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Building Trust & Safety: The Essential Role of Inspectors and Contractors in Construction

Your voice has improved. Oh! you asked about the content. There are places where all of that is possible... even in my neck of the woods, but for the most part it's hit and miss. You had a fire..how about a gas explosion or a Myth Busters water heater launch.
 
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Nice.
At 3:30 it says the relationship is not adversaries but partners. I would change that to be the relationship should be as partners, not adversaries.
 
It kind of marginalizes the role of the design professional in safety and code compliance. It is a bit of an IRC versus IBC thing, as it seems the building department is almost more relied upon and essential in one and two family dwellings than, say, sky scraper or stadium.

And just to nit pick, you say all construction, but my experience is no buildings department involvement in federal buildings - certainly not NAVFAC - and also none in public schools at least in IL. Well intentioned and some good ideas, but you have to assume it will be scrutinized if it's on the www.
 
The video seems to suggest that the building inspectors role is to protect everybody.

The role of the building department is to interpret and enforce properly adopted building regulations. If the inspector imposes requirements not in the building code he has exceeded his authority.
 
Mark K said:
I was not aware that t building inspector is charged with enforcement of occupational safety laws
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This is where you are really good at trolling. The comment you replied to simply asked if we could use a video that showed someone tied off. Maybe they feel it is more professional to show someone compliant with safety laws. It was never implied that the building department was in charge of OSHA violations.
 
”I was not aware that t building inspector is charged with enforcement of occupational safety laws”

That was a not a nice comment. The BI is not charged with enforcing safety, but it’s people like you who would create a brouhaha if a safety violation was shown.
 
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e hilton said:
”I was not aware that t building inspector is charged with enforcement of occupational safety laws”

That was a not a nice comment. The BI is not charged with enforcing safety, but it’s people like you who would create a brouhaha if a safety violation was shown.
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Name calling is not very professional.

In my experience there are some building department personnel that have an inflated understanding of their role. One example is that when asked what was the code basis for his comment the plan checker's response was that if I did not comply I would not get a permit. This my way or the highway attitude is not conducive to a rational response to the comment. Building departments need to recognize that there are some rogue individuals who use their ability to cause delays to get their way.
 
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Mark K said:
Building departments need to recognize that there are some rogue individuals who use their ability to cause delays to get their way.
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The building departments know who the rogue individuals are. They know which employees are clueless. They have identified the lazy and corrupt.
 
e hilton said:
Unlike engineers?
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Engineers are not perfect. ````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````Still there is a key difference between engineers designing buildings and building department personnel.

The roles are different with the designer responsible for producing a design that meets the needs of his client as well as complying with the building code while the building department is charged with interpreting and enforcing the code. Both roles have their place

If the engineer makes a mistake and causes grief to his client he can be sued personally. On the other hand if a plan checker or inspector fails to find a problem he is protected by governmental immunity.
 
Mark K said:
On the other hand if a plan checker or inspector fails to find a problem he is protected by governmental immunity.
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Not so fast on that one. There have been third-party agencies that now completely handle all aspects of code administration, which includes permit processing, plan review, inspections, and issuance of certificates of occupancy. Many municipalities (more than you realize) utilize third-party agencies to supplement their operations and contract for plan review, inspections and even building official services as needed. As municipalities struggle to find qualified inspectors and plans examiners, they often turn to these for-profit, third-party agencies for help. The third-party agencies are required to have professional liability, also called E&O insurance. This is in addition to their general liability policies. Their insurance and limited immunity make them a target of attorneys and opens up the door to litigation. There may be some immunity extended through state statutes to third-party agencies, but attorneys have found a way around it.
 
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