Guard Rails

[Douglas Cossar]

Originally Posted by Dave L. Stephenson

I often get a lot of flack from builders, etc. when documenting the strength of guard rails. Most areas require that the rails support 200 pounds in either direction. This is for both decks and interior guard rails. Since dynamic testing is not possible, how do others handle this?

OMG Dave:

You are a home inspector, not the saviour of the world!!!!

Get real.....just say its loose, if it is, suggest necessary repairs and be done with it.

Cheers

[Frank Magdefrau]

Originally Posted by jpope

You can purchase spring-scales that work very well for this purpose. I've used them on job-sites for just this type of testing.

It would be cheaper to just thrust your hip into the Realtor and if it holds just say excuse me and move on.

[Gary Farnsworth]

Dan, would you take caution in using a male or female for step rail testing? My 5-year-old grandson would be a great testing device, since he has lots of energy and is virtually indestructable. "If it don't bouce back, you go hungry"

Elwood Blues, rubber biscuit.

[Frank M. Carrio, CMI]

Originally Posted by Dave L. Stephenson

Seems like a reasonable question to me Frank. I think my statemant about "documenting the strength" may have thrown you off. I simply meant the rail's ability to support the required pressure or force.

Dave,
Thank you for the clarification.
I have spent a lot of time in courtrooms testifying as an "Expert Witness."
One of the problems that I see with "testing, and or documentation" is the fact that;

1. If you "document" a specific item and neglect/omit any related item or component then you are negligent.

2. More importantly if you "test" any items such as a guard rail then you are required to "test" any and all related items such as ALL of the guard rails on the deck, exterior stairs, and more importantly the interior stairs / guardrails.
God help you if you "documented the strength" of some but....NEGLECTED to "document the strength" of ALL of the Guardrails!!

3. Then comes the "test"!

Anytime that you "test" anything at all you open a can of worms because the judge and or jury will want to know ......

1. Are YOU, and I repeat Are YOU qualified / certified to do this specific type of test?

2. What training / certification did you receive that qualifies you to do this specific type of test?

3. What "Standards" and more importantly what procedures did you use to conduct this test?

4. How many times have you conducted this "specific" test and more importantly have you documented the test results?

5. Are there, or were there any variances and ... where are the documented results?

6. What "equipment" did you use to conduct this specific test?

7. Is this "equipment" recognized as a national industry standard?

8. Has this "equipment" been certified / calibrated?

9. Did you present the certificate of calibration at the job site?

10. Is there more than one" procedure/method" to conduct this specific type of test?

11. If there is more than one "procedure/method" {and you better know the answer to this question} why did you only use one method instead of all of them? {There are different testing methods / procedures.}

12. If there is more than one specific type of "testing tool" why did you not use all of them? {There are several different types of tools. }

• I hope that you can see that the list goes on and on and that you can really put yourself in a bad situation and open yourself up to a lawsuit.

My recommendation to you is to join a reputable home inspectors Association, and become certified.

Once you have joined a reputable home inspectors Association become familiar with their Standards of Practice and conduct your inspections according.

I hope that this has been of some help to you.

I wish you all the luck in the world!