The top three risks to quality in projects where geotechnical and structural instrumentation is of high importance are:

1. Using the wrong instrument in the wrong place,

2. Installing and/or reading the instrument badly regardless of whether it is the right instrument and in the right place, and

3. Not being able to understand if the monitoring data makes sense in the context of the problem being investigated.

Geotechnical Observations mitigates all of these risks by firstly employing geotechnical engineers with knowledge of instrumentation, so we are able to advise our clients on what instruments will work well in the context of the engineering problem being investigated , thereby ensuring that the instrumentation is designed properly. We are also able to advise our clients about the results that are obtained from the instrumentation and interpret them in the context of the engineering problem. Probably the biggest risk though is not installing the instrument properly and we mitigate this by making sure all of our field technicians are given time to prepare properly for a project and all installations are supported by an appropriate inspection and test plan with clearly identified check points. Checks include those on an instrument before it leaves our facility, where we have UKAS accredited calibration equipment and technicians that are trained to operate it, those on an instrument when it arrives at the site, before it is installed, these are collectively known as pre-installation checks, and checks on an instrument during and immediately after installation, and throughout the lifetime of the monitoring project.

Our Measurements Inform Your Decisions