The Federal Highway Administration’s Bridge Inspector’s Reference Manual (BIRM) is a comprehensive manual on programs, procedures, and techniques for inspecting and evaluating a variety of in-service highway bridges.  BIRM serves as the basis of a comprehensive National Highway Institute training program in bridge-safety inspection.  The 6-hour course is based on BIRM’s Chapter 2, Safety Fundamentals for Bridge Inspectors, and discusses

1. duties of the bridge inspection team;
2. safety fundamentals for bridge inspectors;
3. temporary traffic control;
4. inspection equipment; and
5. methods of access.

This course is intended primarily for civil, construction, and structural engineers, and would be of particular interest to consulting engineers or to engineers serving in government organizations concerned with the safety of bridges.  This course is based on Chapter 2 (Safety Fundamentals of Bridge Inspection) of the Federal Highway Administration Bridge Inspector’s Reference Manual, Publication No. FHWA NHI 12-049 December, 2012.

Learning Objectives

At the successful conclusion of this course, you’ll be able to identify and discuss:

• Be familiar with duties of the bridge inspection team;
• Know how to plan, prepare, and perform the inspection;
• Know how to prepare the inspection report;
• Be familiar with safety responsibilities;
• Understand safety precautions;
• Be familiar with inspector safety practices in traffic control;
• Know principles of public safety applied to traffic control;
• Be familiar with special equipment sometimes required; and
• Be familiar with safety considerations in using access equipment and vehicles.