Consultants

Team of Consultants

THE CONSULTING TEAM AT R2A

From left to right - Gaye Francis and Richard Robinson

Details provided below.

Richard Robinson

BE BA FIEAust

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Richard Robinson is a career risk and due diligence engineer with over 30 years experience in the industry.

Richard’s primary focus for the past 15 years as a Director of R2A has been - 

• technical due diligence and organisational risk control
• construction of risk and reliability based models for common law and for investment payback criteria
• short course presentations and liability briefings
• facilitating workshops
• appearing as expert witness
• principal author of Risk & Reliability: Engineering Due Diligence (now in its eighth edition).

Education

BE, Mechanical Engineering, Monash University, 1974BA, Philosophy, University of Melbourne, 1981

Memberships

Member, Society of Fire Protection Engineers, USA, 1983

Chairman, Masters of Systems Engineering Course Advisory Committee, RMIT, 1987-1988

Fellow, Engineers Australia, 1992

Chairman, Victoria Division, Engineers Australia, 1993

Chairman, Course Advisory Committee, RMIT Pilot Centre, Point Cook, 1994-1998

Director, Engineers Media (Engineers Australia Pty Ltd), the wholly owned publishing subsidiary of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 1984-2004

Chairman, Engineers Media, 2001- 2004.

Training

On behalf of Engineering Education Australia, Richard presents a two-day public short course on Risk & Liability Management.

Experience

Richard has been responsible for implementing major risk and reliability studies and technical due diligence reviews for large organisations such as –

• Office of Airspace Regulation
• Civil Aviation Safety Authority
• Air Services Australia
• South Port NZ
• Silverfern Shipping NZ
• Tasports
• V/Line Passenger Services
• Rail Corporation NSW
• performance review of the Office of Gas Safety.

Recent undertakings include –

• the development of alternate airspace collision risk models for the Civil Aviation Authority New Zealand, and for the Office of Airspace Regulation Australia
• strategic risk reviews for the Marina Coastal Expressway Singapore and for the Tugun bypass Gold Coast
• due diligence reviews for rockfalls in cuttings Railcorp NSW
• hazardous atmospheres in laboratories (CSIRO)
• many SIL (Safety Integrity Levels) allocation studies and enterprise availability studies for Melbourne Water
• member of the ministerial peer review panel for the Eildon Dam Alliance Project 
• member of the Independent Blasting Audit Team, Department of Minerals & Energy, WA (Western Mining Corporation Nickel & Gold), 1999.
• the expert risk management member on the Victorian Powerline Bushfire Safety Taskforce, 2011

Richard is currently – 

• a risk advisor to the Training and Education board of the Australasian Marine Pilots Institute and Honorary Fellow
• presenting the postgraduate due diligence unit at Swinburne University of Technology.

View Richard Robinson’s CV | View Richard Robinson's profile

Gaye Francis

BE MIEAust

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Gaye is an experienced risk and due diligence engineer and highly effective project manager, with a diverse range of project experience collected over 13 years of consulting activities with R2A. Gaye has worked with both private and government clients across a wide range of industries including road, rail, marine, mining, aviation and water.

As a R2A Director, Gaye is involved in all aspects of the practice and oversees the consulting stream. In-house tasks include contribution to and development of the R2A text, Risk & Reliability: Engineering Due Diligence (now in its eigth edition), preparation of conference papers and training courses, and on-going development of the R2A method of work.

Education

Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical), University of Melbourne, 1997

Memberships

Member, Engineers Australia 2003Committee member Victorian Women in Engineering (June 2009 - 2011)Victorian representative National Women in Engineering Committee 2010 - 2011Organising Committee 15th International Conference for Women Engineers & Scientists 2011 (ICWES15)Co-chair Women in Engineering Victoria Committee, Feb 2007 - June 2008Emerging Leaders pilot program, Engineers Australia, 2008Committee member for the revision of the Safety Case Guidelines, Engineers Australia 2007Chairperson Drafting Committee Safety Case Guidelines Engineers Australia, 2002

Experience

Port Hedland Pilotage Review & Safety Management System Development – Port Hedland PilotsIn July 2010, R2A completed a due diligence safety review for the provision of pilotage services at Port Hedland, Australia’s largest port in terms of tonnage. The outcomes were included in the Pilotage Operations Safety Management System (POSMS) for the port.

A generalised common law safety case approach was used to document that all statutory, regulatory and common-law requirements have been met. It consisted of a number of arguments that demonstrate that all reasonable practicable precautions are in place for all credible critical issues including grounding, collision and allision. Issues were identified on a zonal basis.

During the review on-site, a number of tasks were completed including a due diligence briefing to stakeholders and legal counsel, documentation review, observation of pilotage services, generative interviews and a final sign-off briefing and presentation.

Taupo Aerodrome Airspace Collision Risk Model Application – Civil Aviation Authority, New ZealandAs part of a larger aeronautical study by the Civil Aviation Authority, Gaye provided risk advice and modelling expertise into the safety implications of the different risk mitigation options for the Taupo aerodrome airspace.

The primary approach used was generative interviews. Generative interviews were completed with Taupo airport stakeholders including representatives from the commercial airlines, Airways, pilot training organisations, sky diving operators, helicopter operators, the Float Plane operator, charter service operators, the Taupo District Council as the airport owner, the Airport Operational and Safety Committee and the Airline Pilots Association.

Tram Procurement Project – Department of Transport, VictoriaGaye was the nominated project manager for various risks, reliability and due diligence studies relating to the Tram Procurement & Support Infrastructure Project. The project was responsible for the procurement of fifty new, low floor trams as well as associated depot, power supply and infrastructure upgrade works.

Studies have involved a variety of stakeholders including the Government as the owner, the Franchisee operator and the safety regulator.

Options Review – Gladstone Area Water BoardGaye was part of the R2A team engaged to assess the options being considered to address the critical infrastructure issues identified in R2A’s original Critical Asset Due Diligence Review report and subsequent maintenance issues identified by GHD.

The options were reviewed against project critical success factors including fit for purpose, design life, capital cost, whole of life cost, timing, operational and maintenance issues, safety, environment and social considerations during a workshop of key stakeholders.

View Gaye Francis CV | View Gaye Francis's profile