Skip to main content

Main menu

  • Home
    • Journal home
    • Lyell Collection home
    • Geological Society home
  • Content
    • Online First
    • Issue in progress
    • All issues
    • Thematic Collections
    • Supplementary publications
    • Open Access
  • Subscribe
    • GSL fellows
    • Institutions
    • Corporate
    • Other member types
  • Info
    • Authors
    • Librarians
    • Readers
    • GSL Fellows access
    • Other member types access
    • Press office
    • Accessibility
    • Help
    • Metrics
  • Alert sign up
    • eTOC alerts
    • Online First alerts
    • RSS feeds
    • Newsletters
    • GSL blog
  • Submit
  • Geological Society of London Publications
    • Engineering Geology Special Publications
    • Geochemistry: Exploration, Environment, Analysis
    • Journal of Micropalaeontology
    • Journal of the Geological Society
    • Lyell Collection home
    • Memoirs
    • Petroleum Geology Conference Series
    • Petroleum Geoscience
    • Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society
    • Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology
    • Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society
    • Scottish Journal of Geology
    • Special Publications
    • Transactions of the Edinburgh Geological Society
    • Transactions of the Geological Society of Glasgow
    • Transactions of the Geological Society of London

User menu

  • My alerts
  • Log in
  • My Cart

Search

  • Advanced search
Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology
  • Geological Society of London Publications
    • Engineering Geology Special Publications
    • Geochemistry: Exploration, Environment, Analysis
    • Journal of Micropalaeontology
    • Journal of the Geological Society
    • Lyell Collection home
    • Memoirs
    • Petroleum Geology Conference Series
    • Petroleum Geoscience
    • Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society
    • Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology
    • Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society
    • Scottish Journal of Geology
    • Special Publications
    • Transactions of the Edinburgh Geological Society
    • Transactions of the Geological Society of Glasgow
    • Transactions of the Geological Society of London
  • My alerts
  • Log in
  • My Cart
  • Follow gsl on Twitter
  • Visit gsl on Facebook
  • Visit gsl on Youtube
  • Visit gsl on Linkedin
Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology

Advanced search

  • Home
    • Journal home
    • Lyell Collection home
    • Geological Society home
  • Content
    • Online First
    • Issue in progress
    • All issues
    • Thematic Collections
    • Supplementary publications
    • Open Access
  • Subscribe
    • GSL fellows
    • Institutions
    • Corporate
    • Other member types
  • Info
    • Authors
    • Librarians
    • Readers
    • GSL Fellows access
    • Other member types access
    • Press office
    • Accessibility
    • Help
    • Metrics
  • Alert sign up
    • eTOC alerts
    • Online First alerts
    • RSS feeds
    • Newsletters
    • GSL blog
  • Submit

Standards and quality in ground investigation; squaring the circle

David Norbury
Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology, 50, 212-230, 13 July 2017, https://doi.org/10.1144/qjegh2017-011
David Norbury
1David Norbury Limited, Reading RG8 8JG, UK
2Department of Geography, Sussex University, Brighton BN1 9RH, UK
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Search for this author on this site
PreviousNext
  • Article
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • PDF
Loading

Abstract

Practitioners of ground investigation all aspire to obtain, carry out and deliver good quality investigations and also all understand the basic requirement that these investigations are to be carried out in accordance with current standards of best practice, which are laid down within the national and international Standards. There are, however, variable degrees of adherence to and knowledge of what these standards and Standards are and what these quality aspirations actually are in practice. This perhaps arises because there are many definitions of the terms ‘standards’ and ‘quality’ and this feeds directly into actual day-to-day practice. It is the intention of this paper to try and demonstrate that practitioners need to embrace the whole ethos of Standards and standards to achieve what should be their aspiration for quality. Investigators are required to work to published Standards, various forms of specification and professional practice requirements. There is continuing argument as to whether the achievement of quality is constrained or enhanced by following the Standards, and whether Standards are necessary to achieve the required quality level. The author will try to draw all these strands together and navigate a route to achieving a best practice outcome, drawing on some historical case histories from the author's experience. The question of what effect following the Standards has on innovation in design will also be discussed.

  • © 2017 The Author(s)
View Full Text

Please note that if you are logged into the Lyell Collection and attempt to access content that is outside of your subscription entitlement you will be presented with a new login screen. You have the option to pay to view this content if you choose. Please see the relevant links below for further assistance.

INDIVIDUALS

Log in using your username and password

– GSL fellows: log in with your Lyell username and password. (Please check your access entitlements at https://www.geolsoc.org.uk/fellowsaccess)
– Other users: log in with the username and password you created when you registered. Help for other users is at https://www.geolsoc.org.uk/lyellcollection_faqs
Forgot your username or password?

Purchase access

You may purchase access to this article for 24 hours and download the PDF within the access period. This will require you to create an account if you don't already have one. To download the PDF, click the 'Purchased Content' link in the receipt email.

LIBRARY USERS

Log in through your institution

You may be able to gain access using your login credentials for your institution. Contact your library if you do not have a username and password.
If your organization uses OpenAthens, you can log in using your OpenAthens username and password. To check if your institution is supported, please see this list. Contact your library for more details.
If you think you should have access, please contact your librarian or email sales@geolsoc.org.uk

LIBRARIANS

Administer your subscription.

CONTACT US

If you have any questions about the Lyell Collection publications website, please see the access help page or contact sales@geolsoc.org.uk

PreviousNext
Back to top

In this issue

Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology: 50 (3)
Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology
Volume 50, Issue 3
August 2017
  • Table of Contents
  • Table of Contents (PDF)
  • About the Cover
  • Index by author
  • Back Matter (PDF)
  • Front Matter (PDF)
Alerts
Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Citation tools

Standards and quality in ground investigation; squaring the circle

David Norbury
Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology, 50, 212-230, 13 July 2017, https://doi.org/10.1144/qjegh2017-011
David Norbury
1David Norbury Limited, Reading RG8 8JG, UK
2Department of Geography, Sussex University, Brighton BN1 9RH, UK
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Permissions
View PDF
Share

Standards and quality in ground investigation; squaring the circle

David Norbury
Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology, 50, 212-230, 13 July 2017, https://doi.org/10.1144/qjegh2017-011
del.icio.us logo Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo CiteULike logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
Email to

Thank you for sharing this Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology article.

NOTE: We request your email address only to inform the recipient that it was you who recommended this article, and that it is not junk mail. We do not retain these email addresses.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Standards and quality in ground investigation; squaring the circle
(Your Name) has forwarded a page to you from Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology
(Your Name) thought you would be interested in this article in Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Print
Download PPT
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One
  • Article
    • Abstract
    • What is meant by quality and standards?
    • The Standards to follow
    • The contents of the Standards
    • Case histories
    • Acknowledgements
    • Vote of Thanks
    • References
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • PDF

Related Articles

Similar Articles

Cited By...

More in this TOC Section

  • Introduction to the Seventeenth Glossop Lecture
Show more: The Seventeenth Glossop Lecture
  • Most read
  • Most cited
Loading
  • The temperature of Britain's coalfields
  • Hydrogeological challenges in a low-carbon economy
  • Coastal processes in the Russian Baltic (eastern Gulf of Finland and Kaliningrad area)
  • Uncertainty assessment applied to marine subsurface datasets
  • Buried (drift-filled) hollows in London – a review of their location and key characteristics
More...

Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology

  • About the journal
  • Editorial Board
  • Submit a manuscript
  • Author information
  • Supplementary Publications
  • Subscribe
  • Pay per view
  • Alerts & RSS
  • Copyright & Permissions
  • Activate Online Subscription
  • Feedback
  • Help

Lyell Collection

  • About the Lyell Collection
  • Lyell Collection homepage
  • Collections
  • Open Access Collection
  • Open Access Policy
  • Lyell Collection access help
  • Recommend to your Library
  • Lyell Collection Sponsors
  • MARC records
  • Digital preservation
  • Developing countries
  • Geofacets
  • Manage your account
  • Cookies

The Geological Society

  • About the Society
  • Join the Society
  • Benefits for Members
  • Online Bookshop
  • Publishing policies
  • Awards, Grants & Bursaries
  • Education & Careers
  • Events
  • Geoscientist Online
  • Library & Information Services
  • Policy & Media
  • Society blog
  • Contact the Society

Published by The Geological Society of London, registered charity number 210161

Print ISSN 
1470-9236
Online ISSN 
2041-4803

Copyright © 2021 Geological Society of London