Time for your daily intellectual/legal/moral/business challenge:
Situation 5: Safe or sorry
Your contract requires you to install cable tray* in an existing warehouse. You decide to connect the tray to support columns. The contract leaves routing to you, and there is no requirement to notify the owner of how you intend to install the cable tray. As you begin installation, the owner demands your certification that the columns are capable of handling the added weight. To save time, you install separate supports instead and make a claim for the added costs.
A. You cannot recover. The owner’s request is reasonable that you certify your work will be safe.
B. You can recover. Nothing in the plans alerted you to any limitation on the use of the columns.
C. You cannot recover. You had an obligation to notify the owner of your intent to modify the structure.
D. You can recover. The drawings did not prohibit a standard use of the columns for tray suppCort or provide that testing would be required.
*For those not in the electrical field, a cable tray is a metal trough typically about 4″ deep and 12″ wide. It is installed end to end with various curves and bends and then the wires and cables are simply laid in it instead of using conduit.
Replies
B. and D. Both apply.
E. You can not recover. It was your sole decision to do it the more expensive way.
The irony is that the seperate tray supports are probably hung from the roof structure that is supported by the columns.
If you had provided the requested certification, you could have recovered that cost.
SamT
Edited 8/3/2007 6:24 pm by SamT
There is no specification for how to attach or route the cable tray in the drawings. It is an up charge as stated in the contract, anyathing not in the drawings or requested required by the opwner or inspectors is an extra charge. It might also be noted that a recent ruling here in ohio by the supreme court: if you choose to make that change on your own without documentation you and you alone are responsible for it. So if the owner wants that fine but they can pay the up charge for you and the archiechts fee for clairification.
The owner needs to pay an engineer for a structural report of the support beams, if he is the one questioning the installation.
Stop the work in progress until the P. E. stamped report is in your hands!
I went back and looked, it sounds like you have taken the design on your own, I hope he will not question your "separate supports"
You cannot recover. It was your decision to use the columns, without determining if this was acceptable. If in doubt, ask.
E: You're a fool to not have told the guy to take a hike. The roof is supported by the columns. If you support the trays from the roof it puts just as much weight on the columns (probably more) than if you attached directly to the columns.
D.
Remodeling Contractor just on the other side of the Glass City
A. you did not verify this was acceptable, nor was there a C/O stating the Owner would pay.
This guys got one mad customer.
F. You have to dial LAW-1000- it has turned into an expensive legal mess.
Edited 8/6/2007 7:08 am ET by jc21
Engineering is always required.
I would have required engineering for the "separate supports."
Also a structural permit is required.
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No recovery.