Design Supervision Level 3 (DSL3)

There are 3 levels of checking in design depending on the level of complexity.

DSL1 = Self-checking: Checking performed by the person who has prepared the design.?

DSL2 = Checking by different persons than those originally responsible and in accordance with the procedure of the organisation.

DSL3 = Third party checking: Checking performed by an organisation different from that which has prepared the design (or a category 3 check as they're commonly know).

I was always taught that if I'm checking someone else's calculations / drawings. It doesn't matter how bad they might be, the question to answer is... does it work? If I can make the sections stated, and wall thicknesses given all work, then fine no problem. I'm not going to worry about them missing something that we would normally include in the calculations / drawings.

Now I'm pretty regularly on both sides of the cat 3 check these days and there's one pet peeve that winds me up (and at the risk of sounding like an old eejit), its when graduates (circa <5 years experience) check my work - i know i know. I'm a miserable old man.

But just wait. Hear me out.

Grads checking my work, no problem - if its simple. if they can follow codes, if its an easy design then no problem, happy to walk and talk them through it. But. The whole point of a cat 3 check is because we are pushing the limits, it is high risk, and because of that you need to run it under a safe pair of eyes for a fresh perspective that has nothing to do with you (the cat 3 check).

I'm finding companies are more and more using grads for a cat 3 check on complex structures as a way of training them, but I think its daft and dangerous. Right sentiment, wrong execution.

Half the time, they'll come back with comments on stuff they just don't understand. The client gets angry because they see a long list of items that are being queried and we end up having to hold the checkers hand and point them to relevant clauses, documents, books that we've read and taken info from. That long list goes down to one or two points which might be genuine, but by that time its taken weeks not days, the clients confidence in us is dented and its not really a cat 3 check if we're having to hold the checkers hand.

I don't know if this is contributing to the amount of CROSS reports stating 'over reliance on software' or not, but I wouldn't be surprised if it were and too much was slipping through the design checks.

I also more importantly don't have an answer or an idea of how we tackle this as an industry - or if it is as big a problem as I think it is.

All and any ideas welcome on a post card.

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