Application of an Engineer of Record (EoR) for safety benefits in water storage dams

Abstract

The dam safety depends heavily on the organizational structure, the developer’s philosophy, and the involved actor’s technical responsibility. In this context, the present research aimed to: introduce the concept of Engineer of Record (EoR); discuss their influence on the continuous improvement of dam safety, propose a work plan for this professional applicable to water storage dams, and estimate the costs associated with their team. Since mining dams have experienced recent accidents, safety laws, and methodologies are more stringent for these structures. Therefore, based on this experience, a list of actions for the EoR was proposed, targeted explicitly at water storage dams, divided into two stages: the first to comply with the National Dam Safety Policy (NDSP); and the second focused on the continuous improvement of the safety of these structures. Additionally, a cost estimate was conducted, resulting in a value of $ 0.15 per m3 consumed for implementing an EoR team.