Building Inspectors

Building and construction building inspections examine structures such as buildings, utilities systems, dams, and bridges. Inspectors are also responsible for keeping our nation's highways and roadways functional. Inspectors must make sure that all new construction, changes, or repairs correspond with building codes, ordinances, and zoning regulations. Nearly half of building inspectors are employed by local government such as municipal or county departments. Another large portion of building inspectors are self-employed.

Building inspectors inspect the quality and safety of buildings and structures. There are some building inspectors that focus on certain types of buildings such as structural steel. The concepts that are used for the trade are the same while the building codes differ. While the structural integrity of a building is very important to a building inspector, fire safety is also a major concern. Building inspectors will make sure that the structures they are inspecting are equipped with the appropriate fire safety equipment such as sprinklers, alarms, smoke detectors, and lighted signs marking the exit ways.

Normally, building inspectors have to work directly on the construction sites which are normally very dirty and potentially hazardous. Building inspectors have to take appropriate precautions when entering a jobsite such as wearing a hard-hat and having the appropriate footwear. An inspector might have to get into tight spaces or deal with substantial heights. As a substantial amount of buildings were built using asbestos containing products in the 20^th century, building inspectors may have been exposed to the contaminant while working on the construction site. Asbestos was normally used in many building materials for years before the health hazards tied to the contaminant were widely recognized. Building inspectors, especially before the 1970s, most likely came across the contaminant in one for or another. If the contaminant was airborne at the time of exposure, it is possible that an inspector could have inhaled the asbestos fibers. Considering that the latency period is rather long, a building inspector that feels he or she might have been exposed to asbestos should be examined by a licensed physician.

There is a group of building inspectors today that are trained to identify the presence of asbestos. As asbestos has become a serious problem in buildings and structures over the past few decades, building inspectors have begun to be utilized to identify the problem and recommend a course of action to eradicate the situation. If a building inspector wishes to be licensed to look for asbestos in buildings and structures, he or she must take a certification course. Once the inspector is certified, he or she is able to be employed to inspect for asbestos. Duties that will be performed during the inspection can entail testing the air quality within the building as well as inspecting the physical building materials.