Advanced Coating Inspection and the Role of the Inspector
Verify, do not direct
The advanced inspector confirms that work matches the specification, the approved procedures, and the referenced standards. The inspector does not design the coating system, direct the contractor's workforce, or unilaterally accept a deviation. When field conditions conflict with the specification, document the conflict, hold the affected work if the inspection plan requires it, and route the question to the owner's authorized representative. Confusing "I would have chosen a different product" with "this is nonconforming" is one of the most common field errors.
The three phases
Most inspection plans divide work into pre-job (specification review, pre-job conference, review of product data and contractor procedures, verification that instruments are calibrated and in date, substrate and environmental baseline), in-process (surface preparation, each coat, environmental readings, wet and dry film checks, stripe coats, recoat windows), and final (DFT survey, holiday testing, adhesion, cure, appearance, and the documentation package). Hold points - witness, hold, and review - define where work may not proceed without sign-off.
Traps
Questions often test authority: an inspector may reject nonconforming work but cannot approve a substitute product, waive a hold point, or change an acceptance criterion without written authorization. Another trap is sampling bias - too few readings, or readings taken only where the contractor chose. A third is the "looks good" record: observations must be objective, measured, and written contemporaneously.
Rule of thumb
If a requirement is not in the specification, do not invent one; if it is in the specification and not met, do not rationalize it. Record the requirement, the measurement, and the corrective action - in that order.