Inspectors (a.h.j)

[radiopet]

It seems wrong to me to have municipal employees enforcing private contracts. :-?

Bob, They dont have to......just wont be allowed to do any work in the municipal area unless they comply with approved drawings. The Electrician is not qualified ( on engineered drawings ) to make that choice once they are done by the PE and then submitted for plan review.

If the local municipal accepts the drawings and stamps them, it is up to the electrical contractor to install it as accepted.

They have the choice to BID the job or not bid it...

When I finally approve a submitted plan , it is looked over for a considerable amount of time and if an engineer did the drawings then his intent must be followed, If he wants (2) 10' ground rods of steel for some reason and the local electrician installs (2) 8' rods then it is not by the drawings and it is failed....while some might not agree...in the end it is how the process works.

I realize this may not take place in your industrial setting ( not sure ) but in municipal review this is how it is done.

 

[don_resqcapt19]

Paul,
Lacking an officially adopted rule or law requiring compliance with the plans and specs, the building official can only enforce the adopted codes no matter what is on the plans. There are no rules or laws in my area that would permit an municipal inspector to enforce anything other than the adopted codes. The enforcement of the plans and specs is a private contract issue between the contractor, owner and engineer. And yes we do plan review, the purpose of which is to catch and correct code violations before they are installed. If the design meets or exceeds the code the permit is issued, but the inspection will only be to the legally adopted codes, not the plans and specs.

 

[iwire]

I realize this may not take place in your industrial setting ( not sure ) but in municipal review this is how it is done.

Paul, as fas as I know it does not happen in this State regardless of the setting.

I understand each area does thing differently.

My only comment was simple. Why are municipal employees enforcing private contracts?

 

[mdshunk]

Why are municipal employees enforcing private contracts?

They don't in my area, and I'd have a problem with it if they did. Since we have private, third party, inspections, the municipal inspector and the "spec inspector" are often the same guy. You just won't get a red tag for the spec violation. Just a chewing out by the GC. I have no idea how they work out payment to the inspector when he wears both hats.

 

[DanZ]

Paul, as fas as I know it does not happen in this State regardless of the setting.

I understand each area does thing differently.

My only comment was simple. Why are municipal employees enforcing private contracts?

In Ohio, I have run into several situations where the AHJ says "I'd like to pass you, but this is on the drawings, so it's gotta be done that way." Sometimes it's a major "Why didn't you follow the freaking plans!/Why do I draw the freaking plans!" problem, more often it's something like a fixture change by owner. Either way, it's usually remedied by a letter.

 

[SEO]

An electrical inspector should not inspect using vest pocket rules. An electrical inspector should inspect using the codes and local ordinances that his Municipality has adopted and if that includes inspecting design installation (which I feel is wrong) than thats how he should inspect.

 

[brian john]

In my expierence most inspectors have barely enough time to inspect to code much less do plan review on the job for compliance.