Inspections are the basis of an effective structural maintenance strategy, but the data gathering, analysis, and reporting can be challenging and time-consuming. Maintenance personnel require detailed reports to prioritize and plan structural maintenance activities, while managers need higher-level summaries to make decisions about resource allocation, budgeting, and capital planning. CWA’s approach to structural inspections utilizes the latest technology to provide seamless and efficient delivery and analysis of inspection data. Findings are recorded and uploaded from the inspecting engineer’s smartphone to a custom cloud application, from which they can flow into online inspection reports, structural condition summary reports, KPIs, and condition metrics. This data can be integrated into the client’s existing maintenance system, enabling maintenance personnel to focus less on administration and more on planning and decision making. This data-driven approach must be combined with thorough identification, definition, and assessment of equipment and infrastructure areas, and underpinned by regular inspections executed by qualified and experienced personnel. Implemented together, these elements allow for maintenance and capital spending to be targeted for maximum effectiveness while safeguarding against unexpected structural failures.
