NFPA: National Fire Protection Association

NIOSH: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

non-combustible: a substance that will not burn when subjected to fire.

normal operating controls: devices, such as thermostats, that would be operated by ordinary occupants which require no specialized skill or knowledge.

NTIS: National Technical Information Service.

observations: those potential items of interest noted by the inspector during the walk-through survey portion of the inspection.

observe: to visually notice.

obvious: a condition or fact not likely to be ignored or overlooked.

occupancy load: the number of people permitted in a building or space based on the means of egress.

occupant: any individual living in, sleeping in, or having possession of a space within a building.

oil-canning: A term that describes the distortion of thin-gauge metal panels that are fastened in a manner that restricts normal thermal movement.

operate: to cause systems to function or turn on with normal operating controls.

operational: systems or components capable of being safely operated.

oral consultation: a limited visual inspection of specific systems, structures or components of a building where no written report is prepared by the inspector, and the inspector’s findings, opinions, conclusions and recommendations are orally communicated by the inspector to the client.

OSHA: Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

owner: any person, agent, operator, firm or corporation having a legal or equitable interest in a property.

pan joist structural system: A type of one-way cast-in-place concrete roof and floor structural system that uses ribbed slabs formed with elongated pans.

panelboard: a panel, including buses and automatic over-current devices, designed to be placed in a cabinet accessible only from the front.

parapet wall: A low wall around the perimeter of a roof deck

PE: Professional Engineer

PELs: Permissible Exposure Limits (standards set by OSHA).

permanently installed: fixed in place (i.e., screwed, bolted or nailed), as distinct from components, systems or appliances considered portable or freestanding.

Phase I: a type of fireplace and chimney inspection that exceeds the standards required by a traditional home inspection.

physical deficiency: a major defect, a significant deferred-maintenance item, or a component or system that has exhausted most or all of its remaining useful life (regardless of its actual life expectancy), or a safety concern, or anything that could potentially cause the need for an expensive repair.

picture-framing: A term used to describe the rectangular or square-patterned ridging that appears over the perimeter of an insulation board.

pitch: angle or inclination, usually of a roof.

pitch pan: A container formed of sheet metal that is installed around supporting connections for roof-mounted equipment and machinery. Filling the container with pitch or plastic roof cement helps seal out rainwater, even under conditions of vibration caused by the machinery's operation or other factors.

plenum: an air compartment or chamber that connects one or more ducts and forms part of an air-distribution system.

plumbing jacks: Sleeves that fit around drain-and-waste vent pipes and attached to the low-slope roof’s surface.

PM: Preventive Maintenance.

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