CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea-- Recently, two U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Far East District (FED) employees completed certifications that are instrumental when dealing with users, construction personnel and commissioning, and elevator inspections.
Ho, Sung and Brian Cohill, both project engineers, recently completed training to become Qualified Commissioning Process Providers (QCxP) and Qualified Elevator Inspectors (QEI).
Prior to attending the training, they were required to complete prerequisites for each certification. Commissioning training requires them to complete a training course provided by University of Minnesota-Madison for the certification test after application approval. The QEI training requires applicants to meet certain standards.
“We must have documented training and at least one year experience performing inspections and performing or witnessing tests specified in required elevator code,” said Ho. “Verifiable evidence of training and experience shall be documented with the application for certification to the accredited certifying organization.”
According to Ho, since 2015 by the Engineers and Construction Bulletin 2015-6, total commissioning was issued by USACE. For total commissioning, the Commissioning Authority for Government (CxG) requires a person to coordinate and execute the commissioning process successfully.
Commissioning engineers ensure that all aspects of a building or construction project are properly designed, installed and maintained. They perform trouble shooting tasks, monitor progress, perform tests, conduct audits, assist in financial improvements, write reports and assist clients.
“Our commissioning qualifications will serve as an indicator of competence when dealing with commissioning personnel throughout the total building commission process,” said Ho. This qualification is imperative so that we are on equal footing with our commissioning peers.”
According to Ho, as per commissioning contract documentation, QCxP is one of a required certification to perform commissioning on FED projects.
“We feel that it is important to our organization to have qualified commissioning professionals within the organization,” said Ho.
Ho and Cohill also attended training to become certified QEIs. Ho stated that there are over 400 elevators at U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys, and the number continues to increase.
Elevators typically carry two years of maintenance that include American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) elevator code, which requires periodic testing and certification to ensure safe operation.
“Our certification as QEIs will allow us to act as subject matter experts when dealing with elevators, from the submittal review process through acceptance by the user,” said Ho. “Again, certification indicates a high level of competence on the systems that we are qualified upon, and adds a level of credibility within our organization when dealing with elevators.”
Chad McLeod, FED Chief of Construction, stated that Ho and Cohill are doing great things for the district.
“I’m very proud of their accomplishments and how they continue to improve our mission capabilities,” said McLeod.”