Structural Field Services

[jike]

Working for an A/E firm in the midwest, we are often limited by our contracts with the Owner to part time field services. Our CA services include shop drawings review, weekly meetings at the site, processing of pay requests, resolution field problems, etc.

Field observation is often done by a person who conducts the weekly meetings which is normally a non-engineer or someone who doesn't immediate recognize structural issues. He may take a few photos to show general construction progress but often no photos showing construction errors/issues.

The structural engineer is often limited to going to the job site only once or twice during the course of the project, which is woefully inadequate for most decent size projects.

We require structural testing services as part of the General Contractor's or Owner's responsibility. We prefer to have those services under the GC because we have had experience with Owners omitting the services as unnecessary.

Unfortunately, testing is not really what is needed. Structural inspection is what is needed. We need a pair of eyes to see whether it is being built properly. QC often takes third place to schedule and budget.

Any thoughts?

 

[JAE]

I think that under the IBC - structural observation is only required in higher seismic and wind regions.

Submittal reviews and such are usually considered part of the practice of engineering and so must be performed by a PE.

For the on-site visits, I would always like to go to the site more often. Primarily I'm interested in ensuring that my plans are understood. I try to insist on some level of on-site examination. Wish it were more than we normally do so I agree with your concerns.

 

[haynewp]

You can try to explain the importance in the beginning to the owner but if he doesn't accept it in the contract, there is not much more you can do except not take the project (yeah right). I wouldn't keep my fee the same and give more onsight inspection services though.

It just falls right in line with our generally being undervalued.

 

[SlideRuleEra]

For electric power station construction, we (the Owner) have field forces that are a mix of the following:

1. The Engineer's Construction Management Staff, usually degreed engineers (with & without PE), supplemented by technicians. This team provides day-to-day leadership of construction activities. The Design Engineers are normally not on site.

2. Owner's in-house engineers (with & without PE) - primarily for contract management and technical/financial coordination of field changes. Contract technicians, hired by the Owner, also perform field inspections, but usually just mechanical & electrical work.

3. Dedicated Inspection Services Contract for things such as pile driving logging, rebar & concrete placement inspection, structural steel welding & bolting inspection. This is in addition to typical concrete cylinder testing, soil compaction testing, etc.

On this type large project, the built-in checks & balances have kept costs under control and minimized the chances for misunderstandings.

http://www.SlideRuleEra.net

 

[jike]

I have been considering one of two approaches:

Promoting the importance of additional structural services to clients and attempting to sell those additional services to them.

Modifying our specifications to require inspections by a qualified structural engineer (not necessarily us) for specific areas where we constantly see problems.

 

[jike]

SlideRuleEra seems to make my point that on many projects there is certainly alot of construction oversight for schedule, budget, and testing of all types of materials but how much real qualified inspection is actually being done? Often, inspection by technicians is not very productive and effective. I see inspection as the weakest part but it is intimately tied to the ultimate integrity of the structure.

Granted there are some differences in projects since I am involved in mainly commercial projects, some private and some public.

 

[Ron]

jike...We have typically tried to get testing/inspection services paid by the owner because in my area (SE USA), the contractors are typically the ones who will not engage the services. Without regard to that, it is an educational process to go through with the owner to show the importance of construction process observation and documentation. Construction is both simple and complex....sometimes the simple things bite you on the butt...other times it's the complex. Often it takes an engineering perspective to tell the differences between the two and to highlight the problems. Owners and contractors don't always understand that.

 

[csd72]

I agree with Ron. I once inspected the reinforcement for a concrete slab designed by another firm.

The bars were called up in a confusing way "provide 16mm bars at 300mm additional to those shown on plan"

When I inspected the site, we found that 10 tons of steel was missing from the slab. I only picked it up because the reinforcement over the supporting walls was less than the reinforcement in the middle, an architect would not have picked this up!

Sometimes you may need to do more inspections just to cover your ass. If you turn up on site and the reinforcement is only half done, and you know that they are going to mess up the remainder or the corrections, then it might be hard to explain to a court why you didnt spend a couple of extra hours going to site. If your company will not let you do this then make sure you recommend it to the appropriate people and make a note in your diary that you have done so.

 

[UcfSE]

Site visits can be construed to mean inspections. Let's say you, the engineer, show up and look at steel framing and cmu walls. You're not there to check things like rigging and scaffolding, sog and so forth. The next day a man falls off the scaffolding that you didn't inspect and gets hurt. Guess who gets sued... you do, for not pointing out the problem.

Being able to show up on site any time would be nice but we open ourselves up to more than we bargained for in the process. Besides that, we deserve to get paid for that time we spend. Often no one wants to pay for it.

 

[Ron]

UcfSE...standard language in your contract terms and conditions should specifically preclude your responsibility for site safety, even during a site visit.

You're right...they try to hang us with stuff like that because, as the lawyers like to say, we have "superior" knowledge! That's why we have to be very careful to qualify our reports of site visits and to characterize them as observations not inspections (there's a legal difference), and to state what we did and the limitations of what we did. Leave them with the clear impression that if we didn't say we saw it, we don't know anything about it and take no responsibility for it.

 

[archeng59]

chapter 17 of the IBC provides requirements for special inspections. in my area, architects, contractors and especially owners are not used to having most special inspections performed by anyone. everyone is used to having testing for concrete strength and sometimes field welding, but inspection of drilled piers, CMU and concrete reinforcing is usually not done unless the EOR does it as part of his observations. I started preparing a statement of special inspections when the IBC requires special inspections, putting similar info in the general structural note and special inspection requirements in the specs. architects and contractors are complaining until I point out chapter 17. I don't provide the special inspections as part of my design services, although a few architects and owners tried to say the SI work was part of my design contract. My fee letter specifically excludes special inspections. I am considering offering the SI services, but right now do not have the manpower to do it.

 

[Ron]

archeng59....here in Florida we have a special law known as the Threshold Building Law. This requires "Special Inspection" similar to IBC's special inspection, except that the inspection can be done only by certain qualified individuals. The Special Inspector of Record must be either an Architect or Engineer with specialized experience and he/she may delegate field inspections to only a few specifically qualified individuals. A Special Inspector qualified under IBC rules wouldn't necessarily be qualified under Florida's rules.

In our law, the Statement of Special Inspections that you mentioned that you now prepare is a statutory requirement of the Structural Engineer of Record. He must provide this "Threshold Building Inspection Plan" and it must be filed with the Building Department. The Special Inspector or delegate must then inspect to that plan. Again we have to be careful that the plan or our inspections/observations do not get interpreted overly broad and we get stuck with unanticipated liability.

 

[archeng59]

Ron, I'm aware of the threshold inspection requirements in Florida. I wish it was applied in Oklahoma. In my opinion, the statement of special inspections is a statutory requirement thru the building code since it is mentioned in the code. qualifications for inspectors is left up to the design professional. except for a PE and certified weld inspector, there isn't anyone else in the state who has the qualifications to do anything except make concrete test specimens. very aggravating situation at this point in time trying to meet the intent of the code without the support of architects, sometimes other engineers, and the building officials.

 

[Ron]

archeng59...yeah, it's pretty frustrating at times. To further compound the factors, some of the building officials are requiring both Special Inspection as defined under the IBC and Special Inspection as defined under Florida law. Owners don't like to pay for either, much less both!

 

[henri2]

archeng, IMHO, the key to implementing the special inspection provisions of the IBC starts with collaboration between the state structural engineering association chapters and ICC chapters. This has been the experience in most western states.

The structural engineering association should have a committee that deals with quality assurance issues..and it is this committee that must be tasked with getting the ball rolling. Inclusion of code officials, architects, CMT folks in the committee is prudent for several obvious reasons.

At the end of the day, the AHJs will be the folks who have the power to require and enforce the special inspection provisions of the IBC; but first, they need to be convinced and in some instances offered a road map to guide them through setting up a system and implementing it. Check this ICC document...it offers guidelines to Bdlg Depts that want to implement SI provisions

http://www.iccsafe.org/e/prodshow.html?prodid=1045S03&stateInfo=KcGkiUZfjkamiiAS7315|2

and the online course based on it

http://www.vcampus.com/icc/catalog/offering/?coid=75045

If your firm should consider offering special inspection services, long term planning has to take into account that the firm may require accrediatation as an inspection agency and also inspectors may have to be certified (ICC, NICET, AWS etc)even if they have a PE.

 

[henri2]

Ron,

I have a couple of questions for you regarding threshold inspection.

1. Where structural observation is required per 1709.1 for "structures sited where basic wind speed exceed 110 mph" and the FL Bldg code requirement for threshold inspection is triggered (bldg higher than 3 stories etc), will the threshold inspection also include structural observation...or is this considered a separate issue?

2. Do threshold inspection tasks also include special inspection tasks, do they overlap..?

3. I understand that the threshold inspector has to be a PE or RA who has to satisfy certain requirements. Furthermore, it's my understanding that the threshold inspector can delegate threshold inspection to other individuals. Do these individuals also have to be licensed architects or engineers?

 

[Ron]

henri2...

In some cases, the tasks overlap; however, the Threshold Inspection takes priority and precedence.

The Threshold Inspector may inspect items under the Special Inspection tasks, but not necessarily the other way around. It is not necessary to separately inspect those items and only one inspection is required. If it is a threshold building, then the Threshold Inspector or delegate must do; otherwise, those meeting the Special Inspector requirements may do the inspections.

Yes, the Threshold Inspector may delegate field tasks. Those individuals to which the inspections are delegated must be one of the following:

1. A licensed engineer/architect
2. Hold an engineering degree
3. Be certified as a building inspector under the current code requirements, including the practical exam
4. Be a Certified General Contractor.

Any of the above may qualify as long as the Threshold Inspector feels they are qualified by experience and knowledge.