Coordinate fireproofing testing: readiness, access and the release decision
An office project's agency arrives without the agreed access equipment or location information. The coordinator needs a visit plan that also covers readiness, reports and the area's next activity.
Agree what the agency will do, what must be ready and what evidence is needed before the following activity. A visit date is only one part of that arrangement. For intumescent, public industry guidance places the inspection around adequate drying and before topcoat; it is a specific planning reference, not a fixed cure allowance or the complete inspection method for your project.
Connect the requirement to a named record
- Confirm the visit's purpose and locations. Ask the agency to identify the actual checks, system, methods and scope for the appointment. Send the current location plan and protection references. A booking described only as 'test third floor' leaves too much room for the site and agency to prepare for different work.
- Agree the readiness evidence. Have the qualified contractor and agency confirm the relevant application, drying or other prerequisites and required records. Identify who will report readiness and how uncertainty is handled. Do not infer readiness from elapsed days or ask the agency to work on an area whose condition has not been assessed.
- Arrange notice and a confirmation contact. Establish the actual booking and cancellation arrangement and name someone able to update the agency promptly. Keep tentative dates labelled. If the spray sequence changes, provide the affected locations and revised readiness information rather than assuming the agency can absorb the change at arrival.
- Plan access as actual site work. Coordinate suitable access equipment, competent personnel, lighting and clear routes with the responsible site parties. Resolve the site's safety arrangements for the proposed work. A lift shown on the programme may still be committed elsewhere; confirmation should identify the equipment and responsible person for this visit.
- Plan what follows the visit. Ask about sample processing, report delivery, repair obligations and possible additional attendance. Record who receives findings and makes the applicable release decision. A completed site visit should not automatically trigger ceiling closure while a required result, correction or technical review remains outstanding.
- Check the handover after attendance. Record work performed, actual locations, samples or observations and open items. Obtain the promised reports and update the look-ahead with their limited outcome. Keep a failed or incomplete visit visible instead of leaving the programme entry marked complete merely because the agency came to site.
Common mistakes
- Booking a visit without a defined scope.
- Counting attendance as completion of the required checks.
- Starting enclosure while required evidence is still pending.
Checklist
Confirm the visit and its outcome
- Purpose, methods and locations.
- Readiness evidence and responsible person.
- Actual notice and booking confirmation.
- Reviewed access, lighting and routes.
- Reporting, repair and release chain.
- Completed scope and pending items recorded.
Check your understanding
Can the next trade start closing ceilings as soon as the agency leaves the floor?
Show the answer
Check the actual required results and acceptance or release process first. Attendance may leave processing, repairs or review outstanding; record the permitted activity and unresolved scope accurately.
