ᐅ Structural engineer not present for the reinforcement inspection—what now?

Hello,

The construction project is progressing, and with it comes the next challenge:
The structural engineer was not present during the reinforcement inspection because he did not receive the appointment. The concrete has already been poured, so the inspection cannot be redone. My building inspector (construction supervisor) checked on my behalf before the concrete pour and found no issues, except that the structural engineer was not on site.
In the structural engineer’s earlier letter, it was stated that I should provide him with the contact details of the slab contractor so he could get in touch for construction monitoring purposes. I did this. About two months before the start, I sent the execution week schedule to the structural engineer but did not hear anything back except an acknowledgment of receipt.

The structural engineer naturally cannot and does not want to confirm now that the reinforcement was installed correctly (which I understand since he is liable for this) and is requesting an extensive liability release from me. There are only one or two photos of the completed reinforcement, which are insufficient for approval. My building inspector advised against issuing the confirmation, but the site manager said that without the structural engineer’s confirmation, a work stoppage is threatened.
The construction is located in Hesse (building regulations = HBO).

What should I do?

maxx004 schrieb:

...The structural engineer was not present at the reinforcement inspection because he did not receive the appointment...

What do you mean by that? Did he not get informed about the appointment and was therefore (not at fault) absent?
Was he unable to free up a suitable time (possibly due to too short notice) and therefore could not attend?

Was he asked in advance (when it became known that he would not attend) how he would proceed afterward?

I think if the structural engineer is at fault for not attending, HE will have to find a solution; otherwise, YOU will 😳
(Note: non-professional opinion)

Your building inspector has already conducted the inspection. They should provide you with a written report.

maxx004 schrieb:

The structural engineer was not present during the reinforcement inspection because he did not receive the appointment. Now the concrete has been poured, so it cannot be rescheduled. [...] In the engineer’s previous letter, it was stated that I should provide him with the contact details of the foundation slab contractor so he could get in touch regarding construction supervision. I did that. About two months before the start, I sent the execution calendar week to the engineer but heard nothing back except a confirmation of receipt. [...] The construction manager said that without confirmation from the structural engineer, a work stoppage is threatened. The construction is in Hesse (=HBO).

If the construction manager—I assume you mean the person designated under the state building regulations as responsible for the site manager’s declarations—noticed that the structural engineer was not on site, he should have canceled the concrete truck’s dispatch. I interpret your description to mean that it was up to you to coordinate the engineer’s attendance, and that the engineer wanted to handle the scheduling himself, and you have proof that your message was received. In that case, the responsibility lies with the engineer to coordinate with the foundation slab contractors and to ensure a clear scheduling outcome. The key question regarding the engineer’s contribution to this problem is how this coordination process was concluded. The construction manager—who in my view is personally responsible for being present—must have noticed the engineer’s absence and should have responded accordingly. The consequence of lost verifiability through completed facts must be clear to a construction manager—not for nothing do some state building regulations require the appointed person to be qualified. Now the structural engineer has to weigh the risk of relying on the expert’s competence against ordering the removal of the foundation slab with all its consequences (unless he can prove he is not to blame for his absence). If necessary, at least one of those involved—certainly not you—should consult a lawyer with relevant experience. Incidentally, there are indeed methods to test concrete nondestructively and confirm that instead of mafia-style cover-ups, reinforcement steel was actually embedded as planned ;-)

P.S.: I hope at least the electrician was present—otherwise, you might face the same problem again with the foundation earthing system. By the way, electricians often create photo documentation.

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Is it mandatory for the structural engineer to be present on-site where you are?
If so, does he also have to supervise the shell walls and carpentry work on the roof?
For us, everything works with building plans and a construction manager. The plans are sufficient since construction is carried out according to them.

I am also surprised. During the concrete work for the foundation with slope retaining up to the floor slabs, no structural engineer was present. The concrete contractor built according to the plan and is responsible for the correct execution as per the plan. This plan was prepared by the structural engineer in consultation with the architect, approved, and authorized. Any questions were clarified beforehand. We built in NRW. Why does the contractor need approval from the structural engineer?