Conducting a site inspection is a vital part of any kind of construction project. A site inspection can make sure that work is being carried out correctly and to the necessary standard as well as being on schedule, and that everything is within health and safety requirements.
Sites are naturally dangerous environments given the amount of machinery and heavy equipment they harbour, as well as lots of people and moving pieces. Conducting a site inspection and having a site inspection checklist is one of the best methods for ensuring that sites are well managed and dangerous accidents can be avoided.
Preparation
The first step an inspector needs to take in conducting a site inspection is to make sure that they have all the necessary tools they will require to perform the inspection in a thorough manner. These tools include the likes of a camera, hard hat, tape measure and work boots etc. However, the most crucial item an inspector needs to have on hand are the relevant documents.
Good document management is a vital element in preparing for a site inspection. Inspectors need to be able to access the most recent drawings to work from, which they can make use of in order to plan out the inspection and compile a checklist.
Reliance on paper documents can overcomplicate the process and it can take a lot of time to source drawings and make sure they are the most recent.
An integrated digital software solution is one of a number of inspection apps that can be used to make the task easier for an inspector, providing instant access to the most recent drawings from smartphones or tablets in addition to offering a complete timeline of who did the work and when.
Conducting the inspection
Once the preparation has been successfully completed, an inspector will then be required to walk the site to make sure if everything has been built to the specifications laid out in the plans and drawings. The inspection checklist should be consulted to ensure all work has been done as planned, within safety regulations and up to the quality standards expected.
Traditional methods of doing this would involve the use of pen and paper, or the taking of notes to be typed up at a later point, but with the use of an inspection app an inspector can actually easily mark up drawings while actually onsite. Inspection reports can likewise be filled out when the inspector is still in the field, making the task simpler and also reducing admin.
Inspection apps can also easily attach any photos taken onsite to the relevant checklist and saved to the cloud, where they can be accessed by the relevant parties.
The report
In addition to being able to fill out inspection reports on site, the use of inspection apps also means that site inspection activities can be saved for future reference, while also making it a good deal simpler for the primary contractor in regards to the handover with the owner of the project.
The use of digital apps can be a huge boost to the safe and efficient conducting of site inspections.