Public Works Inspectors' Manual
By Arthur J. Miller, PE, FFES, FCSI
Editors: Silas B. Birch, Jr., Lynn D. Nicholson, Ron Price. BNi Publications, Inc., Sixth Edition
This 550-page manual is intended to provide a complete operational guidebook for professionals charged with the responsibilities of inspecting all types of public works construction for city, county, state and federal agencies. The contents provide considerable value not only for inspection personnel, but also to contractors, engineers, architects, and to students who are considering entering public works inspection as a career.
The original edition, written in 1957, was authored by Silas B. Birch, Jr, (now deceased). The sixth edition is an expansion and update of previous publications by Lynn D. Nicholson and Ron Price. Mr. Birch had an exceptional career in the inspection of public works, rising to Chief of the Department of Public Works of the city of Los Angeles. Both Ms. Nicholson and Mr. Price have equivalent responsible experience in public works inspection, primarily with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works.
Because of the authors' affiliation with exceptionally large entities, such as the city of Los Angeles, the complex detail of procedures may be much more extensive than that performed by small municipalities and agencies. Even so, by combination of functions, these smaller entities should not be precluded from making the procedures and forms set forth in this manual.
The text is divided into 4 parts, followed by an Appendix. Part One provides general information on policies, records, reports and contracting procedures. Part Two describes various construction materials and material-control procedures. Part Three describes methods of construction, methods and inspection procedures. Part Four describes final inspections and acceptance procedures. Detailed checklists are provided for all inspection procedures.
The Appendix contains a multitude of forms used in construction and inspection, with examples and explanations of required data. There are also many items of information and explanation for such details as concrete slump tests; welding procedures and evaluation, torque procedures and verification for high-strength bolts, just to name a few. The Appendix alone is a valuable resource to anyone involved in the construction industry. The volume may appear somewhat tedious in the detail of every item, but as a primer for inspection, it would certainly provide the basis for excellent quality control and the record thereof.
About the Author: Arthur J. Miller, PE, FFES, FCSI, Immediate Past President of CSRF and Senior Vice President of AVART, Inc., a Miami, FL based consulting engineering firm. Mr. Miller can be reached at artava@bellsouth.net
The CSRF newsletter is published for SPECTEXT® subscribers and others involved in design and construction. To obtain your copy of Creating a Common Language®, please contact the CSRF Support Center by telephone at 1-877- SPECTXT or 410-838-7561 or you may e-mail us at supportcenter@csrf.org
© Copyright 2007, The Construction Sciences Research Foundation, Inc. Updated January 12, 2007.
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