What discipline and cohort (i.e. 2018 or 2019) are you in?

Civil site engineering – Infrastructure, 2018

Provide an overview of all your rotations to date:

Jan–Dec 2018: M4 East Westconnex Homebush Bay Drive Surface Works
Dec 2018 – Present: Batemans Bay Bridge Project

What does your typical workday look like?

• Attend prestart at 6.45 am at the site compound
• Ensure all subcontractors and John Holland employees understand their tasks for the day and ensure they are all following the relevant processes (e.g. sign onto the Task Risk Assessments (TRA’s), checking their Start cards, ensuring the right permits are in place and not outdated, etc.)
• Sitting down with supervisors and leading hands to review and write out onsite TRAs for different works happening. Ensuring that all hazards and controls have been captured in the TRA’s to minimize all the risks associated with the works.
• Go out on site and ensure that the workers have adequate documentation, equipment, supplies, and approvals to continue works.
• Daily inspections as per John Holland HSE inspection matrix in nominated work areas such as TRA Audits, Inspection checklists, GMR inspections, Hazard Observations, etc.
• Heading back in the office, there are many tasks that need to be done and it varies depending on which day of the month it is.

What has been the most interesting thing about your job?

The most interesting thing about my job at the moment is definitely the different personalities you meet in the construction industry.

What are the limitations of your role?

As a graduate engineer, there are still many things in which I do not know in terms of the construction industry. It can be quite hard during subcontractor meetings or even out on site to try to express what is required for a certain scope of work when they may have years of experience and would believe that their way is correct.

What is something you wish you knew before you started?

Wish I knew more about the construction process within the infrastructure industry. A lot of subjects in university concentrated very heavily on the theory and design aspects of engineering; however, they put very little emphasis on the practical side of construction.

How did you prepare for starting the Graduate Program?

Preparing for the Graduate program for me started during my university time. I made sure that I had previous work experience in the engineering/construction industry while studying. Being a junior designer at a subcontractor company part-time and then being an undergraduate for a main Contractor full-time, definitely helps to have a bit more knowledge and is a great starting point.