AISC CSE key terms

An AISC certification designation held by a steel erection company that has been audited and found to conform to the AISC standard for erection: personnel, organization, experience, documented procedures, knowledge, equipment, facilities, and quality.

The person who administers the erecting company's quality management system: keeps the quality manual current, schedules internal audits, tracks nonconformances and corrective actions, and reports quality results to top management.

Under OSHA steel erection rules, someone able to recognize existing and predictable hazards in the surroundings or working conditions and authorized to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them.

A diagram of reporting lines and authority in the erecting company, used to show that responsibility for quality, safety, field operations, and purchasing is assigned to named positions rather than left unclear.

A table that cross-references each employee against the skills, certifications, and training their role requires, with completion dates, showing that competence is current and documented for audit.

The top-level document stating the erector's quality policy, defining the scope of its quality management system, and pointing to the procedures that implement each requirement of the certification standard.

A procedure ensuring the current approved revision of drawings, specifications, and work instructions is available where the work is performed, and that superseded copies are removed or marked obsolete.

A written description of how the steel will be raised: sequence, crane locations and picks, temporary bracing and guying, bolting and welding order, access, and the engineering checks behind the chosen sequence.

A plan written for one project that identifies that site's hazards, the controls and personal protective equipment required, emergency and rescue procedures, and who is responsible for each part.

A written breakdown of a task into steps, recording for each step the hazards present, the controls to be used, and the protective equipment required, completed with the crew before work begins.

A formal written question from the erector to the designer or general contractor asking for clarification of drawings or specifications, with the answer logged and distributed so work proceeds on approved information.

A written rule stating which quality, inspection, welding, and safety records are kept, for how long, and where, so evidence remains available for later audits and dispute resolution.

A written document listing the welding variables a welder must follow, such as process, filler metal, current range, preheat, joint detail, and technique, to produce welds that satisfy the governing welding code.

The record of the test weld made to prove that a proposed welding procedure produces sound welds; it captures the actual variables used and the mechanical test results that qualified the procedure.

A test of an individual welder's ability to make acceptable welds with a qualified procedure; the record states the process, position, thickness range, and validity period the welder is qualified for.

The AISC Code of Standard Practice, which defines the customary duties of owner, designer, fabricator, and erector, including which drawings require approval, erection tolerances, and the division of scope.

The AISC Specification for Structural Steel Buildings, giving design, fabrication, and erection requirements, including bolting, welding, and erection tolerances, that the erector's field work must satisfy.

A bolting method in which the nut is tightened a specified fraction of a turn beyond snug-tight, the amount depending on bolt length and diameter, to develop the required pretension.

A hardened arched washer with protrusions that flatten as the bolt is tightened; the remaining gap is measured with a feeler gauge to confirm the required pretension.

The condition where plies are brought into firm contact by a few impacts of an impact wrench or the full effort of an ironworker with an ordinary spud wrench, with no specified pretension required.

Inspection methods such as ultrasonic, magnetic particle, and penetrant testing that reveal surface or internal discontinuities in welds and base metal without damaging the completed work.

The federal steel erection standard covering site layout, structural stability, fall protection, bolting, decking, and crane operations during steel erection, enforced by OSHA inspectors on site.

A marked area where deck panels are initially placed and secured, with limited access and defined fall-protection and perimeter-marking rules under the steel erection standard.

The documented comparison of a measuring or testing instrument against a known standard to confirm accuracy, recording the date, standard used, results, and the next due date.

A crane manufacturer's table giving rated capacity at each combination of boom length, radius, and boom angle, which the lift plan must stay within for every pick.

A written plan for a crane pick identifying load weight, rigging, crane configuration, percent of capacity used, ground conditions, and the person directing the lift.

A documented check of slings, shackles, hooks, and other lifting hardware for wear, damage, or missing tags before use, with defective items removed from service.

Tension-calibrator testing of the actual bolt, nut, and washer assemblies with the field tooling to show that the chosen installation method will develop the specified pretension.

A record for each crane, welding machine, or calibrated tool showing scheduled service, repairs, and inspection dates, proving the equipment was kept in proper working order.

Written practices for keeping steel members, bolt lots, and coatings off the ground and protected from moisture and damage, with identification preserved so material is traceable and installed as designed.

The documented policies, procedures, responsibilities, and records by which an erecting company plans and controls its work to meet specified quality requirements and improve over time.

A project schedule of inspections and tests listing each activity, the acceptance criteria, who performs it, and the hold points where work stops until inspection passes.

A record describing work or material that does not meet specified requirements, giving its location and extent and triggering disposition, repair or replacement, and re-verification before acceptance.

Action taken to remove the cause of a detected nonconformity so it does not recur, including root-cause analysis, a defined change, and verification that the change was effective.

Action taken to remove the cause of a potential nonconformity before it occurs, based on trend data, risk review, or lessons learned from other projects.

A planned examination of the erector's own quality system against the certification standard, performed by trained personnel, with findings recorded and resolved through corrective action.

A periodic meeting where top management examines audit results, nonconformance trends, and customer feedback to judge whether the quality system remains suitable and to set improvement goals.

The ability to trace an installed member, bolt lot, or weld back to its mill certificate, heat number, and inspection record so material and workmanship can be verified after the fact.