Engineering Document Retention 1

[natebott]

Are there accepted industry standards concerning engineering document retention? This would include Engineering Change Notices, calculations, etc.

Thank you,

Nate Bott

 

[zdas04]

This one has led to some really interesting discussion over the years. I've had attorneys say that Daytimers are evil and should be banned, and that no piece of paper that is not required by law should ever be created, and every piece of paper that is created should have a "destroy on" date prominently displayed. They tend to hate the "why I built it this way" files that we've all created for our own personal reference.

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

 

[GregLocock]

I worked for a company that followed the scorched earth theory. I've also worked for two companies with formal document retention schema. In all three cases the standards were largely driven by the legal reptiles.

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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[ornerynorsk]

Depends on the industry. In medical device, we have documents that we will essentially keep "forever".

 

[HamishMcTavish]

Depends which industry you're in!

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.nspe.org/resources/pdfs/Licensure/Resources/DocRetentionGuidelines0305final.pdf

or for structural stuff have a look at

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/112520671/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0

Regards, HM

No more things should be presumed to exist than are absolutely necessary - William of Occam

 

[vpl]

Going the opposite way ... in the nuclear industry there are lots of requirements for document retention with ranges everywhere from "none" to over 60 years. Those requirements are spelled out in Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations. Nuclear utilities usually have procedures written that spell out actual retention times for each type of document they produce.

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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[FrenchCAD]

I would add that it may also depend on your customer's requirements. I am currently working on a program requiring 40 years document retention in an advocate's office

Cyril Guichard
Defense Program Manager
Belgium

 

[IRstuff]

We have documents that we try to keep forever, but whenever we downsize or move, out it goes.

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

FAQ731-376

 

[jmiles]

As others ahve said it really depends on what documentation it is and who you ask, there are some instances where for example with pipelines you may be required to keep design calculations (basically a full audit package) for as long as that pipeline is in the ground and i think even for a few years after its removed.

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.