Effective site visits, meetings, & inspections:...

As construction activity intensifies in New Zealand there is an increased demand for engineers and project managers to manage and monitor construction sites on behalf of their clients.

Traditional training for emerging professionals usually concentrates on the technical and contractual aspects of working on a site with relatively little time is given over to the personal skills required for successful outcomes. 

This course is designed to bridge this gap and provide a firm foundation in identifying the potential pitfalls and problems that may face a consultant working on site. It will also equip them with the tools needed to successfully deal with challenging situations.

Whether you are a client, designer or project manager, the construction phase for a project is usually the highest time of risk for an organisation. It is therefore imperative that staff attending on site are sufficiently aware of these risks as well as the skills and behaviours that are required to minimise them.

Note that this course is a refreshed and expanded version of the course Siteworks: Problems and Pitfalls, previously offered through Engineering New Zealand.

Learning Outcomes

by the end of this course, learners will:

• Understand how an organisation’s expectations and risks can be influenced and managed by the way their professionals behave and interact on site.
• Understand the different roles, responsibilities and risks of Engineers and Project Managers engaged on site work.
• Have a greater understanding of MSQA, Site Observation, Supervision and Engineering Inspections.
• Achieve better outcomes on site through combining the knowledge and techniques gained during this workshop with the participant’s existing technical skills.
• Develop a personal toolbox for dealing confidently with difficult situations and problems on site.

Target Audience

This course is mainly targeted at client and consulting engineers and project managers with up to 5 years of experience who wish to build upon their existing technical skills to become more effective and confident in dealing with challenging situations and encounters on site.

Course Format

This course will be in the format of an interactive workshop and will include presentation, case studies and group exercises.

In addition to the presentation material, attendees will be provided with a workbook for post-course quick reference.

Presenter Information 

Stuart Meakins

Stuart Meakins has over 25 years’ experience of working in the construction industry in both the UK and NZ and has a master’s degree from the Auckland University Law School. Earlier roles in the UK included asset advisor to the Crown Estate and research manager for the Construction Industry Research and Information Association (CIRIA) before moving into construction contract management. Stuart has been a client-side project and contracts manager for the past 15 years in both the UK and NZ and has managed a wide range of NEC, ICE and NZS 3910 contracts and has “real life” experience of the challenges of working in this environment.