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APPENDIX C
Bridge Inspection Practices of Canadian Transport Agencies
TRANSPORTATION AGENCIES AND · The city of Ottawa inspects 667 bridges having an
INFORMATION SOURCES aggregate deck area of 294,604 m2.
· Transports Quebec inspects 8,600 bridges. Quebec also
The questionnaire on inspection practices that was prepared for inspects sign structures.
U.S. state departments of transportation (DOTs) was also dis-
tributed to Canadian transportation agencies. Six agencies
responded: provincial agencies of Alberta, New Brunswick, Documents
Ontario, and Quebec, and municipal agencies of Edmonton and
Ottawa. Two provinces, Alberta and Ontario, provided copies Alberta has a two-volume manual for bridge inspection and
of their bridge inspection manuals (see Table 2). maintenance (BIM) (C1,C2). The two volumes correspond to
two levels of inspection; Level 1 is routine visual inspection
Inspection information from the six Canadian agencies is and Level 2 is in-depth inspection and can involve material
presented in this appendix. The information is useful itself, sampling and testing. BIM manuals are maintained by
but is not a full report on Canadian practices. Most Canadian Alberta's Bridge Preservation Specialist. BIM is the inspec-
provinces and territories are not represented. tion component of Alberta's Transportation Infrastructure
Management System (TIMS). TIMS, deployed in 2005,
Canada has road agencies at three administrative levels: absorbed Alberta's older Bridge Information System (BIS)
federal (national, Ministry for Transport, Infrastructure, and and Culvert Information System (CIS).
Communities), provincial/state [provincial and territorial
agencies (13; see Table C1)], and municipal (local). The Min- Edmonton, a city in Alberta, also uses the BIM manuals.
istry for Transport, Infrastructure, and Communities has a The Edmonton Bridge Engineer has general responsibility
broad portfolio that includes roads, ports, recreational for documentation of inspection methods.
resources, cultural resources, and the postal service. Transport
Canada, a part of the federal ministry, administers roads, Ontario province publishes the Ontario Structure Inspection
marine ports, and airports. Infrastructure Canada (http://www. Manual (OSIM) (C3). The manual is maintained by Ontario's
infrastructure.gc.ca/index_e.shtml), a program within the Bridge Inspection Program Manager. The province of New
federal ministry, addresses renewal of infrastructure. The Brunswick and the city of Ottawa also use Ontario's inspection
Canadian Transport Agency (http://www.cta-otc.gc.ca/about- manual.
nous/role_and_structure_e.html), a seven-member tribunal
within the federal ministry, decides economic matters arising Quebec has a two-volume bridge inspection manual main-
from air, rail, and marine transport. Canada's National High- tained by the structural head office.
way System includes interprovincial and international roads.
There are about 27,000 km of national highways. INSPECTION PROGRAM PERSONNEL
Inspection Program Manager
INSPECTION PROGRAM
Inspection program manager titles for each responding
Inspection Inventory
agency in Canada are listed in Table C3.
Alberta Infrastructure and Transportation is responsible for
approximately 5,600 bridges. The province has direct over- Three provinces, Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec, have
sight of inspections of 2,000 bridges and delegates inspection regional or district managers in addition to a central manager.
of the remaining 3,600 bridges to local road authorities. In New Brunswick reports that three technical assistants man-
addition, 8,200 bridge-size culverts are inspected by the age the inspection program. Edmonton and Ottawa report
provincial ministry or by local road authorities. Alberta's only a head for inspection programs.
inspection program includes bridges, culverts, ferry struc-
tures, and sign structures (Table C2). Bridge Load Rater
· The city of Edmonton inspects 270 bridges. All four provinces reported a person in charge of bridge load
· The New Brunswick DOT inspects 2,823 bridges. rating. Provinces also have engineers in regional offices that
· The Ontario Ministry of Transportation inspects 2,700 perform ratings as a part of their duties. Ottawa uses consul-
bridges. tants for load rating (see Table C4).
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TABLE C1
CANADIAN PROVINCIAL TRANSPORT AGENCIES
Province or City Agency Portfolio
Alberta Alberta Infrastructure and Transportation Roads, water, and wastewater
British Columbia Ministry of Transportation Roads, ports, commercial
transportation
Manitoba Manitoba Infrastructure and Roads and water stewardship
Transportation
New Brunswick Department of Transportation Roads
Newfoundland and Transportation and Works Roads, ports, and marine transport
Labrador
Northwest Territories Department of Transportation Roads, ports, community airports, and
ice crossings
Nova Scotia Transportation and Public Works Roads, government buildings,
environmental projects
Nunavut Pivalliayuliqiyikkut Ingilrayuliqiyitkullu, Roads, mining, fishing, tourism,
(Department of Economic cultural industries
Development and Transportation)
Ontario Ministry of Transportation Roads and Rails
Prince Edward Island Transportation and Public Works Roads
Quebec Transports Quebec Roads; public transportation; air, rail,
and marine transportation
Saskatchewan Highways and Transportation Roads, ferries, and airports
Yukon Territory Highways and Public Works Roads, government buildings,
government property
TABLE C2 and Class B bridge engineers who are qualified for complex
CANADIAN INSPECTION bridges and for simple bridges, respectively. Quebec also has
INVENTORY
Class B inspectors and Class B2 assistants. Both work with
Structures Class A bridge engineers.
DOT Bridges Culverts
Alberta 5,600 8,200
Edmonton 270 Ontario identifies both inspection team leaders employed by
New Brunswick 2,823 the agency and inspection senior structural engineers employed
Ontario 2,700
by the agency or by inspection consultants. Ottawa reports that
Ottawa 667
Quebec 8,600 it has inspection technologists as team leaders assisted by struc-
ture inspectors. Edmonton and New Brunswick reported
inspection team leaders only (Table C5).
Inspection Team Leaders, Inspectors,
and Inspection Assistants
Underwater Inspection Leaders and Inspectors
Alberta certifies two classes of bridge inspector. Class A
inspectors are qualified for all structures including major Quebec employs two staff members as leaders for underwater
bridges and complex bridges. Class B inspectors are qualified inspections. Ottawa employs consultants for dive inspections.
for standard bridges and culverts. Quebec identifies Class A Alberta's BIM manual requires that underwater inspectors be
TABLE C3
CANADIAN DOT EXECUTIVES AND INSPECTION PROGRAM MANAGERS
Inspection Program Regional Inspection
Agency Executives Managers Managers
Alberta Director, Bridge Engineering Bridge Preservation Regional Bridge Manager
Specialist (1) (4)
Edmonton Bridge Engineer
New Brunswick Assistant Director--Bridge and Senior Technical Advisor
Ferry Maintenance (3)
Ontario Manager Bridge Office Head Inspection and Head Regional Structural
Evaluation Engineer (1) Engineer (5)
Ottawa Program Manager, Needs and Programming
Infrastructure Assessment and Engineer--Structures
Program Development Unit (1)
Quebec Head of structural department State Bridge Inspection Ingénieur régional en
Program Manager (1) structures (1 per district)
Note: Shown in parentheses is the number of DOT staff holding each title.
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TABLE C4
CANADIAN BRIDGE LOAD RATERS
DOT State Load Rater Regional/Other Load Rater
Alberta Bridge Rating Engineer (1) Varies--Numerous consulting firms are used
Edmonton
New Senior Bridge Design
Brunswick Engineer (2)
Ontario Inspection and Evaluation Regional Structural Engineer (responsible for all aspects of
Engineer (3) structures--No individual responsible for only inspection)
(30)
Ottawa Structural Engineering Consultant--Structure/seismic
evaluation (15 firms to call on)
Quebec State Bridge Load Rater (1) Ingénieurs en évaluation de la capacité portante (7)
experienced bridge inspectors or work under the direct super- RESPONSIBILITIES OF INSPECTION STAFF
vision of bridge inspectors.
Program Manager
Inspection Specialists Responsibilities for inspection program managers at Cana-
dian transportation agencies are collected under several
Quebec province has specialists for equipment inspections,
headings.
fracture-critical inspections, scour inspections, in-depth
inspections, and sign structures. Other Canadian agencies
employ consultants for special inspections (Table C6). Administration
Alberta uses consultants for most specialized inspections At most Canadian agencies, the inspection program manager
except damage inspections. Alberta's Senior Bridge Main- is involved in hiring inspection consultants. Edmonton's in-
tenance Technologist is responsible for initial damage in- spection program manager oversees program budget and
spections, with further inspections done by consultants as workforce, and hires agency personnel and inspection con-
needed. sultants (Table C7).
TABLE C5
CANADIAN TEAM LEADERS, INSPECTORS, AND ASSISTANTS
DOT Team Leader Inspector Assistant
Alberta BIM project manager Various titles (agency 20,
(consultant 3) consultant 75)
Class A inspector (major
bridges)
Class B inspector (standard
bridges and culverts)
Edmonton Bridge technologist
New Bridge maintenance technician
Brunswick (agency 2)
Ontario Team leader (agency 15) Senior structural engineer (50 Structural technician or
total, 50% agency, and 50% engineering trainee (5
consultant) to 10)
Senior structural engineer
(50% agency, 50%
consultant)
Ottawa Structure inspection Structure inspector (3)
technologist (3)
Quebec Class A bridge engineer Class B inspectors Class B2 inspectors
(complex bridges) (agency (technicians) (agency 40, (agency 40)
25, consultant 30) consultant 50)
Class B bridge engineer
(simple bridges) (agency 30)
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TABLE C6
CANADIAN INSPECTION SPECIALISTS
DOT Inspection Staff Title
Alberta Fracture-critical Consultants
Scour Consultants
In-depth Consultants
Damage Senior bridge maintenance technologist (1)
Edmonton Fracture-critical Consultants
Scour Consultants
In-depth Consultants
Damage Consultants
New Brunswick Electrical equipment Consultants
Mechanical equipment Consultants
Fracture-critical Consultants
Scour Consultants
Ontario None
Ottawa Electrical equipment Consulting firms (13)
Mechanical equipment Consulting firms (13)
Fracture-critical Consulting firms (13)
Scour Consulting firms (2)
Damage Structure inspection team
Quebec Electrical equipment Electrical equipment inspector (10)
Other equipment Signage structure (5)
Fracture-critical Fracture-critical inspector (2)
Scour Scour-critical inspector (4)
In-depth In-depth inspector (4)
Damage Damage inspector (3)
Inspection Policies Bridge Load Rating
At all six reporting agencies, program managers develop in- Two of the six agencies (Edmonton and Ottawa) reported that
spection reporting forms. At most agencies, managers set inspection program managers keep bridge load rating data. In
inspection methods, inspection intervals, and formats for Quebec, the program manager sets load rating methods.
bridge databases (Tables C8 and C9). At most agencies, man-
agers direct the use of bridge monitoring, and may direct the
Bridge Maintenance
application of special, damage, and in-depth inspections
(Table C10). In New Brunswick, the inspection program manager allocates
repair funding. In Ottawa, the manager prepares scoping doc-
uments for bridge design and construction.
Inspector Training and Qualifications
At three agencies, program managers direct the training of Bridge Load Rater
inspection staff. In Alberta and Quebec, program managers
certify bridge inspectors (Table C11). Bridge load raters at the Canadian agencies request inspec-
tions, if needed, for re-rating. Alberta's load rater initiates
reviews of ratings, Edmonton uses consultants to provide
Quality Programs assessment reports that include load ratings, New Brunswick's
load rater reviews requests for load permits, Ontario's load
Four Canadian agencies reported that program managers set rater responds to requests for review from inspection team
policies and procedures for the quality control and quality leaders, Quebec's load rater performs inspections as needed
assurance of bridge inspections (Table C12). for re-rating (Table C13).
TABLE C7
ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBILITIES OF CANADIAN PROGRAM MANAGERS
Hires Hires
Inspection Inspection Agency Hires Agency
Annual Annual Inspection Inspection Leaders and Inspection Load
DOT Report Budget Workforce Equipment Inspectors Consultants Raters
Alberta Yes
Edmonton Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
New Brunswick Yes Yes Yes
Ontario
Ottawa Yes Yes Yes Yes
Quebec Yes Yes
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TABLE C8
CANADIAN PROGRAM MANAGERS AND PROGRAM PROCEDURES
Bridge
Bridge Inspection Reporting Database Local
DOT Manual Methods Forms Format Bridges
Alberta Yes Yes Yes
Edmonton Yes Yes Yes
New Brunswick Yes Yes
Ontario Yes Yes Yes
Ottawa Yes
Quebec Yes Yes Yes
TABLE C9
CANADIAN PROGRAM MANAGERS AND INSPECTION DETAILS
Assigns Selects
Identifies Identifies Forms Bridges Access
Sets Identifies Fracture- Scour- Agency to Methods Assigns
Inspection Complex Critical Critical Inspection Agency or Bridges to
DOT Intervals Bridges Bridges Bridges Teams Teams Equipment Consultants
Alberta
Edmonton Yes Yes Yes
New Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Brunswick
Ontario Yes Yes
Ottawa Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Quebec Yes Yes Yes
TABLE C10
CANADIAN PROGRAM MANAGERS AND INCREASED INTENSITY INSPECTIONS
Orders Orders Orders In- Orders Orders Orders Field Orders Identifies
Damage Special Depth Hands-On Bridge Tests for NDT Critical
DOT Inspection Inspection Inspection Inspection Monitoring Inspection Methods Findings
Alberta
Edmonton Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
New Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Brunswick
Ontario
Ottawa Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Quebec Yes
NDT = non-destructive testing.
TABLE C11
CANADIAN PROGRAM MANAGERS AND TRAINING
Trains Certifies Decertifies Certifies
Leaders and Leaders and Leaders and Inspection
DOT Inspectors Inspectors Inspectors Consultants
Alberta Yes Yes Yes
Edmonton
New Brunswick
Ontario Yes
Ottawa Yes
Quebec Yes Yes
TABLE C12
CANADIAN PROGRAM MANAGERS AND QUALITY
CONTROL AND QUALITY ASSURANCE ACTIVITIES
QA/QC Agency Consultant
Standards and QA/QC QC/QA
DOT Oversight Execution Execution
Alberta Yes Yes Yes
Edmonton Yes
New Brunswick
Ontario Yes
Ottawa Yes
Quebec Yes
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TABLE C13
CANADIAN BRIDGE LOAD RATER RESPONSIBILITIES
Inventory Load Permit
DOT Inspection Role Data Review Reports to
Alberta Requests inspection Load ratings Director, bridge engineering
Edmonton Requests inspection Bridge engineer
Requests monitoring
New Brunswick Requests inspection Yes Assistant director--Structures
Requests monitoring
Requests measurement
Ontario Requests inspection Head evaluation and inspection
Requests monitoring engineer
Requests measurement
Ottawa
Quebec Requests inspection State bridge engineer
Requests monitoring
Requests measurement
TABLE C14
CANADIAN INSPECTION TEAM LEADER RESPONSIBILITIES
Inspection Traffic Access Critical Load
DOT Planning Control Equipment Findings Posting
Alberta Plans Recommends
Edmonton Plans Requests Requests
New Brunswick
Ontario Plans Requests Requests Recommends
Ottawa Plans Requests
Quebec Plans Requests Requests Recommends
Bridge Inspection Team Leader Refresher Training
Inspection team leaders have responsibilities for inspection Alberta provides additional training when there are changes
planning, field operations, and data entry reporting (Tables to inspection practice. Ontario provides a 3-day course that
C14 and C15). At three agencies (Alberta, Ontario, and Que- all bridge inspectors must complete every 2 years. Quebec
bec), the team leader performs QC for inspection reports will require refresher training in the future (Table C19).
(Table C16).
Special Training
Inspection team members, where used, perform similar
activities as leaders but with less independence (Table C17). Quebec provides special training courses for hands-on and
fracture-critical inspections. Other agencies do not provide
training, but do consider experience in special inspections
QUALIFICATIONS OF INSPECTION STAFF
when hiring inspection consultants.
Training
Inspection Program Manager
In Alberta, inspection personnel complete a combination of
in-house training and field training. There are separate training Four Canadian agencies require a Professional Engineering (PE)
courses for Class A and Class B inspector certification. license for inspection program managers (Table C20). All six
Quebec has in-house training courses for inspectors. Other agencies require an engineering degree. Four agencies require
Canadian agencies use on-the-job training or employ consul- 5 years or more experience in bridge inspection. Requirements
tants for training (Table C18). for regional inspection managers are similar (Table C21).
TABLE C15
CANADIAN TEAM LEADER FIELD RESPONSIBILITIES
Directs
Inspection Special Inspections, Hands-On
DOT Methods Monitoring Inspection Note
Alberta Directs Yes
Edmonton Directs Yes
New Brunswick
Ontario Directs Recommends Yes
Ottawa Directs Yes
Quebec Directs
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TABLE C16 leaders, Ontario requires either a PE license or certification
CANADIAN INSPECTION TEAM LEADERS as a civil engineering technologist. Edmonton, Ottawa, and
AND INSPECTION DATA
Quebec require a college education for team leaders. Most
Inspection Performs Verifies Data agencies require bridge inspection experience (Table C23).
DOT Report Data Entry Entry
Alberta Yes Yes
Quebec measures individual experience as aggregate deck
Edmonton Yes Yes area, in square meters, inspected.
New Brunswick
Ontario Yes Yes In the current workforce, many Canadian inspection team
Ottawa Yes Yes
Quebec Yes Yes leaders (agency and consultant) are licensed engineers and
have many years experience (Tables C24 and C25).
Bridge Load Rater
Qualifications for inspection team members, other than
Four agencies reported on the qualifications for bridge load leaders, are listed in Table C26.
raters; all four require engineering degrees. Three agencies
require PE licenses (Table C22). Underwater Bridge Inspection Team Leader,
Underwater Bridge Inspector
Inspection Team Leader Qualifications for leaders of underwater inspections were
reported by three agencies. Edmonton requires an engineer-
In Alberta, Class A inspectors must have a civil engineer- ing degree for leaders, whereas Ontario and Quebec require
ing degree or certification as a civil engineering technolo- PE licenses (Table C27).
gist (certified by the Association of Certified Engineering
Technicians and Technologists). Class B inspectors must Other Certifications
have a high school diploma. Training and examinations
differ for Class A inspectors (all bridges) and Class B Alberta, New Brunswick, Ontario, and Ottawa all recognize
inspectors (standard bridges). Inspectors' certifications certification as a civil engineering technologist as one measure
are reviewed every 3 years. Individuals must demonstrate of inspector preparation. Quebec issues certificates to
adequate continuing practice in bridge inspection. For team inspectors completing the agency's in-house training courses.
TABLE C17
CANADIAN BRIDGE INSPECTOR RESPONSIBILITIES
Hands-On In-Depth Traffic Lane Access Bridge Critical
DOT Inspection Inspection Closures Equipment Monitoring Findings Data Entry Report QC
Alberta Recommends Recommends Requests Recommends Recommends Verifies Performs
Edmonton Recommends Requests Requests Recommends Performed and verifyies
New Brunswick Recommends Requests Requests Recommends Recommends
Ontario Recommends Requests Requests Recommends Performs and verifies Performs
Ottawa Recommends Performs and verifies Performs
Quebec Recommends Performs
TABLE C18
CANADIAN BRIDGE INSPECTION TRAINING
DOT Training
Alberta In-house and field training programs for inspectors, leading to two levels of
certification: Class A is all bridges; Class B is standard bridges and culverts only.
Edmonton
New Brunswick On-the-job training
Ontario In-house training
Ottawa College education, on-the-job training, training consultants
Quebec In-house; two courses of 4 days each
TABLE C19
CANADIAN REFRESHER TRAINING
DOT Course Interval
Alberta In-house As needed for changes to inspection practice
Edmonton No requirement
New Brunswick No requirement
Ontario 3-day inspection course 2 years
Ottawa No requirement
Quebec No present requirement; may in future
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TABLE C20
CANADIAN QUALIFICATIONS FOR INSPECTION PROGRAM
MANAGERS
Bridge Bridge
Inspection Inspection
DOT Certification Education Experience Training
Alberta PE Engineering degree 10 years Yes
Edmonton Engineering degree 5 years
New Brunswick Engineering degree
Ontario PE Engineering degree 5 years Yes
Ottawa PE Engineering degree 10 years
Quebec PE Engineering degree 5 years Yes
TABLE C21
CANADIAN QUALIFICATIONS FOR REGIONAL INSPECTION PROGRAM
MANAGERS
Bridge Bridge
Inspection Inspection
DOT Certification Education Experience Training
Alberta PE Engineering degree 10 years Yes
Edmonton
New Brunswick
Ontario PE Engineering degree 5 years Yes
Ottawa
Quebec PE Engineering degree 5 years Yes
Inspector Requirements for Fitness, Vision, In Ontario and Ottawa inspection teams work together
and Color Perception consistently. Alberta, Edmonton, and Ontario prefer to assign
the same bridges to the same teams (Table C31).
Edmonton, New Brunswick, and Quebec require that
inspectors be adequately fit to perform their work. Quebec Quebec reported that maintenance crews may perform
requires that divers meet commercial qualifications. routine inspections. Other Canadian agencies reported no
No agency reported that there was a periodic review of inspections outside of agency inspection staff and consultants.
physical fitness (Table C28). No formal requirements or pe-
riodic review are reported for vision, color perception, or Alberta uses consultants for 95% of its bridge inspections,
hearing. whereas Ontario and Quebec use consultants for 50% or less
of their bridges. Edmonton, New Brunswick, and Ottawa
reported that all inspections are by agency staff (Table C32).
INSPECTION TEAMS
Bridges are assigned to consultants as needed for individual
Ontario and Ottawa use two-person inspection teams in bridges, or by region and route when many bridges are
summer and three-person teams in winter. Edmonton and included in a contract (Table C33).
Quebec use two-person teams, and New Brunswick uses
one-person teams year round. Team size varies in Alberta INSPECTION TYPES AND INTERVALS
(Table C29).
Alberta defines two levels of inspection. Level 1 inspections are
All six agencies reported the use of specific teams for frac- routine visual inspections. Reporting forms are tailored to the
ture-critical inspections and for special inspections. At five type of main structure. There are 25 dedicated forms for in-
agencies, these are consultant teams and can be agency teams spection reporting (Table C34). Level 1 inspections report only
in Quebec (Table C30). the worst condition rating among similar elements at a bridge.
TABLE C22
CANADIAN QUALIFICATIONS FOR BRIDGE LOAD RATERS
Bridge Bridge
Inspection Inspection
DOT Certification Education Experience Training
Alberta PE Engineering degree 10 years Other training
Edmonton Engineering degree
New Brunswick
Ontario PE Engineering degree 5 years
Ottawa
Quebec PE Engineering degree 2 years Yes
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TABLE C23
CANADIAN INSPECTION TEAM LEADER QUALIFICATIONS
Bridge Bridge
Inspection Inspection
DOT Title P Ea Cert. BSb ADc HSd Experience Training
Alberta Team Yes 10 years Yes
leader
Class A Yes 2 years Class A
training and
exam
Class A 3 years Class A
training and
exam
Class B Yes 2 years Class B
training and
exam
Edmonton Team Yes
leader
New
Brunswick
Ontario Team PE Engineering 5 years Yes
leader Structural college 5 years Yes
technician
Ottawa Team Yes Yes
leader
Quebec Team Yes 5 years Yes
leader
a
Registered Professional Engineer.
b
College bachelorís de gree; usually Bachelor of Science in engineering.
c
Associate's degree in engineering technology, usually civil engineering technology.
d
High school diploma or equivalent.
Level 2 inspections are in-depth inspections of specific · Timber coring
components using special tools, techniques, or equipment. · Special structure monitor
Level 2 inspections usually are element-level inspections · Underwater
that report condition ratings for individual elements. Level 2 · Linear polarization testing of concrete
inspections include: · Bond testing
· Steel culvert corrosion testing
· Concrete deck · Pin and hanger connection
· Copper sulfate electrode testing · Steel girder cover plate.
· Chloride testing
· Ultrasonic truss Some Level 2 inspections are periodic. Alberta conducts
· Culvert barrel measurements (barrel shape) periodic half-cell testing on approximately 500 bridge decks.
· Vertical clearance measurements The program began in 1977. Electrical potential measure-
· Paint ments are taken at all points in a 1.2 m x 1.2 m grid and along
· Concrete girder (crack measurement and mapping) all curb lines. The data are used to make predictions of the
· Scour monitoring progress of deterioration.
TABLE C24
CANADIAN AGENCY TEAM LEADERS--CURRENT WORKFORCE
Bridge
Inspection
DOT PE Experience Note
Alberta
Edmonton 100% Team leaders (other categories blank)
New Brunswick 100% 28 years Team leaders
100% 10 years Bridge inspectors
Ontario 100% 10 years Agency team leaders
90% 8 years Agency bridge inspectors
Ottawa 0 19 years Team leaders
0 6 years Bridge inspectors
Quebec 100% 5 years Team leaders
50% 2 years Bridge inspectors
2% 10 years Underwater inspectors
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TABLE C25 · Substructure condition survey
CANADIAN CONSULTANT TEAM LEADERS-- · Detailed coating condition survey
CURRENT WORKFORCE
· Underwater investigation
Bridge · Fatigue investigation
Inspection
DOT PE Experience Note · Seismic investigation
Alberta · Structure evaluation.
Edmonton
New Brunswick
Ontario 100% 10 years Team leaders
75% 8 years Bridge inspectors INSPECTION INTERVALS
Ottawa 100% 15 years Underwater inspectors
100% 15 years Equipment inspectors Alberta sets inspection intervals at 21 months for bridges along
Quebec 100% Team leaders primary highways, 39 months along secondary highways, and
50% 2 years Bridge inspectors
57 months along local roads. Ultrasonic inspections of fatigue-
prone bridges are performed at 5- to 7-year intervals.
Alberta also makes periodic ultrasonic inspections of Ontario uses 24- and 48-month inspection intervals. The
approximately 75 truss bridges built in the 1920s and earlier. longer interval is for culverts in good condition. Quebec has
intervals ranging from 24 to 60 months for routine inspec-
Ontario's inspection types include routine inspection, tions (Table C35).
emergency inspection, and the following set of specialized
inspections:
Hands-On Inspection
· Detailed deck condition survey
· Non-destructive delamination survey of asphalt covered All six agencies reported the use of hands-on inspections in re-
decks sponse to floods, accidents, critical findings, or other singular
TABLE C26
CANADIAN INSPECTION TEAM MEMBERS
Bridge
Inspection
DOT Inspector Certification Education Experience Training
Alberta Inspector Yes High school 2 years Yes
Edmonton Inspector Yes College degree
New Brunswick College degree
Ontario
Ottawa
Quebec Inspector PE Engineering degree 2 years Yes
Electrical Yes College degree 5 years Yes
equipment
TABLE C27
CANADIAN UNDERWATER INSPECTION TEAM LEADER AND UNDERWATER BRIDGE
INSPECTOR
DOT Leader Inspector/Diver Certifications Experience Training Education
Alberta
Edmonton Team Engineering
leader degree
Inspector College
degree
New
Brunswick
Ontario Team PE 5 years Bridge Engineering
leader inspection degree
Inspector 5 years
Ottawa
Quebec Team PE 2 years Bridge Engineering
leader inspection, degree
diving
Inspector NICET III 2 years Bridge Engineering
inspection, degree
diving
NICET = National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies.
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TABLE C28
CANADIAN FITNESS REQUIREMENTS
Good
DOT Health Agility Strength Equipment Note
Alberta No specific requirements or
review
Edmonton General physical suitability
No periodic review
New Brunswick Ability to climb Work in confined space
No periodic review
Ontario Must be able to get around at
bridge site
No periodic review
Ottawa No specific requirements or
review
Quebec Good Ability to climb Commercial qualification for
health Able to work at divers
height Other, no periodic review
TABLE C29
CANADIAN INSPECTION TEAM SIZE
Team Team
DOT Size Make Up Formation/Stability Note
Alberta Varies Based on assignment and
consultant's experience
Edmonton 2 Leader + inspector
New 1 Inspector
Brunswick
Ontario 2 Leader + inspector Long-term
3 Leader + two inspectors Long-term Near ice or fast water
Ottawa 2 Leader + inspector Long-term Some rotation to accommodate
annual leave
3 Leader + two inspectors Long-term In winter
Quebec 2 As needed
TABLE C30
CANADIAN INSPECTION TEAMS AND INSPECTION TYPES
Fracture-
Critical Special Increased Bridge Movable
DOT Members Inspections Intensity Access Type Bridges Notes
Alberta Yes Yes Yes Consultants with
recognized
experience
engaged
Edmonton Yes Yes No Consultants
New Yes Yes Yes Yes Consultants
Brunswick
Ontario Yes Yes No Consultants
selected among
list of qualified
firms
Ottawa Yes Yes No Consultants
Quebec Yes Class A No Fracture or scour
inspector specialists join
inspection team
as needed
Special inspections
performed by
Class A
inspectors.
TABLE C31
CANADIAN ROTATION OF INSPECTION TEAMS
Teams Teams
DOT Repeat Rotate Neutral Notes
Alberta Yes Team inspects same bridges to the extent possible
Edmonton Yes
New Brunswick Yes
Ontario Yes Same bridges; encourages familiarity
Ottawa Yes Random assignments
Quebec
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TABLE C32
CANADIAN USE OF INSPECTION CONSULTANTS
DOT DOT Inspections, % Consultant Inspections, %
Alberta 5 95
Edmonton 100 0
New Brunswick 100 0
Ontario 50 50
Ottawa 100 0
Quebec 40 60
TABLE C33
CANADIAN INSPECTION CONSULTANT TEAM ASSIGNMENTS
Assignment Assignment Assignment
DOT Inspections Basis Term Repeat
Alberta All types of inspection By region 3 years No policy
Edmonton Damage As needed
Fracture-critical
In-depth
Scour-critical special
Underwater
New Brunswick Damage
Fracture-critical
In-depth
Scour-critical underwater
Ontario All types of inspections By region No
Ottawa Most types of inspections Pre-qualified firms No
Quebec In-depth By region No
Damage
Hands-on
TABLE C34
ALBERTA INSPECTION FORMS
Reporting Form Bridge Type
TH Through trusses
PT Pony truss
SG Rolled beams
Riveted plate girders
Welded girders
Steel rigid frames
SS Other trusses and arches
DT Deck trusses
TT All timber bridges
PCS Standard precast bridges
PSR Regular prestress bridges
CON All cast-in-place concrete bridges
Concrete tee girder bridges
Concrete flat slab bridges
CUL1 Single culverts
CULM Multiple culverts
CULE Culverts extended with different material and/or size
SIGN Sign structures
THTT Through trusses with timber approaches
THPCS Through trusses with standard precast approaches
THPSR Through trusses with regular prestress approaches
THSG Through trusses with steel girder approaches
THPT Through trusses with pony truss approaches
PTTT Pony trusses with timber approaches
PTPCS Pony trusses with standard precast approaches
SGTT Steel beams with timber approaches
SGPCS Steel beams with standard precast approaches
PSRPCS Regular prestress with standard precast approaches
SSSG Special steel with steel girder approaches
DTSG Deck truss with steel girder approaches
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TABLE C35
CANADIAN INSPECTION INTERVALS
Agency Inspection Standard Interval
Alberta Bridges and culverts on primary highways 21 months
Bridges and culverts on secondary highways 39 months
Bridges and culverts on local roads 57 months
Pedestrian bridges in parks 57 months
New bridges, bridge after major repairs Immediate on completion
Ontario Bridges and culverts with spans more than 3 m 24 months
All retaining walls
All movable bridges
Culverts in good condition with spans up to 6 m 48 months
Retaining walls in good condition
Structures with extensive poor condition <24 months
Posted structures
Structures with restricted clearance
Single-load-path structures
Structures with fatigue-prone details
Structures with fracture-critical components
Pins and hangers in arch structures
Pins in suspended spans and pinned arches
Underwater 60120 months
Ottawa Routine 24 months
Underwater 120 months
Quebec Routine 2460 months
Underwater 120 months
Fracture-critical As needed
events. Four of the six agencies set maximum intervals be- dive inspections in water depths of greater than 1 m. Ontario's
tween hands-on inspections. Two agencies consider bridge age interval for dive inspections ranges from 5 to 10 years. Ottawa
in the application of hands-on inspection (Table C36). reported that 257 bridges require wading during inspections
and 113 bridges require dive inspections. Quebec performs
Underwater Inspection wading inspections for all components in water and dive in-
spections for approximately 10% of water crossings. Ottawa
Alberta reported that approximately 15% of its bridges require and Quebec reported 10-year intervals for dive inspections.
wading for inspection of some components. Dive inspections
are not routinely performed. Edmonton reported that no
bridges require either wading or diving for inspections. New Fracture-Critical Inspection
Brunswick reported that approximately 1% of bridges that
cross water require dive inspections. Ontario reported that ap- As noted earlier, Alberta performs periodic Level 2 ultra-
proximately 10% of bridge inspections include wading, and sonic inspections of approximately 75 truss bridges built in
only 30 to 40 bridges require dive inspections. Ontario uses the 1920s and earlier.
TABLE C36
CANADIAN ROUTINE, HANDS-ON INSPECTION
DOT Name Location on Component Notes
Alberta Hands-on Locations identified in report Specific elements; extent of
hands-on varies as needed
Edmonton Hands-on Locations identified in report Can include entire bridge or
specific elements
New Hands-on Locations identified in report and in database Can include entire bridge or
Brunswick specific elements
Ontario Hands-on Locations identified in report and in database Specific elements; extent of
hands-on varies as needed
Ottawa Routine, Locations identified in stand-alone report via By consultants; use and
hands-on detailed element maps. Database indicates extent based on findings of
occurrence and date of hands-on inspection regular inspection
Quebec Hands-on Locations identified in report Entire bridge, often; specific
element(s) in response to
accident or flood
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Complex Bridges TABLE C37
CANADIAN COMPLEX BRIDGE TYPES
Cable-stayed bridges, suspension bridges, tied arches, and Bridge Types Complex Type or Inspection
orthotropic decks are identified as complex by four of six Cable-stayed 4 Agencies
agencies. No agencies identified complex bridges based on Orthotropic decks
Suspension
bridge length, span, or age. Complex bridge types are listed Tied-arch
in Table C37. Ontario reported that no bridge types are iden-
Fatigue-vulnerable 3 Agencies
tified as complex. Swing
Vertical-lift
Complex bridge inspections are most often assigned to Bascule 2 Agencies
Class A inspectors (Alberta) or Class A bridge engineers Box beams with external post-tensioning
(Quebec). Edmonton, New Brunswick, and Ontario reported Cantilever arm
Eyebar
no special methods, training, or experience for inspections Floating
of complex bridges. Ottawa noted that requirements for Jack-arch
special access equipment or traffic management are complex Patent-truss
inspections. Bridges lacking design documents 1 Agency
Bridges with obsolete reinforcing steel
Informal Inspections Flatcar
Historic
Post-tensioned timber decks
All six Canadian agencies respond to damage reports submit- Single box--concrete
ted by maintenance crews, state police, or the public. Alberta Single box--steel
Two-girder
keeps initial reports as part of paper bridge files (Table C38).
Bridge age 0 Agencies
Monitoring of Bridges Concrete without shear reinforcement
Covered
Length of bridge
Five agencies equate bridge monitoring with interim inspec- Length of main span
tion and employ visual inspection as the most common form
of bridge monitoring (Table C39).
Alberta uses monitoring when a problem or potential Edmonton reported only visual monitoring of bridges and
problem of a critical nature is found (e.g., a fracture-critical New Brunswick uses only visual monitoring at short or
member in a two-girder bridge has evidence of cracks) or interim intervals. Inspections can be as frequent as monthly.
there is major deterioration in condition from one inspec- Monitoring continues until repair or replacement.
tion to the next (e.g., sudden shifting of an abutment).
Methods vary: Visual monitoring is common and instru- Ontario applies measurements of crack opening, move-
mentation is used where needed. Monitoring continues ments, or deflections in response to observed problems such
until the deterioration halts or rehabilitation or repairs are as tilting or settlement. These measurements become part of
made. routine 24-month inspections of bridges. Measurements may
TABLE C38
CANADIAN INFORMAL INSPECTIONS
Store in
State Bridge
Maintenance Police Public File Stored in
DOT Source Source Source (paper) BMS/Database
Alberta Yes Yes Yes Yes Inspection in response to high-load strike or
other event. Initial report is in bridge file,
but not part of database.
Edmonton Yes No
New Yes No
Brunswick
Ontario Yes No
Ottawa Yes Yes Yes No Note for significant information; may be
added to database.
Quebec Yes No Reports are very seldom
BMS = bridge management system.
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TABLE C39
CANADIAN BRIDGE MONITORING
DOT Method Notes
Alberta Visual monitor Interim inspection
Instrumentation Annual ultrasonic inspection of two-girder bridges
Sonic radar inspection of footings at 15 river bridges after significant
flood event
Edmonton Visual monitor 1-, 2-, and 5-year cycles; for poor condition; indefinite duration
New Visual monitor Interim inspections as frequent as monthly
Brunswick
Ontario Measurement Crack opening, movement, or deflection, often at 2 years
Ottawa Measurement Relative movement using slide gauges and survey points
Instrumentation Acoustic monitoring of a large post-tensioned bridge
Quebec Visual monitor Hands-on inspection at 6 or 12 months
Instrumentation Usually with data logging
occur more often if needed, and continue until repairs are among each common group of elements. The rating "N"
made or until movement becomes stable. means not visible for inspection or inadequate access for
inspection. Rating "X" means an element is not present at the
Ottawa monitors bridges in response to known problems bridge (Table C40). There are also general ratings; one each
or deterioration. The monitoring often is by measurement of for superstructure and for substructure. Inspection reports
movements. Intervals range from 3 to 12 months and con- require that inspectors estimate the year of future repairs or
tinue until repairs are made. At one large post-tensioned replacement of bridges.
bridge, acoustic emission sensors were installed during con-
struction and are still monitored. Level 2 inspections report condition ratings for all elements,
not just the worst one in a group. Level 2 inspections also report
Quebec employs instrumentation and data logging to quantitative data collected from testing or sampling.
monitor known problems at bridges. In most cases, data
transmission and office review occurs weekly. Instrumenta-
tion is deployed until defects are repaired, usually in 24 Ontario
months or less.
Ontario reported deterioration severity and extent for bridge
elements. There are four deterioration states: Light, Medium,
CONDITION DATA Severe, and Very Severe. The extent is reported as a percent-
age of element quantity. Ontario reported on performance
Alberta deficiencies. These are similar to U.S. smart flags and include:
Alberta uses a 1 (poor) to 9 (good) scale for condition ratings. · Load carrying capacity
In Level 1 inspections, the rating is set to the worst condition · Excessive deformations
TABLE C40
ALBERTA CONDITION RATINGS
Rating Commentary Maintenance Priority
9 Very good New condition No repairs in foreseeable future
8 Almost new condition No repairs in foreseeable future
7 Good Could be upgraded to new condition No repairs necessary at this time
with very little effort
6 Generally good condition No repairs necessary at this time
Functioning as designed with no signs
of distress or deterioration
5 Adequate Acceptable condition and functioning No repairs necessary at this time
as intended
4 Below minimum acceptable condition Low priority for repairs
3 Poor Presence of distress or deterioration or Medium priority for replacement, repair,
not functioning as intended and/or signing
2 Hazardous condition or severe distress High priority for replacement, repair, and/or
or deterioration signing
1 Immediate Danger of collapse and/or danger to Bridge closure, replacement, repair, and/or
action users signing required as soon as possible
N Not Element cannot be visually inspected
accessible
X Not Element not applicable to this bridge
applicable
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· Continuing settlement QUALITY PROGRAMS
· Continuing movements
Quality Program Documentation
· Seized bearings
· Bearing not uniformly loaded, unstable A chapter in Alberta's BIM manual addresses quality pro-
· Jammed expansion joint grams for bridge inspections. Ontario reviews inspection
· Pedestrian/vehicular hazard reports, but does not have formal documents for quality pro-
· Rough riding surface grams. Quebec requires that all regional offices be certified
· Deck drainage to ISO 9001-2000 (C4) (Table C42).
· Slippery surfaces
· Flooding/channel blockage
· Undermining of foundation Program Staff in Quality Control and Quality Assurance
· Unstable embankments.
Quality programs are executed by Class A inspectors in
Ontario inspectors indicate maintenance needs, Alberta, by the Head Inspection and Evaluation Engineer in
mostly using selections from a standard list of actions Ontario, and by special staff for ISO 9001 procedures in Que-
(Table C41). bec (Table C43).
TABLE C41
ONTARIO STANDARD ACTIONS FOR MAINTENANCE
Action Maintenance Description
1 Lift and swing bridge The operation, maintenance, and repair activities that are unique to lift
maintenance and swing bridge structures, including all mechanical equipment and
electrical devices such as signals, flashers, lighting, navigation lights,
etc., but not including work defined by other structural maintenance
operations.
2 Bridge cleaning The cleaning of bridge components including:
1) Washing of bearings, bearing seats, truss members, etc.
2) Sweeping of bridge decks, curbs, and gutters.
3) Removal of debris from expansion joints.
4) Debris pick-up or minor removal of aggregate.
5) Cleaning of catch-basins, manholes, and deck drains.
3 Bridge handrail The painting, repair, and/or replacement of metal handrails and posts, as
maintenance well as touch-up painting activities.
4 Painting steel bridge The preparation (sandblasting, etc.) and painting of structural steel.
structures Includes handrails when performed as part of an overall bridge painting
operation.
5 Bridge deck joint The repair and/or replacement of expansion and/or fixed-deck joints and
repair end dams.
6 Bridge bearing The adjustment, repair, and/or replacement of bridge bearings. Includes
maintenance all work directly associated with bridge bearings.
7 Repair to structural The repair of all structural steel, including repair or replacement of steel
steel components, bolts, and fasteners.
8 Repair of bridge The repair of all concrete components of the structure, such as decks,
concrete curbs, pedestrian walks, concrete handrail posts, parapet walls,
abutments, and piers, except when the repair is more directly associated
with one of the other defined bridge maintenance operations.
9 Repair of bridge The repair of all bridge timber, including the repair of timber decks on
timber steel bridges.
10 Bailey bridges-- The installation, removal, repair, and maintenance work that is unique to
Installation, Bailey Bridges, but not including work defined by other structural
maintenance, and maintenance operations.
removal
11 Animal/pest control The installation and maintenance of animal/pest control devices under
bridge structures such as pigeon proofing.
12 Bridge surface repair The repair of bridge surfaces such as pothole patching.
13 Erosion control at Operations performed to prevent or repair damage due to erosion,
bridges such as scour at abutments and around piers, and washouts on slopes.
Includes removal of obstructions to water flow, clearing of vegetation
growth, etc.
14 Concrete sealing The sealing or treatment of bridge concrete surfaces with approved
materials, as well as the preparation of surfaces prior to treatment.
15 Rout and seal -- The routing of joints and/or cracks in concrete and asphalt pavement and
Concrete and the filling of same with joint fillers or rubberized asphaltic sealing
asphalt pavement compounds.
on bridge decks
16 Bridge deck drainage The repair, maintenance, and replacement/extension of deck drains.
Includes steaming and calcium application to unthaw.
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TABLE C42
CANADIAN QUALITY CONTROL DOCUMENTS
DOT Documents
Alberta Chapter 2 of the BIM Inspection Manual provides a general outline for QC/QA
requirements. Detailed QC/QA is further defined in the contracts signed with the
consultants performing our BIM inspections.
Edmonton No formal procedure
New Brunswick N/A
Ontario Informal review of reports; no documentation is produced
Ottawa No documentation
Quebec Every regional office has to be certified ISO 9001-2000.
N/A = not applicable.
TABLE C43
CANADIAN PERSONNEL FOR QUALITY CONTROL AND QUALITY ASSURANCE
DOT Personnel Qualification
Alberta Bridge preservation specialist Class A Inspector
Regional bridge managers Class A Inspector
BIM inspection reviewer (consultant) Class A Inspector
Edmonton No response
New Brunswick N/A
Ontario Head inspection and evaluation engineer
Ottawa Structure inspection technologists
Structure inspectors
Quebec Specific staff Special ISO 9001 training courses
N/A = not applicable.
Quality Control of Inspector Qualifications Ontario makes spot checks of some inspection reports.
Ottawa and Quebec review all inspection reports (Table C46).
For QC of bridge inspectors, Alberta tracks the individuals'
certification as Class A or Class B inspector. Ontario reviews
resumes of personnel at the time of their assignment to bridge Quality Control of Inspections by Consultants
inspection work and Quebec has its inspectors registered
with an external QC firm (Table C44). Transportation agencies in Alberta, Ontario, and Ottawa re-
view inspection reports submitted by inspection consultants
(Table C47). Ontario keeps records of errors in reports and
these records can affect future awards to the contractor.
Quality Control Review of Inspection Reports
In Alberta, all inspection reports are reviewed by Class A in- Quality Control Program Validation
spectors. Each report is placed in one or four "Lots" depend-
ing on the significance of repair needs (Table C45). Alberta's Alberta relies on routine QC review of inspection reports as
inspection reporting forms show both current and prior con- means of validation of the quality program. Ontario has its
dition ratings for every element. Inspectors must provide program manager and regional heads conduct peer reviews
adequate notes on all changes to condition ratings. of QC.
TABLE C44
CANADIAN QUALITY CONTROL OF INSPECTION LEADERS
DOT Certification Agency Consultants
Alberta Certified as Class A Database with certification (A or B), Same
or Class B courses completed, date of
inspector certification, expiration date of
certification
Edmonton
New Brunswick
Ontario Resumes of inspectors,
submitted at time of
assignment
Ottawa No formal procedure
Quebec Registration with external QC firm
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TABLE C45
ALBERTA INSPECTION REPORT LOTS
Inspection
Report Description
Lot 1 Reports for structures requiring major repairs, a Level 2 inspection,
reduced inspection cycle, or an engineering assessment
Lot 2 Reports for structures requiring minor or routine repairs
Lot 3 Reports for municipal structures requiring minor repairs not funded by the
department
Lot 4 Reports for structures requiring no action or monitoring
TABLE C46
CANADIAN QUALITY CONTROL OF INSPECTION REPORTS
DOT Review Set Review by Action
Alberta All inspection reports Class A inspector; prior to Return for errors or
database entry omission
Reports with large change in Class A inspector Possible re-inspection
condition
Reports having ratings that do
not match photos
Edmonton
New
Brunswick
Ontario Spot check for data integrity
Random QA re-inspection
Reports having gross errors Possible re-inspection
Ottawa All inspection reports Needs and programming Review prior to
engineer acceptance of report
Quebec All inspection reports Verification of report
Reports inconsistent with Possible re-inspection
recent maintenance
QUALITY ASSURANCE Intervals for Quality Assurance Review
In Ontario, QA programs are performed by regional struc- Alberta makes QA reviews of team leaders and regions every
tural engineers. Quebec uses bridge inspectors who are 4 years. Ontario makes annual reviews of regions and bien-
trained in ISO 9000 procedures to perform QA activities. nial reviews of team leaders. Quebec performs QA audits
every 3 years (Table C50).
Both Alberta and Ontario use annual meetings and close-out
meetings with inspection consultants to discuss their perfor-
mance. Alberta conducts quality audits of inspection consul- Tolerances Used in Quality Assurance Review
tants. In Quebec, QA is part of the ISO audit report (Table C48).
Alberta requires that condition ratings by inspectors be within
±1 of ratings obtained in verification inspections. Ontario
Alberta verifies inspection reports at 15 bridges each year. requires that element condition reports of inspectors vary by
Ontario verifies 50 bridge inspections per year. Quebec veri- less than 10% from verification inspections. Quebec uses
fies approximately 5% of all bridge inspections each year overall field verification to assess the quality of inspection
(Table C49). work (Table C51).
TABLE C47
CANADIAN QUALITY CONTROL FOR INSPECTIONS BY CONSULTANTS
DOT Consultant Review QC QA
Alberta Review all inspection reports by Class A inspector C, A
Agency does periodic audits/spot checks of consultant inspections
Edmonton
New Brunswick
Ontario Regional structural engineer and head evaluation and inspection engineer A
Ottawa Design and construction project manager assigned to the project A
Quebec Agency staff using ISO 9000 procedures
Notes: A = agency or DOT; C = consultant.
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TABLE C48
CANADIAN BASIC ELEMENTS OF QUALITY ASSURANCE REVIEW
Office
DOT Target Review Field Review Reviewer Report
Alberta All inspection Senior Bridge A hard copy of the QA
reports, reviewed Technologist, results is maintained
for maintenance Class A on file.
recommendations inspectors
Inspection report Verification Senior Bridge In annual meetings
Technologist, with the BIM
Class A consultant, the
inspectors consultant is
informed of any
outcome of a QA
audit.
Edmonton
New Brunswick
Ontario Regional structural Agency staff:
engineers, Personnel
head inspection performance reviews
and evaluation are filed.
engineer Consultants: Corporate
performance rating at
end of assignment.
Rating considered for
next award.
Ottawa
Quebec Bridge inspectors ISO audit report
with ISO 9000
training
TABLE C49
CANADIAN QUALITY ASSURANCE REVIEW OF BRIDGE INSPECTIONS
Review
Bridge Current Review Review
Review Unit Bridge Review Basis for Bridge Inspection Bridge Load
DOT Unit Reviews Activity Selection Report File Rating
Alberta Report 100% 100%
Bridge 15 per year Poor condition Yes Yes
Specific bridge
types
Edmonton Bridge 100 per year Type, age, and use Yes Yes
New
Brunswick
Ontario Report 100% 100%
Re- Isolated, for
inspection verification
Bridge 50 per year Various bridge types Yes Yes
(2%) and locations
Ottawa
Quebec Bridge 5% 5% per year Yes Yes
Random
TABLE C50
CANADIAN QUALITY ASSURANCE INTERVALS
Team/Team Leader Region/District
DOT Interval Interval Note
Alberta 4 years 4 years
Edmonton
New Brunswick
Ontario 24 months 12 months
Ottawa As required As required
Quebec 3 years Full verification
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TABLE C51 Alberta and Ontario consider quality in their selection of
CANADIAN TOLERANCES FOR QUALITY inspection consultants Tables C53 and C54. Additional
ASSURANCE REVIEW
training can restore firms and individuals who have been
DOT Object Tolerance disqualified.
Alberta Condition rating (1 to 9) ±1
Edmonton
New Brunswick
Ontario Element condition reports >10% REFERENCES
Ottawa
Quebec Element condition reports Site verification
C1. BIM Inspection Manual, version 3, Alberta Infrastruc-
Benchmarks in Quality Assurance Reviews ture and Transportation, Edmonton, AB, Canada, 2005.
C2. BIM Inspection Manual--Level 2, version 1, Alberta In-
Alberta files reports on field verifications that include the frastructure and Transportation, Edmonton, AB,
overall ranking of inspection work. Quebec prepares ISO Canada, 2004, 153 pp.
audit reports (Table C52). C3. Ontario Structure Inspection Manual (OSIM), Ontario
Ministry of Transportation, Toronto, ON, Canada, 2000,
Disqualification of Inspection Program Staff 380 pp.
C4. Chung, H.W., Understanding Quality Assurance in
Only Quebec reports a basis for disqualification of individual Construction--A Practical Guide to ISO 9000, E&FN
inspectors and that is related to a lack of current experience. Spon, London, United Kingdom, 1999, 251 pp.
TABLE C52
CANADIAN QUALITY ASSURANCE BENCHMARKS
DOT Benchmark QA Report Consultant Benchmark
Alberta No formal A report of the number of structures A report of the number of structures
benchmark audited, variations in ratings, and audited, variations in ratings, and
overall ranking of the inspections overall ranking of the inspections
(not acceptable, marginally (not acceptable, marginally
unacceptable, acceptable, very unacceptable, acceptable, very
good) good)
Edmonton
New
Brunswick
Ontario No formal
benchmark
Ottawa
Quebec ISO audit
report
TABLE C53
CANADIAN BASIS FOR DISQUALIFICATION OF INSPECTION PROGRAM
STAFF
Load
DOT Team Leaders Raters Inspection Consultants
Alberta No set policy; corporate rating
affects award process
Edmonton
New Brunswick
Ontario No set policy; corporate rating
affects award process
Ottawa
Quebec 5 years without bridge
inspection work
TABLE C54
CANADIAN INSPECTOR REMEDIES, DISQUALIFICATION, AND ADVANCEMENT
DOT Inspector QA Remedies Personnel Re-Qualify Promotion/Award
Alberta Training No for agency staff, yes for
consultants
Edmonton
New Brunswick
Ontario Training Yes for consultants
Ottawa
Quebec Training New training + exam Yes
