Using SOG 2

[bd9607]

there is a concern at our company about using the abbreviation of SOG for slab on grade. Is there any reason not to use it, legally or in the effort to reduce confusion?

 

[JAE]

Do you have an abbreviations page or section within your drawings? That can be used to apply to things like this.

 

[bd9607]

we do have a abbreviation list we stick on our drawings. Our main cad manager mentioned he might be getting rid of the SOG, he cant recall but remembers a situation, a legal battle, about the use of it. Something about confusion on the site, and work was halted or screwed up.

 

[JAE]

No offense to your cad manager, but I would think that having a definition clearly indicated on the plans would not be a source of trouble.

Just to make sure, you could put a BIG note on the plans like this:


SOG MEANS CONCRETE SLAB-ON-GRADE. SEE THE NOTES AND DETAILS PERTAINING TO ITS REQUIREMENTS AND CONSTRUCTION. IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT AN SOG IS AFTER ALL THIS, EITHER YOU ARE AN IDIOT OR A CCC* OR BOTH.


*Completely Clueless Contractor

 

[NS4U]

I was once reviewing a set of drawings... i forget the exact circumstances, but the confusion of abbreviations went something like this:

T.O. = Top of
T.O.S = Top of Steel

long story short there were some drawings which made the "T.O.S" elevation "appear" to be the top of SLAB elevation... the drawings were labeled properly but this still lead to much confusion... I have seen TOS mean either top of steel or top of slab.

so, for clarity purposes that may be something to be aware of, but I can't think of an acronym with SOG which would cause legal troubles

 

[JAE]

I always thought that T.O.S. meant "totally over-designed structure"....at least that's what my architect clients tell me.

 

[hokie66]

Tell them the only thing that gets totally over-designed but totally under-detailed is the architecture.

 

[vmirat]

JAE, you're in rare form today! I loved the CCC thing. As a federal government puke, we try to use abbreviations as little as possible. Those that we do use are found on a legend sheet. We use the United States National Cad Standards (USNCS) for all projects. Although SOG is common in the industry, it is not included in the accepted list within the USNCS.

 

[whyun]

For top of slab, I use T.O.C. for Top of Concrete (not to be confused with Table of Contents). T.O.C. is used whether it is on slab-on-grade or top of concrete filled deck.

Provided that SOG is defined in the list of abbreviations and no other disciplines defines SOG as something else on their drawings, I do not see any "legal" reasons to not use it.

I have not reviewed the USNCS abbreviations list but I expect the list to be partial at best. There are no legal reasons to restrict yourself to the USNCS list.

The use of abbreviations are acceptable on plan drawings where there are many repetitions. On detail call-outs, notes or full sentences, I do not use ANY abbreviations.

 

[bd9607]

vmirat-

do you know why SOG isnt on the USNCS list?

 

[vmirat]

bd9607,
It has guidelines for developing abbreviations. Here's the list:

The terms included in this Module were selected using the following criteria:
- The term has six or more letters. Terms with five letters or fewer should not be abbreviated.
However, certain commonly used terms (such as “build” and “center”) have been included.
- Trade association acronyms, such as UL, ASTM, and NFPA, have been included if the organization publishes standards likely to be referenced on drawings.
- Common English language terms have not been included. Some examples are “afternoon”(PM) and “Central Standard Time” (CST).
- Abbreviations representing professional licenses, certifications, or memberships associated with a person’s name are not included. It is assumed that the professional, whose name is on the documents, will define and control the proper format of his name. American Institute of Architects (AIA), Professional Engineer (PE), and Certified Construction Specifier (CCS)are examples.
- Terms in conflict with industry-accepted terminology do not have abbreviations. The proper term is shown in the “Notes” column and its abbreviation is in the Module.
- Symbols that contain letters are not abbreviations.

Guidelines
• Do not abbreviate words of five letters or fewer, except in schedules. A schedule column heading may need an abbreviation to reduce the size of the column and the overall size of the schedule.
• Avoid the use of abbreviations with more than one meaning. Generally the shared abbreviations in the Module are from different disciplines. Therefore, the context or the location within the drawing set should make the intended term obvious. However, if it does not, spell out the term.
• Show the source or a list of abbreviations on the General sheets. Two ways to accomplish this are:
?? Reference the UDS Terms and Abbreviations Module.
?? Include a selected list derived from the Terms and Abbreviations Module. The organization and location of the General sheets are included in the UDS Drawing Set
Organization Module.
• If any doubt or confusion exists about the meaning of the abbreviation, do not use the abbreviation. Clarity is paramount and must not be sacrificed.

 

[JStephen]

I find a list of SOG abbreviations here:

http://acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/SOG

It doesn't look like any of them are likely to be confused with Slab on Grade.

Of course, I would have no clue what SOG meant, but then that's not my field anyway. But how long does it take to type that in, anyway? Just spell it out and be done.

I've seen SOG used for "same old guy" on an initials spot on the drawings.

 

[darthsoilsguy2]

i abbreviated slab-on-deck and ended up with an upset owner and LEED certification.