Architectural Flashing Supply
Start a Quote
Technical audits and expert inspections · Lesson 3 of 4

Technical audits and expert inspections: methods and worked application

A step-by-step audit method, the checkpoints on a parapet coping, how to record evidence and word a finding, three worked examples with units, and how AFS's own stage records and takeoff flag follow the same logic.

You will be able to: Plan an audit with criteria, sample and milestones, build a checklist, record evidence and write a finding, then apply the method to an order line, a run of pieces and a survey.

11 min · 12 slides · 8 questions

All lessons in this module
Slide 1 of 12

Plan the audit

A plan fixes the criteria, the sample and the milestones before anyone starts checking.

NIBS lists observation milestones such as mock-ups, the start of new trades and randomly scheduled site reviews.

As practice advice, sample more where the risk is higher; none of the sources opened for this module sets a sampling rate for flashing audits.

The audit loop from criteria to close-outNine steps from top to bottom: set the criteria, plan the sample and milestones, observe and measure, record the evidence, write the finding, raise a non-conformance report if it fails, correct the work, verify the fix, close and report. A loop returns from verify to correct when the fix fails again.Set the criteriaPlan sample and milestonesObserve and measureRecord the evidenceWrite the findingRaise a non-conformancereport if it failsCorrect the workVerify the fixClose and reportfailsagain

Nine steps from top to bottom: set the criteria, plan the sample and milestones, observe and measure, record the evidence, write the finding, raise a non-conformance report if it fails, correct the work, verify the fix, close and report. An arrow returns from verify the fix to correct the work, labelled fails again.

An order for the steps, drawn from NIBS Guideline 3-2012 sections 6.1.5 to 6.1.8 and 6.2.16 and UFC E-4.1. It is a teaching sequence; the project documents decide the real one.

Sources

Videos for this lesson

What this video shows: A roofing contractor shows where to check a standing seam roof: gutters, finish damage, chalk to find hail dents, pipe boot sealants, ridge cap and valleys. Its yearly intervals are one contractor's advice, not a rule.

Video: How to Inspect a Metal Roof - Tech Tuesday by Lifetime Commercial Roofing, on YouTube. Chosen from the video's published description.

Glossary

Sample
The part of the work you check when you cannot check all of it. As practice advice, sample more where the risk is higher; none of the sources opened for this module sets a sampling rate for flashing audits.
Milestone observation
A planned review at a defined point in the work, such as a mock-up or the start of a new trade, as opposed to a random review (NIBS Guideline 3).
Remedial action
The repair or correction made after a non-conformance. NIBS has the specialist verify it was carried out building-wide where applicable.
Mold-line girth
The total flat width of a piece measured to the sharp corners of the drawing, with the flat material each hem consumes added (for an open hem, twice the fold length plus the gap). AFS checks girth, hems included, against a 48 in maximum.