Construction inspectors are the nexus between an excellent design and a well-executed construction project and one of the key roles the inspector plays is the keeping of disciplined, contemporaneous records. There are many forms of documentation an inspector may prepare, depending upon the agency requirements and the nature of the construction project, but almost all inspectors keep what is often called a daily diary.
They may take the form of Inspector Daily Reports and these days may even be electronically prepared and stored, or they may be the more traditional, bound construction and maintenance daily logs, or diary. It should be understood that properly recorded, consistent, and credible daily reports are often considered compelling information when disputes arise and so their importance, and a disciplined approach to them, cannot be overstated.
AASHTO’s Transportation Curriculum Coordination Council (TC3) has a one-hour online training workshop, Daily Diary Basics that local agencies can view for free (along with all other TC3 courses) using the promotion code in the flyer on the Delaware T2/LTAP Center website. The training is structured so that participants will be able to compose a complete and correct daily diary, and recognize the importance of daily diary entries.
Public agencies choose a variety of formats for inspectors to use in recording daily construction activities, but a fundamental practice is that daily reports be completed daily so that they are a contemporaneous record; the diary loses its credibility if it is not completed by the end of each work day.
Typical content required (as applicable) is shown in the box to the right. In addition, beginning and end times of the work and each individual activity should be noted.
The weather often changes throughout a given work day and if there are material changes, they should be noted. So, if the day begins at 7:00 a.m. sunny and 60°F but later changes to overcast and 49°F at 10:00 a.m. as asphalt pavement begins, that could be relevant if the inspector is concerned that it will soon be too cool to pave in accordance with the project specifications. If the contractor was unable to complete certain parts of the work because of the weather (raining, snowing, sleeting, too cold to pave, etc.), it should be noted, including when work stopped because of it.
Description of work is often keyed to sections of the project specifications (e.g., sediment and erosion control, excavation and embankment, concrete paving). The entries should include who did the work (which crew, subcontractor, vendor, or even third party, such as a utility company), what was done, and when it began and stopped. If there were delays, breakdowns, idle time, changes in production rates, or other events that affected the contractor’s progress, they should be summarized. If work is rejected, it should be specified, including the reasons for rejection.
Instructions to the contractor (specifically, which employee or employees) should also include any responses received and resulting actions. Ideally, the instructions are agreed upon and the work proceeds accordingly, but if there is argument or dispute over them, the diary should note them. But, just the facts; more on that later. Other important discussions should also be noted. For example, perhaps the contractor expressed concern over a delayed decision on an upcoming, schedule-sensitive inquiry and the inspector followed up with the engineer. All calls, discussions, and meetings relevant to the project should be recorded.
Visitors to the project site should be recorded to later reconcile when, for example, the design engineer stopped by to collect measurements to resolve a conflict. However, all visitors that are not part of the established team of contractor, subcontractor, and inspection staff should be noted, along with their affiliations, contact information, and reason for visiting.
It should be evident (to a third party, perhaps several years later) from the daily entries, for each category or area of work, what was completed (including reference points, such as project stationing or inlet number), start and stop times of each activity, pay item quantities completed, and any problems or material questions that arose. If surveying occurred during the day, it should be noted, including what was surveyed and/or staked out.
Any testing that was completed for quality assurance or quality control should be noted, typically including the results if available that day. The diary should note who took samples or tested materials and when the results will be made available.
Traffic control documentation and other safety issues should be noted daily as well. If advanced signing is required, for example, the result of daily inspections of the signs and their condition should be noted so that it can later be determined when a problem began and when it was resolved.
The diary should note equipment and labor present each day. Agencies vary in the detail they require, but many require that equipment be noted by equipment number and classification and number of each type of workers (laborers, equipment operators, welders, carpenters, electricians) be noted. Often, this is broken down by work category and the number of hours each worked should be recorded (for example, Excavator #224 used 7-8 a.m.; idle remainder of day, one Welder (Ted Smith) onsite 2:30-4:00 p.m. to repair temporary work bridge).
All inspections should be recorded, together with results. For example, “inspected rebar placement in Headwall #404; all rebar correct and properly tied; noted epoxy damage in three areas and contractor corrected damage.” The condition of temporary traffic controls (signs, pavement markings, barriers, truck mounted attenuators, flagging personnel, etc.) should be inspected and noted daily, as well as any soil erosion and sediment controls.
Any interactions with third parties should be noted as well. For example, if a nearby property owner enters the work site and raises a complaint about the work (e.g., dust emissions or noise), the nature of the encounter and results should be recorded.
As you can see, the information required in a daily report can be significant, depending upon the nature of the work and the policies of the agency. Generally, greater specificity is useful. However, only facts should be entered. Inspector opinions, characterizations, or speculation have no place in contract documentation and can quickly destroy the credibility of the inspector and the documentation. In addition, only project specific information should be included –(you may have received a call from home to pick up bread and eggs, but the daily report is not the place to write it down). Finally, daily inspector reports should be completed in pen (unless electronic) and if a mistake occurs (they do and that’s fine), they should be struck out with the corrected information next to them, and initialed. It is essential that your daily report be accepted after the fact to be contemporaneous, factual, and un-biased; any perceived alterations that are not transparent and initialed can degrade the credibility of the document in its later use.
Avoid shorthand, acronyms, or nicknames for things. It is probably fine to call a scraper a pan or an articulated, off-road dump truck a yuke, but if you write, “Big Henry flipped over this afternoon,” no one will know what you are talking about two years later in a court deposition.
These days, photographs and video are easily captured and can be made part of the inspector’s records. If visual documentation like this are important, it is helpful to mention them specifically in the daily report (by picture or video name/number) and where they will be stored.
The most effective project inspectors are fully engaged in the work and interactive with the contractor and subcontractors and the daily inspection reports (in whatever form) are one of the most important records of the project, but only if they are consistent, contemporaneous, factual, thorough and without bias.
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