Collapses such as those that occurred in 2012, in the center of Rio de Janeiro, and in 2019, at the Andreia Building, are proof that the lack of inspection can result in tragedies. Because of this, several building inspection regulations were sanctioned in order to alleviate the occurrence of these accidents.
The problem is that most people are unaware of these laws or do not know that one of the principal responsibilities of the liquidator is to turn to the professionals of civil construction to carry out the inspection of the building at certain periods of time. In this sense, understanding the reasons that led to the existence of these laws and the importance of putting them into practice is fundamental to avoid a series of problems.
Due to the seriousness of this issue, we prepared this article to better explain to you how NBR 16747 works and how to apply it in practice. Follow the reading!
No matter how long a building has existed, if it is in use, it is necessary to ensure that inspections are carried out regularly. After all, as we mentioned, the lack of surveys has resulted in the occurrence of several accidents that could be prevented, since preventive maintenance is the best way to ensure the preservation of the building.
So, to make it easier to carry out the building inspections and the preparation of technical reports, Brazilian Technical Standards Association (ABNT), which has already established very specific rules regarding building maintenance, recently drafted NBR 16747, which contains important guidelines for building inspection.
That being the case, building inspection its purpose is to contribute to better building management and, when carried out on a regular basis, makes it possible to identify flaws in the building structure that may pose risks to the occupants of the building.
In this context, it is clear that the purpose of NBR 16747 is to attest to the state of conservation and operation of the building, in order to guarantee the best habitability, safety and durability of the construction. In addition, it aims to instruct those responsible regarding the importance and need to carry out preventive maintenance on a constant basis.
Remembering that the NBR 16747 It is not intended to verify that the building complies with all current technical standards nor does it replace NBR 5674, okay? This is because NBR 5674 establishes very specific guidelines to maintain the efficient management of the maintenance system in buildings in order to avoid the depreciation of the building's equipment and components.
Thus, the building inspection has the duty to evaluate not only the technical conditions, but especially those of use and operation of the building. Once the verification has been carried out, it is necessary to document all the main observations regarding the operating characteristics of the property. Therefore, the following information must be observed and verified in the document:
structural, operational, use and fire safety;
habitability — whether it offers accessibility, functionality, hygiene, health and air quality;
whether sustainable resources are used;
the age of the building;
the interventions that were made;
the maintenance history;
all renovations and changes of use;
the classification of all the irregularities found;
recommendations for the restoration or preservation of the building structure;
the guidelines organized in order of priority.
The inspection analysis must follow a plan according to the type of building and its main characteristics, such as age, quality of facilities and equipment. In addition to clearly recording the faults that were found, describing the signs and symptoms of the deterioration and the proposal of solutions to solve the problem.
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How to ensure that the building inspection is carried out?
Considering that the inspection seeks to guarantee the safety of the building's residents and the reduction of expenses with constant repairs, it is of paramount importance that the liquidator, the person responsible for preserving the integrity of the structure and ensuring the well-being of the residents, knows the regulations created by the ABNT, especially NBR 16747, and find ways to put them into practice.
Remember that residents are also interested in Observe the presence of risks and inform those responsible, in order to demand a position regarding the problem presented.
With that in mind, we have separated some tips to help you when inserting NBR 16747 into your building care routine.
Count on the services of specialized companies
As we mentioned, building inspection has the function of analyzing the technical conditions of a building. Therefore, it is essential that the person responsible for carrying out the inspection is a qualified professional in the area of civil construction, due to the need to know the rules of a building.
In fact, NBR 16747 itself requires that inspections be carried out only by qualified professionals who are registered with professional councils, such as civil engineering or architecture and urban planning.
Learn about the most common types of problems
Based on the various studies carried out on the causes that caused building accidents to date in Brazil, it was found that most of the incidents occurred with buildings that were already in their phase of use.
In addition, it was also confirmed that the main causes that resulted in disaster are related to lack of maintenance, marked deterioration, and early loss of performance. In this case, only a small proportion of accidents are caused by so-called construction defects.
Establish a time for carrying out repairs
The deadline for carrying out the maintenance is determined after the completion of the building inspection. Therefore, the maintenance schedule is individual for each case, since it depends a lot on the current structural conditions of the building.
For this reason, we emphasize the need and importance of having the services of a specialized professional to carry out the inspection and determine the right deadlines for carrying out the maintenance.
By carrying out the building inspection, it is possible to assess the current state of the building as well as to identify faults that may endanger the lives of residents. Not to mention that the earlier the diagnosis is made, the better the maintenance result and the lower the renovation costs will be.
In other words, carrying out the inspection goes far beyond an obligation, since it is a need that must be taken seriously by the residents of the building and, especially, those responsible for it.
These were the main observations regarding the building inspection standard NBR 16747. Due to the seriousness of the matter, we emphasize once again that there is a need to carry out the survey and comply with the guidelines presented.
In addition, there must also be a concern with the quality of the products to be used to carry out the repairs, since materials low quality affects (a lot) the efficiency and durability of maintenance.
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