3rd Party Inspections and AISC Quality Assurance

[jmggks]

I am trying to understand when 3rd party inspections are required by IBC. 1705.2.1 says that "special inspections ... shall be in accordance with the quality assurance inspection requirements of AISC 360." AISC 360 defines quality control being provided by the fabricator and erector, while quality assurance is provided by "others". So it sounds like special inspections = quality assurance = inspection by a 3rd party.

So when are special inspections required for structural steel? Is it only when the EOR specifies or when the AHJ determines the project to be "unusual in its nature" (IBC 1705.1.1)?

The question has come up in relation to industrial equipment that my company designs, fabricates, and installs. We comply with ASCE non-building structure requirements and design everything at R=3 or lower.

Thanks for your comments.

 

[JLNJ]

I normally take this to mean that if the fabricator is an AISC certified shop, then the shop fabrication portion does not need Special Inspections. Otherwise, how do you know what you are getting?

It seems to me that the IBC stops just short of explicitly saying this, maybe because it gives AISC a monopoly on how to avoid Special Inspections.

Field-erected items get Special Inspections unless the AHJ waives it for you.

Purely industrial, equipment-related stuff is a little more murky in my mind. Such items may not be in the jurisdiction of the building code.

 

[JStephen]

One thing to note is that the Code of Standard Practice defines what is and is not structural steel, and, for example, tanks are not.

 

[jmggks]

Thanks JLNJ and JStephen.

JLNJ said field erected items get special inspections unless waived by the AHJ. Maybe we just have not run up against this requirement before, but are you saying that everytime and everywhere that structural steel is field erected, a 3rd party inspector must be hired?

 

[Aesur]

I agree with JLNJ but want to add that being an AISC certified shop isn't always the final determining factor for shop fabricated items, many jurisdictions have their own lists that may included certified or non-certified shops.

@jmggks, yes any structural steel that is field erected requires special inspections, the type and frequency of these inspections are per the tables in AISC. Additionally testing is sometimes required as well.

 

[jmggks]

... and just to clarify, our equipment is installed inside of a new building. The owner applied for a building permit for the building, and the building inspector seems to be applying the special inspections required for the building to the equipment that is contained inside the building.