Remote Virtual Inspections Offer A Welcome Solution For City Building Departments

FEATURE Review by Gabby Geraci and Karen Johnson

The COVID-19 pandemic has added new complications this year on top of the manifold challenges many building departments are already facing. Simultaneously, with the financial toll of the pandemic on cities, building departments are also under tremendous pressure to stay on top of demand and ensure that city development plans stay on track. Remote virtual inspections (RVIs) are a win-win solution; they can provide cities with scalable, affordable, safe and easy solutions that help them address these challenges while expediting building inspections.

At the start of 2020, building departments across the help address the critical need for safer working conditions, country were already struggling with limited budgets, staffing some jurisdictions suspended interior inspections; others vacancies, a retiring workforce, and everyday hassles such as limited the types of projects for which inspections would be scheduling and rescheduling inspections. In March, when scheduled; while others implemented safety requirements for city workers began working from home as a result of the jobsites and inspectors. In most cases, these either created pandemic, most building departments found themselves project backlogs or less-than-ideal working conditions. struggling to identify the best path forward for inspectors, who traditionally have had to do their job on site, to continue working effectively without risking contagion. To Institute for Building Technology and Safety (IBTS) was facing a similar predicament. As a nonprofit organization that provides building department services for local governments, IBTS began exploring remote virtual inspections

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IBTS had originally utilized RVI technologies several years ago when conducting disaster recovery work. RVIs are a useful approach to performing inspections of damaged structures that may be unsafe or inaccessible. With several clients under pressure to complete inspections as quickly as possible but also concerned about sending inspectors onto jobsites, IBTS was quickly able to put remote virtual inspection processes into place. The key findings have been that RVIs are easy to conduct and easier to schedule; they allow for more flexibility from both the client and the inspector. RVIs are also more cost effective, allowing for more inspections each day with less personnel.

RVIs In Action

Due to coronavirus outbreaks at large construction sites in the Washington, DC metro area, local IBTS staff was concerned about sending inspectors to work in person. Accordingly, IBTS developed a custom RVI process that would serve clients, while still fulfilling the Virginia live inspections requirement. The key to setting up successful RVI methodology is keeping it simple.

The client first contacts an inspector a day or two before needing an inspection, and staff works to accommodate within 24 hours, just as we would for in-person inspections. Beforehand, the client receives instructions on how to set up. Setup entails having two individuals to walk the site, one to serve as videographer holding the smartphone camera, and another to show the inspector the site. The client also has a high-powered flashlight to light dark areas, and a headset, to make sure they can easily hear the inspector. From there, the inspector’s direct client’s onsite contacts to see the views and details they need to ensure proper code compliance.

There was a similar situation for the Puerto Rico Planning Board, where IBTS is serving as the project management office for a Federal Emergency Management Agency Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) for code enforcement. The planning board responsible for land use permitting needs to be able to address outstanding permit-related issues and perform post-completion inspections that are legally admissible in court. Recognizing that not all inspections

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need to be or can be conducted in person and realizing the planning board’s desire to implement safety precautions for both its staff and building owners, IBTS worked to develop a pilot virtual inspection program.

“The pilot program went better than we expected,” explains IBTS Project Manager Pete Dennen. “We discovered that while an individual inspector could only complete a maximum of three inspections a day when going to sites, they can complete eight inspections per day using the technology, all without having to worry about infection and travel expenditures.” The planning board also found that it was able to be more flexible with clients in terms of scheduling.

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City of Ballwin Remote Inspection Experience by Mike Roberts, MBA, MSML, MCP, CFM Building Commissioner City of Ballwin

In the beginning days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the city of Ballwin department heads met to discuss ways the City could carry out essential business in a safe and effective way. At the time, one of the ideas that I suggested would be some sort of remote inspection and permitting process. We were fortunate to already be using a program that required iPads for our building inspectors. While the program itself did not contain a way to conduct live inspections, the iPads gave us one of the essential tools needed.

After putting careful consideration into initiating a remote program, we decided to use Facetime and Google Duo to conduct these inspections. With the widespread use of smart phones, these free programs covered the IOS and Android platforms with ease and allowed us to link up with contractors and homeowners remotely. This also allowed our inspectors to work from home a couple of days a week. This was vital for thinning out the onsite staff that had to remain for daily operations in the government center.

The permitting computer program in use allowed clerks to also rotate days at home setting up inspections. Permits received in person were dropped off in the lobby safe and picked up by the clerk in the office. Every other day the permits were then picked up for review and reviewed permits dropped back off at the government center for issuance to contractors and homeowners.

The benefits of using this remote program were realized quickly. Protecting our residents and staff were our primary concern. As noted above, we were able to social distance easily while conducting these virtual inspections. In addition, while several other jurisdictions suspended inspections, the city of Ballwin was able to keep construction activities going. Plan review was also kept going at a normal pace while other jurisdictions slowed significantly.

Of course, there were also challenges encountered along the way. Some homes and businesses had “dead spots.” These areas of the buildings sometimes would make the connection fail and an inspection was unable to continue. In these instances, an inspector in the office for the day would have to go to the location and perform the inspection in person. We required that anyone there would have to be in a separate area of the building while the inspector, in gloves and a mask, inspected the site. Some inspections handled remotely were very hard to do effectively. An inspector on site can take in the entire work area and can often find problems that cannot be seen over a camera. As such, we made sure these were the first inspections we started back up in person as restrictions eased.

Overall, the feedback the City received was quite positive. Many contractors were grateful they could continue operating their businesses in a timely manner. Residents trapped at home wanting to do projects they had been putting off were able to do so. Our inspectors and clerks were happy they could stay home and remain safe while performing their job. In general, I believe our venture into virtual inspections was very successful. I am confident we can put this back into practice quickly if we see a spike that requires closures again. We may even continue with some inspections virtually after this clears up, especially in busy times.

If you have any questions on how we set up these inspections, please feel free to contact me at mroberts@ballwin.mo.us.

Another unforeseen benefit of virtual inspections in Puerto Rico is the learning experience for property owners and contractors. Since they have to move down the checklist with the inspector, along the way they inevitably learn what is permissible and what needs to be fixed. This education is invaluable as it leads them to more readily accept required improvements from the inspector while they become educated on building code and how, when followed properly, it leads to resilient infrastructure.

RVI Added Benefits

Communities that want to use a third-party inspection service on a selective basis (commercial project or staff vacancy) may not currently know that RVI is available; others may not be comfortable with this new approach to inspections. IBTS has weighed all the potential benefits against the negatives and has concluded that, while RVIs may not be feasible for all inspections (such as certain instances when fine visuals may be needed), they can be confidently used in place of a variety of inspection types.

We also find that RVIs provide a scalable solution for jurisdictions that may have variations in workload and allow for multiple stakeholders to simultaneously collaborate in real time during inspections.

Gabby Geraci is a marketing research analyst at IBTS. Karen Johnson is the market engagement program director for IBTS.

About IBTS

IBTS is the Institute for Building Technology and Safety, a national nonprofit organization that strengthens communities through a variety of services and expertise in code enforcement, energy and solar programs and quality management, grant management and compliance, resilience planning, and project management. Learn more at www.ibts.org.

IBTS provides building department services, including remote plan review, to Missouri Municipal League members as part of our Master Services Agreement. For more information on how remote virtual inspection services may help your jurisdiction, contact IBTS Branch Manager Curt Skoog at (816) 679-0608 or via email, cskoog@ibts.org.

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