Fireproofing Condition Assessment Strategy: an inside look at how Brindley Engineering trains its engineers and technicians to identify, assess and provide the highest level of fireproofing services.
Quiz Question: Why does Brindley Engineering invest in fireproofing training?
A. To protect the infrastructure and operability of industrial facilities for future generations
B. To get ahead of any problems before they arise
C. To proactively mitigate risks
D. To ensure the entire BE team has the highest level of knowledge in any fireproofing scenario
E. All of the above
Brindley Engineering (BE) continues to take fireproofing seriously. We act with urgency to protect the infrastructure of industrial facilities and ensure operability for future generations. We are passionate about proactively mitigating risks and getting ahead of any problems before they arise. One of the ways BE mitigates its own risk is to train employees on the intricacies of fireproofing inspection to ensure they have the highest level of knowledge in any fireproofing scenario.
We sat down with Brindley Engineering’s Chris Sedlacko who recently led an internal fireproofing engineering training course at BE to learn more. Welcome to our 3-part series on how BE ensures their engineers and technicians are expertly trained in fireproofing inspection services. Part 1 of this series is about Condition Assessment Strategy, Part 2 covers Defect Likelihood and Part 3 will focus on Defect Severity.
Q: What types of fireproofing training does BE provide its staff?
A: We have a full training series on fireproofing inspection dedicated to developing and documenting shared experiences and providing education on condition assessment strategy, risk ranking, inspections, defects and more.
Q: Is there one module that you can tell us about?
A: One section of our internal fireproofing training module includes detailed training on best practices for organizing condition assessments in industrial facilities. The operating complexes in which we work are indeed complex! With sprawling, congested, multi-story equipment support structures of varying types, sizes, materials, vintages, and functions, figuring out where to begin an inspection can be a daunting task. Many plants literally have miles of fireproofed structural members, so it can be overwhelming to prioritize deficiencies and repairs. An important first step in any Asset Management program is to define the limits of each asset and subdivide it into manageable elements. BE defines the size of these elements as the Element Scope.
Q: Why is this type of training important at BE?
A: The importance of getting Element Scope right cannot be understated and is therefore a primary focus of the training BE provides for its inspection teams. If the Element Scope is set too small, the inspection can become overly cumbersome with hundreds of findings leading to impractical amounts of field and reporting time. If the Element Scope is too large and too many structural members are grouped together, the inspection results become too general and provide little value. BE has developed a balance between these two extremes through years of field inspections so that the risks associated with each finding are consistent and comparable across all units in a facility.
Q: How do BE clients benefit from this training program?
A: One goal of the training program is to calibrate the entire Brindley inspection team so that we are all aligned on Element Scope definition and risk evaluation of deficiencies. This ensures that we are all viewing our clients’ structural assets through the same lens, which results in more uniform risk assessments. By employing consistent condition assessment strategies across multiple facilities, Brindley can provide its clients with more informed budgeting recommendations for maintenance programs, better risk-ranking metrics, more accurate construction Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and more repeatable future inspections. This in turn gives our clients confidence that they are most effectively using their maintenance budgets to address the highest priority deficiencies first.
Q: How is this training program executed? Is it available to everyone or only certain departments?
A: Training sessions are routinely conducted throughout the year and considered mandatory for Brindley employees performing fireproofing inspection. Each session is recorded for new hires to review. Whether a new grad or seasoned veteran, inspectors new to Brindley are paired with an experienced Team Leader for on-the-job training in Brindley condition assessment strategies. While fireproofing inspections are primarily performed by the Brindley Structural Department, any discipline is welcome at the training sessions. In fact, participation from other departments is encouraged, as we often gain a better perspective of how the units operate, which is key to understanding risk severity of noted deficiencies.
Q: What types of fireproofing services does BE address?
A: BE fireproofing services include:
- Maintenance program development and management
- Condition Assessments
- Fireproofing needs assessment per API 2218
- Repair engineering and design
- Quality control and quality assurance of fireproofing construction
- Post fire evaluations
- Fire and fireproofing technology
- Fireproofing material evaluations
Q: Does BE recommend a fireproofing maintenance program for clients? What are some expected outcomes?
A: We establish or improve maintenance programs by providing organization, work prioritization, planning, scheduling, cost controls, and reporting. Cost efficiency is enhanced by determining key performance indicators (KPIs) and tracking program implementation for continual improvement.
Q: How do clients know if investing in a maintenance program is worth it? How can a program’s performance be evaluated?
A: Most facilities have very little, if any, proactive fireproofing maintenance programs. The result is that both the fireproofing and underlying steel deteriorate, creating dangerous conditions and very costly repairs. A proactive system will improve safety and drive down maintenance costs significantly. Despite the benefits, many facilities are reluctant to invest in these programs because they can seem overwhelming, and they lack data regarding the return on their investment. The performance of the program is gauged by the improvement in safety and the cost of the program compared to the savings it derives.
Brindley Engineering provides the planning, systems, technical knowledge, execution, and financial analysis to ensure that the facility is achieving quantifiable value for their investment.
About Brindley Engineering Brindley Engineering was founded with a vision to provide the highest level of service to clients in capital & maintenance projects, reliability initiatives, and construction solutions. We’ve developed a world-class, multidisciplinary team of engineers, technicians, and designers that share that vision.
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