Construction inherently carries uncertainty. Materials vary, ground conditions differ, design assumptions are made with information available at the time, and installation quality depends on the people doing the work. Good engineering accounts for most of this, through factors of safety, specification tolerances and experience, but some uncertainty is better resolved with data than assumption, and that is where independent on-site load testing has a role.
Fixings may need testing where base material properties are unknown, in older buildings for example, or to confirm installation quality. Beams are tested on installation or where a risk assessment identifies a need. Adhesives, renders and tiled surfaces can be tested to establish base material strength or confirm installation meets specification. Each situation carries a specific question, and the answer starts with getting requirements correctly defined.
Experienced engineers with the right training understand decisions that need to be made and data that would inform them. We follow relevant standards and best practice guidance, and for situations outside standard parameters we work with client engineers to devise tests that answer their particular questions. Understand the uncertainty and the facts needed to address it, and everything that follows has purpose: test method, data, report. Independently obtained and reported, the data we provide gives decision makers what they need, to support design, satisfy sign-off, or meet a professional duty of care.
Over thirty years I have seen demand for reliable, independent test data grow steadily. The industry is making better decisions because it is asking better questions.
Melanie Scholes, Co-founder, London Fixing Testing Ltd
