quality corner

July 2006

AISC Certification as an Alternative to

Code-Required Special Inspections
AISC Certification provides help for industry professionals
new to special inspection requirements.
BY BRIAN MILLER

R
REQUIREMENTS FOR STRUCTURAL TESTS instance, single-pass fillet welds not exceeding
AND SPECIAL INSPECTIONS ARE NOT NEW. 5⁄ 16”in size. Summary in 50
Building codes and project specifications have in- Along with broader building project applicabil- Words or Less
cluded these requirements for a number of years. ity, Section 1704 of the IBC sets forth specific re-
➜ Adoption and
However, requirements have typically been re- sponsibilities and expectations that may be new to
enforcement of
served for projects with a critical use or that use many building officials, design professionals, and
model building
unusual structural systems or materials. owners. When special inspections are required by
code provisions for
So how are things different now? To begin IBC Section 1704, both the building official and
structural tests and
with, expanding adoption and enforcement of the the design professional are engaged in the process
special inspections is
Chapter 17 provisions of the International Building of qualifying the individuals or firms who will con-
increasing through-
Code (IBC) are bringing structural tests and special duct the inspections. Certifications and accredita-
out the United
inspections to projects where they were previously tions by recognized agencies such as IAS, AWS,
States.
not required. This direction in code development ASNT and others can make this work easier, but
reflects a growing understanding of the contribu- often a lack of available individuals or firms carry- ➜ A quality manage-
tion that quality construction makes to the safety ing these credentials leads to a qualifying process ment system imple-
of building occupants as well as to the overall value that consumes significant time and resources. In mented for AISC
of buildings. Although the phrase “special inspec- at least one municipality in the United States, the Certification can
tion” is used, we will see that the requirements of building department has amended the IBC provi- reduce the scope or
the IBC combine process evaluation (quality as- sions to relegate this responsibility (and the provi- eliminate the need
surance) along with product inspection to enhance sion of the needed time and resources) to the de- for structural tests
construction quality. sign professional. and special inspec-
tions for many build-
Which projects need special inspections? Statement of Special Inspections ing projects.
For what size and type of project are special Design professionals accustomed to projects of
inspections required? IBC Chapter 17 extends modest size and complexity could find themselves
the applicability of special inspections to smaller unprepared for enforcement of the IBC Sec-
and simpler buildings of all construction mate- tion 1704 requirement that a Statement of Special
rials. But for steel construction specifically, IBC Inspections be prepared and submitted with the
Section 1704.3 only allows exception from spe- application as a condition of permit issuance. The
cial inspections for steel elements on which the IBC requirements place the onus on the design
fabricator does not perform any welding, ther- professional to list the work requiring special in-
mal cutting, or heating operation of any kind as spection, the type and extent of inspections to be
part of the fabrication process. Very few struc- performed, and the qualified individuals or firms
tural steel projects would qualify for this excep- intended to conduct the inspections in advance of
tion. Even if one did, the fabricator is obligated receiving a building permit.
to submit a detailed procedure for material con- Determining the work scope for the State-
trol. Emphasis of the basic nature of the special ment of Special Inspections can be challenging.
inspection requirements is seen in the second Uncertainty exists in that specific members of the
exception of IBC Section 1704.3 where period- project team are not likely identified by the time
ic rather than continuous special inspection of of permit application. An increase in the scope
welding is allowed only in very limited cases; for of special inspections to cover this uncertainty is

Quality Corner is a monthly feature that covers topics ranging from how to specify a certified company to how long it takes to
become a certified company. If you are interested in browsing our electronic archive, please visit www.aisc.org/QualityCorner.

JULY 2006 MODERN STEEL CONSTRUCTION

Inspection vs.
Quality Management
Can process control provided by a
quality management system assure
the level of quality that special
inspection can? Yes, when the quality
management system includes written
procedures for developing inspec-
tion plans, conducting inspection
activities, and training inspection
personnel as the AISC Certification
programs require. Special inspec-
tors cannot be everywhere at once,
and adding inspection hold points
to production increases cost. Process
control often provides better assur-
ance of quality than special inspec-
tion where important aspects are not
visible when the work is completed.
Consider as examples welding where
joint preparation and fit-up are impor-
tant or coating application where
surface preparation can be critical to
the quality of the finished product.

unlikely to be well received by the project fabricator is approved in accordance with the verification is made through a compre-
owner—IBC provisions require that the Section 1704.2.2, which states in part that: hensive audit to stringent industry-specific
owner employ the special inspector. “Special inspections required by this performance criteria by trained auditors
Determining the level of special inspec- code are not required where the work and industry professionals. Quality Man-
tor services required can be particularly is done on the premises of a fabricator agement Company, LLC (QMC) audits 15
difficult where IBC Section 1704.2 may registered and approved to perform areas specific to structural steel fabrication
require the special inspector to not only such work without special inspection. annually and more frequently when signifi-
inspect the fabricated product, but also to Approval shall be based upon review cant changes take place at a certified firm.
audit the fabricator’s detailed fabrication of the fabricator’s written procedural The audits encompass quality management
and quality control procedures. A special and quality control manuals and pe- system documentation and on-site opera-
inspector who is skilled and confident in riodic auditing of fabrication practice tions that include, in part: contract review,
performing product inspection may not by an approved special inspection document and record control, material
feel as confident when tasked with effec- agency.” identification, process control, inspection
tively evaluating complex procedures, pro- and testing, and training. QMC auditors
cesses, and systems. Approved vs. Non-approved look closely for a demonstrated commit-
Fabricators ment to quality by assessing effective han-
AISC Certification Can Help The word approval has special mean- dling of non-conformances with corrective
So what benefit and value does AISC ing in the IBC, referring specifically to the action, internal audits, and management
Certification provide? AISC Certification building code official or authority having review of the quality management system.
can serve to eliminate the IBC requirement jurisdiction. The AISC Certification pro- QMC assures high standards for AISC
for special inspection of fabricated struc- gram is widely recognized for its effec- Certification audits: personnel are care-
tural steel for many building projects. tiveness in assuring quality and is usually fully selected, regular auditor training is
IBC Section 1704.2 requires special accepted by code authorities as a basis for provided (including biannual formal train-
inspection of fabricated items (product) approval. ing workshops), and fabricators are offered
where fabrication of structural load-bearing No matter how well-implemented or a different auditor for each scheduled audit
members and assemblies is performed on effective the quality management system of to enhance objectivity. And what may be
the premises of a fabrication shop. How- a fabrication firm may be, the IBC requires particularly good news for some is that, un-
ever, an exception to this requirement for periodic verification. In the case of fabrica- like the non-approved fabricator, the cost
special inspections is provided where the tor approval based on AISC Certification, of the quality management system verifica-

MODERN STEEL CONSTRUCTION JULY 2006

“Approval” of Steel Fabricators by Building Officials
According to the International Building Code, the building official has the ultimate authority for approving fabricators. Depending
on the resources available to the local building authority, this selection process can be as simple as “Are they AISC Certified?”
However, jurisdictions with more resources may take on the burden of approving individual facilities on a project-by-project basis.
This table illustrates how the code requirements (and subsequently the resources needed) can change depending on whether the
fabricator is approved.

Responsible party and/or check writer if the

IBC Requirement fabricator for your project is:
per Chapter 17
approved not approved
Qualify special inspectors/firms for steel Design professional is responsible with the cost borne by the
Not required
fabrication owner

Develop Statement of Special Inspections

Not required Design professional at the owner’s expense
for steel fabrication
Approve Statement of Special Inspections
Building official on a project-by-project basis at the building
and special inspectors/firms for steel Not required
code authority’s expense
fabrication
Conduct special inspections for steel
Not required Special inspector at the owner’s expense
fabrication and prepare reports
Develop criteria, prepare audit plan, QMC- or IAS-accredited
Special inspector on a project-by-project basis at the owner’s
select auditors, and periodically verify inspection agency at the
expense
fabricator quality management system fabricator’s expense
Identify and resolve discrepancies with Special inspector and design professional at owner’s risk and
Fabricator is responsible
approved construction documents expense

Submit certificate of compliance to build-

Fabricator is responsible Special inspector is responsible at owner’s expense
ing official

tion provided through AISC Certification misconception is predicated on the myth

is borne by the fabrication firm. that it is less expensive to deliver low qual-
As a recognized leader in the steel ity than high. Philip Crosby, author of
construction industry, AISC is contacted the book Quality is Free, and a number of
frequently by individuals trying to de- other notable quality professionals have
velop their own criteria for evaluating researched this and found that the waste
non-approved fabricators. Verification of a reduction and efficiency gain associated
non-approved fabricator’s quality manage- with providing higher quality usually low-
ment system is project-specific and requires ers (yes, lowers) production costs. A fabri-
the special inspector to develop evaluation cation firm’s management demonstrates a
criteria and audit plans, select (and perhaps commitment to quality by becoming AISC
train) auditors, and to document the veri- Certified. Affirmation of this commitment
fication—all at the expense of the project is provided to the building official upon
owner and often under project schedule completion of fabrication, when the fabri-
pressure. Like the approved fabricators, cator, as per IBC Section 1704.2.2, submits
non-approved fabricators are fully respon- a “certificate of compliance” stating that
sible for executing work and conducting the work was performed in accordance
inspections in accordance with contract with approved construction documents.
document requirements. However, unlike Visit www.aisc.org/certification for
the approved fabricator, the non-approved more information about AISC Certification
fabricator is not required to submit a cer- and how it could serve the special inspec-
tificate of compliance to the building offi- tion needs of your project, or share your in-
cial. Instead, this responsibility shifts to the terest in a message to [email protected].
special inspector and the risk and expense
is borne by the project owner. Brian Miller is AISC’s Manager of Certifica-
There are some who believe that the tion Standard Development.
fabricator is incapable of conducting in-
dependent and objective inspection as part
of their quality management system. This

JULY 2006 MODERN STEEL CONSTRUCTION