(a) The hospital governing board or authority shall provide for and require competent and adequate inspection during construction or alteration by an inspector satisfactory to the architect or structural engineer, or both, and the department. Except as otherwise provided in subdivision (b), the inspector shall act under the direction of the architect or structural engineer, or both, and be responsible to the board or authority. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit any licensed architect, structural engineer, mechanical engineer, electrical engineer, or any facility maintenance personnel, if approved by the department, from performing the duties of an inspector.
(b) If alterations or repairs are to be conducted under the supervision of a professional engineer pursuant to Section 129805, the inspector need only be satisfactory to the department and to the professional engineer, and the inspector shall act under the direction of the professional engineer.
(c) The department shall make an inspection of the hospital buildings and of the work of construction or alteration as in its judgment is necessary or proper for the enforcement of this chapter and the protection of the safety of the public.
Whenever the department finds a violation of this chapter that requires correction, the citation of the violation shall be issued to the hospital governing board or authority in writing and shall include a proper reference to the regulation or statute being violated.
(d) The department shall approve inspectors that shall be limited to the following:
(1) “A” inspectors, who may inspect all areas of construction specialty, including, but not limited to, structural.
(2) “B” inspectors, who may inspect all areas of construction specialty, except structural.
(3) “C” inspectors, who may inspect one or more areas of construction specialty, including structural, but may not inspect the scope of construction specialties authorized for “A” or “B” inspectors.
(e) (1) As part of its approval process, the department shall initially and periodically examine inspectors by giving either a written examination or a written and oral examination. The department may charge a fee for the examination process calculated to cover its costs. Inspectors who have not passed a written examination shall not be approved by the department until they have successfully passed the written examination. No employee of the department performing field inspections or supervising the field inspections shall be approved as an inspector on any construction project pursuant to this chapter for a period of one year after leaving employment of the department.
(2) The department shall develop regulations for the testing and approval of inspectors.
(Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 143, Sec. 297. (AB 133) Effective July 27, 2021.)