michael j. pallamary, pls pallamary & associates · 2018-04-02 · base of the great pyramid of...

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QUALITY ASSURANCE AND QUALITY CONTROL METHODOLOGY IN LAND

SURVEYING

MICHAEL J. PALLAMARY, PLSPALLAMARY & ASSOCIATES

[email protected]

COPYRIGHT 2014

MICHAEL J. PALLAMARYALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Did you know that the four sides of the base of the Great Pyramid of Giza are perpendicular to within 3.5 seconds of arc?

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QUALITY ASSURANCE

The planned and systematic activities implemented in a quality system so that quality requirements for a product or service will be fulfilled. QA is the activity of providing evidence needed to establish quality in work, and that activities that require good quality are being performed effectively. All those planned or systematic actions necessary to provide enough confidence that a product or service will satisfy the given requirements for quality.

For products and services, QA is a part and consistent pair of quality management offering fact‐based external confidence to customers and other stakeholders that a product meets needs, expectations, and other requirements.

QA claims to assure the existence and effectiveness of procedures that attempt to make sure ‐ in advance ‐ that the expected levels of quality will be reached.

QA includes all activities from design, development, production, installation, servicing to documentation. It introduced the sayings "fit for purpose" and "do it right the first time". QA also includes the regulation of the

quality of raw materials, assemblies, products and components; services related to production; and management, production, and inspection processes. Think automobile production.

QA includes quality control, which comprises those quality assurance actions related to the physical characteristics of a material, structure, component, or system which provide a means to control the quality of the material, structure, component, or system to predetermined requirements. It also applies to standardized activities and procedures.

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QUALITY CONTROL

Quality control (QC) is a procedure or set of procedures intended to ensure that a manufactured product or performed service adheres to a defined set of quality criteria or meets OR EXCEEDS the requirements of the client or customer. QA is sometimes expressed together with QC as a single expression, quality assurance and control (QA/QC).In order to implement an effective QC program, a company must first decide which specific standards the product or service must meet. Then the extent of QC actions must be determined.

Next, real‐world data must be collected and the results reported to management personnel. After this, corrective action must be decided upon and taken. For example, bad equipment must be replaced and new measurements taken, at no charge until the customer is satisfied. If the traverse does not close, or poor service occurs, a plan must be devised to improve the production or service process and then that plan must be put into action. The QC process must be ongoing to ensure that remedial efforts, if required, have produced satisfactory results and to immediately detect recurrences or new instances of trouble.

One of the most widely used paradigms for QA Management is the PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) approach, also known as the Shewhart cycle.

PLAN Establish the objectives and processes necessary to deliver results in accordance with the specifications.

DO Implement the processes.

CHECK Monitor and evaluate the processes and results against objectives and Specifications and report the outcome.

ACT Apply actions to the outcome for necessary improvement. This means reviewing all steps (Plan, Do, Check, Act) and modifying the process to improve it before its next implementation.

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APPLICATION OF THE LAND SURVEYOR’S ACT

B&P 8703. “Responsible charge of work” defined

The phrase “responsible charge of work” means the independent control and direction, by the use ofinitiative, skill and independent judgment, of the observations, measurements, and descriptionsinvolved in land surveying work. The phrase does not refer to the concept of financial liability.

8704. Practice of land surveyingAny person practices land surveying when he professes to be a land surveyoror is in responsible charge of land surveying work.

8705. SubordinateA subordinate is any person directly supervised by a licensed land surveyor orregistered civil engineer and who assists a licensed land surveyor orregistered civil engineer in the practice of land surveying without assumingresponsible charge of work.

CCP 404.2. Responsible Charge– Professional Land Surveying.(a) The term “responsible charge” directly relates to the extent of control a licensed land surveyor orcivil engineer legally authorized to practice land surveying (hereinafter referred to as “legallyauthorized civil engineer”) is required to maintain while exercising independent control anddirection of land surveying work or services, and the land surveying decisions which can be madeonly by a licensed land surveyor or legally authorized civil engineer.

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(1) Extent of Control. The extent of control necessary to be in responsible charge shall be such that the land surveyor or legally authorized civil engineer:

(A) Makes or reviews and approves the land surveying decisions defined and described in subdivision (a)(2) below.

(B) In making or reviewing and approving the land surveying decisions, determines the applicability of survey criteria and technical recommendations provided by others before incorporating such criteria or recommendations.

(2) Land Surveying Decisions. The term “responsible charge” relates to land surveying decisions within the purview of the Professional Land Surveyors’ Act. Land surveying decisions which must be made by and are the responsibility of the land surveyor or legally authorized civil engineer in responsible charge are those decisions concerning permanent or temporary work which could create a hazard to life, health, property, or public welfare, and may include, but are not limited to:

(A) Selecting the methods, procedures, and tolerances of field work.

(B) Determining calculation and adjustment methods.

(C) Determining and specifying the information to be shown on maps ordocuments furnished in connection with land surveying services, including theformat of the information and the format of the maps or documents.

(D) The decisions related to the preparation of maps, plats, land surveyingreports, descriptions, and other land surveying documents furnished inconnection with the land surveying services.

(E) Reviewing the sufficiency and accuracy of the work product.

(3) Reviewing and Approving Land Surveying Decisions. In making orreviewing and approving land surveying decisions, the land surveyoror legally authorized civil engineer shall be physically present or shallreview and approve through the use of communication devices theland surveying decisions prior to their implementation.

(b) Responsible Charge Criteria. In order to evaluate whether a person authorized to practice landsurveying is in responsible charge, the following must be considered: The land surveyor or legallyauthorized civil engineer who signs surveying documents must be capable of answering questionsasked by licensees of the Board who are fully competent and proficient by education and experiencein the field or fields of professional land surveying relevant to the project. These questions would berelevant to the decisions made during the individual’s participation in the project, and in sufficientdetail to leave little question as to the land surveyor’s or legally authorized civil engineer’s technicalknowledge of the work performed. It is not necessary to defend decisions as in an adversarialsituation, but only to demonstrate that the individual in responsible charge made, or reviewed andapproved, them and possessed sufficient knowledge of the project to make, or review and approve,them.

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Examples of questions to be answered by the land surveyor or legally authorized civil engineer couldrelate to criteria for measurement, surveying methods, analysis, and conclusions made including, butnot limited to, the retracement of government surveys, interpretation and construction of deeddescriptions, conflicts between construction drawings and actual conditions, determination of theproper control datum and epoch, application of proportion methods and analysis of evidencerelated to written and unwritten property rights. The individual shall be able to clearly expressthe extent of control and how it is exercised and to demonstrate that the land surveyor or legallyauthorized civil engineer is answerable within said extent of control.

(c) Successor Licensee. In situations when the professional land surveyor or legally authorized civil engineer inresponsible charge of a land surveying project is unavailable to complete the project, a professional land surveyoror legally authorized civil engineer (hereinafter referred to as the “successor licensee”) may assume responsiblecharge of the project as long as the successor licensee exercises the extent of control and assumes responsibilityfor the surveying decisions as required by subdivision (a) and meets the criteria described in subdivision (b), aswell as meeting the requirements of the Professional Land Surveyors’Act andSections 411 and 415. Except as provided in Section 8761.2 of the Code, theoriginal licensee is not relieved of any responsibility arising from the landsurveying services of which he or she was in responsible charge.

(d) Portions of Projects. Nothing in this section prohibits a professional land surveyor or legally authorized civilengineer from providing services for portions of or to add to or to modify a land surveying project performedunder the responsible charge of another licensee as long as the professional land surveyor or legally authorizedcivil engineer exercises the requisite extent of control and assumes responsibility for the land surveying decisionsas required by subdivision (a) and meets the criteria described in subdivision (b), as well as meeting therequirements of the Professional Land Surveyors’ Act and Sections 411 and 415. The professional land surveyoror legally authorized civil engineer need only be in responsible charge of the portions, additions, or modificationsor the portion of the project affected by the addition or modification and not of the entire project. Except asprovided in Section 8761.2 of the Code, the original licensee is not relieved of any responsibility arising from theland surveying services of which he or she was in responsible charge.

NSPS MODEL STANDARDS FOR PROPERTY SURVEYSApproved 3/12/02

1. INTRODUCTIONStandards for property surveys have been adopted by almost all of the state associations and professional registration boards. This model standard is not intended to take the place of those standards, but to serve as a guide to review and evaluate existing or proposed standards. Standards are not intended to be used in place of professional judgment. It must be understood that there will be circumstances and conditions that make it impossible to comply with some provisions of a standard. If the professional surveyor (Surveyor) deviates from the standard or guideline, this deviation should be noted, described and justified by the Surveyor.

2. RESEARCH, IDENTIFICATION, MEASUREMENTS AND COMPUTATIONSThe Surveyor in conducting a property survey shall:

a. Execute a survey based on the legal description of the parcel or tract taken from the last deed of record as provided by the client.

b. Search pertinent documents that may include, but are not limited to maps, deeds, title reports, title opinions, and United States Public Land Survey records.

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c. Diligently search for and identify monuments and other physical evidence that could affect the location of the boundaries.

d. Conduct field measurements to correlate all found evidence.

e. Make all measurements to a precision compatible with the size and geometric shape of the parcel, and consistent with the accuracy desired for the class of property being surveyed.

f. Compare and analyze all of the data gathered and reach a professional opinion as to the most probable location of the corners of the property.

3. IDENTIFICATION AND RESOLUTION OF CONFLICTS

If a Surveyor has a material disagreement with the measurements or monumented corner positions of another surveyor, the Surveyor shall contact the other surveyor and they shall attempt to resolve the disagreement. The Surveyor shall advise the client of discrepancies that raise concerns as to the integrity of the surveyed boundary line and provide a written report to the client detailing the basis for those concerns.

4. IDENTIFICATION AND DESCRIPTION OF MONUMENTS

All monuments must be thoroughly described and specifically identified as set or found, whenever shown on maps or referred to in documents prepared by the Surveyor. Descriptions of monuments must be sufficient in detail to readily facilitate future recovery by other surveyors and to enable positive identification.

5. SURVEY DRAWING AND CERTIFICATIONThe Surveyor shall prepare an appropriately scaled drawing of the survey. The survey drawing should include at a minimum, the following items: a. The record description of the property or the reference to the source of

the record description. The survey description shall be given if the survey is an original survey.

b. North arrowc. Scaled. Bearings, azimuth or angles, and the distances for all coursese. Basis of bearings or azimuthf. Monuments identified per Section 4 aboveg. Observed evidence of possession or use by others in the parcel or across any perimeter lines

of the propertyh. Sufficient data to indicate the theory of location applied in formulating the opinions as to the

probable location of the boundaries and corners of the propertyi. Name, registration number, address and phone number of the Surveyorj. Name of the clientk. Date of surveyl. Certification

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NSPS MODEL STANDARDS FOR TOPOGRAPHIC SURVEYSApproved 3/12/02

1. INTRODUCTIONThis standard is written to provide the professional surveyor (Surveyor) and the client with a guideline for producing an adequate topographic survey.

2. APPLICATION OF THE STANDARDThis standard applies to topographic surveys that are intended to show the contour of the earth’s surface and/or the position of fixed objects thereon. The Surveyor in making topographic surveys uses accepted terrestrial or GPS surveying methods. This standard does not apply to topographic surveys using photogrammetric methods. Topographic surveys that additionally depict the location of property lines must also be in compliance with the current standard for property surveys.

Map or Plat Scale Contour Interval1” = 20’ 1 foot1” = 30’ 1 foot1” = 40’ 1 foot1” = 50’ 1 foot1” = 100’ 1 or 2 feet1” = 200’ 2 or 4 feet1” = 400’ 4, 5 or 10 feet

POSITIONAL ACCURACY

The following relative positional accuracies are provided as a guide for topographic surveys.

Vertical Horizontal Positional Accuracy

Contour line 1’ interval ± 0.65 ft ± 1 ftContour line 2’ interval ± 1.30 ft ± 2 ftContour line 4’ interval ± 2.60 ft. ± 4 ftContour line 5’ interval ± 3.20 ft ± 4. ftContour line 10’ interval ± 6.50 ft ± 8 ftFloor elevations ± 0.05 ft ± 1 ftSpot paving elevations ± 0.05 ft ± 1 ftSpot ground elevations ± 0.20 ft ± 2 ftSewer invert elevations ± 0.05 ft ± 1 ftWell defined planimetric features ± 0.10 ft ± 1 ft

Positional Accuracy is given at the 95 percent confidence level.

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NSPS POSITIONAL ACCURACY DEFINITIONS AND PROCEDURESApproved 3/12/02

1. INTRODUCTION

Modern surveying standards use the concept of positional accuracy instead of error of closure. Although the concepts of positional accuracy are well known and completely discussed in surveying textbooks, it is important that the concepts and procedures be discussed as part of national standards.The surveying methods used by the professional surveyor (Surveyor) vary with the purpose of survey to be made and the equipment available. Also, surveying technology is constantly changing, therefore a national standard for a particular type or class of survey cannot specify methods or equipment lest it become obsolete even before it is adopted. A modern standard must be limited to a general description of the survey along with reporting and accuracy requirements.

A national survey standard should tell:

(1) what the survey is to accomplish and what items are to be investigated,

(2) how the results are to be reported, and

(3) how accurate the results are to be.

It is the responsibility of the Surveyor to select the appropriate procedures and equipment to obtain the accuracy required by the standard. In other words, the surveyor is expected to design a survey measurement specification that will obtain the required accuracy. A standard should not specify surveying procedures but only results.

REMINDER - LAND SURVEYOR’S ACT SECTION 8703

The phrase “responsible charge of work” means the independent control and direction, by the use of initiative, skill and independent judgment, of the observations, measurements, and descriptions involved in land surveying work. The phrase does not refer to the concept of financial liability.

The NSPS Model Standards use two types of accuracy standards. Relative Positional Accuracy is used in property surveys, construction surveys and topographic surveys. Geospatial Positional Accuracy is used in mapping, geographic information systems (GIS), and geodetic control surveys.

2. RELATIVE POSITIONAL ACCURACY

A. DefinitionsRelative Positional Accuracy is a value expressed in feet that represents the uncertainty of the location of any point in a survey relative to any other point in the same survey at the 95 percent confidence level. Therefore it is also the accuracy of the distance between all points on the same survey.Relative Positional Accuracy may be tested by comparing the relative location of points in a survey as measured by an independent survey of higher accuracy. The comparison should include the measurement of both distances and directions. Relative Positional Accuracy may also be tested by the results from a minimally constrained, correctly weighted least squares adjustment of the survey data. Note that sufficient redundancy in the survey measurements is required, if accuracy is to be tested this way, so as to make the application of the least squares adjustment a valid process.

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B. Design of a measurement specification

The NSPS Standards prescribe the level of accuracy that should be obtained in the survey and not survey procedures. Accuracy is the deviation of survey measurement of quantities such as distances, angles or elevations from the correct values. The Surveyor has two responsibilities with regard to the accuracy of a survey. First, the Surveyor must use his or her judgment and experience to determine what procedures and equipment are necessary to obtain the required accuracy. Second, the Surveyor must test the accuracy of the completed survey measurements.

The Surveyor is the expert in land measurements and this expertise is used to develop a measurement specification for the survey. This specification describes the equipment and procedures to be used in the field survey. The equipment to be used will, to a large extent, determine the methods that are to be followed. The surveyor should be guided by experience, computations and the recommendations of the equipment suppliers in the development of this specification. Error analysis computations can be used to determine what accuracy can be expected with the procedures and equipment prescribed in the specification. The Surveyor is not expected to make these computations for every survey. The scope, extent, requirements and objectives of many surveys are of a repetitive nature and therefore the same specification can be used on similar surveys. The error analysis computations are completely discussed and examples are given in many surveying texts and printed articles.

The measurement specifications should be designed so that the accuracy of the measurements meet or exceed the positional accuracy required in the NSPS Standards. It is very likely that each Surveyor will have a specification for various sizes and types of surveys. In any event the Surveyor should know what accuracy he or she can expect with the procedures and equipment selected.

C. Testing the completed survey

The Surveyor must check the survey work to assure that the intended accuracy is being achieved. Most standards in the past used relative error of closure as a measure of the quality of the survey. That was because many surveys were based upon traverse procedures. Many standards were issued by federal and other agencies for the same reason.

The Surveyor in private practice today performs many surveys that contain measurements that do not result in a closed traverse. This is a result of new equipment and changes in the computing capability available today. Relative error of closure is primarily a measure of the consistency of measurements, but it also can be a valuable tool in testing for accuracy.

Relative Positional Accuracy does not pertain to the location of a particular point or corner in the world but to the accuracy of the measurements used in the survey. Therefore a good test of the relative positional accuracy is to take check measurements of some of the distances in the survey.

The Surveyor should check his or her survey fieldwork by making redundant measurements whenever possible. This is not a new concept. It has always been one of the best ways to make sure that the fieldwork has met the quality that was expected. This does not mean that every survey must have a series of detailed checks. The Surveyor must realize that when a statement is made or inferred that the survey meets a specific standard, the Surveyor has the responsibility to be certain that it actually does meet that standard.

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Design of a measurement specification

The design of survey measurement specification is the responsibility of the Surveyor. The equipment and methods in this area of professional surveying is new and ever changing. The Surveyor should be guided by the latest published methodologies and the recommendations of the equipment manufactures. The Surveyor should develop methods to test procedures before they are used in an actual survey situation.

Testing the completed survey

The geospatial data set is tested by comparing the coordinates of several points within the data set to the coordinates of the same points from a control data set of greater accuracy. The points used in the test must be well defined and easy to measure both in the field and on the digital data product. The control data set must be of a higher quality than the data being tested. It is best that the quality of the control data set be at least twice as accurate as the expected accuracy of the data set being tested. The control data set should uniformly cover the area of the data being tested and there should be a sufficient number of points to determine valid results.

The positional accuracy statistic is computed for the data being reviewed. This statistic is a value for all the data not for individual data. It is actually the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) for the data. The value of the statistic is compared with the positional accuracy value in the standards.

GEOSPATIAL POSITIONAL ACCURACY FOR GEODETIC NETWORKS

The national standard is published by the FGDC as the Draft Geospatial Positioning Accuracy Standards, Part 2: Standards for Geodetic Networks – December 1996. These standards define the accuracy that is to be evaluated. They are as follows:

The local accuracy of a control point is a value expressed in centimeters that represents the uncertainty in the coordinates of the control point relative to the coordinates of other directly connected, adjacent control points at the 95- percent confidence level.

The network accuracy of a control point is a value expressed in centimeters that represents the uncertainty in the coordinates of the control point with respect to the geodetic datum at the 95- percent confidence level.

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NSPS MODEL STANDARDS FOR CONSTRUCTION LAYOUT SURVEYS - Approved 3/12/02

1. INTRODUCTION

A professional surveyor (Surveyor) shall approach the task of construction staking in precisely the same manner as any survey in which a high degree of competence is required. The public welfare shall be paramount in the Surveyor’s decision to take on such a task. Surveyors shall only concern themselves with the direct interpretation of an approved set of plans. It is not the responsibility of the Surveyor or the surveyor’s staff to correct or revise erroneous architectural or engineering plans. If the approved design plans are found to lack sufficient information for proper layout, the Surveyor shall immediately notify his client, the owner, the engineer and/or architect responsible for the project. Proper field procedures shall be employed to ensure correct placement of construction stakes or other control. Appropriate precautionary measures shall be taken to protect the Surveyors employees, agents, and others from undue physical risks associated with construction projects.

3. TECHNICAL MINIMUMS

Measurements

Measurements shall be obtained with an accuracy compatible with Section 4 of these construction standards or as required in a written agreement with the client or within the construction documents.

RELATIVE POSITIONAL ACCURACY

The following relative positional accuracies are provided as a guide for the placement of stakes or other materials utilized to mark the location of proposed fixed works:

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Horizontal Vertical Positional Accuracy Meters Feet

Rough Grading Stakes ± 300 mm ± 1.0 ft ± 60 mm ± 0.20 ftSubgrade Red Head Stakes ± 150mm ± 0.50 ft ± 15 mm ± 0.05 ftFinish Grade Blue Top Stakes ± 150 mm ± 0.50 ft ± 15 mm ± 0.05 ftBuilding Offset Stakes ± 10 mm ± 0.03 ft ± 10 mm ± 0.03 ftSewer Offset Stakes ± 30 mm ± 0.10 ft ± 10 mm ± 0.03 ftWaterline Offset Stakes ± 30 mm ± 0.10 ft ± 30 mm ± 0.10 ftHydrant Offset Stakes ± 30 mm ± 0.10 ft ± 15 mm ± 0.05 ftStreet Lights ± 60 mm ± 0.20 ft ± 30 mm ± 0.10 ftCurb Offsets ± 15 mm ± 0.05 ft ± 10 mm ± 0.03 ft

Positional Accuracy is given at the 95 percent confidence level

Tasks and Responsibilities

During the project planning and start-up phase, you will need to work with the technical managers and office staff to select the checking program and review forms applicable to a particular project.

On a specific project, the project manager takes responsibility for the implementation of a QA Program for the entire project.

The survey managers or project surveyors take responsibility for the detailed standards, checking, and reviews required.

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Tracking and Documentation

Cost control is synonymous with qualified staff, technical excellence, quality assurance and good project management. For any assignment you should consider the use of the following:

• Qualified, licensed professional surveyors who are in responsible charge of the work, and technical experts whose qualifications are specific to the task. All work should be carried out under the direct supervision of a locally licensed land surveyor.

• State-of-the-art survey equipment, survey software, desktop and notebook computers, communications equipment, and the Internet access for transmittal of data and reports.

• Quality control provided at all phases of the work.

• Hands on survey, mapping, imagining, GIS, modeling and photographic supervision and project management.

• Time and cost reporting accounting systems. These costs should be traced on a weekly basis; on smaller projects you may want to track labor costs on a daily basis. You should have a standard time reporting method for all employees.

• Coordination and communications are equally critical to quality and cost control.

• Communications within the team should be conducted on a daily basis in person or via telephone, fax, and/or e-mail. Data files should be transmitted on a daily basis to the project manager to be reviewed and archived. Client communications should be focused through the project manager. Clients should be furnished with weekly status reports and information of any unique situations requiring client input. Today most of this reporting can be transmitted via e-mail.

Project Delivery Planning

Quality assurance begins with Project Delivery Planning. Technical standards and specifications, defining of deliverable items, and milestone schedules will be identified at the project planning stage. A written quality assurance plan is an element of all work plans. These plans vary widely by service and tasks being performed. The following guidelines can be used as a general checklist for the main elements of any project delivery plan. Unless a specific plan is required by the contract, at minimum the following should be considered as appropriate quality assurance measures:

• Detailed Statement of Work & Scope of Required Services

• Schedules, Budgets & Milestone Points

• Precise Definition of Required Deliverables, Contract Standards, Client Imposed Standards and/or IndustryStandards

• Advanced Technology

• Tasks & Responsibilities

• Forms and Reporting Documents

• Deliverable Requirements

• Statements of Safety Procedures

• Quality Control & Quality Assurance

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Forms and Reporting Documents

What forms and reporting methods will you use throughout the project?

Will you use the firm's standard project forms?

Will you use client-mandated forms or will you need to create new forms?

How will you report to the client and will you report daily, weekly or monthly?

Will you report via e-mail, fax or in person?

Project reporting is a critical element of client service and quality. Clients like to know how the project is progressing and if there are any issues, especially issues affecting the budget or delivery date. Suppose you have a week of rain and the field crews are not able to work. This will no doubt delay the project delivery date. Clients want to know this. One of the formats for client reporting that I prefer is:

PALLAMARY & ASSOCIATES WORK ORDER

PREPARED BY:___________________________________ DATE:____________ SHEET____ OF____FILE:______________________________________________ JOB NO.:___________________________PROJ. ADDRESS:___________________________________________ LOCALITY:_________________LEGAL:_______________________________________________________________________________OWNER:___________________________________________ A.P.N.:____________________________ARCH/CONTRACTOR/AGENT:_____________________________ PHONE NO.:__________________

FIELD INSTRUCTIONSDATE IN: DEADLINE: SCOPE OF WORK COMPLETED_________ _______________ ____________________________ ________________________________ _______________ ____________________________ ________________________________ _______________ ____________________________ ________________________________ _______________ ____________________________ ________________________________ _______________ ____________________________ ________________________________ _______________ ____________________________ ________________________________ _______________ ____________________________ ________________________________ _______________ ____________________________ _______________________TOPO CATEGORIES: ALTA_______DETAILED________LIMITED_______PLOT PLAN________LOCATE: EVERYTHING___ HOUSE___ SPOT ELEVATION___ CONTOURS___ TREES____BUSHES_____ S/W_____ UTILITIES_____ C&G_____C/L A.C._____ M.H.’S______ BLUFF________FENCES/WALLS______ DECKS______ ADJ HOUSES______ SWALES______ RIDGE ELEV_______DISTANCES INTO ADJOINING LOTS__________ CITY B.M.___________ OTHER B.M.__________

OFFICEINSTRUCTIONS____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________SKETCH ATTACHED: YES _____ NO _____ROS______ P/MAP______ CR______ TOPO_____ CONDO_____ EXHIBIT_____ SCALE______=____PROJECT PREVIEW: FIELD WORK DONE_______ OFFICE WORK DONE______ CHECKED______PROJECT TRANSMITTED – PRELIMINARY__________ COMPLETE___________ DATE_________PROJECT BILLING:______________________________________________ DATE________________

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AUTOCAD LAYERS COLOR FEATURE

CVD-ANOT BLUE ANNOTATION TEXTCDV-APNT MAGENTA TRAVERSE ADJUSTMENTCVD-BOUN CYAN LINESCVD-CENT RED LINESCVD-FIGS BLUE FIGURESCVD-LINE YELLOW LINESCVD-LOTS GREEN LINESCVD-MPTY YELLOW TEMPORARY, EMPTY LAYER FOR AUTO CIVILCVD-PTCO YELLOW COORDINATESCVD-PTEL MAGENTA ELEVATIONSCVD-PTNM CYAN POINT NUMBERSCVD-PTXT GREEN POINT DESCRIPTIONSCVD-SPNT RED POINTSCVD-STAT CYAN STATIONINGCVD-CANT YELLOW CONTOUR ANNOTATION (GENERAL)CVD-CLIN RED BREAK LINESCVD-CONT BLUE NORMAL CONTOUR LINES (GENERAL)CVD-CPNT YELLOW CONTOUR POINTSCVD-HVYL GREEN HEAVY CONTOUR LINES (GENERAL)CVD-MESH GREEN MESHES (GENERAL)CVD-TRIA RED TRIANGLES (GENERAL)CVD-CANE RED CONTOUR ANNOTATIONS (AUTO ROADS EXISTING)

CVD-CONE GREEN NORMAL CONTOUR LINES (AUTO ROADS EXISTING

CVD-HVYE WHITE HEAVY CONTOUR LINES (AUTO ROADS EXIST)CVD-MESE CYAN MESHES (AUTO ROADS EXISTING)CVD-TRIE BLUE TRIANGLES (AUTO ROADS EXISTING)CVD-CANP RED CONTOUR ANNOTATION (AUTO ROADS PROPOSED

CVD-CONP GREEN NORMAL CONTOUR LINES (AUTO ROADS OPPOSED

CVD-HVYP BLUE HEAVY CONTOUR LINES (AUTO ROADS PROPOSED)

CVD-MESP YELLOW MESHES (AUTO ROADS PROPOSED)CVD-TRIP WHITE TRIANGLES (AUTOROADS PROPOSED)CVD-MPTY YELLOW TEMPORARY EMPTY LAYER FOR AUTOCIVIL

DRAWING CONVENTIONS

INSTRUCTIONS FOR CREATING AND STORING AUTOCAD *.DWG. FILESBY MICHAEL PALLAMARYSeptember 22, 2007

NEW FILES•LAUNCH AUTOCAD. THE FORMAT OF THE “MODEL DWG” WILL AUTOMATICALLY OPEN. TYPE “NEW” OR CLICK ON THE “NEW” ICON. 2) NAME THE NEW DRAWING WITH THE JOB NUMBER AND ADD A LETTER ACCORDING TO WHAT TYPE OF DWG IT IS AND ADD A NUMBER ACCORDING TO THE SHEET NUMBER. USE THE FOLLOWING STANDARDS:

962000V1.DWG = AERIAL SURVEY962000A1.DWG = ALTA MAP, SHEET 1962000Q1.DWG = ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS962000C1.DWG = CONTOUR DRAWING, SHEET 1962000D1.DWG = COUNTY LAND DIVISION PLAT, SHEET 1962000E1.DWG = EXHIBIT DRAWING, SHEET 1962000F1.DWG = FIELD LAYOUT, SHEET 1962000HC.DWG = HARD COPY DRAWING962000L1.DWG = LOT LINE ADJUSTMENT MAP, SHEET 1962000M1.DWG = MISC. PLAT WORK SHEET, SHEET 1962000P1.DWG = PARCEL MAP, SHEET 1962000PS1.DWG = PLOT SURVEY, SHEET 1962000R1.DWG = RECORD OF SURVEY MAP, SHEET 1962000K1.DWG = SECTIONS, SHEET 1962000N1.DWG = CIVIL ENGINEERING DRAWINGS962000S1.DWG = SUBDIVISION MAP, SHEET 1962000T1.DWG = TOPOGRAPHY MAP, SHEET 1962000W1.DWG = W BLOCKS, SHEET 1

3) AFTER NAMING THE DWG, ERASE THE “WARNING! MODEL DWG SAVE AS...”4) EDIT AS USUAL AND SAVE AS USUAL.STORING FILES1) DRAWINGS SHOULD ALWAYS BE KEPT IN “M:\AUTOCVL\DWG” (SERVER “HAL”). THE LETTER “M” HAS BEEN UNIVERSALLY SET UP ON ALL THE COMPUTERS. K:\WINWORD\OPERATE\PAA FILE NAMING CONVENTIONS.DOC

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STANDARD OF CARE:A CONTEMPORARY DISCUSSION

PRESENTEDBY:MICHAELJ.PALLAMARY,PLS

pallamaryandassociates.com7755FayAvenue,SuiteJ

LaJolla,[email protected]

SOMETHING TO CONSIDER

AviolationoftheCodesinthepracticeofprofessionalengineeringorprofessionallandsurveyingconstitutesunprofessionalconductandisconsideredgroundsfordisciplinaryactionbytheBoardagainstthelicensee,pursuanttoBusinessandProfessionsCodesections6775and8780.

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WHAT IS NEGLIGENCEAND INCOMPETENCY?

STATEBOARDRULE404AMENDED DEFINITIONSOFNEGLIGENCEANDINCOMPETENCEADDED EffectiveApril12,2003,BoardRule404(Definitions)hasbeenamended

toincludedefinitionsof“negligence”and“incompetence”forpurposesofcomplaintsinvestigatedanddisciplinaryactionstakenbytheBoardagainstitslicensees.Thedefinitionsareasfollows:

(n)ForthesolepurposeofinvestigatingcomplaintsandmakingfindingsthereonunderSections6775and8780oftheCode,“incompetence”asusedinSections6775and8780oftheCodeisdefinedasthelackofknowledgeorabilityindischargingprofessionalobligationsasaprofessionalengineerorlandsurveyor.

WHAT IS NEGLIGENCEAND INCOMPETENCY?

(w)ForthesolepurposeofinvestigatingcomplaintsandmakingfindingsthereonunderSections6775and8780oftheCode,“negligence”asusedinSections6775and8780oftheCodeisdefinedasthefailureofalicensee,inthepracticeofprofessionalengineeringorlandsurveying,tousethecareordinarilyexercisedinlikecasesbydulylicensedprofessionalengineersandlandsurveyorsingoodstanding.

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STANDARD OF CARE, NEGLIGENCE, INCOMPETENCY, AND ERROR . . .

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE AND WHO CARES?

ERRORS

"To err is human."

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ERRORS

Error: “The state of believing what is untrue, incorrect or wrong.”

The difference between a computed or estimated result and the actual value, as in mathematics.

Errors happen. Humans make errors.

An error can result in damages.

If the error exceeds a reasonable level of error, the surveyor may be negligent.

ERRORS

The courts have ruled that when you hire a surveyor, you also buy the surveyor's normal errors and you accept the risk and the liability of that surveyor making a mistake similar to mistakes other normally competent surveyors make, using reasonable diligence and their best judgment.

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MISTAKES

The fact that a surveyor makes a mistake is not sufficient to lead to professional liability on the part of the surveyor.

In order for there to be professional liability, it must be proven the services were professionally negligent, that is, they fell beneath the standard of care of the profession.

WHAT IS NEGLIGENCE?

Failure to use a reasonable amount of care when such failure results in injury or damage to another.

An instance of failure, carelessness, or indifference.

If the surveyor is negligent, he/she may be liable.

Professional negligence is defined by reference to an approved jury instruction.

Standard of care is the line between non-negligent and negligent error.

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WHAT IS STANDARD OF CARE?

The objective standard required of the reasonable person or the person of ordinary prudence.

It covers all professional people, people practicing a trade or anyone carrying out work that requires a special skill.

It covers anyone who claims to have a special skill, whether they are properly qualified or not.

The standard of care is not a fixed "standard."


The standard of care varies with time, locale and circumstances, and depends on the specific practice being examined.

A surveyor is held to the standard of all other surveyors.

A surveyor is held to the standard of care for a surveyor and not an engineer just as an engineer is held to the standard of care for an engineer and not a surveyor.

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The standard of care is not what a surveyor should have done in a particular instance;

It is not what others say a surveyor would do;

It is not what others say they themselves would have done;

It is just what competent surveyors actually did or would do in similar circumstances.


A trier of fact, a judge or jury, has to determine what the standard of care is and whether a surveyor has failed to achieve that level of performance.

They do so by hearing expert testimony. People who are qualified as experts express opinions as to the standard of care and as to the defendant surveyor’s performance relative to that standard.

The trier of fact weighs the testimony from all sides and decides in each case what the standard of care was and whether the defendant met it.

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"In performing professional services for a client, a (surveyor) has the duty to have that degree of learning and skill ordinarily possessed by reputable (surveyors), practicing in the same or similar locality and under similar circumstances.”


"It is (the surveyor's) further duty to use the care and skill ordinarily used in like cases by reputable members of the (surveying) profession practicing in the same or similar locality under similar circumstances, and to use reasonable diligence and (the surveyor's) best judgment in the exercise of professional skill and in the application of learning, in an effort to accomplish the purpose for which (the surveyor) was employed."

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If any one of these conditions is not met, the surveyor has failed to meet the standard of care, and is professionally negligent.

BAJI (Bench Approved Jury Instruction) 6.37,

"Duty of a Professional." California Jury

Instructions, Civil. West Publishing

Company, January, 1986.

STANDARD OF CARE

(Surveyors) have a duty to provide their services in a manner consistent with the "standard of care" of their professions.

A good working definition of the standard of care of a professional is; that level or quality of service ordinarily provided by other normally competent practitioners of good standing in that field, contemporaneously providing similar services in the same locality and under the same circumstances.

(Paxton v. County of Alameda (1953) 119 C. A. 2d 393, 398, 259 P. 2d 934).

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STANDARD OF CARE

"A (surveyor's) service need not be perfect. Since the (surveyor), when providing professional services, is using judgment gained from experience and learning, and is usually providing those services in situations where a certain amount of unknown or uncontrollable factors are common, some level of error in those services is allowed."

(City of Mounds View v. Walijarvi 263 N. W. 2d 420, 424

(Minn. 1978)).

STANDARD OF CARE

Jury decisions on the facts don't typically constitute legal precedents; juries decide the cases in front of them.

The same is true of the decisions that judges come to on the facts.

Judges normally give reasons for their decisions; they often run issues of fact and law together.

It might or might not be necessary or adequate in another case.

Each case has to be tried on its own merits.

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STANDARD OF CARE

"When you hire a (surveyor) you "purchase service, not insurance," so you are not justified in expecting perfection or infallibility, only "reasonable care and competence.”

(Gagne v. Bertran 1934 43 C. 2d 481, 275 P. 2d 15).

CASE STUDY NO. 1

Competent engineering practice includes timely communication of information.

In 1996, a structural engineer for the Olympic Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, discovered an error in his design of a portion of a steel light tower to be built as part of the stadium.

He notified his client, the architect for the stadium, and designed a repair for the error.

The engineer was not aware of the progress of construction, and did not consider the error and the repair an emergency.

Unbeknownst to the engineer, construction had indeed progressed to the point that a light tower was being erected ten days after the engineer had informed the architect of the error and the need for repair.

The repairs had not been carried out by that time. During erection, the light tower collapsed as a result of the design error, an iron worker was killed and another was injured.

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CASE STUDY NO. 1 The Georgia Board of Registration for Professional

Engineers and Land Surveyors suspended the engineer’s registration for three years.

The structural engineer was sued for wrongful death. The professional negligence alleged by the plaintiffs was the engineer’s failure to "explicitly indicate to the project manager (the architect) that emergency action was required."

The error in the design was not negligent, but the lack of urgency in the engineer’s response to uncovering the error was.

CASE STUDY NO. 1 The lack of urgency only became significant because the

structural engineer was unaware of the progress of the construction.

Coordination or communication which should have occurred in order for the engineer to have been aware of the progress of construction was apparently absent.

Even though the engineer was not responsible for coordination or communication, he was still responsible.

In this case, the engineer's liability apparently existed at least partially because of the failure of others to keep him informed.

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CASE STUDY NO. 2 Another duty of an engineer (and surveyor) is the duty to warn.

A 1985 California Attorney General's Opinion (Number 85-208) states that a registered engineer hired to investigate the integrity of a building has a duty to warn the building's occupants if the engineer determines they face an imminent risk of serious injury due to a hazard the engineer observes.

The Opinion requires the engineer to warn the occupants even though the building owner client of the engineer requires confidentiality on the part of the engineer.

CASE STUDY NO. 3 The Hyatt Regency Kansas City walkway collapse

A walkway, defined as a minor, "non-structural", feature of the hotel collapsed suddenly, killing and injuring a large number of people.

The detail of the connection of the walkway beam to the suspender was not carried out as drawn, but was “field changed” by the contractor in order to facilitate construction.

The structural engineer responsible for reviewing and approving the change, was deemed negligent.

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CASE STUDY NO. 4 Engineering design drawings and specifications for the seismic

strengthening of a one-hundred year old unreinforced brick masonry building included the requirement for the general contractor to produce shoring and bracing plans and submit them to the structural engineer of record to review.

Construction started without the knowledge of the engineer and work took place without those plans.

The owner and contractor excluded the engineer from reviewing the shoring and bracing plans and from the construction process.

Due to the absence of shoring and bracing, a brick wall collapsed during construction, killing the contractor's foreman.

The engineer was sued for professional negligence and wrongful death.

CASE STUDY NO. 4 Two years after the "accident", and after a 6-week trial, the jury

found the structural engineer not negligent and not liable. The jury found against the owner and, through an indemnity clause in the construction contract, the contractor, and awarded the foreman’s widow and step-daughters over $1 million in damages.

The jury ruled that the general contractor and the owner actively prevented the structural engineer from fulfilling his obligation to exercise care and diligence. The Jury also found the actions of the engineer were not beneath the standard of care, and they placed responsibility where it belonged.

Case study courtesy of Joshua B. Kardon, SE, Joshua B. Kardon + Company Structural Engineers

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STANDARD OF CARE PROBLEMS

Why aren't doctors as eager as surveyors to embrace new medical breakthroughs and discoveries?

It is possible they have no choice.

They are bound by what is called "the accepted standard of care in the community” - they are held to a higher standard than surveyors.

If they do not adhere to that standard of care, they could lose everything they have worked for.

According to a recent report, many doctors acknowledge that the standard of care in the community is not always the best choice of treatment. They are instead compelled to follow it.


During a trial or during discovery, the doctor would be asked, "Did you follow the accepted standard of care in the community when treating your patient?"

If the answer is no, the doctor would probably be found guilty of medical malpractice.

If guilty, they will be liable for monetary sanctions and their right to practice medicine could be jeopardized.

The "standard of care" is therefore the course of treatment which you can predict will be administered if you go from one doctor to another in your community because they are all using the same procedures and medicines.

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We have a duty and an ongoing obligation to redefine “standard of care.”

Today’s methods may not be acceptable tomorrow.

The methods we discuss today will eventually be declared the "standard of care.”

When that occurs we will be able to use these tools and procedures with confidence and security.

In the future, if you do not use these same tools and procedures, you could be found to be derelict.

If you are found to be derelict, you will also be negligent.

If you are negligent, you will have failed to meet the standard of care.

CONCLUSION

DISCUSSION