COVER FEATURE
INGENIEUR
Role of Inspector of Works
in The Construction Industry
By Ir. Wong Shu Leong
With the amendment to the Registration
of Engineers Act (1967) (REA) in 2015,
there is a new registration of Inspector
of Works (IOW). Who are these people that need
to be registered? They are supporting staff of
Engineering Consulting Practices (ECPs) usually
deployed at site supervising engineering works on
behalf of Professional Engineers with Practising
Certificates or the Submitting Persons for a
project.
Wait a minute you may ask, were they not
called Clerk of Works (COW) before the REA
amendment? Yes they were but the description of
the role of an Inspector of Works is now deemed
more appropriate as the work they do is primarily
to inspect the Contractors’ works albeit together
with many other contract administrative tasks
they are assigned to do. Furthermore, it is the
intention to differentiate the Engineers’ Inspectors
of Works from the Site Supervisors employed by
Contractors as their role and responsibilities are
entirely different.
The “Clerk of Works” job title is believed to have
been derived in the 13th century era when monks
and priests (“clerics” or “clerks”) were accepted
as being more literate than the builders of the age
and took on the responsibility of supervising the
work associated with the erection of churches and
other religious property. The title did not change
when other more educated tradesmen took on this
role, which by the 19th century, their supervision
scope had expanded to cover the majority of
building work.
ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Under REA Clause 7 (2) (ab), the IOW registered
with the Board of Engineers (BEM) may take
up employment which requires him to assist
the Professional Engineer in the supervision of
engineering works.
To understand what kind of assistance can be
provided by an IOW, examine the duties normally
assigned to him by an Engineer which may vary
according to the specific work scope but generally
include:-
a. Progress monitoring and verification of
weekly and monthly reports submitted by
the Main Contractor.
b. Supervision of construction/installation of
works/equipment at site.
c. Checking and measuring quantities of
accepted works and updating record
drawings as work progresses and make
all deviations and changes due to site
conditions (C&S).
d. Assist in progress payment certification
(M&E).
e. Ensuring the Contractors perform their
work in a manner that does not cause
unnecessary or improper interference to
the public and safety requirements.
f. Ensure works conform with:
i. Specifications,
ii. Latest Construction drawings/Approved
shop drawings,
iii. Codes of Practices,
6 VOL 81 JANUARY-MARCH 2020