Inspection documentation, reporting, and records
The daily record
The inspector's daily report is the evidence that the installed SFRM matches the approved design. Record project and location, date and weather, product name and batch/lot, substrate condition and preparation, environmental readings, application method and number of passes, areas covered, test locations and results, nonconformances, instructions given, and photos with scale and location. Note who was notified and when.
Code reporting
IBC Section 1704.2.5 requires the special inspector to report to the building official and the responsible design professional. A discrepancy is not a private note to the contractor: it must be documented and resolved, and the final report should state the final acceptance status. Keep submittals, product data, evaluation reports, calibration records, test reports, and as-built location maps.
Worked example
An inspector records thickness at 12 locations but realizes no density sample was taken on level 3. The daily report says 'thickness OK' without a density result. Correct action: issue a deficiency note, take the density sample at a mapped location, record dry mass and volume, and revise the report before final acceptance. 'OK' without a number is not a record.
Traps
Writing 'passed inspection' with no measurements; losing the link between a test and its location; relying on memory at the end of the shift; failing to document verbal corrections; photographs without a scale or grid reference.