Truss Inspection

It is our recommendation that inspection procedures should be performed on any truss that is in use or is scheduled for use.  Truss inspection procedures should be performed by an individual competent in the use and inspection of trusses.  It is the responsibility of the owner/user to inspect the truss or to hire competent individuals to inspect the truss.

Truss components such as chords and diagonals should be inspected for abrasions, punctures, dents or bent members.  Each truss should also be checked to make sure all of the components are in place and have not been removed such as internal diagonals that are often damaged by fork lift use.

Truss bolt plate connections should be checked for cracked welds and/or plates as well as elongation or deformation of the bolt holes.  Pinned connections (including inline aluminum or steel connections) should be checked for abrasion, elongation or deformation of pin holes, and deformation of pins.

All welds on the truss should be visually inspected for cracks or abrasions.  Alternate means of inspecting welds such as dye penetrant testing or weld x-ray technology may be used.  However, these types of weld inspections must be performed by a professional welding inspector and often times can be much more costly that simply repairing or replacing the truss.

The truss should be reviewed as a whole for camber, squareness and/or bending.  In other words if the truss will not sit flat on a flat surface it may have been overstressed in use with no apparent damage on the truss members.

It is our recommendation that complete records be kept on file of the annual inspections.

Upon completing the inspection of a truss, should the truss show damage as listed above, the truss shall be taken out of service immediately.  Clearly mark the truss unsafe for use with red tape, a sign, or some other means that will leave no question as to the condition of the truss.  If the truss is not repairable it is our recommendation that the truss be cut into pieces to avoid accidental use in the future which could endanger lives.  If the truss is repairable it should be set aside and discontinued from use until properly repaired.

All repairs made to a truss shall be performed by a qualified manufacturer’s representative or someone approved by the manufacturer.  Records of the repair shall be kept on file by the owner along with the serial number and description of the truss.

Please contact us if you have questions concerning truss inspections or if you would like to have one of our representatives on site to inspect your truss.  We offer full inspection services with records of the inspections provided to the owner along with our recommendations.  We also offer truss inspection training and seminars which can be provided on site with your staff inspecting your truss under our supervision.