State of New Jersey Special Inspections 1

[mark1234]

Has the requirements for special inspections in NJ changed recently? Specifically, are PE's not considered certified to perform these inspections without additional certification? Residential and commercial structures including the concrete, steel, one pass welds, etc.

Thanks



MDJ

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[Ron]

hokie66...sure the concept is flawed..same as many other design/construction/government processes. As flawed as it might be, I believe it has saved lives and huge amounts of property damage.

The SI who is also an engineer has to be careful not to take on the EOR responsibilities....therefore they do not review the design nor do they check the design. Their obligation is contractual and (in Florida) statutory to check against the plans/specs and a specifically filed inspection plan.

Apparent design discrepancies can be pointed out to the EOR for review, but there's no obligation on the part of the SI to do so, nor should there be. Finding one design error then obligates you to find ALL design errors...which are sometimes just differences of opinion between two engineers.

 

[hokie66]

I am glad it has worked. It just sounds like another division of responsibility to me. Which, in the case of a failure, will give the lawyers a lot of opportunity to sort out who did what when. We have what I think may be a somewhat similar situation in Australia with the recent introduction or "building certifiers" to largely replace local authority inspectors. These can be separate from the design team, but are hired by the builder. I think it has been a backward step.

 

[swivel63]

aren't special inspectors supposed to find ALL errors? or at least ask a question. that's how i've always done it when i was an SI agent. unfortunately, on large condo jobs and any job in reality, no one will ever catch ALL the errors.

 

[Ron]

swivel63...only deviations from the plans, specs, and code.

hokie66...we have something similar here called "Private Provider Services".. an "independent" inspection firm can be hired by the contractor to replace the municipal inspection process. Intended for expedience, but I think it is a conflict of interest.

 

[swivel63]

ron,

is florida with the only state that actually has a special inspector license?

 

[Ron]

swivel63...as far as I know, yes. The licensing was started in 1984-85 as a result of the Harbor Cay Condominium collapse in Cocoa Beach.

 

[91dorp]

New Jersey DCA is now requiring licensed special inspectors for specific items of construction. These include concrete placement, reinforcing steel, spray applied fireproofing, structural steel, structural bolting, welding, EIFS, and structural masonry. To qualify you need to be a PE, have an engineering or related degree, or hold a certification from ICC, AWS, ACI ect. You also need to show a certain amount of experience depending upon education. You have to apply to the DCA and after approval you get a card with a number. Special inspection is intended to detect construction errors and is not intended to detect design flaws. It is not a substitute for structural observation. The design team is not likely to spend all day checking electrode types, preheat, fit-up... This is a reaction to the Tropicana garage collapse that could have been avoided if someone had simply checked the reinforcing. Special inspection has been commonplace on the west coast for years, and many PE's (and others) make a career out of it.

http://www.nj.gov/dca/codes/licensingunit/pdf/spec_insp_11_08.pdf