You’ve seen it many times…for instance, the outcome of a game potentially impacted by a referee having a knee jerk reaction to someone flopping.
The referees did not see the whole picture and make a hasty decision based on that portion of the picture they did see. Similarly, knee jerk reactions happen quite frequently on construction projects and they can lead to game-changing results. Decisions on the playing field need to be made quickly to keep the game running as smoothly and efficiently as possible.
Perhaps everyone is guilty of knee-jerk reactions from time to time. I have been guilty of them, as well as having witnessed them in site owners, certifying engineers, construction foreman, regulatory personnel, and everyone in between. However, unlike the referee in a sports contest, in most instances we have a bit more time to react, fully evaluate, and discuss the global picture before taking action.
I could list countless examples of knee-jerk reactions that happen in the field, but I will contain myself to just a few examples to make my point. For my first example, let’s assume that a technician in the field is having problems with a nuclear densitometer obtaining passing results on compacted clay liner (CCL) when visual indicators suggest the material should be passing. The contractor might react by telling the owner that the technician has no idea what they are doing, or that the gauge is faulty. The certifying engineer may react by telling the technician to grab another sample of the material for laboratory testing, or perhaps send another nuclear gauge to the site for a side-by-side comparison. Depending on the actual circumstances, any of these actions could be correct, or any could be totally wrong.
The problem could be that the material composition changed and is influencing the gauges, or even that the gauges were improperly calibrated. Sending a sand cone or drive cylinder may be a quicker and cheaper assessment than sending soils to the laboratory and waiting on results. Likewise, an inexperienced technician may not realize the test location is not suitable for performing the test—such as when a flat testing area is cut by a compactor or dozer but lies above the actual top of lift surface leaving huge voids below the gauge. In a side-by-side comparison, both gauges may read the same thing and further complicate the evaluation process.
One of the most common knee-jerk reactions I have seen and heard about in the field is during geosynthetics installation. Because a tensiometer is usually on-site for trial seam testing, it suddenly becomes the key evaluation tool for determining whether something is good or bad—even though these field tests are not following standard testing protocols and procedures. For example, a visible blemish in the geomembrane sheet may be cut out and tested for strength and elongation in comparison to the material project specifications; however, the proper shape of the coupon used under laboratory testing (such as a dogbone shape) is not replicated.
Simply put, no matter your position in relation to the project, it is always a good idea to take time to evaluate the circumstances and move forward with a well thought out plan…that’s exactly what the floppers are doing in trying to draw a penalty on the other team!
As I mentioned, I limited myself to sharing a few examples. I would be interested in hearing any of your experiences regarding knee jerk reactions, and the consequences of those reactions.
