FEATURES
Roof inspectors: the eyes
and ears of an engineer
A certified and qualified roof inspector is required to inspect
a roof on a regular basis to ascertain if a roof is in good
condition or if it is due for maintenance or repairs.
By Ntsako Khosa
The design of the roof must match the structure upon which it is built.
R
oof inspections are a necessary
requirement to sign off a roof and to
receive an occupation certificate for
a building. In a nutshell, a qualified roof
inspector conducts a thorough inspection
of the roof design, trusses and structure
to assess if the building is suitable
for occupation.
“We close the loop on the process; the
systems supply the software and nail plates,
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FEBRUARY 2018
RESIDENTIAL // COMMERCIAL // INDUSTRIAL
which are used to design the roof and
fabricate the trusses; and fabricators
manufacture the trusses, after which these
are sent to site where they will be erected.
Inspectors then come in and make sure that
what is designed matches what has been
erected on site,” says professional engineer
and Institute for Timber Construction South
Africa (ITC-SA)-registered roof inspector,
Richard Bailey from Roof Inspection
Services. Bailey currently works with 16
inspectors whom he has trained to conduct
timber roof inspections.
Having been in the industry for more
than 28 years, he expresses that much has
changed in the industry. “A19 regulations
have been around for over 30 years, but
they weren’t always applied,” he says. Roof
inspectors, Stian and Tinus de Jager, from
TrussVision, say that it was the late Victor