Indian Reservation Roads Program

Transcription

[camera shutter noise] the road construction inspector or CI has a very important job to do it is up to him or her to make sure the road construction project is being carried out as planned in every detail without proper inspection final product which is a road that thousands of people may travel for many years could fail this failure may cost your tribe thousands of dollars to repair even worse it could costs residents of your reservation their very lives [traditional tribal song] welcome to this presentation on travel road construction inspection documentation during this program we'll explain the duties of a construction inspector and demonstrate the proper ways to carry out those duties we'll closely examine the various reporting forms and other documents that you'll be using both in the field and in your office the information we're presenting here is also available in the road work ahead guide that accompanies this DVD which contains more in-depth information on the subject the guide also contains definitions of some of the terms we'll be using we've got a lot of ground to cover here so let's get started [traditional tribal song] to be a construction inspector there are three basic things you must be able to do observe record and communicate that is observe the details of what's happening at the construction site on a day-to-day basis record what you observe in a standardized way on a regular basis and communicate what's happening to other individuals and agencies that need to know in order to do the job properly you should be the first person on the site each morning and the last person to leave at the end of the day that way you don't miss any critical construction activity the main purpose of these tasks is to be able to confirm and document that the construction contractors are complying with the terms of his contract which assures overall quality of the project and allows a project owner to make payments to the contractor every approve construction project starts with a set of plans and specifications to provide the details on all aspects of the job it is part of the job of construction inspector to be thoroughly familiar with these plans and specs so before ever going to the construction job site inspector must take time to review these documents and markup for use posted notes to cross-reference items to watch every construction project accumulates various documents as the project progresses and these documents must be organized and safeguard so they're usually kept all together in the project Master file this file box is something an inspector needs to access almost every day during the construction project now let's review the official duties of a construction inspector if you have a copy of the guide you may want to follow along in part 1 number one inspector must be able to read comprehend interpret all elements of the project plans and specifications this includes such items as addenda change orders detail sketches temporary traffic control plans erosion and sediment control plans as well as sampling and testing schedules for definitions of these items check the glossary in the back of the accompanying guide number two inspector was keep and maintain daily construct reports of field observations of construction activities materials testings equipment employee working hours on the project delays weather conditions unusual activities or events mishaps and accidents that occur at the job site all being reference to center line stationing and pay items number three keep and maintain a project diary for recording working hours on the project site data relative to the extra materials or deductions weather effects list of visitors to the site conversations and discussions of different opinions or disagreements with the contractor the may resolve disputes or delays including rejections and reasons the daily diary should be signed by the field representative each day number four inspector must be able to identify and note any unsatisfactory materials or work clearly inform the contractor superintendent any unacceptable or defective work or materials with a written follow-up a copy sent to the COR number five check that all materials arriving on the project site are in compliance with the project specification requirements obtain test reports analyses and manufacture certificates prior to the incorporation of materials into the project number six confer with the COR and contractor on the monthly estimates for pay request verify the work completed and assure quantities indicated on the estimate match recorded quantities number seven make sure that all permits are obtained and posters to be publicly displayed are in place number eight attend the pre-construction conference progress meetings any project related conferences when contract work activities permit so to recap can anyone tell me the three basic tasks construction inspector must be able to perform observe record and communicate that's right observe record communicate now before we go on does anyone have any other questions if a contractor is outta compliance in the contract are you supposed to make him stop and tell him what he's doing wrong no the inspector can't tell the contractors to stop work nor can you tell the contractor what to do and we'll cover this in a little more detail in a few minutes [traditional tribal song] inspectors duties include monitoring the quality of materials and the quality of work as well as interacting with the contractors representatives on a day-to-day basis these duties are as follows: number one check stakeout survey or other prescribed specifications required in order to perform the work included in the construction contract number two answer technical questions of the construction contractor clarifying but not changing the construction contract requirements number three measure or verify the quantities of work performed for the project owners receive a report number four make qualitative or quantitative judgments that may be required by the contract at the site of the work for example determining if specific sections of guardrail can be salvaged [traditional tribal song] inspectors duties include providing current documentation on project progress using systems and methods developed by the tribe by BIA or the government agency responsible for the project this documentation will include these components number one inspectors daily dairy which provides narratives of activities events and discussions that occurred at the job site number two the daily log which records all contractor activities including number of hours worked by each contractor employee and equipment location number three results of measurements computations and other activities supporting payment for all items in the contract we'll cover this in more detail later number four a monthly report an estimated quantities to keep the project owner updated on the status of the project number five test results measurements and other documentation verifying the adequacy of the contractors quality control systems and compliance with the terms of the contract number six labeled photographs of the different construction operations providing a pictorial record of the project's construction stages we'll discuss this in more detail later number seven survey notes and records of other measurements are for the project owners final record to check adjust or locate the various features of the project as they are constructed an original of each of these items should be provided to the project owner and becomes property of the project owner [traditional tribal song] we had a question earlier about what an inspector can and cannot do on a job site inspectors have very limited authority essentially inspector doesn't have the authority to tell anyone on the project what when or how to do anything remember the inspectors there to observe record also inspector must record any deviation from the project contract plans and specifications and notify the contractor on the project manager however as I said earlier the inspector cannot stop or cause any delays of the work in progress except for a imminent life-threatening situations discussion concerning the contractors organization equipment construction methods or efficiency should be handled by the project engineer not the inspector also orders that alter the contractor specifications or create additional liability to the project owner must come from the project engineer inspector shall not advise or give instructions to contractor personnel regarding construction procedures or techniques but should only ask what they're doing what if you see an unsafe practice on a job site say a dozer operator is not wearing his hard hat record what you observe in your diary then inform the contractor superintendent and the project manager about what you saw [traditional tribal song] it is responsibility of the inspectors employer to provide the proper attire and equipment for the project this is for the inspectors own safety and effectiveness an inspector must wear to the job site a hardhat steel-toed safety issues safety vest and other items such as goggles or dust masks when needed the necessary bound diaries daily weekly report forms in other documents must be provided by the inspectors employer items a construction inspectors often use in the field include infrared thermometer engineering scale calculator measuring tape and field guide for work zone traffic control there are several standardized reporting documents used by inspectors to report construction activities in daily weekly monthly units of time for example there's a project diary the daily log and the weekly construction report we'll go over each to these one at a time [traditional tribal song] every road construction project must have a diary every inspector must write what happens on the job site in that diary every day the diary is a bound book that is designed in such a way that no pages can be added or removed these books with bound line pages are available from many sources including the federal government's GSA Printing Office the project diary is one of the most important records made during the progress of construction diary entry should therefore be factual concise complete legible and written in ink when properly maintained the project diary provides valuable information when evidence and disputes about the project arise later you should include the following information in your diary date names visitors to the site and purpose of visit progress of construction work explanations why work was not completed on schedule accidents that occur on site the substance of important conversations with the contractor comments on construction safety comments on traffic control and signage discussion of erosion control and other environmental concerns any information not covered in other reports that may have a bearing on future developments remember to sign each day's entry with a full signature not just initials the diary is considered to be an official government document it is to be safeguarded and turned in with all other project records at the conclusion of a project the use of tape recorders sketches and photographs during construction is considered very beneficial particularly if disputes arise later tapes drawings and photographs should be noted in the diary [traditional tribal song] photographs can be an important part of a project records the old saying a picture is worth a thousand words applies here photo serve to document unusual occurrences such as mud slides cave-ins floods or actual conditions when a contractor alleges differing site conditions they can also document unusual construction features non-conforming material or methods accidents involving death personal injury or property damage encroachments within the right away and other such occurrences and conditions they are invaluable as evidence the case a controversy develops during construction contract which results in litigation there especially useful when construction contract encompasses a long period of time as much as two or three years as memories fade and project personnel transfer to other projects photographs provide direct evidence of the conditions that existed at the time the dispute arose clarity of the photo in a good composition are very important a proper identification is necessary the back of the photo should be labeled with the name of the photographer the date taken and the location no photolog is required as long as the photos are properly identified [traditional tribal song] the daily log is a specific form that must be submitted at the end of each workday it summarizes required specific information about that day's construction activities in combination with project diary the Daily Log will supply support documentation for negotiation with the contractor concerning contract modifications price adjustments and possible claims some of the information that goes into the diary will also go in to the Daily Log one major difference is the diary always contains information about conversations with the contractor or his representative in a narrative description of the work problems the daily log on the other hand reports today's weather conditions locations and number of men which equipment is working and which is not and the amount of production the daily log should be used to document the details of all construction operations that require inspections for conformance with plans and specifications this form provides a concise readily retrievable record of equipment time and man-hours for each significant construction operation underway on the job site this record will help verify contractors cost to justify payments adjustments or claims an important fact to remember is the failure to record an event in the log carries with it the implication that the event did not occur or was insignificant and also threatens the credibility of the entire log inspectors daily logs to be filed in the project Master file at the completion of the project yes weather conditions go on a diary as well as the daily log you can put them in both if its helpful but that information is required in the daily log [traditional tribal song] a part of the project specs for reconstruction project something called the minimum sampling schedule this document contains requirements for men on testing and sampling of the materials delivered to the project this document dictates what type of materials testing and sampling must be done and as part of the inspectors job to track these items the purpose of the sampling and testing performed on the project's is to determine whether or not materials being used match the project specification there are several items used to document sampling and testing on the project first there's the daily volume record you use this form to record the delivery of all materials for the project provide spaces to enter the load number truck number time of day location and the volume of material material receipts and weight tickets that come with every load are stapled to the back of this form because they verify what you've entered on the daily volume record a new daily volume record is started each day of the project [traditional tribal song] project specifications contain sections labeled method of measurement and basis of payment for each item of work these dictate what units of measurement are to be used for the materials and on what basis a contractor can be paid the daily volume record is used to track these items and a check against plan quantities these records are transferred to the Daily Log each day [traditional tribal song] the construction contractor must provide certifications of compliance for all materials to be placed on the roadway before they're installed these certificates or to be retained at the job site and are to be included in the project Master file inspectors must assure that every delivery meet specifications by checking the bill of lading more specific instructions about asphalt inspection are located in the accompanying guide next there's a control sheet for all testing compliance for each project this sheet indicates the minimum test to be taken for each item of construction to assure that adequate samples and test are conducted during each phase of construction the original of this form is maintained by the inspector and a copy is summited weekly to the project manager [traditional tribal song] not all projects require the placement of culverts but of those that do detailed record to their installation must be kept a document known as the Culvert Book is the primary source of information regarding the installation of culverts if project plans call for them using the project ledger pages for documentation records for the culvert book include the record of structural excavations a payment is provided for complete and detailed stakeout notes for each installation including sketches stake locations and offsets information on states description of structure such as cattle guard culvert reinforced concrete box culvert bridge catch basin drop inlet et cetera references to material certification must be included size length location skew inward elevations grades data staking and data installation or construction structure with test notation and results finally quantities of rock steel and or concrete slope protection riff-raff or other items used in conjunction with the structure [traditional tribal song] weekly construction report is a valuable tool for summarizing key information on a weekly basis this report keeps the project owner and the Contracting Officer up-to-date on the project's progress this report calls for a very specific information to be summarized and generally covers major portions of the project as follows: the major types work being performed during the week and units accomplished the construction progress being made as indicated by individual contract deliverables and percent complete weather conditions an amount of man-hours clocked for the week the equipment put into or taken out of service and brief narrative summaries including engineering comments overall construction comments plus general remarks on the issues affecting the project's progress including delays [traditional tribal song] in summary I like to stress that the construction inspector plays a critical role in the execution of the road construction project a project that could take several months and cost millions of dollars without the alert eyes and ears of the inspector this project may not meet the standards and specifications it takes to create a safe long-lasting by-way that reservation residents may use for decades to come [traditional tribal song] to review the information presented here or for more information on important aspects to the inspectors job for the manual road work ahead that accompanies this program good luck to you on your next construction project [traditional tribal song]