Liam Walsh

5.30 AM

Wake up: I have already ensured my bag is prepped with all the equipment I will need for the day’s work and laid out my required safety clothing. So, all I must do is get dressed, grab some snacks and water for the day, do one last double check, and I’m ready to go.

6.00 AM

Picked up: My colleague for this work, who is from the  Civil Maintenance Team, collected me from my place bang on 6 am. After getting into the work vehicle and greeting him, we quickly go through our plan for the day that we devised the day before and check that we have the equipment on hand, to ensure we are ready to perform our task. Once we are confident that we are prepared, we make our way to our worksite at Ebbw Vale in Ipswich.

7.00 AM

Arrive at the worksite: We arrived at Ebbw Vale and pull into the closed lane on Brisbane Road on the side of the railway. The road had partially collapsed due to the compromised integrity of the soil embankment it is adjacent to, hence the lane closure. We speak to the Traffic Manager who is responsible for safely managing the traffic on the partially closed road. We inform them of the work we are conducting within their blocked area and the other person who will be present.

My colleague and I begin to discuss our task ahead and begin to make plans based on the site conditions. Our task for today is to install a system on the partially collapsed embankment that can detect soil movement automatically and inform the required users of the movement. The embankment has partially collapsed due to the flooding event that occurred the week prior.

We must plan how we will affix the equipment, where it will be placed for maximum efficacy, and how we will access the worksite, the slope is steep and partially collapsed, and we are entering the rail corridor, so we must follow the safety rules.

My role for the day is to provide expertise on the equipment which is to be used for monitoring the embankment. I prepared the monitoring equipment the day prior and I am very knowledgeable about how the components should be positioned to maximise their efficacy. I will work with my colleagues to deliver the system in the best way, given the demand for the system to be delivered in a short time.

7.30 AM

Civil Engineer arrives: A QR Civil Engineer, who has already created a design drawing for rectification of the collapsed slope, arrives on site to provide his expertise on the installation. He explains to me the nature of the slope collapse, and I explain the operation and installation of the equipment. Together we find a middle ground for positioning the equipment that will be feasible and still effective.

8.00 AM

Protection Officer arrives: A Protection Officer (PO) is a mandatory requirement for anyone accessing the rail corridor (the fenced-off area in which the train lines are found) and ensuring everyone’s safety regarding train movements. We begin discussing our plan with the PO and start to plan our activities in further detail based on safety requirements and the PO’s advice. Safety is paramount at QR.

8.45 AM

Travel to the opposite side of the railway: We are waiting for some additional support from QR civil construction tradesmen who can assist with the labour required for the installation of the systems. While waiting for them, we head to the opposite side of the railway to scope out the slope from the opposite side. We are planning on installing a camera that can give a wide view of the embankment and can be used to verify a collapse occurring.

9.30 AM

Civil construction tradesmen arrive: Now that everyone is present, we perform a Pre-Start briefing, which is an essential part of safety when performing work at QR. We discuss all the potential hazards of our work, how we will reduce the risk, important contacts, and meeting points. We also go through our plan with everyone and do a final check of our equipment.

The tradesmen were requested the day prior by my colleague, once I had explained what would be required for the mounting of the equipment. My colleague also requested they bring the equipment we required if it was in their inventory. It was very clear that the communication had broken down as no inventory was brought to the site, which was a learning moment for me in the organisation.

10.00 AM

Installation of the camera: Under the approval of the PO, we go back to the opposite side and install the camera inside the rail corridor. A large pole is driven into the ground to which the camera and a solar panel are affixed. The solar panel will keep the camera battery charged. Finally, we ensure the camera image is being transmitted to where it needs to go, and that the picture is satisfactory.

10.45 AM

Purchasing of additional equipment from Bunnings: My colleague and I head to Bunnings to purchase the equipment that the tradesmen did not have in inventory. My colleague has a work-approved Bunnings Purchasing card that he can use to purchase equipment required for his role which is ideal for our work and timeframe.

11.15 AM

Installation of Monitoring Equipment: With all the items we required all prepared, and all required personnel present, we entered the rail corridor on the rail side of the fence and began installing the monitoring equipment. We had to work at the top and bottom of the embankment

Due to the timing of doing our work safely around the train movements, we get stuck in a position where we cannot get shelter, and we are waiting for a final window to finish our work. While waiting, the train goes from very mild, to a complete downpour, and we all get completely drenched. Thankfully, it’s not too cold, and after waiting briefly, we can swiftly complete the installation, and then test all components are working and communicating correctly.

12.45 PM

Job complete: We safely exit the rail corridor and complete a brief debrief of the work we have done. After drying off a bit, we head back to Brisbane.

1.30 PM

Lunch: My colleague and I stop at GYG for lunch. I get a quesadilla, it’s pretty good and a large meal that satisfies my big hunger after a busy morning of work.

2.15 PM

Return home: I am dropped home by my colleague, and I immediately hit the shower and refresh. I then hop on my PC to complete the remainder of my day working from home, which has been the norm since Covid-19 arrived in 2020! Once I’m back on my PC, I check my emails and Microsoft teams, to see if there’s anything important I need to immediately respond to.

I neglected to mention this earlier, but as part of my graduate program, I am currently spending three months in the Major Works Delivery (MWD) team which began in January. In the graduate program, I have had the opportunity to see many areas of engineering in QR. As part of the MWD team, I have been assisting the Project Engineers with the organisation and planning that is required for the large works they supervise. The work I conducted over the past two days was important, and therefore, took precedence over my MWD work and my managers understood this. Being part of many teams has taught me to be flexible and adaptable to many environments.

I quickly complete my required MWD work. I now need to complete the off-site configuration required for the Embankment Monitoring equipment. This involves updating the software, which our in-field devices communicate, with the site-specific details. This includes updating the following:

• Users who shall receive alerts for this system when there is a major movement of the embankment
• Users who can view the site-specific interface we have created for viewing the live data feed
• Any outstanding formatting or configuration changes required

A colleague in the CMS team assists me to ensure everything is set up correctly. Once complete, an email is sent to the users to inform them the commissioning of the system is complete and give them the link to access the interface for their viewing.

6.00 PM

 Work complete: I am done working for the day and have informed the CMS team the work is done. We will now monitor the system for the next 24 hours to ensure it is running as expected. Today was an extra long day due to work requirements, but as my workplace allows for my flexible schedule, I bank my extra time worked towards time off when I need it.

I take a brief break to relax after work, usually checking my socials, getting a snack, and watching TV to unwind after a long and strenuous day.

6.30 PM

Soccer training: I travel to my football club and train for about 2 hours. I usually train twice a week with games on the weekend. I enjoy football and exercise is beneficial for my physical and mental health.

9.30 PM

Home from training: I get home from training and immediately refresh myself and then grab some dinner. If there are no leftovers, I will make something simple but tasty. Tonight, I made an omelette with bacon and lots of vegetables!

10.30 PM

In bed and trying to sleep to prepare for another big day tomorrow, but I may have gotten distracted by my phone and stayed up longer than I should have!

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