#6 - Audio Education - Briefing and Being Briefed

July 7th, 2023  |  31 mins 15 secs

case histories, civil engineering, comet, environmental, gba, gba podcast, geoprofessional, geotechnical, geotechnical engineer

In this episode, hosts Tiffany Vorhies and Ryan White examine the importance behind daily field reports and regular briefings. It begins with a dramatization between field techs Tyler and Charlie. Upon returning to work, Tyler catches up with Charlie who reveals that covering his sites in the interim was challenging. We discover that Tyler failed to provide Charlie with adequate field notes or a proper briefing, hampering Charlie’s ability to carry out his tasks. But daily field reports offer geotechnical teams with other valuable benefits, which Tiffany and Ryan say help safeguard against unforeseen events and keep clients satisfied.

#5 - Audio Education - Safety

May 30th, 2023  |  34 mins 1 sec

case histories, civil engineering, comet, environmental, gba, gba podcast, geoprofessional, geotechnical, geotechnical engineer

This episode discusses the big picture challenges of handling safety concerns on a job site, and how the field engineer’s response is not “one size fits all” for all potential safety concerns. For example, the way a field engineer should handle a life threatening situation may be different than how they handle less severe safety concerns during contractor activities. The episode gets into the importance of documentation when addressing safety concerns, and potential liability concerns that could arise from reacting in certain ways. Lastly, the episode highlights a specific action that should be taken in almost every case where a field engineer is facing a safety concern at a job site.

#93 - Case History - $150M Near Miss

March 28th, 2023  |  18 mins 2 secs

case histories, civil engineering, comet, environmental, gba, gba podcast, geoprofessional, geotechnical, geotechnical engineer

GBA has published over 100 case histories based on real-life events that have happened to geoprofessional firms. GBA Case Histories are unique because our members share real-life stories of problems that impacted their businesses. They also include the outcomes of corrective action, and lessons learned.

#4 - GBA Audio Education - Personal Diplomacy

January 24th, 2023  |  42 mins 22 secs

case histories, civil engineering, comet, environmental, gba, gba podcast, geoprofessional, geotechnical, geotechnical engineer

Tiffany Vorhies and Ryan White recently uncovered a treasure trove of valuable content, GBA's outstanding audio-education series. In order to make this more accessible, they turned these into a podcast series. This series was originally available as downloadable audio files, designed for one-on-one listening by field representatives, or as material to spur discussion during brownbag seminars or other informal training sessions. Like other GBA audio education programs, Fundamentals of Field Representation uses dramatization to make its points. The roles are played by professional actors, supplemented by sound effects. In each episode, Tiffany and Ryan play the original audio and follow up with a discussion, including their own personal lessons learned from many years of experience in the industry as both field reps and technical leaders.

#109 - Case History - We Were Hacked

January 10th, 2023  |  18 mins 35 secs

case histories, civil engineering, comet, environmental, gba, gba podcast, geoprofessional, geotechnical, geotechnical engineer

GBA has published over 100 case histories based on real-life events that have happened to geoprofessional firms. GBA Case Histories are unique because our members share real-life stories of problems that impacted their businesses. They also include the outcomes of corrective action, and lessons learned.

#3 - GBA Audio Education - Effective Reporting

December 27th, 2022  |  51 mins 19 secs

case histories, civil engineering, comet, environmental, gba, gba podcast, geoprofessional, geotechnical, geotechnical engineer

Tiffany Vorhies and Ryan White recently uncovered a treasure trove of valuable content, GBA's outstanding audio-education series. In order to make this more accessible, they turned these into a podcast series. This series was originally available as downloadable audio files, designed for one-on-one listening by field representatives, or as material to spur discussion during brownbag seminars or other informal training sessions. Like other GBA audio education programs, Fundamentals of Field Representation uses dramatization to make its points. The roles are played by professional actors, supplemented by sound effects. In each episode, Tiffany and Ryan play the original audio and follow up with a discussion, including their own personal lessons learned from many years of experience in the industry as both field reps and technical leaders.

#2 - GBA Audio Education - The Duty of Care

April 4th, 2022  |  35 mins 20 secs

case histories, civil engineering, comet, environmental, gba, gba podcast, geoprofessional, geotechnical, geotechnical engineer

Tiffany Vorhies and Ryan White recently uncovered a treasure trove of valuable content, GBA's outstanding audio-education series. In order to make this more accessible, they turned these into a podcast series. This series was originally available as downloadable audio files, designed for one-on-one listening by field representatives, or as material to spur discussion during brownbag seminars or other informal training sessions. Like other GBA audio education programs, Fundamentals of Field Representation uses dramatization to make its points. The roles are played by professional actors, supplemented by sound effects. In each episode, Tiffany and Ryan play the original audio and follow up with a discussion, including their own personal lessons learned from many years of experience in the industry as both field reps and technical leaders.

#1 - GBA Audio Education - Field Representatives and the Law

April 4th, 2022  |  33 mins 2 secs

case histories, civil engineering, comet, environmental, gba, gba podcast, geoprofessional, geotechnical, geotechnical engineer

Tiffany Vorhies and Ryan White recently uncovered a treasure trove of valuable content, GBA's outstanding audio-education series. In order to make this more accessible, they turned these into a podcast series. This series was originally available as downloadable audio files, designed for one-on-one listening by field representatives, or as material to spur discussion during brownbag seminars or other informal training sessions. Like other GBA audio education programs, Fundamentals of Field Representation uses dramatization to make its points. The roles are played by professional actors, supplemented by sound effects. In each episode, Tiffany and Ryan play the original audio and follow up with a discussion, including their own personal lessons learned from many years of experience in the industry as both field reps and technical leaders.

#3 - Diversity Equity Inclusion - Allies in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

October 19th, 2021  |  56 mins 15 secs

case histories, civil engineering, comet, environmental, gba, gba podcast, geoprofessional, geotechnical, geotechnical engineer

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is a term often used in the workplace, but its meaning is often not well understood. People often mistakenly think that, with the creation of a diverse workplace, inclusion will automatically follow. Yet, inclusion should exist in tandem; it’s the climate where diversity thrives.

In this episode of the DEI series, we will be discussing allies in diversity, equity, and inclusions. Allies can be essential to drive systemic improvements to workplace policies, practices, and culture. But what does it mean to be an ally? How can allies impact the recruitment process? What effect does allyship have on the retention of employees? And what can we do to create more allies?

#2 - Diversity Equity Inclusion - Understanding Your Workforce

October 4th, 2021  |  52 mins 9 secs

case histories, civil engineering, comet, environmental, gba, gba podcast, geoprofessional, geotechnical, geotechnical engineer

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is a term often used in the workplace, but its meaning is often not well understood. People often mistakenly think that, with the creation of a diverse workplace, inclusion will automatically follow. Yet, inclusion should exist in tandem; it’s the climate where diversity thrives.

In this episode, we will be discussing the how other professions tackle diversity, equity, and inclusions within their organizations and the importance of understanding the needs of your workforce in relation to diversity and inclusion.

#105 - Case History - Friends Don't Sue Friends….Most of the Time

September 21st, 2021  |  32 mins 44 secs

case histories, civil engineering, comet, environmental, gba, gba podcast, geoprofessional, geotechnical, geotechnical engineer

GBA has published over 100 case histories based on real-life events that have happened to geoprofessional firms. GBA Case Histories are unique because our members share real-life stories of problems that impacted their businesses. They also include the outcomes of corrective action, and lessons learned.

#86 - Case History - Dream Home or Nightmare instead?

September 7th, 2021  |  28 mins 42 secs

case histories, civil engineering, comet, environmental, gba, gba podcast, geoprofessional, geotechnical, geotechnical engineer

GBA has published over 100 case histories based on real-life events that have happened to geoprofessional firms. This episode in the series explores Case History #64 where the GBA Member Firm's civil engineer client erred when transferring information from the member's report to a set of plans. Serious problems resulted.