7 CFR § 1724.32 - Inspection and certification of work order construction.

The provisions of this section apply to all borrower electric system facilities regardless of the source of financing.

(a) The borrower shall ensure that all field inspection and related services are performed within 6 months of the completion of construction, and are performed by a licensed engineer, except that a subordinate of the licensed engineer may make the inspection, provided the following conditions are met:

(1) The inspection by the subordinate is satisfactory to the borrower;

(2) This practice is acceptable under applicable requirements of the States in which the facilities are located;

(3) The subordinate is experienced in making such inspections;

(4) The name of the person making the inspection is included in the certification; and

(5) The licensed engineer signs such certification which appears on the inventory of work orders.

(b) The inspection shall include a representative and sufficient amount of construction listed on each RUS Form 219, Inventory of Work Orders (or comparable form), being inspected to assure the engineer that the construction is acceptable. Each work order that was field inspected shall be indicated on RUS Form 219 (or comparable form.) The inspection services shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

(1) Determination that construction conforms to RUS specifications and standards and to the requirements of the National Electrical Safety Code (NESC), State codes, and local codes;

(2) Determination that the staking sheets or as-built drawings represent the construction completed and inspected;

(3) Preparation of a list of construction clean-up notes and staking sheet discrepancies to be furnished to the owner to permit correction of construction, staking sheets, other records, and work order inventories;

(4) Reinspection of construction corrected as a result of the engineer's report;

(5) Noting, initialing, and dating the staking or structure sheets or as-built drawings and noting the corresponding work order entry for line construction; and

(6) Noting, initialing, and dating the as-built drawings or sketches for generating plants, substations, and other major facilities.

(c) Certification.

(1) The following certification must appear on all inventories of work orders:

I hereby certify that sufficient inspection has been made of the construction reported by this inventory to give me reasonable assurance that the construction complies with applicable specifications and standards and meets appropriate code requirements as to strength and safety. This certification is in accordance with acceptable engineering practice.

(2) A certification must also include the name of the inspector, name of the firm, signature of the licensed engineer, the engineer's State license number, and the date of signature.