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As an inspector what is your most valuable tool?

mmmarvel

mmmarvel

MODERATOR
Joined
Oct 29, 2009
Messages
336
Location
Houston, TX
Is it your code books? Yes ...

Is it your tape? Could be ...

Your eyes? Your ears???

For my job (which is very different than most other inspectors on this board) they love my digital camera. The city supplies them, if we ask for them - yet out of 10 inspectors only 5 of us have asked for the camera and only 3 of us use them on any kind of regular basis. The old adage, a picture is worth a thousand words have made them invaluable. The added bonus that I can take LOTS of pictures and only use those that show what I need to see, plus being able to see them immediately. I can (and do) add them to my reports, which my PM love (there are fights over who gets me as the inspector on a project).

What is YOUR most valuable tool?
 
"As an Inspector; what is your most valuable tool?"

My knowledge of the Codes. It's also my most expensive tool; and requires several hours of daily maintenance. :D

Uncle Bob
 
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The right attitude with code knowledge as the back-up. A thick skin helps. I think inspectors need a toolbox, not just one tool. :-)
 
* * *

My most important tool is my health & my time, which [ IMO ] encompasses

everything that has [ or will be ] mentioned.

* * *
 
Uncle Bob said:
"As an Inspector; what is your most valuable tool?"My knowledge of the Codes. It's also my most expensive tool; and requires several hours of daily maintenance. :D

Uncle Bob
Click to expand...
Well put and I agree.

Chris
 
Looking ahead.

When I am inspecting a stem wall I go over the anchor bolts spacing required for the shear wall.

At the framing, plumbing, mechanical and air seal inspection, I check the smoke detectors locations, egress windows and safety glass.
 
I-Quest. Our inspectors are multi disciplined in res, building, plumbing, mech, fuel gas, energy and fire so I get a lot of calls for verification of codes and I-Quest saves a lot of time and this board when I get stumped.
 
tact (tkt)

n.

1. Acute sensitivity to what is proper and appropriate in dealing with others, including the ability to speak or act without offending.

2. Archaic The sense of touch.

how I deal with people
 
Very good tools all; We must also be able to deal with difficult people and situations where the gray matter in the code applies and as TXT mentions and HD says the gray matter and relative attitude will dictate how successful we are at it.



Code knowledge is great and something all us code geeks should strive for. When we’re spent and can’t deal with the difficult situations at that moment, JP’s silver bullet or my preferred Fat Tire (after hours of course) may aid us through to the next day and where we hopefully don’t allow it to carry over.



I’ll have to look into that I-Quest MT. Never used it and seen you mention it previously.



We can never have enough tools in our tool box.
 
All good answers and I agree with the above. Now not much common sense in the code book, very little with DP's and almost none with contractors and the public. However, common sense tells you if the building is on fire! Get out! But the exit signs and E- lights tell you were.
 
mmmarvel said:
Your eyes? Your ears???

For my job (which is very different than most other inspectors on this board) they love my digital camera. The city supplies them, if we ask for them - yet out of 10 inspectors only 5 of us have asked for the camera and only 3 of us use them on any kind of regular basis. The old adage, a picture is worth a thousand words have made them invaluable. The added bonus that I can take LOTS of pictures and only use those that show what I need to see, plus being able to see them immediately. I can (and do) add them to my reports, which my PM love (there are fights over who gets me as the inspector on a project).
Click to expand...
This is the single most valuable tool outside of the actual knowledge of code and procedures. We all have cameras in the department. I document every ticket I write(up to 10 a day) with a picture of the zoning violation and a picture of the front of the house with house number. I photo every site I go to for a complaint. I photo every posting of stop work, dangerous and unsafe, or violation letter. When someone refuses to sign for a letter, we glue it to the front door and get a picture of it along with the house number in the shot. This is as good as a signature as far as our judges have been concerned. We have a clear guide on how to document a situation and the order in which to get your pictures to show how you found the violation and showing that it's in clear view of the public way or from a place we have permission to be at. Today I took over 50 pictures, any given day will be at least 10. We have someone in the office who downloads them, and categorizes them for quick access. We simply hand over the memory stick and take a blank one in return.
 
code knowledge... the camera is a good tool for the tool box.. but I've seen hundreds of "code violation" pictures that are pretty much meaningless. Great if you were the photographer and can explain what you saw.. not always so great for the next person who has to explain what the photographer was looking at.
 
Each of us is responsible for preparing our own evidence packages to go to court. Along with the pictures is a description of what each picture is indicating. The commissioner then goes to court with it all in hand. The zoning violations are pretty self explanatory, most are vehicles without tags or parked on non impervious surfaces, hard to mistaken what is going on there. Today I took 10 shots to bckup my claim of maintenance violations, the shots of the completely totted off posts was pretty self explanatory as well.
 
When I first read the question, I was trying to think of something I had that was "other than inside me", for instance camera, tape measure, code books, etc. as opposed to code knowledge, attitude, etc.

The most valuable "external" tool I have is a City Management that backs me up when I do the right thing by enforcing the code. Without that tool, life would be very difficult, and the job would be very different.
 
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