Many construction investors or property developers rely on the good faith of their contractors and the legally-required inspections that all major construction projects are subject to catch and defend against problems with improperly-installed reinforcing steel. However, a reinforcing steel expert in Birmingham AL will often tell a different story, as the ongoing saga of the Harmon Tower in Las Vegas has quickly become a cautionary tale in construction circles.

The Harmon

The Harmon was begun in 2006 and was to be a major new landmark in Las Vegas. Despite regular inspections certifying that the reinforcing steel had been installed correctly, construction was halted in 2008 when serious defects were discovered in the reinforcing steel in link beams on at least fifteen floors. The inspection reports were falsified by a third-party inspection company and the defects were also missed by county inspectors.

Dismantling of the tower began in 2014, representing a total failure of the entire process.

The Experts

The lesson of the Harmon is clear: Relying on inspections by for-profit firms or beleaguered city or county employees instead of, say, a reinforcing steel expert in Birmingham AL is a mistake. Inspection firms, unlike a reinforcing steel expert in Birmingham AL, are subject to profit pressures, and state or local inspectors are often undertrained and lacking in experience.

The best way to ensure that a major project involving reinforcing steel is completed properly is to engage an expert consultant to assist with the planning and execution of all steel reinforcement. This way, problems with materials and installation can be noted immediately, long before inspections, and corrected on the spot instead of being allowed to infect a project to the point where it must be completely dismantled.