Speaker Biography:

Felicia Kegel Bechtel is the Senior Geophysical Advisor and Special Projects Lead for the Environmental and Geotechnology Practice at RETTEW Field Services, Inc. Felicia’s primary focus is currently on business development and client connection for Geophysics and all of RETTEW. She also provides support, mentorship, and technical proposal preparation and project review for RETTEW’s Geophysics Team. In addition, she is the co-chair of RETTEW’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Team.

Topic Description:

This presentation, “Geophysics and Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE) – How to Find, Map, and Manage What You Want to Hit or Miss Before Digging, Drilling, Or Building” will introduce the applied science of geophysics as it relates to the engineering, environmental, and energy markets. By participating, you will gain a better understanding of geophysical techniques and applications through seeing real-life project examples. In addition, you will learn the benefits of using geophysics for project design, development, construction, excavation, or remediation.

Speaker Biography:

Scott A. Jacobs is a senior engineer for Keller supporting the Northeast region and assisting on projects nationwide. A registered professional engineer in seven East Coast states spanning from Florida to New York, Jacobs has 20 years of experience in geotechnical engineering and contracting. He holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and a master’s in geotechnical engineering from the University of Florida. He is a member of the DFI Drilled Shaft Committee and a voting member of the ACI 336 Drilled Shaft committee. 

Topic Description:

The presentation first illustrates the need and importance of working platform safety and awareness.  Major highlights of the industry wide (ADSC, DFI, and PDCA ) Recommended Industry Practices for Safe Working Platforms for Construction Equipment guidance document will then be covered.  Working platform design will then be reviewed starting first with track pressure calculation followed by the design of the working platform itself using a method by the Building Research Establishment (BRE 470 from the United Kingdom).  Lastly, basic working platform evaluation will be discussed including current research efforts being performed by DFI and the European Federation of Foundation Contractors (EFFC) to improve working platform evaluation.