The Purpose of Building Inspection
Building inspections are essential in ensuring compliance with minimum safety standards in buildings, as without them lives could be put at risk.
Inspectors evaluate five main systems in any building: electrical, plumbing, air conditioning/ventilation and heating. They also look out for fire safety systems like smoke detectors and sprinklers that might exist within its confines.
Inspections for Safety
Safety professionals have an important role to play in inspecting buildings for potential hazards and offering solutions. This may involve addressing issues that pose new home inspections melbourne risk to employees, such asimproper ventilation or flammable materials; and looking out for signs of pest infestation or asbestos as well as leak stains and corrosion.
Regular inspections should also be carried out to ensure equipment and processes comply with safety regulations, helping reduce incidents such as slips, trips and falls while simultaneously identifying trends which could signal possible health concerns such as muscle or tendon problems or even cancer.
An effective health and safety inspection process should involve multiple employees working together as it decreases the likelihood that one employee might overlook any potential hazards due to routine. Collaborative efforts among maintenance workers, engineers and health and safety personnel help ensure every potential danger is identified.
Inspections for Legal Documentation
As a building inspector, you must possess the expertise required to review and approve construction blueprints and permits as well as check for compliance with local zoning ordinances or land-use regulations.
Your role may require you to identify code violations and non-compliance issues, and relay these concerns to relevant parties – contractors, architects, engineers and property owners among them – so as to provide guidance and solutions that address compliance concerns.
While much of your time as a building inspector may be spent inspecting sites on-site, you also perform administrative duties like reviewing plans and permits in a field office and keeping accurate inspection records that must be submitted through DOB NOW. New apps make these tasks simpler and more efficient – benefiting both you and your customers while freeing up more time to focus on other aspects of the job.
Inspections for Pre-Purchase
People typically hire building inspectors before making purchases of homes or commercial properties, to make sure the structure complies with local regulations and is safe. Furthermore, building inspectors also provide guidance and education on meeting standards.
These inspections could involve conducting a land survey to make sure the area is suitable for building on, inspecting the foundation and framing before construction begins, as well as conducting checks of electrical systems, plumbing installations, HVAC equipment, fire safety measures, accessibility features etc.
These days, building inspectors are increasingly opting for digital forms over paper forms when conducting inspections. This saves them both time and effort as they no longer need to complete paperwork on site or risk losing it in their vehicles. GoCanvas is an app helping more building inspectors transition digitally; with it they can organize forms and reports easily from either their phone or tablet device.
Inspections for Maintenance
Building inspectors don’t just examine how the walls are structured or look for signs of pest infestation or water damage – they also examine every part of a structure’s interior such as windows, doors and plumbing/electrical systems for any signs of wear and tear that could lead to structural issues later. Building inspectors inspect windows/doors/mechanisms inside and check for rust/leak stains/or issues which could eventually become structurally unsound over time.
Safety items, such as fire alarms and sprinkler systems, must also be carefully evaluated so that occupants can leave quickly in an emergency situation.
Inspections are crucial for many reasons. Addressing issues before they become more serious could save thousands down the line and protect you from future liability costs related to construction defects that could arise later. Plus, thorough professional inspection will give you peace of mind that your new build meets all applicable standards.