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Technical audits and expert inspections · Lesson 4 of 4

Technical audits and expert inspections: defects, verification and case study

Evidence versus opinion, independence, why interior leaks need investigation, why a leaking roof is not accepted, how to verify repairs building-wide, what an expert opinion needs, and an illustrative three-record reconciliation.

You will be able to: Tell a finding that rests on evidence from an opinion, separate a checker with a stake from an independent one, explain why a leak may not be at the leak, verify a correction, and reconcile separate records in a case study.

11 min · 11 slides · 8 questions

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Slide 1 of 11

Evidence or opinion

A record a stranger can follow gives the location, the date and time, who observed, what was measured with its unit, the criterion and its document, a photo reference and the witnesses.

A remark such as "looks sloppy and probably leaks" gives a reader nothing to check.

NIBS test documentation and UFC's daily journal and photos are the published models for this kind of record.

A finding written as evidence, not opinionThree panels. Evidence: a record gives the place, date, time and observer, the measurement with its unit, the criterion and its document, a photo reference and the witnesses. Opinion: the remark flashing looks sloppy and probably leaks, which gives nothing to check. Who checked it: as practice advice, a crew checking its own work has a stake; someone with no stake is an independent peer review (NIBS Guideline 3).Evidence: a stranger can follow itWhere: grid line and elevationWhen: date, time and who observedWhat: seen and measured, with unitCompared with: the named documentPhoto reference and witness nameOpinion: nothing to check"Flashing looks sloppy andprobably leaks."No place, unit, criterion or witness.Who checked itPractice advice: a crewchecking its own work has a stakeSomeone with no stake checks:independent peer review

Three panels. Evidence: a record gives the place, the date, time and observer, what was measured with its unit, the criterion and its document, a photo reference and the witnesses. Opinion: the remark flashing looks sloppy and probably leaks, with no place, unit, criterion or witness. Who checked it: as practice advice, a crew checking its own work has a stake, while someone with no stake is an independent peer review.

The evidence list follows NIBS test documentation (6.2.16) and UFC E-4.1; the independent review wording is NIBS Guideline 3's definition.

Sources

Videos for this lesson

What this video shows: Warranty inspectors from one metal roofing manufacturer react to photos of good and bad commercial metal roofing installations. One manufacturer's program; read the warranty on your own roof.

Video: Roofing Inspectors React to Good and Bad Metal Roofing Installations by The Metal Roofing Channel, on YouTube. Chosen from the video's published description.

What this video shows: An enclosure-science explainer: water, air, vapor and thermal control layers must be continuous, and where there is discontinuity leaks are often found. It does not set an inspection method.

Video: Cup of Joe - Continuity of Control Layers by BuildingScience-com Corporation, on YouTube. Chosen from the video's published description.

Glossary

Reference point
A fixed place on the roof from which interior leak damage is measured so the matching roof area can be found (UFC 3-110-03).
Population
The full set of items an audit asks about, such as every piece on an order. Records are compared with it so a missing record shows up as a gap rather than a guess.
Close-out documents
The documents handed over when work is finished. UFC says the field inspector's photos and daily journal are part of them.
Expert witness
A witness qualified by knowledge, skill, experience, training or education whose opinion meets the reliability conditions of Federal Rule of Evidence 702.