Two week wait for plumbing inspection

[Sifu]

Inspectors willing to do that Shirley don't know the difference.

Lots of inspectors know the difference but are given way too many inspections in a day and not near enough time to do them. They are told they must get them done, "we don't roll inspections"! ISO and IAS, as big a PITA as they can be have guidelines for workload, and 30 or 40 inspections (I have seen a lot more on occasion) don't fly. Sure, an inspector could refuse and say "I can't do a quality inspection in that amount of time", and then he could apply for unemployment. MOST places have found a happy medium, some, maybe like the OP situation, have not.

 

[tmurray]

Lots of inspectors know the difference but are given way too many inspections in a day and not near enough time to do them. They are told they must get them done, "we don't roll inspections"! ISO and IAS, as big a PITA as they can be have guidelines for workload, and 30 or 40 inspections (I have seen a lot more on occasion) don't fly. Sure, an inspector could refuse and say "I can't do a quality inspection in that amount of time", and then he could apply for unemployment. MOST places have found a happy medium, some, maybe like the OP situation, have not.

I would suggest that a poor quality inspection done promptly is not much better customer service than a good quality inspection that is not completed until well after the needs of the industry demand it to be complated.

 

[Sifu]

I would suggest that a poor quality inspection done promptly is not much better customer service than a good quality inspection that is not completed until well after the needs of the industry demand it to be complated.

Exactly why I asked if we are providing any service if we overload inspectors and do sub-standard work. "Customer service" gets thrown around a lot and I always ask them to define it. "Do the best you can in the time provided" isn't really a helpful answer.

 

[ICE]

Lots of inspectors know the difference but are given way too many inspections in a day and not near enough time to do them. They are told they must get them done, "we don't roll inspections"! ISO and IAS, as big a PITA as they can be have guidelines for workload, and 30 or 40 inspections (I have seen a lot more on occasion) don't fly. Sure, an inspector could refuse and say "I can't do a quality inspection in that amount of time", and then he could apply for unemployment. MOST places have found a happy medium, some, maybe like the OP situation, have not.

30 and 40 inspections is alternate facts. An inspection is an address. For all of my time as an inspector I averaged fifteen addresses. There can be one trade or four that need an inspection.

I have never been too busy to perform a competent inspection. I have run past quitting time...but that was rare. I have no use for an inspector that would do anything less.

The excuse of getting fired unless one is willing to sacrifice quality for quantity falls short of being a moral position. I do not have the contractor’s concerns at the forefront. I am there for the owner and ultimately, the occupant. I endeavor to aid the contractor in the production of code compliant work. I am not there to provide outstanding customer service.

“Customer service” What is that coming from a building department? It is a BS term used to make everyone feel special. If an inspector shows up and conducts an inspection without missing violations...that’s all the customer service anyone is entitled to. It doesn’t get better than that.

Some jurisdictions gauge their customer service performance on the level of complaints they field. I submit that the more complaints there are....the greater the customer service.

 

[Sifu]

They may be alternate facts where you are but I have seen it and stand by it. What typically happens is they run in, fail them for not being ready and run out, and hope for an easier day the next time it rolls around (GREAT SERVICE). 15 to 18 "stops" is about as much as can be done effectively. However, a frame inspection on a 15,000^ft house can chew up a lot of time and reduce that number. Add plumbing and mechanical and you can spend 1/2 the day or more there. Add a restaurant inspection or office building and you're pretty much done. Then you have 10 more. I HAVE LIVED IT, so I know the facts are not distorted. 15 full frame and roughs....best case is 1/2 hour per stop. That's about 7 minutes each to look at frame, plumbing, mechanical, and electrical (if included). Add in drive time and you are on OT, and never mind a lunch break, time to make data entry, get the list in the morning, etc. That may work for some but many AHJ's are allergic to OT. Then what? I have talked with some AHJ's that require a mandatory 2 hours of OT a day, you have no choice. That too is sketchy, based purely on fatigue. On the other hand 20 roofs isn't a big deal. Most AHJ's know how to dole out an equitable schedule but some are so busy there is no equity. It's just GO!

Fear of getting fired, written up or otherwise disciplined may not be moral, but it is the real world. You may be blessed where you are but not everyone works in a moral department where they pay more than lip service to doing the right thing.

But I am in complete agreement about the BS term "customer service". Every month we get to hear the results of the "customer satisfaction survey" with the building department.

Anyway, the thread has drifted, and we probably aren't helping the OP anymore. Probably just making him mad.

 

[jar546]

This is not reasonable.

This is normal when you have separate inspectors for each discipline. You can't sign off on framing and then have a plumber come in and move or hack away at framing members. Every single municipality that does not have a one-man army who does it all and all MEPs must be signed off before you can have a framing inspection.

 

[Yikes]

A thread started 3+ years ago gets a reply, and the thread topic is about dealing with inspectors that take too long to respond.

 

[Inspector Gadget]

But I am in complete agreement about the BS term "customer service". Every month we get to hear the results of the "customer satisfaction survey" with the building department.

If "making the customer happy" was the primary metric, I'd be out of a job. While I am not insensitive to client needs, and try to do the best I can, ultimately my responsibility is to make sure stuff is done right, first and foremost.

 

[Mr. Inspector]

We require a day's notice for inspections. First come first served. Once in a while we get overloaded, and we tell them they need to wait another day, never more than that. We can call in inspectors from other areas too. Our 3rd party company does not do overtime. We work like we get salary. might need to do more than 8 hours when busy but less on other days. If it snows bad, I stay home and get paid. Does Jar get paid to sit at home during hurricanes?