The January 1st, 2018, Post reported the Top Ten Posts of 2017
and indicated, among other things, that a future post would report a small
sampling of emails received from workers on the Muskrat Falls project.
Sometimes the public is
better served when the “news” they receive is the "raw" material - neither analysed nor edited. It is tough to improve on a worker’s personal experience especially when they
are assessing the work space, the management, Q&A or some other issue from
the perspective of their experience at Muskrat Falls and on other projects.
What
follows are the verbatim emails of two people: one from a professional engineer and another from a surveyor; each offering insights into a poorly run project.
As the Commission of Inquiry gets ready to assess the project the Commissioner, Judge LeBlanc, might benefit not just from a forensic audit or from an examination of witnesses. He and his two Co-Counsel could be schooled first-hand by those who came face-to-face with a range of issues including management, Q&A, safety, cost controls, nepotism and corruption. While workers operated under the threat of dismissal if they divulged the problems and conditions to which they were witness, the public inquiry hopefully will offer them an opportunity to tell their stories and not be threatened.
As the Commission of Inquiry gets ready to assess the project the Commissioner, Judge LeBlanc, might benefit not just from a forensic audit or from an examination of witnesses. He and his two Co-Counsel could be schooled first-hand by those who came face-to-face with a range of issues including management, Q&A, safety, cost controls, nepotism and corruption. While workers operated under the threat of dismissal if they divulged the problems and conditions to which they were witness, the public inquiry hopefully will offer them an opportunity to tell their stories and not be threatened.
The many engineers and others who advised or wrote on this Blog were instrumental in bringing to an otherwise uninformed public some of poor management and construction practices that were fast drivers of cost overruns, adding to a falsified system of project estimates and budgets.
While many chose the Uncle Gnarley Blog to describe their concerns - truly aghast at the enormous waste of tax-payers' money - others suffered silently or just shared those confidences with friends - all knowing that some day the bill would arrive and Newfoundlanders would be paying for a very long time. They need to tell their stories. Judge LeBlanc, and the Inquiry, needs to hear some of them. Undoubtedly they would influence the examination of witnesses at the Inquiry. They also deserve to be part of the public record.
The names of the two writers (below) have been omitted to protect their
identity.
- Des Sullivan
- Des Sullivan
Email from a Professional Engineer: October 9, 2017
"...I have worked on large industrial projects world wide
so I have plenty of experience on cables.
"I know that all cables need to be examined on the truck
when delivered to look for damaged reels, broken wood slats, protruding nails
and damaged cables, because once it is off the truck then you have a devil of a
job getting back on and sent back.
"It is not just damage on route or even during
manufacture that you can have damaged cables but also if they are not stored
correctly especially in cold damp climates then you get ingress of moisture
which also cause damage.
"Even then any test/inspection document was only valid at the time it was tested
in the factory, before stringing that cable it should have been tested, even a
basic test should have shown up any damage, and any basic electrical
tech/engineer on site is capable of carrying out the test.
"By not carrying out basic testing
before stringing the cable means there is negligence on someones part, and
negligence on Nalcor for signing off on the lift.
"Considering the pay on this project was well above global rates I would have expected the best management money could buy but there seems to be no basic management procedures in place, again it is not just the EPC management but Nalcor for not enforcing standards.... the final responsibility rests with the client which is the government to ensure that those sanctioned to carry out the project not only had sufficient and extensive procedure, but that those procedure were being followed. The client CAN NOT pass on the the client responsibility to others.
"There seems to be no basic project management checks and balances or over sight on this project and the EPC and their contractors have made the most of it. The EPC is not the clients friend, I have been EPC and client rep and our roles boil down to the EPC getting as many changes or additions as possible and the clients to give away as few as possible.
"Considering the pay on this project was well above global rates I would have expected the best management money could buy but there seems to be no basic management procedures in place, again it is not just the EPC management but Nalcor for not enforcing standards.... the final responsibility rests with the client which is the government to ensure that those sanctioned to carry out the project not only had sufficient and extensive procedure, but that those procedure were being followed. The client CAN NOT pass on the the client responsibility to others.
"There seems to be no basic project management checks and balances or over sight on this project and the EPC and their contractors have made the most of it. The EPC is not the clients friend, I have been EPC and client rep and our roles boil down to the EPC getting as many changes or additions as possible and the clients to give away as few as possible.
___________________________________________________________
Engineering,
Procurement, and Construction" (EPC) is a particular form of contracting arrangement used in
some industries where the EPC Contractor is made responsible for all the
activities from design, procurement, construction, to commissioning and
handover of the project to the End-User or Owner. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engineering,_procurement,_and_construction
__________________________________________________"The more the project gets screwed up the more the EPC makes clearing up the mess as it is the clients fault, even if it is the EPC mistake.
"I learned the black art long ago on how to progress the job but without giving instructions, too complex to write down here, but a good client on gives objections or does not object, it is the contractor as the EXPERT (who is responsible) to tell you how they will achieve the project goals...once you start telling them...to use specific equipment or processes then if anything goes wrong the EPC is in the clear because they were acting on instructions of the client. I loved my job if nothing else it kept your mind sharp.
"We do need an investigation, and we certainly need an audit done now on the EPC and contractors project management control procedure, otherwise the project is just going to hemorrhage money before it finishes."
***************************************************
Email from a Surveyor: July 7, 2017
"(In) my thirty five years as a surveyor I
have not seen as many things done backward and often wonder if it is by design
or is it a total lack of professionalism within the ranks of Nalcor.
"In addition to the backward sequencing of the critical path workface there is a blatant disregard for safe work practises.
"On at least two occasions I have been expected to work under the live load of a tower crane without any warning.
"The first time I reported it directly to Nalcor yet nothing was done
"On the second occasion I reported it to my direct manager and was told to keep working.
"I proceeded to video the practise.
"On another front I was perplexed to discover that there was no controls on the expenses for consumables.
"This resulted in a $10 master lock being billed out for $60.
"The same story for survey equipment / consumables - $350 actual - $1000 claimed cost.
"In Alberta it is pretty much a standard to be remunerated at cost plus 10%. Often you have to provide three quotes.
"When I think of the overall consequence and effect on the project bottom line it is startling.
"Enjoy your blog, thanks for keeping people informed."
"In addition to the backward sequencing of the critical path workface there is a blatant disregard for safe work practises.
"On at least two occasions I have been expected to work under the live load of a tower crane without any warning.
"The first time I reported it directly to Nalcor yet nothing was done
"On the second occasion I reported it to my direct manager and was told to keep working.
"I proceeded to video the practise.
"On another front I was perplexed to discover that there was no controls on the expenses for consumables.
"This resulted in a $10 master lock being billed out for $60.
"The same story for survey equipment / consumables - $350 actual - $1000 claimed cost.
"In Alberta it is pretty much a standard to be remunerated at cost plus 10%. Often you have to provide three quotes.
"When I think of the overall consequence and effect on the project bottom line it is startling.
"Enjoy your blog, thanks for keeping people informed."
