I've put together an inspection procedure for existing masonry. Any suggestions or additions?
PROCEDURE TO EXAMINE EXISTING MASONRY WALL
OBTAIN SWING STAGE OR TELESCOPING LIFT TO ACCESS THE FULL FACE OF THE EXISTING MASONRY WALL. EQUIPMENT SHOULD BE IN GOOD WORKING ORDER AND BE SUITABLE FOR EXAMINING THE ENTIRE EXISTING MASONRY WALL IN DETAIL
HAVE SUFFICIENT NOTE PAPER AND WRITING IMPLEMENTS. ALSO HAVE A DRAWING THAT SHOWS THE ELEVATION OF THE MASONRY WALL TO BE INSPECTED. IT IS OFTEN ADVISABLE TO HAVE TWO OR THREE DRAWING PRINTS IF IT IS NECESSARY TO INCLUDE NUMEROUS NOTES
IF POSSIBLE, HAVE A ‘POCKET MICROSCOPE’ WITH GRADUATED STADIA TO PROVIDE A CLOSE MEASUREMENT OF CRACK WIDTHS. IN LIEU OF THIS EQUIPMENT, USE A SMALL STEEL GRADUATED RULE AND A MAGNIFYING GLASS IF NECESSARY
HAVE A GOOD DIGITAL CAMERA THAT IS CAPABLE OF TAKING ‘MACRO’ PHOTOGRAPHS. THESE ARE CLEAR CLOSE UP PHOTOGRAPHS OF OBJECTS. ADJUST THE CAMERA SETTINGS SO THAT THE LARGEST NUMBER OF PIXELS ARE USED FOR EACH PHOTO
PROVIDE SAFE OPERATION
USING SWING STAGE EQUIPMENT
SWING STAGE OPERATOR TO BE FULLY FAMILIAR WITH THE EQUIPMENT AND RELATED SAFE USE OF SAME. ALL PERSONS ON THE SWING STAGE EQUIPMENT SHOULD BE FAMILIAR WITH THE SAFETY OF USING THIS EQUIPMENT A STRUCTURAL ENGINEER OR A COMPETENT MASON SHOULD ACCOMPANY THE SWING STAGE OPERATOR AND UNDERTAKE THE OBSERVATIONS. IT IS PREFERABLE TO HAVE BOTH AN OPERATOR AND AN OBSERVER
SECURE THE SWING STAGE AND SAFETY CABLES AT THE ROOF LEVEL AS REQUIRED. USE SAFETY LANYARDS AND A SUITABLE SAFETY HARNESS TO PREVENT FALLS
USE A SMALL STEP LADDER AS REQUIRED TO ACCESS THE SWING STAGE OVER THE EXISTING MASONRY PARAPET IF REQUIRED
LOWER THE SWINGSTAGE STARTING FROM ONE SIDE AND SLOWLY LOWER IT FOR THE FULL HEIGHT OF THE WALL, STOPPING AS REQUIRED TO EXAMINE THE CONCRETE BLOCK WORK
ONCE REVIEW OF THE FIRST PORTION OF WALL IS COMPLETE, RAISE THE SWING STAGE TO THE TOP, DISMOUNT, AND RELOCATE IT TO THE NEXT PORTION OF WALL TO BE REVIEWED. REPEAT THIS PROCESS UNTIL THE COMPLETE WALL HAS BEEN REVIEWED
USING A TELESCOPING LIFT
THE TELESCOPING LIFT OPERATOR SHALL BE FULLY FAMILIAR WITH THE EQUIPMENT AND RELATED SAFE USE OF SAME. ALL PERSONS ON THE LIFT PLATFORM SHOULD BE FAMILIAR WITH THE SAFE USE OF THIS EQUIPMENT A STRUCTURAL ENGINEER OR A COMPETENT MASON SHOULD ACCOMPANY THE LIFT OPERATOR AND UNDERTAKE THE OBSERVATIONS. A SUITABLE SAFETY HARNESS AND LANYARD SHOULD BE USED
THE LIFT SHOULD BE LOCATED ON GRADE, AND STABILISED AS REQUIRED, AND BE CAPABLE OF SAFELY CARRYING THE OPERATOR AND EITHER AN ENGINEER OR A MASON TO VIEW ALL LOCATIONS OF THE WALL. IT IS PREFERABLE TO HAVE BOTH AN OPERATOR AND AN OBSERVER
THE ACCESS GATE TO THE PLATFORM SHOULD BE SECURED ONCE ALL PARTIES HAVE BOARDED THE LIFT PLATFORM. THE ACCESS GATE SHOULD REMAIN SECURED UNTIL THE LIFT PLATFORM HAS RETURNED TO GRADE
EXAMINATION OF THE MASONRY WALL SHOULD START FROM THE FURTHEST REACH FROM GROUND; THIS LIKELY THE TOP FARTHEST PORTION OF THE PARAPET. SLOWLY LOWER THE LIFT AND EXAMINE ALL SURFACES OF THE MASONRY WALL. ONCE THE LIFT HAS REACHED THE BOTTOM, RAISE THE LIFT TO THE TOP, ADJACENT TO THE PORTION OF WALL PREVIOUSLY REVIEWED, AND COMMENCE LOWERING THE LIFT TO EXAMINE THE NEXT VERTICAL PORTION OF WALL
REPEAT THIS PROCESS UNTIL THE COMPLETE WALL HAS BEEN REVIEWED
EXAMINATION OF WALL
EXAMINE THE HORIZONTAL MORTAR JOINTS FOR ANY SIGNS OF CRACKING; WITH THE LIMITED VERTICAL REINFORCING, HORIZONTAL CRACKING SHOULD BE MINIMAL DUE TO THE VERTICAL LOAD
ADVISE THE ENGINEER OF ANY CRACKING OBSERVED, IN PARTICULAR, EXCESSIVE CRACKING. TAKE PHOTOGRAPHS OF ALL TYPICAL CRACKING
EXCESSIVE CRACKING WOULD BE THOSE CRACKS IN EXCESS OF 0.5 MM. OBTAIN A ‘POCKET MICROSCOPE’ IF POSSIBLE TO MEASURE FOR EXCESSIVE CRACK WIDTHS. IF THIS IN NOT AVAILABLE, THEN USE A SMALL METRIC STEEL RULE FOR A VISUAL COMPARISON OF THE MILLIMETRE GRADUATIONS AND THE CRACK WIDTH BY PLACING THE STEEL RULE ACROSS THE CRACK
IF HORIZONTAL CRACKING IS OBSERVED, NOTE IF THERE IS A HORIZONTAL TRANSLATION OF THE FACE OF THE WALL AT THE MORTAR JOINT TO THE BLOCK COURSING. THIS MAY BE OBSERVED BY A DISCOLOURATION AT THE MORTAR JOINT, OR A SLIGHT LIP WHERE THE MORTAR AT THE JOINT IS SHORT OR OVERLAPS THE ADJACENT BLOCK. TRY TO DETERMINE THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT
ADVISE THE ENGINEER IF VERTICAL OR DIAGONAL CRACKS ARE OBSERVED THAT HE MAY TRY TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE CRACKING
PREPARE A SIMPLE SKETCH OF THE WALL ELEVATION AND MARK THE APPROXIMATE LOCATION OF CRACKING OBSERVED AND NOTE AREAS OF EXCESSIVE CRACKING OBSERVED
EXAMINE THE CRACKING FOR INDICATIONS OF MOISTURE PENETRATION. THIS IS OFTEN ACCOMPANIED WITH FINE BLACK DUST PARTICLES OR POSSIBLE RUST STAINING
TRY TO DETERMINE THE AGE OF THE CRACKING, EITHER ‘RELATIVELY RECENT’ OR ‘OLD’. IT’S NOT NORMALLY POSSIBLE TO BE EXACT
OLD CRACKS MAY HAVE SLIGHTLY ROUNDED EDGES OF BLOCK OR MORTAR. THIS CAN OFTEN OCCUR FROM MOVEMENT OF THE ADJACENT SURFACES. IF THIS APPEARS TO BE THE CASE, ADVISE THE ENGINEER OF CRACKING WITH ROUNDED EDGES. A POCKET MICROSCOPE IS GOOD FOR EXAMINING EDGES OF CRACKS
THERE MAY BE A ‘DISCONTINUITY’ OF A MORTAR OR MASONRY UNIT CRACK. THIS HAS LIKELY BEEN CAUSED BY A SMALL PORTION OF THE MORTAR OR BLOCK BEING ‘RUBBED AWAY’ AND REMOVED BY PRECIPITATION OR WIND
THE CRACKS MAY BE DISCOLOURED. THEY MAY ALSO HAVE INCLUSIONS OF FINE BLACK DUST OR POSSIBLE ‘MITE’ WEBS OR DESICCATED INSECT PARTS
NEW CRACKS ARE NORMALLY PRISTINE, NOT DISCOLOURED AND WITH SHARP, WELL DEFINED, EDGES. ADVISE THE ENGINEER OF ANY NEW CRACKING OBSERVED
PROCEDURE TO EXAMINE EXISTING MASONRY WALL
OBTAIN SWING STAGE OR TELESCOPING LIFT TO ACCESS THE FULL FACE OF THE EXISTING MASONRY WALL. EQUIPMENT SHOULD BE IN GOOD WORKING ORDER AND BE SUITABLE FOR EXAMINING THE ENTIRE EXISTING MASONRY WALL IN DETAIL
HAVE SUFFICIENT NOTE PAPER AND WRITING IMPLEMENTS. ALSO HAVE A DRAWING THAT SHOWS THE ELEVATION OF THE MASONRY WALL TO BE INSPECTED. IT IS OFTEN ADVISABLE TO HAVE TWO OR THREE DRAWING PRINTS IF IT IS NECESSARY TO INCLUDE NUMEROUS NOTES
IF POSSIBLE, HAVE A ‘POCKET MICROSCOPE’ WITH GRADUATED STADIA TO PROVIDE A CLOSE MEASUREMENT OF CRACK WIDTHS. IN LIEU OF THIS EQUIPMENT, USE A SMALL STEEL GRADUATED RULE AND A MAGNIFYING GLASS IF NECESSARY
HAVE A GOOD DIGITAL CAMERA THAT IS CAPABLE OF TAKING ‘MACRO’ PHOTOGRAPHS. THESE ARE CLEAR CLOSE UP PHOTOGRAPHS OF OBJECTS. ADJUST THE CAMERA SETTINGS SO THAT THE LARGEST NUMBER OF PIXELS ARE USED FOR EACH PHOTO
PROVIDE SAFE OPERATION
USING SWING STAGE EQUIPMENT
SWING STAGE OPERATOR TO BE FULLY FAMILIAR WITH THE EQUIPMENT AND RELATED SAFE USE OF SAME. ALL PERSONS ON THE SWING STAGE EQUIPMENT SHOULD BE FAMILIAR WITH THE SAFETY OF USING THIS EQUIPMENT A STRUCTURAL ENGINEER OR A COMPETENT MASON SHOULD ACCOMPANY THE SWING STAGE OPERATOR AND UNDERTAKE THE OBSERVATIONS. IT IS PREFERABLE TO HAVE BOTH AN OPERATOR AND AN OBSERVER
SECURE THE SWING STAGE AND SAFETY CABLES AT THE ROOF LEVEL AS REQUIRED. USE SAFETY LANYARDS AND A SUITABLE SAFETY HARNESS TO PREVENT FALLS
USE A SMALL STEP LADDER AS REQUIRED TO ACCESS THE SWING STAGE OVER THE EXISTING MASONRY PARAPET IF REQUIRED
LOWER THE SWINGSTAGE STARTING FROM ONE SIDE AND SLOWLY LOWER IT FOR THE FULL HEIGHT OF THE WALL, STOPPING AS REQUIRED TO EXAMINE THE CONCRETE BLOCK WORK
ONCE REVIEW OF THE FIRST PORTION OF WALL IS COMPLETE, RAISE THE SWING STAGE TO THE TOP, DISMOUNT, AND RELOCATE IT TO THE NEXT PORTION OF WALL TO BE REVIEWED. REPEAT THIS PROCESS UNTIL THE COMPLETE WALL HAS BEEN REVIEWED
USING A TELESCOPING LIFT
THE TELESCOPING LIFT OPERATOR SHALL BE FULLY FAMILIAR WITH THE EQUIPMENT AND RELATED SAFE USE OF SAME. ALL PERSONS ON THE LIFT PLATFORM SHOULD BE FAMILIAR WITH THE SAFE USE OF THIS EQUIPMENT A STRUCTURAL ENGINEER OR A COMPETENT MASON SHOULD ACCOMPANY THE LIFT OPERATOR AND UNDERTAKE THE OBSERVATIONS. A SUITABLE SAFETY HARNESS AND LANYARD SHOULD BE USED
THE LIFT SHOULD BE LOCATED ON GRADE, AND STABILISED AS REQUIRED, AND BE CAPABLE OF SAFELY CARRYING THE OPERATOR AND EITHER AN ENGINEER OR A MASON TO VIEW ALL LOCATIONS OF THE WALL. IT IS PREFERABLE TO HAVE BOTH AN OPERATOR AND AN OBSERVER
THE ACCESS GATE TO THE PLATFORM SHOULD BE SECURED ONCE ALL PARTIES HAVE BOARDED THE LIFT PLATFORM. THE ACCESS GATE SHOULD REMAIN SECURED UNTIL THE LIFT PLATFORM HAS RETURNED TO GRADE
EXAMINATION OF THE MASONRY WALL SHOULD START FROM THE FURTHEST REACH FROM GROUND; THIS LIKELY THE TOP FARTHEST PORTION OF THE PARAPET. SLOWLY LOWER THE LIFT AND EXAMINE ALL SURFACES OF THE MASONRY WALL. ONCE THE LIFT HAS REACHED THE BOTTOM, RAISE THE LIFT TO THE TOP, ADJACENT TO THE PORTION OF WALL PREVIOUSLY REVIEWED, AND COMMENCE LOWERING THE LIFT TO EXAMINE THE NEXT VERTICAL PORTION OF WALL
REPEAT THIS PROCESS UNTIL THE COMPLETE WALL HAS BEEN REVIEWED
EXAMINATION OF WALL
EXAMINE THE HORIZONTAL MORTAR JOINTS FOR ANY SIGNS OF CRACKING; WITH THE LIMITED VERTICAL REINFORCING, HORIZONTAL CRACKING SHOULD BE MINIMAL DUE TO THE VERTICAL LOAD
ADVISE THE ENGINEER OF ANY CRACKING OBSERVED, IN PARTICULAR, EXCESSIVE CRACKING. TAKE PHOTOGRAPHS OF ALL TYPICAL CRACKING
EXCESSIVE CRACKING WOULD BE THOSE CRACKS IN EXCESS OF 0.5 MM. OBTAIN A ‘POCKET MICROSCOPE’ IF POSSIBLE TO MEASURE FOR EXCESSIVE CRACK WIDTHS. IF THIS IN NOT AVAILABLE, THEN USE A SMALL METRIC STEEL RULE FOR A VISUAL COMPARISON OF THE MILLIMETRE GRADUATIONS AND THE CRACK WIDTH BY PLACING THE STEEL RULE ACROSS THE CRACK
IF HORIZONTAL CRACKING IS OBSERVED, NOTE IF THERE IS A HORIZONTAL TRANSLATION OF THE FACE OF THE WALL AT THE MORTAR JOINT TO THE BLOCK COURSING. THIS MAY BE OBSERVED BY A DISCOLOURATION AT THE MORTAR JOINT, OR A SLIGHT LIP WHERE THE MORTAR AT THE JOINT IS SHORT OR OVERLAPS THE ADJACENT BLOCK. TRY TO DETERMINE THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT
ADVISE THE ENGINEER IF VERTICAL OR DIAGONAL CRACKS ARE OBSERVED THAT HE MAY TRY TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE CRACKING
PREPARE A SIMPLE SKETCH OF THE WALL ELEVATION AND MARK THE APPROXIMATE LOCATION OF CRACKING OBSERVED AND NOTE AREAS OF EXCESSIVE CRACKING OBSERVED
EXAMINE THE CRACKING FOR INDICATIONS OF MOISTURE PENETRATION. THIS IS OFTEN ACCOMPANIED WITH FINE BLACK DUST PARTICLES OR POSSIBLE RUST STAINING
TRY TO DETERMINE THE AGE OF THE CRACKING, EITHER ‘RELATIVELY RECENT’ OR ‘OLD’. IT’S NOT NORMALLY POSSIBLE TO BE EXACT
OLD CRACKS MAY HAVE SLIGHTLY ROUNDED EDGES OF BLOCK OR MORTAR. THIS CAN OFTEN OCCUR FROM MOVEMENT OF THE ADJACENT SURFACES. IF THIS APPEARS TO BE THE CASE, ADVISE THE ENGINEER OF CRACKING WITH ROUNDED EDGES. A POCKET MICROSCOPE IS GOOD FOR EXAMINING EDGES OF CRACKS
THERE MAY BE A ‘DISCONTINUITY’ OF A MORTAR OR MASONRY UNIT CRACK. THIS HAS LIKELY BEEN CAUSED BY A SMALL PORTION OF THE MORTAR OR BLOCK BEING ‘RUBBED AWAY’ AND REMOVED BY PRECIPITATION OR WIND
THE CRACKS MAY BE DISCOLOURED. THEY MAY ALSO HAVE INCLUSIONS OF FINE BLACK DUST OR POSSIBLE ‘MITE’ WEBS OR DESICCATED INSECT PARTS
NEW CRACKS ARE NORMALLY PRISTINE, NOT DISCOLOURED AND WITH SHARP, WELL DEFINED, EDGES. ADVISE THE ENGINEER OF ANY NEW CRACKING OBSERVED
