Oil Spills

Today I’m talking to Oliver Goodyear, Senior Structural Engineer about the specialist structural surveys that Michael Aubrey Partnership carry out on properties that have had oil leaks.

What Type Of Properties Do You Attend?

“Mainly residential properties, although last month I attended a public house that had an oil spill.

Do You Work Directly For The Homeowner Or The Insurer?

Neither, we normally work for Environmental Consultants, they are appointed by the insurer and we get involved to provide specialist professional structural engineering advice

What Types Of Projects Do You Work On?

They vary quite a bit, sometimes we are brought in on simple jobs, for example where a wall is being removed and a structural design is needed to prop the wall.

Other times it’s more complicated and we may be designing extensive underpinning where the oil leak has spread across the whole property

Every oil spill is different, and the impact of a fuel leak can vary from site to site.

We are there to make sure that no more damage will occur from underpinning activities and making sure that the building is structurally safe whilst the works are carried out.

Our Reports Typically Include;

  • Our survey observations; foundation and wall construction
  • Ground conditions
  • Extent of remediation
  • Soil removal works; depth of underpinning required for each affected wall and underpinning layout
  • Wall reinstatement – propping layout
  • Floor reinstatement works
  • method statement
  • Temporary works layout

screw piles design


For speed, often our reports include hand drawn sketches.


How Do You Support The Environmental Consultants?

Often when they are carrying out the remediation work, they will stumble upon other issues, or something unexpected will be found. We try to be flexible and can often attend sites several times, at short notice.

We make ourselves available answering emails and phone calls to provide engineering support and advice.

Dealing with an emotional homeowner who has just been told that their house is severely contaminated and they may have to move out for an unknown period of time, sometimes years, it can be quite a stressful job for them.

Our role is to make it as easy as possible for the environmental consultants .. at least the areas that are within our control!



Oil Spill Case Study

A lot of the properties that we report on are older properties, in remote locations, with the oil tank in the garden and the boiler in the house.

Often the pipe connections deteriorate in winter due to frost and there is movement in the summer when it’s dry. The oil line connects both and we usually find the point of failure is somewhere in the pipe.


One property we attended recently was an old building, made slightly more complicated as it required listed building consent before any work could be carried out.


There was a large open plan kitchen /dining room and the spill happened in the dining room

The dining room was in the middle of the house, surrounded by other rooms

Existing footings on three sides of the room were 150mm below ground, we recommended extensive underpinning – soil need to be excavated to a 2m depth

The contractor had to dig down to 1m in bays, then another 1m. This further complicated as there was a cellar on one side going down to 1.2m – we had to make sure the cellar was propped sufficiently.

Pre-Condition Surveys

If there is a heavy amount of excavating, or a lot of brickwork repairs, the work can be quite damaging, so sometimes the Client requests a Pre-condition survey.

We provide independent photographic and documentary evidence of any cracking before works start on site.

Good Relationship with Contractors

Over the years we have probably carried out over 50+ structural reports and have developed a good relationship with contractors on site.

It’s very much a collaborative approach as we are all working together for the best outcome for the homeowner.

Why Are Structural Engineers Appointed in the Case of Oil Spills?

A lot of the remedial works require structural input and therefore fall under the scope of the Building Regulations.

The homeowner wants to know that no more damage will occur by excavating and underpinning and also that their home will be structurally safe whilst the works are carried out.

We design the best underpinning solution and propping for the removal of loadbearing walls

A well thought out engineering solution can save thousands overall”.

Are you an Environmental Consultant? Do you work with homeowners affected by oil spills?

Get in touch for an initial discussion to see how we might be able to work together

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Today I’m talking to Andrew Wiggett, one of our latest Structural Engineers to pass his Chartered exams.

Why Did You Choose To Study Structural Engineering?

When I was a school I didn’t really know what I wanted to do.

I chose the A levels that were interesting and “do-able” – Maths, further maths and physics and chemistry AS

I didn’t know what engineering was, or that you could do a degree in it

I thought I was going to do a Physics degree, or I looked at Medicine – but that was an idea that died out pretty quick!

In lower 6th form someone suggested looking at Engineering, I thought that’s a good idea – this is what I pictured physics to be like.


I did a general engineering degree at Cambridge University – 4 year Masters

My best module in first year was structures and materials – my two favourite subjects. I tried to avoid pure Maths, but there was a lot of this.


What Do You Like About Being An Engineer?

It’s a varied job, with lots of projects on the go at the same time.

I’m glad that none of my projects take too long, I wouldn’t like to be working on a project that had a two year deadline .. I wouldn’t know where to begin with that. Whereas twenty things to do in the next month is a lot more interesting.

Any Downsides To Structural Engineering?

Lack of protection of the name “Engineer” A friend said once they did a two day course installing BT infinity and now they were an “Engineer”

People come up to me and say “you’re an engineer, why can’t you do this task” it’s usually sawing a bit of wood in a straight line!

What Skills And Qualities Do You Think Are Important To Become A Structural Engineer?

Maths, but not someone who gets bogged down in the exact details.

Rejecting the negative answer out of hand and explicitly state it, it would drive pure mathematicians bonkers.

The ability to visualise things. That why I always struggled with the electronics side of things at university because it was something that I couldn’t picture. Whereas building structures I can picture as well as the mechanics and materials.

Communication skills There’s no point knowing the answer if you can’t tell someone what it is and there is no point designing something that a Contractor can’t build.

What Was The Exam Preparation Like?

I’d advise you doing the January exam, if you are like me and don’t like Christmas!

A big chunk of my revision was based around past papers, but I didn’t actually sit down and do a whole paper for 7.5 hours.

I started by working on basic scheme design. Coming up with two distinct schemes for a question. Choosing questions that I wouldn’t necessarily pick in the exam. Then I’d move on to the sketch drawings.


structural engineering


Any Tips?

I did prepare a folder of how to do calculations by hand – the sorts of calculations that would come up and set up so I could copy them out – much faster than just having the formula or procedure to hand.

The scheme design was what I concentrated on as that was the part I failed the first time.

I also worked on the end of the afternoon – the method statement. As this was something that I rushed badly last year, but you pick up some good marks here. There are 10 marks out of 50 available in part B – 40/45 minutes. I stopped what I was doing in the exam when I had 45 minutes to go and concentrated on the method statement.

You find out if you fail or pass.

If you fail you get a mark and feedback, but no mark if you pass. However there is a “best solution prize” – it’s across all the papers, across the world.


What Does Becoming Chartered Mean to you?

 It’s sort of the next step in my career.

I remember doing the first graduate interviews for my first job after University and they’d always say “where do you see yourself in 5 years” … Annoyingly it’s taken me 5.5 years – but I got there!


Do You Have A Favourite Building Structure?

 I’m a big fan of timber.

From a sustainability point of view, timber structures are the way things are going especially in this country.

Design lives of buildings are much more suited to timber, rather than putting up concrete and brick monstrosities to be then torn down in 40 years.

It’s like electric cars, we can’t all switch to timber overnight, there’s not enough of it. I think we need to push things in that direction, it’s slightly better.

what is a structural engineer


Preparing for Your Chartered Exams?

Are you preparing for your exams? 

Click here to find out about the Institution of Structural Engineers Chartered Membership exam and Professional Review Interview –

Good luck!