Page 323 - Forensic Structural Engineering Handbook

10.12 CAUSES OF FAILURES

The Construction Manager
The construction manager, although not involved in the performance of any actual con-
struction work, may assist the owner in choosing the contractors who will perform the
work, coordinating the work of these trades, and approving requisitions for payment. The
construction manager ordinarily does not assume any design responsibility, which remains
with the owner’s architect or engineer. However, construction managers should be wary of
contractual assumption of responsibility for the contractor’s performance. They should be
careful with sign-offs or certifications related to the work. For example, by approving
payment, the construction manager tacitly declares that the portion of the work for which
the payment is requested by the contractor has been completed satisfactorily. Note the
hidden risks.

CODES, STANDARDS, AND REGULATIONS

Temporary structures do not receive the same intense scrutiny and protection of building
codes and design standards as do permanent structures. Indeed, codes and standards are
often silent on the subject or give such general statements as “proper provisions shall be
made...” and “adequate temporary bracing shall be provided....” Even these statements
refer to the permanent structure during its short-term construction phase rather than to the
temporary support or access structures themselves. Temporary works or other synonymous
terms do not even appear as entries in the indexes and tables of contents of many building
codes and design standards.
The federal government, many states, municipalities, and public authorities have safety
codes concerning construction activities. However, they do not give technical information
that would aid in the actual design of temporary structures.
The regulations of the U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Health and Safety
Administration (OSHA) are regulations which, as important as they are for the safety of
workers and protection of the public, do not provide real technical assistance.
For a rather extensive discussion and list of codes and standards which address tempo-
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rary structures, the reader is directed to Chapter 4, “Codes, Standard and Regulations” in
the Handbook of Temporary Structures in Construction, 2d ed. 2
Despite the long list of publications, and the important bits and pieces of data in them,
the information is highly fragmented. In the author’s observation, no one document is com-
plete enough to carry one through all the designs of a temporary structure without consult-
ing other documents.

Design Codes, Standards, and Specifications
As pointed out earlier, the structural design codes and standards in the United States deal
rather superficially, if at all, with temporary structures. With increasing importance being
attributed to construction site safety, and the consequent attention paid to the design and
construction of temporary works, however, more and more guidance is becoming available.
The forensic engineer should be familiar with the available codes, standards, guides, and
requirements for the design of temporary works in construction.
One standard in the United States that deals specifically with the design of temporary
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structures is SEI/ASCE 37-02, Design Loads on Structures During Construction, by the
American Society of Civil Engineers. Reference 5 provides some good pointers for the
practical use of SEI/ASCE 37. The first and current edition was adopted in 2002. It is in