Structural Field Services
Structural Field Services
(OP)
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?
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?






RE: Structural Field Services
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.
RE: Structural Field Services
It just falls right in line with our generally being undervalued.
RE: Structural Field Services
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.
www.SlideRuleEra.net
RE: Structural Field Services
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.
RE: Structural Field Services
Granted there are some differences in projects since I am involved in mainly commercial projects, some private and some public.
RE: Structural Field Services
RE: Structural Field Services
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.
RE: Structural Field Services
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.
RE: Structural Field Services
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.
RE: Structural Field Services
RE: Structural Field Services
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.
RE: Structural Field Services
RE: Structural Field Services
RE: Structural Field Services
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 ht
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.
RE: Structural Field Services
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?
RE: Structural Field Services
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.