Author: Mark Cassidy, technical manager and director, Advanced NDT Solutions Industrial radiography is a widely used inspection method for testing the integrity of welds. Advanced NDT Solutions (ANS) was recently approached and asked to look at the feasibility of replacing radiography with ultrasonics for thin-wall austenitic materials. The project was an upgrade to existing pipe work on an offshore Installation in the North Sea (Norwegian sector). All welding was performed ...

  Authors: Sarah Conroy, partner, and Fiona Mackey, solicitor, Beale and Company In our increasingly litigious society even the most experienced and conscientious engineer can be vulnerable to claims by his/her employer or a third party. It is important that your firm is proactive (rather than reactive) in planning and agreeing the protocol to be adopted in the event that a claim is pursued against it. This will greatly assist you in defending the claim efficiently with the least ...

More than three years after the initial draft of the Construction Contracts Bill 2010 was first introduced as a Private Members Bill by Senator Feargal Quinn on 12 May 2010, the Construction Contracts Act 2013 has now been enacted. A commencement date is yet to be fixed. This introduces statutory adjudication and will hopefully improve cash flow in the construction sector. The aim of the legislation is to increase clarity and certainty as to payment on construction projects and to ...

  Author: Matt Moran, director, PharmaChemical Ireland  The recent announcements by MSD Swords and Pfizer Newbridge to lay off close to 800 workers have prompted much comment. Some commentators have suggested that this prefaces a wave of job lay offs followed by a major contraction of the sector in Ireland – a sector that is crucial to the Irish economy accounting for over 50 per cent of all goods exported from this island. This equates to some €55 billion in 2012. The industry also ...

  Author: Simon Fraser, BA, BAI, MSc, MBa, MIEI, Fraser Solicitors With over 75% of construction costs being spent in the field, imagine the cost benefits that could be realised if a detailed, three-dimensional model of a building could be used, before construction, to accurately detect and redesign all clashes and interference between different design elements. What if dozens of site scenarios could be run on screen showing the development of the site over time in order to ...

  Author: Mark O’Sullivan, BEng Tech Mech Eng, BEng Man Eng, MSc Medical Physics, MIEI, senior R&D tax consultant, BDO Ireland  The work of engineers can be seen everywhere we look and the value of their qualifications and expertise are extremely well regarded. However, the potential applicability of engineering qualifications and skills to other industries may not be fully realised by all. Having received degree qualifications in both manufacturing and mechanical engineering ...