Who is responsible for ensuring the cover over steel is maintained according to project requirements?

The responsibility for ensuring that the cover over steel is maintained according to project requirements primarily falls on the agency, which typically sets the standards and specifications that need to be adhered to during construction. Agencies establish guidelines that dictate the required concrete cover for reinforcement steel to enhance durability, prevent corrosion, and ensure structural integrity.

While contractors and inspectors play crucial roles in the implementation and verification of these specifications, the agency is ultimately accountable for defining the standards and ensuring compliance. The contractor is responsible for executing the work according to those specifications, and the inspector monitors the process to confirm that the work meets the established requirements. However, the agency is the overarching authority that outlines what those requirements are. Hence, it is the agency that shoulders the responsibility for maintaining the correct cover over steel as stipulated in the project's requirements.