Specialist courses for Bridge and Viaduct Inspectors are specifically designed for technicians of regional, provincial, urban or municipal traffic offices, as well as technicians from motorway and railway offices.
The aim of these courses is to train the technical staff of the Administrations, who are responsible for the free movement of traffic on prized infrastructure assets, in basic visual inspection activities that provide an accurate overview of the functional condition of the structures, certifying the suitability of the staff. Participants shall be trained to follow operational procedures in the field for two key activities:
– the Census, to assess the technological and structural characteristics of the structures using clear and objective technical parameters in order to conduct an accurate assessment, encoding the data and digitally recording the measurements taken;
– the Inspection, learning on-site inspection methods and procedures to recognise defects and signs of potential defects in concrete, masonry, steel and wood, objectively assessing the state of general disrepair with subsequent computerised data management.
Participants will be trained in all the procedures referred to in the Manuale per la Valutazione dello Stato dei Ponti (Bridge Inspection Handbook) in order to standardise Census and Inspection methods and to facilitate the Numerical Evaluation of the state of disrepair and the computerised management of the data collected.
By providing specialist staff training, the aim is to offer the Administrations valid technical and administrative support to facilitate preventive maintenance and help ensure the free flow of traffic on the structures concerned. The courses provide the operational tools necessary to conduct a technical-economic assessment and to implement any adjustments or improvements that may be required in order to achieve and/or improve structural safety, as stipulated in Ch. 8.4 of the New Construction Technical Regulations 2008.
| Level 1 – BRIDGE CENSUS |
24 h
|
|
Study of the automated management of structures using the Manuale per la Valutazione dello Stato dei Ponti (Bridge Inspection Handbook), with a focus on concrete, masonry, steel and wood.
|
4
|
|
Applicable regulations. Statutory requirements. Definition of the structural elements of a bridge. Census of a structure: theory and on-site application. Census Report. On-site Safety Management.
|
12
|
|
Field data analysis. Database entry training. Production of Census printouts of individual bridges.
|
4
|
|
Certification exam
|
4
|
| Level 2 – BRIDGE INSPECTION |
32 h
|
|
Bridge and viaduct Visual Inspection procedures. Analysis of the state of disrepair Numerical Evaluation Method. Study of Inspection sheets. Applicable regulations.
|
4
|
|
Study of anomalies detected for various materials: concrete, masonry, steel, wood. Analysis of potentially hazardous defects using the statics of the structure. Analysis of the renovation costs financial assessment sheets. On-site Safety Management.
|
4
|
|
On-site practical experience of primary visual inspections of bridges, viaducts and footbridges. Compiling the inspection sheets. Evaluation of cracking and defect parameters in general: extent and severity. Analysis of the parameters for the renovation costs financial assessment.
|
8
|
|
Sending data and database entry training. Production of summary tables. Outline of on-site experimental surveying techniques.
|
8
|
|
Drafting the Inspection Report and management of Non-conformities and Corrective and Preventive Actions. Summarised analysis for a series of bridges, with evaluation of intervention priorities and related costs.
|
4
|
|
Certification exam
|
4
|
Certified Inspectors
FAQ
1) What will the LEVEL I and II Bridge Inspection Courses teach?
The courses will teach the correct automated bridge management procedure by methodically following the instructions detailed in the Manuale per la Valutazione dello Stato dei Ponti (Bridge Inspection Handbook) – CIAS edition 2011. Participants will learn how to work by applying a methodology that has been meticulously developed in collaboration with numerous Italian universities and proven on more than 10,000 structures in Italy and abroad.
2) Who will teach the courses?
All teachers have been assessed by an independent Certification Body and are qualified and certified LEVEL III inspectors. Most teachers are university lecturers or professionals specialising in materials and on-site inspection and survey techniques.
3) Is this working method only used in Italy?
No, it has been applied in Spain since 2005 and Georgia has recently decided to train its universities and technicians in this methodology to ensure that structures are efficiently inspected and managed.
4) Why train Administration staff to be LEVEL I or II Bridge Inspectors?
Having fully-trained in-house technicians who know how to perform Censuses and Primary Visual Inspections is useful for a variety of reasons:
- to complete the bridge census of the Administration’s region or add new ones,
- to complete Primary Visual Inspections,
- to conduct all future Visual Inspections in compliance with the Regulations,
- to efficiently monitor and review the work performed by other professionals from the Administration and from third parties,
- to know how to recognise potentially hazardous defects and to identify those truly dangerous defects that are Non-conformities,
- to know which Corrective Action to take to resolve a particular defect,
- to know how to define Preventive actions to ensure the safety of the structure,
- to know which on-site and material surveys to perform depending on the defects of the structure in question,
- to recognise the advantages and disadvantages of the on-site and material surveys,
- to become fully autonomous without having to depend on third-party professionals or companies.
5) Why should I pay for the certification of an independent Certification Body like RINA if it is not a legal requirement?
Certification by an independent body is a guarantee of a candidate’s suitability.
As such, the quality of the services, information and results obtained by future inspectors, and the safety in which they operate by following the Manuale per la Valutazione dello Stato dei Ponti (Bridge Inspection Handbook), is guaranteed and can be completely relied upon by those who have the delicate task of managing all the structures and making important and quick decisions based on information obtained from their own technicians.
6) Which professionals is this course potentially aimed at?
Architects, surveyors, geologists, engineers, new graduates, Public Administration technicians, laboratory technicians.
7) What are the applicable regulations?
The Construction Technical Regulations – approved by Italian Ministerial Decree of 14 January 2008 and explanatory circular no. 617 of 2 February 2009 – provide for mandatory safety testing and non-destructive checks on existing buildings in the civil sector.
Italian Presidential Decree (DPR) 554/99 and Italian Presidential Decree (DPR) 207/2010 provide for a mandatory maintenance plan for infrastructure assets, which must be drafted by the same architect and comprise a schedule of checks and interventions, in order to minimise and spread costs over the nominal lifetime of the product.
COURSES ON REQUEST
For Administrations that boast a presentation room and invite other neighbouring bodies, like Municipalities or Provinces, we offer free specialist courses to learn how to assess the load-bearing capacity of bridges.
An offer not to be missed!