Inspection process
Surveillance inspection
A surveillance inspection is a check made while work is underway to confirm the process is being followed (the right materials, the specified methods, the approved procedure) rather than only judging the finished product afterward. QC or an owner's rep drops in during the work, often unannounced and on a sampling basis, to catch procedure drift as it happens. It watches how the work is being done, not just how it turned out.
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Construction quality control plan
12 items · 15 photos required
Why it matters
Some defects don't show up in the finished product: a coating applied outside its temperature window, a weld run too fast, a concrete cure short-cut. By the time you can see the result, the process error is baked in. Surveillance catches these while the work is happening, which is the only time they're visible.
How it shows up on site
Surveillance sits alongside the follow-up phase inspection: periodic, sometimes random, focused on whether the crew is still doing it the way the prep meeting agreed. Findings feed back as corrective action while the feature is still in progress, before a process slip becomes a feature-wide defect.
Checklists that put surveillance inspection to work
Free, field-ready checklists, each with the photo every item needs before it can be submitted.
Related terms
- Follow-up phase inspectionThe third phase of control: recurring checks while a feature is built out, confirming it stays true to the standard set at the initial phase.
- Witness pointA step where a party is invited to observe the work, but the crew may proceed if that party doesn't attend within the agreed notice.
- Quality assurance (QA)The planned system of procedures, plans and checkpoints set up before work starts so the right result is built the first time.
- Corrective actionThe step taken to fix a nonconformance and stop it happening again: both the repair and the change that prevents a repeat.
- Source inspectionInspection of material or equipment at the fabricator's or supplier's shop before it ships, rather than waiting for it to arrive on site.
- Factory acceptance test (FAT)A witnessed test of assembled equipment at the manufacturer's facility, proving it performs to spec before it is shipped to the site.
Knowing the term is step one. Proving it is the job.
RTI holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and the photos are attached, then chains the record so it can be proven untouched later.
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