Assignment 2 Part A

Mohammed Asimuddin 700013743 / 18432484

Mikael Christophe Evenor 700014303 / 18594805
Chai Shi Wen 700012415 / 18298440
Justin Tang Chok Hong 700013991 / 18469110
Table of Contents
Question 1 .................................................................................................................................. 3
Question 1a Introduction to QMP (1-page maximum) .......................................................... 3
Question 1b – Policy and Objectives (1-page maximum) ..................................................... 4
Question 1c – Key processes (2 pages maximum) ................................................................ 5
Question 2 Variation to the design of the bridge ....................................................................... 7
Question 3 .................................................................................................................................. 9
Question 3a Requirements for bridge footing construction ................................................... 9
Question 3b Miscommunication in the procurement ........................................................... 11
Question 4 (Last digit of sum IDs = 9) (Two pages maximum) .............................................. 12
Question 4a - Nonconformity and corrective action ............................................................ 12
Question 4b – Footing construction error ............................................................................ 13
References ................................................................................................................................ 14

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Question 1
Question 1a Introduction to QMP (1-page maximum)
The quality management plan defines the acceptable level of quality which is typically
defined by the customer or end-user and describes how the project will ensure a particular level
of quality in its deliverables and work processes (Reagents 2006). It is imperative to understand
the needs and expectations of interested parties mainly, the state government and road
authority. Clause 4.2 of ISO9001 presents a guideline to such issues. A quality management
plan for this project must ensure that:
• Traffic bridge is designed and constructed in accordance with agreed upon standards
and requirements.
• Work processes are performed efficiently and as documented by stated authorities
• Non-Conformances reported are acknowledged and appropriate corrective action is
taken.
For the construction of a new traffic bridge across the Swan river preparing the quality
management plan that will help improve overall construction standards and shall be in
compliance to the principles of international standard of ISO 90001:2015. ISO 9001 is a basic
quality management guideline that is used globally in industries of any scale. ISO 9001
evaluates, current quality management system of a firm and helps identify and implement
improvements.
Initial step that shall be undertaken when planning the quality management system, shall
be identifying risks and opportunities that are present for the project and plan to address them.
This allows prevention of nonconformity during construction and additionally allows
contractor to identify potential opportunities that shall allow improved end user satisfaction.
As the contractor evaluates and determines risks and opportunities present, contractor must
focus on;
• Providing assurance to client, principal and other stakeholders that quality management
system planned can achieve its projected results and goals.
• Introduce various desirable aspects into construction; use of latest technology such as
precast elements, quicker paced construction techniques and tackling nonconformities
efficiently.
• Avoiding any objectionable effects such as unacceptable safety measures on site,
prevention of low rates of tackling nonconformities, construction delays, improper
construction and time delay.
Crux of effective quality management planning depends on a system that identifies risks
and opportunities. There are many techniques to identify risks and opportunities for traffic
bridge project across swan river such as, SWOT or PESTLE.
Risks identified may include, construction of pilings underwater with water currents
playing a major distraction during construction and safety is a major risk and concern. On the
other hand, opportunities present include use latest construction methods such as precast slabs
that allow faster paced construction and less number of workers on site. These approaches
allow project manager to develop a strategic quality management plan and appropriate
implementation style for construction of traffic bridge across swan river.

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Question 1b – Policy and Objectives (1-page maximum)
ISO9001:2015 advises that organisation shall establish, document, implement and maintain a
quality management system and continually improve its effectiveness. This allows
achievement of high construction standards and maintain acceptable quality throughout the
project. To achieve the planned quality management system, contractor shall comply to the
objectives for the traffic bridge as below;
a) Maintained consistency with quality policy
Commitment will be achieved by working to the quality management system for the
traffic bridge construction, which will be continually updated and improved to ensure
that the bridge constructed remains successful and of good quality. For any policy
contractor sets under QMP, it shall devote it as an objective. For example, if a policy
states on time delivery, objective for this traffic bridge must be to complete construction
within the stated period.
b) Consider applicable requirements
Construction of traffic bridge shall be in accordance with the guidelines set by the client
(state government), road authority standards and any other requirements set by the
direct stakeholders. Identify the processes needed for quality management system and
their application throughout the organisation. Quality objective need not be measured
quantitatively, it can also be measure qualitatively, by assessing construction work
done, finished output and continually improving the upcoming task.
c) Be monitored and communicated
Managers and engineers shall motivate the workers and maintain decent level of
involvement to maintain quality and rectify non-conformances. Progress reports and
work break down structure shall be maintained and followed throughout construction
of traffic bridge, as this allows contractor to keep a track of work done and remainder
works. Additionally, contractor must routinely update client, principal, consultant and
subcontractors and any other direct stakeholders on the quality objectives implemented.
d) Handling Nonconformity and progress
During the construction of the traffic bridge, non-conformances will play an important
role. Any non-conformances that are reported shall be rectified within a reasonably
acceptable time. Superintendent and Resident engineer will assess the work done.
Additionally, internal quality audits shall take place every month to assess the work
done and highlight any issues and improvements that need to be done.
Quality objectives can be measure using various used techniques in the construction industry.
One of the widely used technique and suitable for traffic bridge project is the SMART
technique. It enforces a technique that is “Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and
Time bound”. With these aspects implemented, quality objectives can be attained.
Additionally, it is imperative contractor realises its current abilities, limitations, past
construction track record and current market conditions. Keeping these factors in mind while
setting quality objectives allow awareness of what can be done and the risks that are worth
taking.

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Question 1c – Key processes (2 pages maximum)
Work breakdown structures in the construction industry have allowed effective
implementation of project management as well as quality management. The WBS provides
contractors with a framework on which schedule, performance, time, costs and quality are
measured against the requirement for each level (Norman 2007). During the construction of
traffic bridge across swan river, WBS will help organise and define the overall scope of the
project with increasingly detailed task list of the project that will allow project team to monitor
and maintain required sets of standards from the word go.
To implement an effective quality management plan and system, ISO employs the
process approach, which incorporates the PLAN-DO-CHECK-ACT (PDCA) cycle and risk-
based thinking. Implementing PDCA cycle for traffic bridge construction would enable the
contractor to ensure that its processes are adequately resourced and managed, and that openings
for improvement are determined and acted on.
To begin with construction phase of the traffic bridge across swan river it is imperative
to mobilise the site, establish site office, and establish quality control team and guideline.
Secondly, site preparation should take place where, any big objects shall be removed that block
the construction area of traffic bridge.
Substructure
Foundation works must be the first element under substructure works. First major
construction process that will take place after site mobilisation is substructure construction.
Through strong foundations, the bridge foundation diffuses the loads to the bearing layers of
the soil. Deep piling into the river shall take place as piles provide a solid foundation to support
a traffic bridge across swan river.
As the traffic bridge crosses swan river, it is advised to use a bored rig for piling as it
is very commonly used in Australia. Concrete and steel reinforcement will be used to support
the superstructure load. Piles are usually bored until the pile reaches the hard layer of the earth.
As the piles are driven into ground and casted, pile caps are constructed as it provides stable
foundation and distributes the load rather easily onto the piles.
Abutments are constructed once all foundation and piling works have completed. It is
the endpoint of the bridge span. Abutments receive the lateral pressures that are caused by the
fill and the weight of the structure itself.
Superstructure
The superstructure works consist of construction of elements below the bridge deck
slabs, such as, piers, pier caps, beams/girders and deck slab.
Piers are an imperative part of the superstructure as they transmit loads from the bridge
deck towards the substructure specifically the foundations and additionally support the bridge
span. Piers constructed must have the capacity to accept various loads from all directions. Pier
Cap is the uppermost part of the pier, it is constructed with reinforced concrete to dispense
concentrated loads generated from the slab deck evenly to the piers.

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 Girders play a major role in the structural stability of any bridge as it is the main
horizontal support and supports the slab deck and other elements resting on the deck. Girders
most commonly used in construction industry are precast, as it allows lesser construction costs
and labour, additionally it is a simplified and quicker method for bridge construction.
Deck Slab is the surface of a bridge sometimes known as the roadway. Deck is covered
with an additional layer made of asphalt that allows vehicular traffic and pedestrian movement.
As the slab is constructed, asphalt can be laid, to carry 4 lanes of traffic plus. Additionally,
deck slab shall possess two principal shared paths, one on each side with kerbings and railings
on each side as per the design requirement.

Traffic bridge

Earthwork and
Site mobilisation landscaping
(as required)

Administration,
Quality Control and
Safety

Site clearance and

removal

Traffic control Subgrade Road Surface

Deep Piling and
and temporary treatment and Retaining wall Superstructure Bridge deck Drainage amd bridge
foundation
works base miscellaneous

Barricades Piling Abutments Approach slabs Asphalt roads

Traffic Piers amd pier

Pile caps Deck slab Kerb
rerouting cap

Temporary
Precast
working Handrails
beams/girders
platforms

Above is a diagram showing key activities involved during the construction of traffic bridge
across swan river. As explained above, these are construction activities that will result in
completion of the project. Work Breakdown structure is employed in QMP, to identify critical
tasks throughout the project, identify subtasks that may affect the overall quality of the project.
Monitoring and regularly improving quality of construction throughout the major and minor
tasks (in accordance with the WBS) will result in effective implementation of quality
management plan.

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Question 2 Variation to the design of the bridge

In bridge design, there are many variables that can be changed due to some reasons such
as the feasibility or unexpected site conditions that were missed during site surveying. Besides
that, some Project Owner may find out that the bridge is over-designed, the materials for the
bridge is too expensive or a sudden increase of price for these materials. Therefore, some
Project Owner will require some variations on the design. These variations include the type of
span of bridge, the materials used to build the bridge, the type of bridge (truss, beam, arch), the
construction method and so on. (Bridge Basics 2008) According to the point of views of quality
management, these variations must be handled properly to ensure the quality of the bridge is
maintained.

Firstly, when the Project Owner requires some variation based on the scope of bridge
structure and materials specification, the Project Owner must provide proper justifications with
attachment as prove. The material of the bridge and the bridge structure cannot be simply
changed without proper documents which prove that the changes are significant. For example,
if the Project Owner wanted to introduce other methods to construct the bridge which can
reduce their cost or time taken to finish the project, he must provide the method statements
which clearly describe how his methods worked and prove that the methods are comply to the
standards to ensure the good quality of the product.

Applicability at site is also one of the concern of quality management. The variations which
are suggested by the owner must be applicable for construction. Saving money cannot be the
only purpose for the variations to be decided. If the owner wants to introduce some new
methods or change some materials for the construction of bridge, the availability of the
machineries, specific skilled workers and materials at local are the criteria that must be taken
into considerations. This is to make sure that the performance of the workers is not reduced
due to the construction methods or materials that they are not familiar with.

In terms of quality of bridge, the strength of the bridge to endure the moment, axial load,
self-weight, wind load and also other load combinations are very important. The variations
suggested by Project Owner should not over-reduce the strength of bridge which make the
bridge fails to withstand the estimated maximum loading while reducing the cost. (Why Do
Structures Fail, n.d.)

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 Lastly, the time taken to finish the project or deadline is the most important timeline for
any construction project. If the construction delay occurred, it will cost not only time but also
the money due to the penalty for not able to complete the project on time. (FreeAdvice staff,
n.d.) Besides that, it will also cause negative effect on the adversarial relationships and mistrust
between clients, consultants and contractor and also lead to law issues such as litigation and
arbitration.(Delays in construction 2017, para 6) Therefore, the variations suggested by owner
are required to be able to construct and it will not cost too much of time which causes the
construction delay while providing good quality of product to avoid reconstruction which cause
the delay of project handover.

In conclusion, any variations that are suggested must consider all the criteria above before
the final decision made to make sure the quality of the bridge is maintained while the cost of
the project can be reduced.

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Question 3
Question 3a Requirements for bridge footing construction
The construction of the bridges footing must be planned beforehand. Clause 8.1 states that the
requirements of both the piles and pile caps need be determined, and the resources needed to
construct them need to be appropriately scheduled. Every stage of the operation requires
detailed documentation to be generated and maintained to both illustrate that the work has
been done and to serve to check the quality.
The client needs to be provided with all the relevant drawings regarding the design,
specification and cost as per clause 8.2.1.
Clause 8.4: Control of externally provided processes, products and services.
The design of the piles and pile caps are not to be done in-house, as per clause 8.4.2, the
external team responsible for design must consist of qualified personnel with experience in
the design of piles and pile caps. In addition to the requirements of clause 8.4.2, clause 8.4.1
requires that the designs be checked and evaluated before being implemented. This means
that the design team must provide:
• Detailed drawings.
• Full calculation of how the anticipated loads on the piles were obtained
• Full design calculation of the piles
• Full design calculation of the pile caps

Clause 8.5: Production and service provision

During construction, each stage needs to be planned, monitored and controlled. This means
that as per clauses 8.5.1 and 8.5.2;
• Only skilled plant operators are allowed use any required machinery.
• Each pile and pile location need to be given a unique identifying number and a pile
construction schedule for the order of placement needs to be followed.
• Each pile number is to be double checked before placement.
• The formwork of the pile caps is to be double check after erection.
• Each batch of concrete poured needs to be recorded and tested to ensure it is according to
the required specification

During construction, if machinery which is owned by another company is used, several

actions are required as per clause 8.5.3, namely;
• Prior to use, each piece of equipment will be checked to make sure it is in an acceptable
working condition.
• The equipment will only be used as intended
• All equipment is to be used by qualified personnel as mentioned from clause 8.5.1
• Should any equipment be damaged or fall into disrepair, it is to be immediately reported to
allow for a swift remedial process by the original owner.

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All material to be used during the construction is to be safely stored away as per clause 8.5.4.
This means any steel or aggregates are to be covered and protected from the elements. In
addition, reinforcement steel is not to be stored in such a way as to be in contact with the bare
ground.
Changes from the original design are a risk during construction. In this project a change in
the requirements for the footing may come due to unforeseen soil conditions or a changed in
the expected loading. Using clause 8.5.6, a few items are required, namely;
• Information regarding the change in requirement is to be provided to the external design
team as per clause 8.4.1,
• All changes in design are to be validated and recorded,
• The reasons for any change are also to be documented and retained.
• All new drawings are to be provided to the client in accordance to clause 8.2.1

Clause 8.7: control of nonconforming outputs

If during construction, any materials delivered (such as concrete or steel) do not meet the
required specifications, clause 8.7 allows for them to be refused unless the site engineer
deems otherwise.

10
Question 3b Miscommunication in the procurement
To prevent miscommunications in procurement, iso 9001:2015 has several clauses which can
be used to ensure that quality is as required;
Clause 5: Leadership
Clause 5.2.1 and 5.2.2 requires everyone involved in the procurement process is required to
know and understand the quality requirements needed in the project. The quality
requirements should also be readily available for anyone to see. This can be achieved through
daily meetings as well as ensuring the specific quality needs are given to the people in charge
of purchasing. Clause 5.3 suggests that there should be a person in charge of monitoring the
purchasing process. This can be done by copying a supervisor in all purchasing emails to
ensure that the purchase can be reviewed at a later date
Clause 8: Operation
All purchase orders are to provide the exact details required while avoiding too many details
as suggested by clause 8.4.3. In addition, once purchases are completed, they are to be
followed up. For example, if orders are placed via email, they should be followed up prior to
delivery via telephone call. This will ensure the concrete being delivered is the exact
specification required.
All purchases are to be done using traceable and reviewable documentation as stated in clause
8.5.2. A standard format is also to be adopted, this ensures that the order is easily reviewable
as per clause 5.3. In doing so, orders that contain errors can be easily reviewed, traced and
corrected before it becomes an issue.

11
Question 4 (Last digit of sum IDs = 9) (Two pages maximum)
Question 4a - Nonconformity and corrective action

As a rule, discrepancy with negative consequences is known as nonconformities. The

main contractor is required to fix the detected inconsistencies from the structural constructed
with the approved design drawings, identify the causes and plan last but least implement
corrective actions to abolish the causes of non-conformities which as mentioned previously.
The result of nonconformity would lead to severe consequences such as additional of
investment of time and resources of the project. To eliminate the causes of non-conformities,
the additional cost is also required. Therefore, it is required for the main contractors to design
an effective corrective action plan to reduce the additional cost.
According to the <ISO9001-2015> international standard “Quality management-
requirements”, when a nonconformity occurs in this case would be the part of the footing
construction as not built according to the approved design drawings, the principal, Road
Authority has play an important role to react to the nonconformity, and as applicable, the
principal is required to take actions to control. Principal or contractors are then required to deal
with the possible consequences of the error and correct it as soon as possible prior to occurrence
of severe consequences. Meetings will be carried out between the principal, contractor and
designer to eliminate the causes of the nonconformity. The meeting serves the purpose of
ensuring the nonconformity would not be reoccurred in future. Therefore, the nonconformity
must be reviewed and analysed with the full attention of contractor and designer. The causes
and the possible occurrence of similar nonconformities are required to be determined and
eliminate or prevent it from occurring in future.
A quality management processes such as corrective and preventive actions (CAPA) can
be carried out by the principal to make changes on risk management to address the non-
conformance (Ivanov 2016). For instance, then a non-conformance was identified by consultant
or site engineer, a non-conformance report will then be issued as a corrective action (Mades
2014). The corrective actions must be appropriate to the effects of the nonconformities
encountered. The non-conformance report is a response implemented to the occurrence of a
nonconformance by correcting the nonconformance. During planning of the corrective action
to the case, the effectiveness of the corrective action is needed to be reviewed as well as the
risk and opportunities of the corrective action are needed to be determined during the planning.
When the corrective actions have been done, it is required to be recorded in well-organized
with evidence in the nonconformance report.
In a nutshell, when there is a nonconformance such as the construction was not built
according to the approved design, it is necessary for the principal to correct the
nonconformance and eliminate the causes of the nonconformance prior to the occurrence of
consequences. Principal and other parties such as contractors and designers are then required
to take corrective actions to the nonconformance and ensure the effectiveness of the corrective
action to the nonconformance. Risk management is then required to be updated and make
permanent change in project management. Finally, the project team is required to preserve the
all documented information as the evidence.

12
Question 4b – Footing construction error

For an effective quality management system, it is imperative to the solve any nonconformities
that may have been reported in the form of complaints (by the consultant or internal auditors)
or from any identification on site by inspecting the nonconforming output.
As the footing constructed was not built in accordance with the approved design drawings
provided by the consultant, it is the job of contractor to make good of any discrepancies that
may have occurred. As a contractor, initial step once the nonconformity has been raised must
be to either accept or reject the nonconformity. Once accepted, failing to correct the reported
nonconformity with a reasonable time shall result in additional costs for rework, bad reputation
and most importantly failure in maintaining the quality management plan set in place that
eventually resukts in forfeiture of quality certification (Modeler 2011). Hence, making good of
reported footings is imperative for the contractor.
Most important aspect of quality management plan is to provide solutions for any reported
nonconformities. Therefore, a plan shall be created to correct the footings constructed.
Wherein, plan must include obligatory immediate works to fix the nonconformity. QMS should
be applied to establish an acceptable methodology for the identification and rectification of
mistake caused. Moreover, it is imperious that contractor takes strict action against what has
gone wrong and implement necessary practises to prevent similar issues from recurring in the
future (ISO 2015).
Once the footings have been corrected with a definite solution, it is imperative to assign an
internal audit to asses the correction applied. Auditor is advised to authenticate the
nonconformity and evaluate if the requirement is fulfilled, eventually finalising and closing the
nonconformity.

13
References

Standards Australia. 2017. “SA TS 9002:2017 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION Quality

Management Systems — Guidelines for the Application of ISO 9001:2015.” Vol. 2016.

Ivanov, Nikolay. 2016. "Ranking of actions to reduce risks in QMS of construction

enterprises." MATEC Web of Conferences 5.
Mades, Noel. 2014. How To Close A Non-conformance Report (NCR)? August 28. Accessed
May 6th, 2018. https://www.qualityengineersguide.com/how-to-close-a-non-
conformance-report-ncr.
Muhammad Choudhry, Rafiq. 2018. "Causes of Discrepancies between Design and
Construction in the." Journal of Construction in Developing Countries 18.
ISO. 2015. “INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO Requirements” 2015.
Reagents, Board of. 2006. “Project Management by Board of Regents of the University of
Wisconsin System.” 2006. https://pma.doit.wisc.edu/plan/3-2/what.html.
Norman, E. S. (2007). Developing and elaborating effective work breakdown structures. Paper
presented at PMI® Global Congress 2007—North America, Atlanta, GA. Newtown Square,
PA: Project Management Institute.
“Bridge Basics.” 2008. Bridges and Tunnels or Allegheny County and Pittsburgh, PA.
http://pghbridges.com/basics.htm.
“Delays in Construction Projects, Its Types, Effects and Management.” 2017. The
constructor. https://theconstructor.org/construction/delays-construction-projects/13465/

Modeler, Bizagi Process. 2011. “NONCONFORMITY SOLUTION ( ISO 9000) -

Construction,” no. Iso 9000.

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 Assignment 2 Part B

Mohammed Asimuddin 700013743 / 18432484

Mikael Christophe Evenor 700014303 / 18594805
Chai Shi Wen 700012415 / 18298440
Justin Tang Chok Hong 700013991 / 18469110
Table of Contents
1. Project Overview ................................................................................................................ 2
1.1 Environmental Requirements ...................................................................................... 2
1.2 Quality Requirements .................................................................................................. 3
2. Case Studies ........................................................................................................................ 4
2.1 South Australia Case Study 1 ...................................................................................... 4
2.2 South Australia Case Study 2 ...................................................................................... 5
2.3 Western Australia Case Study 1 .................................................................................. 6
2.4 Western Australia Case Study 2 .................................................................................. 7
3. EIA Process Requirements ................................................................................................. 8
3.1 Recommendation of a proposal to the EPA ................................................................ 8
3.2 EPA decision whether to conduct assessment for the proposal .................................. 9
3.3 Assessment of Proposal ............................................................................................... 9
3.4 Disapproval of Proposal ............................................................................................ 10
3.5 Additional assessment information ........................................................................... 10
3.6 Environmental Review and Management Plan ......................................................... 10
4. Relevant Quality Systems ................................................................................................. 11
4.1 Quality System .......................................................................................................... 11
4.2 Environmental Management System ........................................................................ 12
4.3 Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OHSMS) ............................ 13
5. Individual Contribution .................................................................................................... 14
6. References ........................................................................................................................ 15
 1. Project Overview

1.1 Environmental Requirements

All construction projects shall be conducted in respect to the objectives of

Environmental Protection Authority. The Environmental Impact Assessment (Part IV Dic 1
and 2) Administrative Procedures 2012 must be incorporated for all projects. As stated in the
EIA clause 10.1.3, the preliminary key environmental factors are required to be identified and
demonstrate the impacts on the environmental factors must meet the EPA’s environmental
objectives.
In the EPA, there are 14 environmental factors which are organised into five themes:
Sea, Water, Land, Air and People (Statement of Environmental Principles, Factors and
Objectives 2016). All these environmental factors consist of environmental objective which
are identified by EPA. The environmental objectives serve a purpose of ensuring the objects
and principles of EP Act are achieved. For the bridge project stated in Part A, the themes in
relation of the project will be land, water and people. As follow, the environmental
requirement of the project is the theme of land. The flora and vegetation, landforms,
subterranean fauna, terrestrial environmental quality also terrestrial fauna are needed to be
well-maintained and protected. All these serve to ensure the biological diversity, ecological
integrity, environmental values of the area are maintained and protected.
In this project, the affected area is the Swan River whereby the fish community is
quite diverse with over 130 species (Swan River Trust 2008). These species classed as marine
stragglers are usually use the sheltered river as a nursery area. Therefore, it is required to
ensure the environmental values of the river is well-maintained by minimizing the waste
production during the construction of the bridge across the Swan River. In addition, the
factors of water theme are hydrological processes and inland waters environmental, the
requirement of these factors is to maintain the hydrological regimes and the quality of ground
water and surface water thus the environmental values are protected. The Swan river is made
up of networks of rivers, tributaries and drains from agricultural activities. The waste
produced during the construction must eliminated from the area to avoid alteration of
nutrient, pollutant and particle dynamic of the river. Therefore, it reduces the impacts on
aquatic flora and fauna.
Lastly, in the theme of people, the factors are social surroundings and human health,
the environmental requirements of these factors are to protect the social surroundings and
human health from significant harm. During the construction of the bridge, the waste
produces are not allowed to leave unattended at the bank of River Swan as enhance bacteria
growth. The bank of Swan River will no longer to be suitable place for citizens to visit.
For the purposes of the definition of environment, these requirements are needed to be
achieved to accomplish the objective of the EPA: to protect the environment and to control,
prevent and abate pollution also environmental harm. (Chapter 17 - Environmental
Requirements for Construction Projects 2009)

2
 1.2 Quality Requirements

The EPA quality system is a structured and documented management system

describing the way of an organization assures quality in its work. Quality management is the
process of quality system specification are planned, implemented and assessed. (Overview of
the EPA Quality System 2016)
As refer to the general specification of EPA on quality management, there are 11
quality management specifications required to conform (Policies and Procedures about
Quality Assurance for EPA Organizations 2018). For this bridge project, QA manager must
be identified to ensure the environmental data collection can be function by the individual
also the QA manager can access to the top management with the organization.
A quality management plan needed be developed and this plan has to be implemented
with the agency approval. The reason is that to avoid occurrence of quality problem where it
could cause the impact on traffic of the area or even it could cause serious economic losses.
There are sufficient resource or technologies needed to be provided to implement the quality
system also the systematic planning should relate to the criteria of EPA quality system.
Traffic bridge across the Swan River require a high degree technology, the quality of the
bridge is difficult to be guaranteed if with the poor-quality management system (Bing 2017).
The assessment of effectiveness of the quality system annually and the corrective actions
needed to be implemented. In this project, appropriate training is needed to provide to all
levels of management and staff to assure that all the staffs are involved in this project and
therefore they would have quality-related responsibilities and comprehend the entire
construction technology so that the implementation of the construction process meet the
construction specific needs.
All the QA project plans, and equivalent documents for the bridge projects and tasks
involving environmental data are needed to be approved. In addition, the assessment of
existing data needed to be verified that the data are sufficient quantity and adequate quality
for agency use also future reference (Policies and Procedures about Quality Assurance for
EPA Organizations 2018). Last but not least, strict control is also required to avoid serious
problem in the future where it could entirely affect the road safety of the bridge. A poor-
quality management plan will then as a result of economic pressure.

3
 2. Case Studies

2.1 South Australia Case Study 1

Barriers and opportunities for re-use and recycling of clean fill and building and
demolition waste in the Adelaide metropolitan area
As of 2001, over 150,000 tonnes of building and demolition waste (B&D) was being
placed into landfills in Adelaide per year. This figure is expected to drastically increase.
Many B&D materials however, can be recycled and reused for other projects. This not only
serves to reduce the amount of waste generated through construction, but also reduces the
overall cost of new projects using recycled materials.(Environmental Protection Authority
2001)

Applicable lessons

B&D waste can be sent to transfer stations. This style of off-site sorting often leads to
cross contamination of materials, thus decreasing the amount that can be ultimately re-
used. Sorting can be done much more effectively on-site. Materials that have no recyclable
value, such as asbestos can be easily separated from the materials that can be re-used.
While there are additional costs that are normally associated with sorting of materials,
these can be easily minimized through proper planning. This style of sorting often results in
a decrease in the overall costs of disposal as well as provide the possibility of additional
income generated from selling salvaged materials.(Environmental Protection Authority
2001)

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 2.2 South Australia Case Study 2

Investigation of the dust impacts form port Adelaide waterfront redevelopment project
on the Le Fevre Peninsula Primary School
The Le Fevre Peninsula Primary School is located 20m from the redevelopment site
of the Port Adelaide Waterfront. The site contains stockpiles of various materials including
building and demolition. Airborne particles from construction are often of a particle size of
10 micrometers or less, which pose serious health risks. This combined with the proximity of
the site raised many concerns due to the risk of exposure.
Although the stockpiles were treated with a crusting agent to minimize the
generation of dust in the area, contaminants from the site were still found in the water
tanks and class rooms of the primary school. The EPA also points out that a possible source
of additional dust was the temporary roads established for site access. As cars drive along
the roads a significant amount of dust is created.(Scientific Services Branch 2008).

Applicable lessons

The project will be constructed within the Perth Metropolitan Area, as a result control of
the dust will be an important aspect of reducing the impact of construction on the region.
The stockpiles in the Port Adelaide Waterfront Redevelopment project were up to 6m high.
The result of this was that despite being treated, it was still possible for dust to contaminate
the area. To aid in dust suppression and thus preventing work being put on hold, it is
advisable to ensure that all activities that may create dust are adequately watered and that
dust is not allowed to build up.

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 2.3 Western Australia Case Study 1

Southern river bridge link between spencer road and Corfield street.
The proposal involves extending Corfield street to connect to Spencer Road by
means of a four-lane carriageway. This new bridge link is expected to help with increased
traffic levels that the current road network is ill-equipped to handle.

Applicable lessons

The proposed road alignment in this project was required to avoid, as much as possible,
the patches of woodlands in the region. Clearing of trees was to only be done for trees
which may negatively impact the bridges structure. Habitat was required to be maintained
beneath the bridge on both sides of the bridge. For the road in assignment 1, factoring
these into the initial design will minimize the need to redesign to accommodate local fauna.
In order to properly assess these requirements, a comprehensive survey of the fauna is
required first. There are several existing bridges in the Perth metropolitan area, a similar
situation is present with the south river bridge. Due to this, it can be assumed that a new
bridge will not have a huge effect on fauna movement.(Environmental Protection Authority
1994).

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 2.4 Western Australia Case Study 2

Perth Darwin Highway

The Perth-Darwin highway is a transportation route that links Perth to north western
Australia. It spans over 4000 km. To cater for a predicted increase in the volume of freight
by 2050, a new section was proposed to be constructed within swan valley between Malaga
and Muchea. This new section will also aim to reduce traffic and decrease travel times.
The proposed extension will be a 38 km long dual carriageway section with a 100m wide
road reserve. This reserve also widens at the seven grade-separated intersections that are
needed to access the highway at certain areas. There will also be a 16m wide central median
between Tonkin/Reid highway and Gnangara road for future transportation options, which
are not part of the proposal. There will also be a 746-hectare disturbance footprint. The EPA
identified six key factors which can be applied to the current project and they are tabulated
below.(Environmental Protection Authority 2016)

Applicable lessons

The EPA suggested that the Perth-Darwin highway develops a plan to mitigate
disruption to the vegetation during construction as well as a plan for post construction
activities. It may facilitate things if a plan is prepared during the design phase for how to
manage the native flora. A survey is required to determine if there are any endangered or
endemic species that will be impacted by the project. A survey of to determine the impact
on local fauna. Plants that may constitute a foraging habitat for endemic species are to be
removed from the area near the road and fencing is to be provided as much as possible.
(Environmental Protection Authority 2016)

The Perth-Darwin highway proposal also affected the water quality in the area. The EPA
required that the effect of soil compaction on the groundwater levels in the area be
determined through numerical modelling. This is to ensure that there are no excessive
adverse changes that occur due to the construction. A detailed plan outlining how the new
bridge will deal with drainage is also required. It must be shown that road run-off, which will
contain pollutants from traffic, will not be allowed to disperse into the river below the
bridge under normal circumstances. Care must also be taken to minimize the contamination
of the surface water by silt liberated during the piling process. It is also necessary to
determine the location of public drinking water source areas to avoid placing the proposed
road alignment within their limits.(Environmental Protection Authority 2016)

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 3. EIA Process Requirements

The purpose of Part 4 Division 1 environmental impact assessment is to provide the referral
and assessment of noteworthy and strategic proposal. Similarly, Part 4 division 2 provides a
guideline for the accepted proposals, the accepted implementation techniques. These act
permits Environmental Protection Assessment (EPA) authority to conduct environmental
Impact assessment (EIA). EPA uses numerous sources of information such as environmental
principles and objectives as the foundation for evaluating whether a proposal is
environmentally acceptable. EPA
Administrative procedures shall be followed that dictate the essential procedures regarding the
provisions of Part 4 divisions 1 and 2 of the EP act. There are 5 essential stages that must be
followed as mentioned below;
Stage 1: Proposal referral
Stage 2: Decision from EPA whether to conduct assessment for the referred proposal
Stage 3: After acceptance from EPA, assessment shall take place
Stage 4: Assessment report for the proposal from EPA
Stage 5: Outcome and decision on the proposal and implementation of application.

3.1 Recommendation of a proposal to the EPA

Keeping in mind the project to be undertaken, new traffic bridge across the swan river
would possess environmental impact during construction to its surroundings. Hence, as advised
in EIA part iv division 1 clause 1.1, pre-referral shall take place for any proposal that is likely
to have a significant impact on the environment or where there are any reservations that
underlie within the proposal. Environmental protection authority encourages pre-referral
discussions and consultation with relevant parties such as the associated stakeholders,
government authorities and EPA. This is practiced by EPA to avoid and or minimize any
environmental impacts or cynicisms and additionally this allows the application of mitigation
hierarchy.
Referral of proposal is the first major requirement that shall be fulfilled in order to proceed
with EPA assessment. As stated in clause 1.2 of EIA part iv division 1, EP act permits various
entities to refer certain types of proposals. EPA prior to assessment may require referral from
a decision-making authority or a proponent of a desired class or scheme. In addition, referral
from any of the different entities shall be in writing.
During the decision making undertaken by EPA to validate the referral, the will consider
proposal type, referrer’s understanding over the proposal and additionally it shall be noted that
proposal shall not be referred to the EPA more than once.

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 3.2 EPA decision whether to conduct assessment for the proposal

Assessment of proposal takes place when, any underlying threat to environment are present
or highlighted and strategic proposal to counter the issues are submitted to the EPA. Every
major construction that takes place in Western Australia, shall submit a proposal to EPA for
assessment of environmental protection and stating significant environmental issues caused
and prevention techniques. As the EPA’s showcased in case study depict, both projects had to
undergo vigorous assessment by the Environmental Protection Authority.
In accordance with clause 2.1 of EIA part iv division 1, if EPA feels the provided information
for assessment of proposal is minimal or requires additional information, EPA has the
allowance to request any entity such as any government agencies, proponent or any decision-
making authorities deemed acceptable. A formally written request will be issued to the
nominated party.
EPA assesses a referred approval based on information submitted with the referral, information
accessed through the requested entity and or any information generated from the EPA’s own
investigation committee. A decision shall be delivered by EPA within 28 days of a referred
application. EPA concludes a proposal to be derived when the proposal submitted can be
implemented or can be implemented with pertinent to conditions. EPA has the authority to
reject a proposal when, environmental issues raised in the proposal are not appropriately or
sufficiently assessed during strategic proposal assessment, or in cases when there has been a
notable change in environmental factors on site post the strategic proposal was evaluated.

3.3 Assessment of Proposal

Many factors are considered as EPA assesses a proposal, factors considered for the road
bridge across swan river, factors that shall also include, maintenance of hydrological regimes
of surface and ground water, conservation of quality of water, protection against air quality
during construction of the bridge and etcetera. During assessment for the bridge project across
swan river, EPA requires a scoping document generated by the proponent that shall include the
proposal, environmental effects and factors, management plan and etcetera. The proponent is
advised to follow the EIA procedures manual as it dictates all necessary steps that should be
taken during assessment. For any significant problems raised by EPA, management will
propose a counter technique to deal with the environmental issue. For example, for the new
Perth stadium project in Perth, unstable landfill was noticed, for which the EPA during
assessment proposed a technique to deal with the unstable ground condition (Authority,2012)

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 3.4 Disapproval of Proposal

In cases where, proposal does not meet the demands set by EPA’s environmental guidelines
due to any difficulties or impracticality of making changes or modifications to meet the
guidelines set. In cases such as these, chairman of EPA may request proponent to reconsider
the project, proposal, location or any such factors that are negatively affecting EPA’s rejection.
With many bridges built across the swan river over the years, major issues shouldn’t be faced
in this project. As existing projects have received acceptance from EPA, so must new traffic
bridge project across swan river shall receive a go ahead. Exiting projects and their
implementation techniques allows proponent to present environmental factors in play and
methods to tackle them.

3.5 Additional assessment information

As assessment moves forward, proponent is directed to submit environmental review

document, that mainly includes, potential impacts and assessment, predicted outcome,
stakeholder’s engagement and etcetera. Definite content for the ERD can be obtained in the
EIA part 4 division 1 report. Prior to the submission of document, proponent is instructed to
conduct an environmental review in agreement with the “environmental scoping document”.
As new traffic bridge across swan river is a state-owned project undertaken by road authority
acting as the principal, additional information shall not be required especially by means of
public review. This proposal has already undergone approval and acceptance from various
stakeholders and hence, public review may not be conducted for this project to create an
environmental review document. Although, EPA may require further information through
different means and in cases such that EPA will instruct to the person or authority who will
prepare the information as stated in EIA part 4 division 1.

3.6 Environmental Review and Management Plan

During the course of assessment, as soon as EPA approves and publishes the environmental
scoping document, EPA may require proponent to submit an environmental review mentioning
the required additional information for assessment. Additionally, environmental management
plan shall be created by the proponent as a part of the management undertaking for the
important significant environmental factors that possess any threat or impact to the
environment. This plan must be as a part of the environmental review.
In conclusion, the most important steps include, pre-assessment prior to any referral to the
EPA, as it allows understanding any potential impacts that underlie and hence, consultation
with various stakeholders to introduce effective measures to tackle and overcome
environmental issues that may take place during or after the construction of traffic bridge across
swan river. Lastly, assessment of referral information shall take place where, EPA will adopt
ARI method to evaluate potential impacts and the strategic proposal submitted by proponent
or referee.

10
 4. Relevant Quality Systems

To ensure the bridge project in part A produces high quality products, some reflections are
made upon the relevant quality systems to assist the project’s environmental, occupational
health and safety and specification compliance.

4.1 Quality System

Quality system also referred to quality management system (QMS) is the management and
continuous improvement for the core processes to achieve the maximum satisfaction of
customers while the overall cost of the organization is the lowest. This system combines and
applies many philosophies, standards, tools and methodologies to achieve the goals related to
quality. (Nicole Radziwill 2008, para 1)
The documents which is used to provide minimum requirements for quality system is The
International Organization for Standardization (ISO). In an ISO-compliant quality management
system, the major components that are used as guidelines in the QMS from ISO 9001:2000
includes: (Nicole Radziwill 2008, para 2)

1. Identification and mapping of processes

2. Descriptions and determinations on the interrelatedness of processes
3. Planning for operations and control
4. Planning for dynamically allocating resources
5. Identifications on the system of systems
6. Mechanism to identify, manage, analyse and improve the processes continuously
7. Action plans
8. Records

These guidelines should also be used for quality management system of the bridge project
in part A as well. Every processes and construction steps should be clearly identified to find
out all the risks that might happen and the risks and quality control plans should be provided.
During construction, any risks and quality defects should be recorded along with their causes
for future references.

11
 4.2 Environmental Management System

An environmental management system which is also one of the QMS is required for the
bridge design-and-construct project. An environmental management system, EMS can be
developed based on ISO 14001 standard. EMS is part of the strategy for a company or an
organization to execute the environmental policy and to achieve governmental regulations.
According to “Environmental Management: Quick and Easy” written by Joe Kausek, these
policy and regulations involve the reduction of negative impacts caused by its products,
activities and services to the environment. Joe Kausek also mentioned that increasing the
positive effects to the environment is suggested to be included in the environmental
management system. (“What are EMS?”, n.d.)

In this bridge project, the EMS is required to ensure the whole project brings least impacts
to the environmental in term of the final product which is the bridge, the construction methods,
maintenance and some possible environmental protection activities such as turfing, silt trap,
replant the trees and so on.
In general, environmental management system, there are 3 primary processes that can be
listed out which are core processes, key supporting processes and the processes to support
management system. These 3 processes are very useful for the bridge project in part A as well.
Firstly, core processes indicate the outputs and the important environmental aspects and issues
that have been identified. Key supporting processes are to maintain awareness of law
requirements, competency among employees, provide proper infrastructures and facilities,
monitor and evaluate environmental performance. Control of document, record and internal
auditing are the processes to support the management system. These are very important as they
can be used as an evidence to proof or a reference for future bridge or some related projects.
For organizations that apply EMS, it can earn a lot of benefits. In term of economic,
organizations which apply EMS will earn reputation and create good images to the society
which bring more customers and new projects. Applying EMS can also reduce the
environmental related cost and direct savings due to environmental source reduction. Besides
that, the company can improve their management systems and reduce the pollutant emissions
through EMS.

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 4.3 Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OHSMS)

Occupational health and safety management system, OHSMS, is an approach to manage

health and safety risks. The organization can continually improve their safety performance and
achieve the legislation and standards about health and safety using OHSMS. The management
system is used to reduce or eliminate health and safety issues in the working environment.
(“What is an OHSMS?” n.d.)

In OHSMS, the commitment of top management in managing OHS risk is very important.
The top management of the organization must demonstrate OHS leadership and promote it
within the firm. The structures and processes of this management system must be relevant to
the business activities and visible to their employees. Inside OHSMS should also include the
organization’s corporate commitment and sufficient resources. OHSMS needs to be regularly
updated because OHS risks can vary in different situation and it needs to be adjusted to fit
different circumstances. (“Features of an effective OHSMS.” n.d.)
By using OHSMS, in our project, as mentioned above, the working environment will
become safer. This will gradually reduce the injuries and any indirect extra costs. These costs
include medical expenses, salary of injured worker, insurance claims, replacement labor cost
and compensation insurance premium for the injured employee. Besides that, the business
opportunities are improved as the bridge constructed compliance with OHSMS provide better
quality which can convince other companies to accept our next tender. Occupational health and
safety management system can also provide a proper system to identify the performance of
OHS in our project. This will ease the construction to reach the legal requirements of the clients
and government. Lastly, is the reputation of our organization will be enhanced by applying
OHSMS in our bridge project. (“Benefits of an OHSMS.” n.d.)
In conclusion, the management systems are required for each project and these systems
must be compliance to International Organization of Standardization (ISO) so that the systems
are standardized. All these management systems are focused on producing the best value to the
customer while maintaining the cost as low as possible. The organization which applies all
these management systems earn many benefits and the quality of their products is ensured.

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 5. Individual Contribution

Assignment 2 was divided amongst group members equally with everyone’s consent. With 4
questions present in Part A, it was distributed equally, with each student attempting one
complete question. On the other hand, Part B was discussed once Part A was completed and
submitted to a selected group member for compilation and review. Formal critique was
divided into 4 distinct sections namely, Overview, EPA case studies, EIA process
requirements, and Quality systems encompassing environmental/OHS specification and
distributed accordingly as shown below.

Student group member Tasks Allocated

Mohammed Asimuddin Part A: Question 1
Part B EIA process requirements
Mikael Christophe Evenor Part A: Question 3
Part B: EPA Case study
Chai Shi Wen Part A: Question 4
Part B: Project Overview with key
environmental and quality requirements
Justin Tang Chok Hong Part A: Question 2
Part B: Relevant quality systems for
Environmental and OHS

For Assignment 2 Part A Question 4, Perth student ID’s were combined to deduce the last
digit for task allocation.
18432484
18594805
18298440
18469110
Summation of last digit = 9

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 6. References

Environmental Protection Authority. 1994. “Report and Recommmendations of the

Enviornmental Protection Authority: Southern River Bridge Link between Spencer Road
and Corfield Street.” Gosnells.
———. 2001. “Consultancy Report: Re-Use and Recycling of Clean Fill and Building and
Demolition Waste.”
———. 2016. “Report and Recommendations of the Environmental Protection Authority:
Perth-Darwin National Highway (Swan Valley Section).” Perth.
Scientific Services Branch. 2008. “Investigation of the Dust Impacts from the Port Adelaide
Waterfront Redevelopment Project on the Le Fevre Peninsula Primary School.”
Adelaide.
“Benefits of an OHSMS.” n.d. Work Safe Victoria.
https://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/pages/safety-and-prevention/health-and-safety-t
opics/ohs-management-systems/what-is-an-ohsms/benefits-of-an-ohsms

“Features of an effective OHSMS.” n.d. Work Safe Victoria.

https://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/pages/safety-and-prevention/health-and-safety-t
opics/ohs-management-systems/what-is-an-ohsms/features-of-an-effective-ohsms

Nicole Radziwill. 2008. “What is a Quality System.” Performance Excellence and Data Science
For Digital Transformantion in Industry 4.0
https://qualityandinnovation.com/2008/10/18/what-is-a-quality-system/

“What are environmental management system (EMS)? From compliance to policy.” n.d.
asq.org.
http://asq.org/learn-about-quality/environmental-management-system/

“What is an OHSMS?.” n.d. Work Safe Victoria.

https://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/pages/safety-and-prevention/health-and-safety-t
opics/ohs-management-systems/what-is-an-ohsms
Environmental Protection Authority. 2012. New Perth Stadium. Accessed 5th May 2016.

http://edit.epa.wa.gov.au/News/Publicadvice/Documents/New%20Perth%20Stadium.
pdf

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Bing, FU. 2017. "Quality Control Measures in Highway Bridge Construction."
2009. Chapter 17 - Environmental Requirements for Construction Projects . December.
n.d. "Federal Environmental Requirements for Construction." 8.
2016. "Overview of the EPA Quality System." United States Environmental Protection
Agency. August. Accessed May 8th, 2018.
https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-
09/documents/overview_of_the_epa_quality_system.pdf.
2018. Policies and Procedures about Quality Assurance for EPA Organizations. January.
Accessed May 8th, 2018. https://www.epa.gov/quality/policies-and-procedures-about-
quality-assurance-epa-organizations.
2016. "Statement of Environmental Principles, Factors and Objectives." Environmental
Protection Authority. December. Accessed May 8th, 2018.
http://www.epa.wa.gov.au/sites/default/files/Policies_and_Guidance/Statement%20of
%20Environmental%20Principles%2C%20factors%20and%20objectives_Dec16_1.p
df.
2008. "Swan River Trust." March. Accessed May 2018.
https://web.archive.org/web/20110221155435/http://www.swanrivertrust.wa.gov.au/s
cience/catchment/Documents/Report%20for%20environmental%20flows%20and%20
objectives%20Swan%20and%20Canning%20rivers.pdf.

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