Institution news
Q: Could you briefly explain your role, involvement and experience with regards to flooding risk and protection?
Lesley Wilson (LW): I work for BSI (British Standards Institution), we are the UK’s national standards body. Under Royal Charter we write standards for the UK and represent the UK overseas at the European (CEN) and International (ISO) standards organisations.
I work specifically in the area of environmental management, this includes very recently helping to create a new suite of standards on adaptation to climate change. These include ISO 14090 Adaptation to Climate Change which was led by the UK and published in 2019. It provides a replicable and consistent plan for organisations and their projects and processes to manage and adapt to the impacts of climate change. Publishing soon is ISO TS 14092 Requirements and guidelines for adaptation planning for local authorities and communities – very similar to ISO 14090 but with specific guidance for local authorities. And shortly we will have standards on risk and on adaptation pathways (a route to choose the best adaptation option).
Q: Where do you think the main solution to rising sea levels lies in terms of retrofitting infrastructure?
LW: Rising sea levels bring flooding and erosion to coastal areas that can affect infrastructure. Infrastructure building needs to look into the future – taking into account inherent uncertainties around climate change – and create resilient infrastructure that will adapt to the changing climate. Retrofitting should include preparing for the worst-case scenario and then some because preparing for the best outcome just might not be enough.
Q: What are the developments in flood protection to watch for in the future?
LW: I think that increasingly insurers and investors – as well as the public and regulatory bodies – will want to see a lot more reporting on adaptation activities to demonstrate that action is being taken to ensure resilience against climate change. Standards are very useful at providing this kind of demonstration of good practice.
Q: Why do you think it is so important for engineers to join in the future discussion around industrial flooding?
LW: Speaking from a purely standards point of view, BSI write standards for industry with the input of experts from industry (in its broadest sense so business, professional bodies, academia, government, etc.). We must have engineers come to us to let us know what standards they need to facilitate their work around resilience, to demonstrate good practice, and to provide replicable and consistent ways of doing things.
Key reasons to attend
The Industrial Flooding seminar takes place on 18 March, forming part of a two-day climate change focused event with a half-day pre-seminar workshop on the new BS EN ISO 14090 standard, taking place on 17 March.
- Hear case studies from leading engineering organisations including E.ON, EDF Energy, Yorkshire Water, AWE and Anglian Water
- Make the most out of flood modelling to predict flow paths and rates to make the right planning choices
- Learn best practice for retrofitting current assets as well as designing new assets to withstand more frequent and increased severity of weather events
- Ensure you are meeting the requirements of the new standard BS EN ISO 14090 by attending our half-day workshop hosted by Climate Sense and BSI
- Network with health, safety and environment, flooding risk managers, design engineers from engineering organisations as well as experts from government agencies, academia and flooding protection providers.
To book your place, please visit www.imeche.org/industrialflooding.