The QA reviews on the UW and NSTM inspection units in Bridge Division will be performed by the Bridge Division’s QA Team every two years between reviews. They will consist of two general parts – an office review and a field review. The UW and NSTM inspection units will be evaluated separately.

The office part of the review will be made up of a discussion of the UW or NSTM Unit concerning the organization of the unit and inspection team members’ qualifications, how the unit conducts its operations, and a QA inspection documentation review. The QA review of the unit’s QC efforts will use the Division’s QC documentation, existing bridge folders, and the Bridge Inspection Management System. The results of the discussion will yield qualitative data that will include general observations and descriptions of performance qualities. This data can be used to document the results of the QA review and to describe actions to be taken in response to the findings. The QA office review will look at whether the QC bridge inspection documentation review was performed and documented. Additionally, a sampling of bridges will be selected and reviewed for completeness, accuracy, etc. Any data errors resulting from this review will be noted and reported as quantitative discrepancies in the QA report for that unit.

The field review will involve an evaluation of the inspection procedures, equipment used, and reported QC field findings. The results of the field review will be qualitative in nature and will help the reviewer identify areas where actions are warranted.

The results of the QA review will be presented in a report sent to the Program Manager detailing the quantitative and qualitative findings. Corrective actions can be taken or bestpractice techniques implemented to improve the quality of the UW and NSTM inspection units, if warranted. Corrective actions could include changes to manuals, reporting methods, policies or procedures, or training curriculum as well as collaborative meetings, or other appropriate recommendations.