczną. Na podstawie wyników badań określono czynniki ryzyka ekologicznego, tj. prawdopodobieństwo wystąpienia zagrożeń oraz skutki tych zagrożeń. Umożliwiło to opracowanie macierzy klasyfikacji ryzyka, w której przyjęto trzy poziomy ryzyka - niskie, umiarkowane oraz wysokie. Zakwalifikowanie ryzyka do odpowiedniego przedziału pozwala na porównanie różnych rozwiązań projektowych oraz na podjęcie decyzji, które z nich przyjąć do realizacji.

The influence of stoppages on productivity during construction of water supply and sewage systems

The influence of stoppages on productivity during construction of water supply and sewage systems

Aquatic plants–based risk model for assessment of ecological safety of rivers

ABSTRACT In order to ensure the ecological safety in river beds, each project affecting it must be subjected to an evaluation in terms of its implementation results on the river habitats. Technical activities in the river beds can cause irreversible changes in their biocenosis. However, due to the lack of a method that allows us to predict these changes, the decisions made by designers and contractors can be evaluated only after completing the investment. Therefore, it is necessary to elaborate a method to evaluate the environmental safety in regulated and maintenanced rivers. This article presents a model that allows us to predict the changes in vascular aquatic plant communities, which result from technical interference in the river bed. The model was elaborated based on the results of the study performed in 2007–2011 in natural and transformed lowland watercourses from Lower Silesia area (Poland). It takes into account the elements of the watercourse bed ecosystem, which significantly affect the magnitude of the changes in plant communities. Based on this model, it is possible to evaluate the level of ecological risk associated with the execution of maintenance and regulatory works.

Applying the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) into the effects assessment of river training works

Abstract The aim of the following study was to compare a few methods of river regulations and indicate the one which fully meets technical regulative standard and concurrently ensures protection of the watercourse ecosystem. According to the sustainable development rules it is of the most importance in every human activity to compromise between developmental and environmental needs of current and future generations. Therefore, both technical criteria related to flood safety and environmental ones were taken into consideration in the analysis. Field study was conducted in vegetation stage between 2008 and 2014 in small and medium lowland watercourses in Lower Silesia. The research comprised of measurements and descriptions of selected technical and environmental elements of a complex system of the watercourse river bed. Basing on obtained results a multicriterial assessment of the effects of the works was conducted. In order to assess the results an Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used in the study. It facilitated the creation of linear ranking of river beds and indicate the most optimal solution in terms of sustainable development. Such methods have not been applied in solving problems connected with river regulation. That’s why this study aims also at checking the utility of this method in decision making in both planning and regulation works realization. Results of the study indicate high usefulness of AHP method in the decision-making process.

VULNERABILITY OF THE BIOLOGICAL ELEMENTS OF RIVER BED ECOSYSTEM ON REGULATORY WORKS

The vulnerability of the system to changes is an additional factor that is often taken into account in risk analysis. Usually this assessment takes into account only two elements – probability and consequences of an event. The study attempts to assess the vulnerability of vascular aquatic plant communities to the qualitative and quantitative changes as a result of regulatory works in a river bed. The aim of the paper is to assess the possibility of using biological indicators, commonly used in assessing the status of aquatic ecosystems, as indicators of the vulnerability of analyzed communities. These are: the number of plant species, the degree of their bottom coverage, Shannon-Wiener diversity index, Pielou evenness index and ecological status. Field studies were carried out in growing seasons from 2008–2014 in small and medium-sized lowland watercourses in Lower Silesia. The field study included an inventory of vascular aquatic plants. Based on the results of the research, values of biological indicators were calculated and statistical analysis (cluster analysis and Spearman’s rank correlation) were performed. On this basis it was found that the number of aquatic plants species and diversity index may be indicators of the vulnerability of plant communities to the changes as a result of river regulation.

Causes and effects of adverse events during water supply and sewerage system constructions

Abstract This paper identifies the adverse events occurring during the execution of water supply and sewerage systems construction. The basis for this paper is research conducted in 2010-2014 on the construction sites of water supply and sewerage systems located in the provinces of Lower Silesia and Opole. The research consisted of direct observations of construction sites and review of construction documentation. It showed that work stoppages on the examined construction sites were frequent. They were caused by violations of work discipline by the production employees, adverse weather conditions, and defects in the project documentation. The study demonstrated that in almost every case, these bad an adverse effect on the completion date and budget of the investment. The analyses show that in such important and expensive investments as water supply and sewerage systems, organizational structures in which a special role is assigned to middle-rank personnel should be adopted.