Due: 2 October 2024, 11:59 pm

1       Background

Completing risk assessments, practising sustainable engineering and identifying key stakeholders in your projects are tasks that you will perform regularly as engineers. This assessment includes three tasks designated to help you develop and practice these skills.

In the process of completing this assessment, you should draw upon the content covered in the unit about ethics, risk and safety (Week 6), sustainability (Week 7) and stakeholder engagement (Week 8), as well as all other relevant content covered in the unit leading up to the due date.

2       Part 1: Risk assessment

Hypothetical scenario: As part of your participation in the Engineers Without Borders (EWB) Challenge Design, you and two other fellow students from your class have been granted permission to visit Saibai Island located in the north west of the Torres Strait region [1]. The Torres Strait Island Regional Council (TSIRC) staff have organised guided site visits through driving and walking tours. It is important to note that this field trip experience is independent of your chosen EWB Challenge Design project. Instead, it will serve as a unique opportunity for you to gain insights into the unique environment and culture of the island.

The field trip itinerary and activities are outlined in Table 1. All flights, airport transfers (to and from accommodations), and accommodations have been arranged for you.

Table 1. Field trip itinerary and activities.

2.1     Task 1

Complete a risk assessment for carrying out the field trip (Table 1). Identify and assess all potential hazards associated with each scheduled activity (i.e., from leaving your residence to returning), assign risk ratings, and determine  the  most  appropriate controls. Assess the residual risk after the implementation of controls. Additionally, consider and plan for unforeseen circumstances (i.e., natural and man-made) that may arise during the activities. As a guide, it is expected that at least two (2) hazards should relate to accommodation and meals, two (2) to self-arranged transportation, four (4) to flights and ground transportation arranged by others, and ten (10) to guided site visit activities (see below for further details).

You must use the template provided, and you may add more lines to the table for the risk assessment if needed.

The guided site visits will  include  both  driving  and walking tours to the following locations:  central  lined  lagoon,  community  garden,  aerodrome, power station, secondary lagoons, school, drainage systems, culvert, wetlands, jetty and boat ramp, wastewater treatment plant, fuel station, and waste areas. Please note that full access to some of these sites may be restricted (i.e., fenced off).

You must use the  “Interactives: 360o  Site  Walkthroughs” resource   website (https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/cdn.learningx.com.au/ewb/TORRES-

STRAIT-2024-Saibai-Island/story.html) (Figure 1) to gather detailed information about the different site locations needed to complete the field trip risk assessment.

Figure 1. Map showing the location of some site visits of interest. [2]

Note that you must be registered on the EWB Challenge website to access these interactive resources.

3 Part 2: Sustainability

Consider the following scenario: Ali and Jan, both civil engineers, have been tasked with designing and locating a new  sustainable wastewater treatment plant. Ali interprets “sustainable” as reducing the use of non-renewable resources, avoiding harm to the community and ensuring the plant can operate within the council’s budget. Jan interprets “sustainable” as maintaining biodiversity, enhancing cultural and equity outcomes for the community and maximizing opportunities to return goods and services to the local community.

3.1     Task 2

a.  What environmental, social and economic indicators might Ali and Jan propose, considering their very different interpretations of “sustainable” . Present this in a table where the left-hand column lists the triple  bottom  line  (environment, society, economy), the middle column list Ali’s selected indicators, and the right- hand column list Jan’s selected indicators.

b.  Which engineer will have the most useful  set of indicators for judging  the sustainability of the engineering outcome? Why? (Word limit: 200 words)

c.  Which engineer faces a more challenging design task to fulfil and evaluate? Why? (Word limit: 200 words)

d.  Which Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) would the proposed wastewater treatment plant contribute to if constructed and operated as intended? (Identify and explain at least four SDGs). (Word limit: 200 words)

4 Part 3: Stakeholder analysis

In relation to the previous scenario:

4.1   Task 3

a.  Identify the key stakeholders in the design and location of a new sustainable wastewater treatment plant on a classic stakeholder map (sometimes known as a  power-interest  grid). Stakeholder analysis  will be covered  in Week 8 Workshop, but you can also use this online resource to help you get started. You must include the stakeholder map in your report.

b.  Analyse the results of your stakeholder mapping, including a description of who the  most  important  stakeholders  you  have  identified  are. Comment on the shortcomings of the mapping you have completed. (Word limit: 400 words)

5       Unit Learning Outcomes

Through this  assignment you will  be  working towards the following  unit  Learning Outcomes (LOs):

•    LO3: assess the sustainability of engineering projects throughout the project life cycle, including consideration of uncertainty, safety and risk.

•    LO4: explain engineering problems and designs using oral, written and visual forms of professional communication.

•    LO6: develop skills to retrieve and properly reference reliable information from a variety of sources.

6 Required outputs

The deliverable for this assignment is an individual report and will contribute  15% towards your final grade.

The assessment is due on 2 October 2024, 11:59 pm (Week 10). All submissions will be via LMS, and the assessment rubric is included in Table 2.

6.1     Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools

In your practical classes you should have discussed the use of generative AI tools. In

line with the University’s policy, the use of generative AI tools is only permitted as an education/study  tool. You   cannot   use generative  AI  tools to   complete any assessment within this unit.

6.2     Report format

You will need to submit one document for this assignment using the template provided. Please ensure to complete your assignment using this template.

Your written report should be of a professional standard, with appropriate citation and referencing of the sources of information.  Ensure  clear  and  consistent formatting throughout your document.

Word limits have been specified for tasks in Parts 2 and 3 of this assignment.