Do’s and don’ts

Job information

• Field-use drawings MUST be the only drawings on the jobsite.
• Erection guides ship to the builder’s office and with each building. Keep at least one copy on site.

Temporary bracing

The erector designs and furnishes all temporary bracing — size, type, location, and quantity.

• NEVER begin erecting without temporary bracing on site and a plan for installing it.
• As erection progresses, install brace rods, flange braces, struts, and purlin/girt laps before panel.
• Do not remove temporary bracing until AFTER wall and roof coverings are installed.
• Do not leapfrog braces. Do not erect more than two bays ahead of the temporary braces. Keep purlins and girts in tension as the frame goes up.

Connection bolts

• Use the bolt length and type called on the erection drawings. Install the quantity called on the frame cross-sections.
• High-strength bolts pretensioned or snug-tight as the drawings require — see Field bolting.
• Never use an A307 bolt and nut where A325 is called for.

Purlin and girt installation

• All purlin/girt lap bolts go in the outermost set of holes.
• If a lap is tight, reversing it often lets the members nest. Time spent nesting a rusty lap pays off when you sheet.
• Always block wall girts to keep them straight.
• Never load purlins at mid-bay. Keep all loading directly over the frames. Do not overload roof secondary.
• When loading roofing bundles onto roof purlins, block the purlins so they cannot crush or roll.

Cutting and burning

• Never use a torch to field-drill a structural connection hole. Drill, or burn a small pilot and ream to a smooth hole of the proper size.
• If you torch-cut a member, grind the edges smooth and touch up with primer or zinc-rich paint.
• Never modify, cut, cope, or add holes in members unless an engineer authorizes it or the erection drawings show it.

Flange braces and brace rods

• Install every flange brace on the drawings. NEVER remove, relocate, or omit one. If holes were missed in manufacturing, the erector puts them in.
• If a flange brace lands in a window, overhead door, or other accessory, call the project manager for written direction.
• Flange braces are required even when you have liner panels.
• Never substitute self-drilling fasteners for bolts unless engineering approves.
• Tighten brace rods snug. Matching rods in a bay get equal tension. NEVER omit or relocate a brace rod.