Getting it Right - Installation of Steel Structures

Of concern to all designers is that many steel building construction products are non-compliant or not up to standard.

Non-compliant steel construction have caused the collapse of steel structures, affected the integrity of glass panels and windows. This is of concern to the safety of the structures that Engineers design.

Most developed countries in the world have a steelwork quality compliance scheme that has been able to regulate non-compliance. The European/UK, CE Marking scheme is a risk based fit-for-purpose approach to steelwork compliance. It is a compliance assessment requirements based on construction categories determined through a simple risk matrix at the time of design.

Engineers must be familiar with the construction category determination and should be putting it on drawings and specification.

Following that, attention must be given to the detailing in shop drawing, connection detailing and installation drawings.

Installation work requires considerable expertise, because often the crews are faced with tasks where no standard solutions exist. The actual installation work is the final stage of the process for any project. However, extensive planning and coordination work precedes the installation phase, because installing the individual elements requires that the right parts are on site at exactly the right time – including cranes and trucks.