Engineering Document Retention
Engineering Document Retention
(OP)
Are there accepted industry standards concerning engineering document retention? This would include Engineering Change Notices, calculations, etc.
Thank you,
Nate Bott
Thank you,
Nate Bott





RE: Engineering Document Retention
I had one lawyer tell me that the project file should have: (1) the project budget and any approved authorizations for expenditure; (2) issued for construction drawings; (3) As Built drawings; and (4) a summary of the actual costs summarized to the same line items as the budget. Everything else should be destroyed prior to commissioning. I think she had been bitten once too often in a discovery motion.
David
RE: Engineering Document Retention
If you have no particular interest in this then frankly I'd just push it up the management tree.
Cheers
Greg Locock
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RE: Engineering Document Retention
RE: Engineering Document Retention
Nuclear industry (in the UK) is 50 years post-shutdown, as a regulatory requirement.
I'm presuming aerospace will have similar requirements for product design info for parts since even if they are not made any more there will still be parts stored and used for some time after production ceases.
Even for 'normal' product design i'd anticipate archiving for quite a few years in case of product liability lawsuits - not so much an issue in the UK but certainly in the USA.
The US NSPE produced the following:
http://www
or for structural stuff have a look at
htt
Regards, HM
No more things should be presumed to exist than are absolutely necessary - William of Occam
RE: Engineering Document Retention
In general, the philosophy of "keep everything and file it where it can be located again" is used.
Patricia Lougheed
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"Somebody on this Internet forum said it was ok" is not a sufficient explanation when responding to a lawsuit.
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RE: Engineering Document Retention
Cyril Guichard
Defense Program Manager
Belgium
RE: Engineering Document Retention
Nonetheless, I was able to retrieve some information, last night, that I had packratted for 15yrs that is now needed for a proposal.
Philosophically, keeping "why" documents can be useful for new engineers,
TTFN
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RE: Engineering Document Retention
Personally though I look at it this way, documentation keeps my butt out of jail, it might cause a laywer alot of headaches, but the correct documentation will show ive done my due dilligence, and that at worst i was wrong, without that documentation being wrong can go from incompetent to negligent very quickly, and the latter is what bears the serious consequences.