Dummy and Base Supports

Some background:
I spent more than 45 years in Process Plant (Refineries, Chemical, Power, etc) Piping Engineering and Design.
My experience ranged from entry level to Piping Department Manager and included some related assignments into Materials Management, Field Engineering, pipe fabrication shop Engineering Manager and Software Development.

During my years I worked with people in all of the sub-groups of piping as a project Piping Lead and as the department manager. As department manager I was responsible for their hiring, training, assignment and performance.. The vast majority of the people in each piping sub-group were well educated, well trained, well experienced and possessed good common sense. There were also people who because of some unknown reason could not or would not perform at the same level as the majority.

The average EPC (Engineering/Procurement/Construction) company piping department is large and complex.
There will be:
70% +/- Piping Designers
10% +/- Piping Material Engineers
7% +/- Piping Material Control
6% +/- Pipe Stress Engineers
7% +/- Department Manager & Staff

I worked with a lot of Pipe Stress Engineers (PSE) and I have worked with some of the best. The large percentage (90% to 95%) of all the PSE that I came in contact with (on the job or as Manager) were very good to great. The balance were not worth having on the staff.

The reason the good Pipe Stress Engineer is good and the bad Pipe Stress Engineer is bad are related.

The good ones got to know the designers and worked with them.
The good ones could read drawings.
The good ones took the time to understand the design.
The good ones knew how to suggest alternates that might solve the problem.
The good ones would teach the designers how to avoid stress problems.
The good ones knew and understood that all the stress analysis in the world does not make a bad design good.
The good ones knew how to be a team player.

As the Project Piping Lead I say that a Pipe Stress Engineer who says that a 4" Dummy support must not exceed 1'-6" is NOT a good Stress Engineer and I would demand a second opinion and ask that he or she be removed from the project.

As the department manager I would remove the PSE from any project work until a program of retraining is successfully completed.