IPWEA Blogs

Parks Management: Fundamentals

By intouch posted 4 days ago
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The importance of the parks network to our communities is well established, with the raft of benefits ranging from physical and mental health wellbeing, social cohesion, biodiversity and conservation values, temperature and climate change mitigation, to economic development.   However, the potential of our parks network to deliver on all these benefits could be significantly undermined by sub-standard parks planning and management practices.  Indeed, the success of our future smart cities will be underpinned by a sustainable, fully integrated and effective parks network.   Over the last 5 years IPWEA has continued to drive the agenda on parks planning and ...
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IPWEA launches guidance document on impending upgrades for a million street lights

By intouch posted 5 days ago
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Confidently presenting a robust and technically sound business case for street lighting and smart control upgrades is now even easier, with the release of the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australia’s (IPWEA) Model Business Case for Street Lighting and Smart Controls Upgrades. Almost one million old street lights are likely to be replaced in Australia in the next three to four years, compelling many councils, road authorities and utilities to consider large-scale lighting upgrades. This is due to the global Minamata Convention on Mercury, which is already restricting the availability of old-mercury lights for street lighting in Australia. Almost ...
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Internal Combustion - Work Health and Safety

By intouch posted 19 days ago
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I mean seriously! Workshop staff shouldn’t need to know about the Work Health and Safety Act to understand when something is potentially unsafe. However, sometimes staff are so blasé and don’t think about the hazards they come into contact with. We’ve explained again and again and have procedures in place detailing the precautions that are necessary when working with harmful elements. At some point though, our mechanics need to take individual responsibility when working with items such as radiators, batteries, lubricants and even welding equipment because there is potential to be exposed to poisons such as manganese, lead dust and fumes. The highest risk ...
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IPWEA FLEET Plant and Vehicle Management Professional Development Opportunities

By intouch posted 19 days ago
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IPWEA FLEET Plant and Vehicle Management Professional Development Opportunities On-line Training Live on-line and interactive Fleet Management Training is set to commence in June 2019. The on-line Fleet Management Training provides participants with essential need-to-know principles and techniques for best practice fleet management. It will help participants gain knowledge that can be applied immediately. Fleet Management Certificate . The IPWEA Fleet Management Certificate is a recognised industry qualification addressing key principles and practices to effectively and efficiently manage a fleet. It you are involved in the management, maintenance, ...
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Don’t forget about the other type of EV – Hydrogen power

By intouch posted 19 days ago
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Originally posted by Marc Sibbald, Fleet Auto News, May 01, 2019. With discussion on the future of Australia’s transport fleet growing day by day, it’s time to bring the other electric vehicle to the forefront of this important conversation. Hydrogen is the perfect solution for back-to-base fleets. Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, an electric vehicle powered by hydrogen, is the lesser known zero emission technology but not for long. With long range, quick refuelling time and mass carrying ability, hydrogen-powered transport is set to be an integral part of Australia’s transition to a zero-emission transport sector. While conversations regarding the ...
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Battery swapping for EV's to promote wider adoption – a good idea or temporary solution?

By intouch posted 19 days ago
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What if you had to wait at least 15 to 30 minutes every time you needed to fill up your car to get to your destination? You would probably get frustrated and look for alternatives. Right? This might be one of the key reasons why electric vehicles (EVs) struggle to be embraced by the wider community. Typically, consumers prefer to buy things that require minimal wait times, especially when it comes to fuel and energy needs. This is a key reason why product swapping came about as a concept. Exchanging products such as an empty bottle for one that has been pre-filled with something such as oil or gas is not new. Take for instance the SWAP’n’GO service offered ...
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Join Charge Together Fleets to get access to important information and resources to assist you plan and transition to electric vehicles

By intouch posted 20 days ago
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Join us in Charge Together Fleets, a new program to assist organisations transition to electric vehicles and future mobility models. The program includes webinars, drive days, and an online platform. The online platform will include tools, education modules, a peer to peer network and opportunities for collaborative procurement; due to go live in July. In the meantime, there will be regular webinars from EV experts and newsletter updates. There will also be the opportunity to participate in product development workshops. Please register for Charge Together Fleets here . Once you have registered, you will receive a welcome survey. We would greatly ...
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Did You Know

By intouch posted 20 days ago
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Plant and Vehicle Idle Time Idle time is the time that a vehicle or item of plant has its engine running but is not being used effectively. Different vehicles or plant will have different idle time rates depending on their function. In some cases it is appropriate that a machine sits stationery, perhaps with the engine running at low rpm. An example of this may be when using a truck to drive a PTO driven generator to undertake a secondary task or an Elevating Work Platform idling while someone in the bucket is working at height. Idle time can be caused by a broad range of issues and in some cases idle time can be for legitimate reasons. The causes of ...
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IPWEA FLEET Manager’s Column

By intouch posted 20 days ago
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IPWEA FLEET Joins the Charge Together Fleets Program It’s not a matter of if! Electric Vehicles (EVs) are part of the here and now. JP Morgan forecasts that EVs and Hybrid EVs (HEVs) will account for 30% of all vehicle sales by 2025. According to IEA (International Energy Agency) several countries have set targets to ban sales or registration of vehicles with internal combustion engines (ICEs). Sweden and Sri Lanka are aiming for fleets without ICEs by 2045 and 2040 respectively. Norway has announced an ICE sales ban by 2025 with Ireland, Netherlands and Slovenia following in 2030. Further, some city administrations have committed to access restrictions ...
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IPWEA member profile: Thomas Brayley

By intouch posted 20 days ago
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The fleet management industry has such a diverse range of people and roles, and everyone has a unique story of their journey in our industry. This month we talk to Thomas Brayley, Plant Fleet Services Manager at Logan City Council FI: How did you get started in fleet and plant, and what was your first job in the industry? TB: I began my career as an apprentice automotive mechanic on Porsche and Volkswagens in the UK - where we spent a considerable amount of time honing our timing skills on removing and replacing a VW beetle engine - I think I had it down at under 9 minutes to point of turnkey! As a person always wanting to try new experiences, ...
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Morphum excited to sponsor IPWEA NZ’s first Environment & Sustainability Award

By Freda Wells posted 24 days ago
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Morphum excited to sponsor IPWEA’s first Environment and Sustainability Award Morphum Environmental is excited to announce our sponsorship of IPWEA NZ’s very first Environment and Sustainability Award.  For the 2019 NZ Excellence Awards , IPWEA have created a new category for excellence in environment and sustainability, something Morphum is proud to support.  The aim of this award is to promote examples of projects that have identified and managed environmental impacts and have improved the quality of the environment in a tangible and ongoing way.  The award will be presented to the winner at the IPWEA NZ Annual Conference taking place 26-28 ...
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Resilience and the rising tide

By intouch posted 26 days ago
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Resilience and the rising tide Chris Sheedy As global sea levels rise, local governments in Australia and New Zealand are being tasked with the protection of their communities and infrastructure. During a vicious storm event in June 2016, the Fairy Bower Amenities building, located on the harbour-front promenade between Sydney’s Manly Beach and Shelly Beach, was irreparably damaged. Upon rebuild, Council ensured the new building was designed with climate change in mind. Threats from climate change include higher sea levels and increasingly severe storm events. The sea wall in front of this building is currently overtopped to a depth ...
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Civil engineering amidst civil war

By intouch posted 26 days ago
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Chris Sheedy From the main streets of Maitland and Taree to the war-ravaged devastation of Mogadishu, Greg Blaze OAM has experienced equal amounts of struggle and satisfaction during his adventurous civil engineering career. There is something very special about working in civil engineering, says Greg Blaze OAM, and it has to do with the fact that you’re always witnessing the effect your work has on the community. Sometimes, particularly during construction, that might be a negative effect as shopkeepers, business people and locals are bothered by the intrusion into their daily lives. But once each project is complete, there is almost always ...
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Breaking up with employee engagement

By intouch posted 26 days ago
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For years, companies have had a love affair with the concept of employee engagement. But experts say there’s another, far more powerful, and potentially free way to tap into how your employees are feeling – and it all starts with listening. Anyone who has done an employee engagement survey knows the drill. You’re emailed a link with instructions to take the survey seriously, and an assurance that it’s really all about making sure YOU, the employee, are happy. You put it on your to-do list, because you know what would actually make you happy? Not having to spend time doing a survey, that’s what. You receive another – slightly more shrill – email, informing ...
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Q&A with Victorian Chief Engineer

By Nicole Patten posted 26 days ago
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In a time where record infrastructure investment is taking place across Australia, Victoria’s level of infrastructure spending still stands out. A 2018 Deloitte Access Economics report found Victorian infrastructure investment had outpaced all other states in the three months to June, with $106.2 billion of infrastructure being built or planned across both the public and private sectors. DR COLLETTE BURKE Victoria Chief Engineer, Exner Group Managing Director, VicTrack Director As the state’s first ever Chief Engineer, Dr Collette Burke has been tasked with helping the government ensure this fortune is being spent wisely, providing technical and evidence-based ...
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Topcon takes dozer GPS machine control to the next level *Sponsored content

By Nicole Patten posted 26 days ago
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Topcon 3D-MC MAX takes dozer GPS machine control to the next level of performance Digwright Pty Ltd had been using Topcon 3D-MC 2 systems from Position Partners on its dozers since 2009 and had always found the 3D-MC 2 systems to be more responsive and smoother than other systems on the market, so when the opportunity to implement the Topcon 3D-MC MAX mastless machine control system arose Digwright jumped at it. “When the opportunity came for us to install a [3D-MC MAX ] mastless system on one of our new CAT D6T VPAT machines we were keen to give it go,” said Andrew Wright, Director and Owner of Digwright. “The rate of speed the machine was able to ...
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Call for nominations for IPWEA NZ President and Board members, 2019

By Freda Wells posted 30 days ago
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Nominations are invited for the IPWEA NZ President and the following IPWEA NZ Board positions for which the terms will commence at the completion of the 2019 AGM on 26 June, 2019. To be eligible for election to the Board, nominees must be current financial members of IPWEA NZ (including nominated members of Corporate Members) or Life Members.  No member shall be eligible to stand for more than one position on the Board. Note that Branch Chairs are members of the Board by virtue of holding that position. The current Board has indicated a preference of diversity and skills in the make-up of the Board given the changing public works environment. Current Board ...
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The science of safer roads *Sponsored content

By intouch posted 16 April 2019
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On our roadways an accident can happen in the blink of an eye, whether you are a pedestrian at a crossing or driving down a lonely highway. At any given moment our destiny can be shaped by our actions or those of others. According to the World Health Organisation, the lives of approximately 1.35 million people are cut short every year as a result of a road traffic crash. Between 20 and 50 million more people suffer non-fatal injuries, with many incurring a disability as a result of their injury. Although there are many elements to road safety, the ultimate goal is the same all over the world – that is, to work towards achieving zero deaths and serious injuries ...
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Safety culture transformation towards zero harm

By intouch posted 16 April 2019
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The nature of Interflow’s work  renewing deteriorated pipelines  means a high-risk work environment is unavoidable. But a revitalised direction and a focus on managing safety will reduce potential harm. With more than 450 field staff spread across the country, Interflow Health, Safety and Environment Executive Manager Adrian Smith said it’s vital to create a culture that focuses on managing and understanding risk across the organisation.   When Smith joined the company in 2017 and embarked on a tour of Interflow’s regional offices, he discovered different locations had different standards, often revolving around their clients’ expectations. His time on ...
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Case study: The power of visualisation for asset management

By intouch posted 16 April 2019
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Asset management organisations need to juggle limited resources, a wide asset portfolio, and high community expectations. To tackle these complex issues, Transport Canberra and City Services (TCCS) combined data visualisation with government statistics to reveal how to manage its playspaces to meet community expectations and optimise its resources. TCCS sought to move away from traditional asset management strategies by partnering with tech firm Assetic for a pilot study on the management of its 665 playspaces across Canberra. This study used data to optimise $1.9 million in funds supplied by the ACT Government through the Better Suburbs Program. The project ...
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