receptacle: a contact device installed at the outlet for the connection of an attachment plug.

recreational facilities: spas, saunas, steam baths, swimming pools, tennis courts, playground equipment, and other exercise, entertainment or athletic facilities.

reinforced concrete (RC): A composite of two materials: concrete and reinforcing steel (bars and mesh) using the best of both properties.

reinforcing bar (rebar): Steel rods or metal fabric placed in concrete slabs, beams or columns to increase their strength; also referred to as tendons.

RELs: Recommended Exposure Limits (recommendations made by NIOSH).

remaining useful life: a subjective estimate or guess made by the inspector based upon his observations and experience as to the number of remaining years that a component will be functional before needing replacement.

removable: capable of being transferred to another location easily.

repair: the reconstruction or renewal of any part of an existing building.

replacement air: air deliberately brought into a structure to compensate for the air being consumed or expelled.

report: the written communication describing the issues discovered from observations made and research conducted by the inspector and which, in the inspector’s opinion, are likely to be of interest to his/her client.  A report may contain photos or digital images of observations made during the walk-through survey portion of the inspection, and/or copies of documents reviewed during the research portion of the inspection.

representative number: a sufficient number to serve as a typical or characteristic example of the item(s) inspected.

representative sampling: a small quantity of components of any system or structure, enough like others in its class or kind, to serve as an example of its class or kind.

research: the process of gathering information through the review of documents and interviews to augment the observations made during the walk-through survey portion of the inspection.  This research may include reviewing readily available documents, such as previous inspection reports, building permits, code violation notices, and environmental studies.  This research may also include interviews with readily available personnel, such as building managers, tenants and owners.

retaining wall: A structure that holds back a slope and prevents soil erosion.

RICS: Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (U.K.)

ridging: Also commonly known as buckling, a term used to describe upward linear tenting of a low-slope roof membrane, usually found over insulation and deck joints.

rolled/roll roofing: A general term used to describe low-slope roof materials that are packaged into rolls, typically consisting of smooth- or mineral-surfaced felts.

roof assembly: a system designed to provide weather protection and including the roof covering, underlayment, roof deck, insulation, vapor retarder and interior finish.

roof deck: Structural component of the roof that serves as the substrate for the installation of the roof system.

roof joist: One of a series of parallel framing members used to support ceiling loads, and supported, in turn, by larger beams, girders or bearing walls.

roofing system: Consists of the components installed on top of a roof deck (but not the deck itself) that together protect the building’s interior from weather, including providing resistance to moisture intrusion, and often acts as part of the thermal/pressure envelope. In a membrane roof, this is an air or vapor retarder, insulation, and the membrane designed as the primary weather barrier.

rubbish: waste materials other than garbage.

RUL: remaining useful life

rung: a crosspiece forming the step at the circular or oval cross-section of a fixed ladder.

saddle: Two sloping surfaces meeting in a horizontal ridge, used between the backside of roof-penetrating components, in a valley, or between scuppers to divert water; constructed like a pyramid with a diamond-shaped based.

sanitizer: One of three groups of antimicrobials registered by EPA for public health uses. EPA considers an antimicrobial to be a sanitizer when it reduces but does not necessarily eliminate all the microorganisms on a treated surface. To be a registered sanitizer, the test results for a product must show a reduction of at least 99.9% in the number of each test microorganism over the parallel control.

SBS: Sick Building Syndrome.

SBS (styrene butadiene styrene copolymer): Used as a modifying compound in an MB asphalt roof membrane; exhibits a rubberized nature.

Schedule: A tabular approach used in construction documents and inspection reports for organizing and presenting lists of building materials, systems, or components.

scope of work: work that deviates from this Standard, depending on budget, time constraints, purpose of the inspection, age of the subject property, and risk-tolerance of the client, which the inspector and client have agreed to.

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