I'm all in favor of some good CYA. I was sent a plan set for a storm drain. Our part is shown on one sheet. Then there is a cover sheet with a photo behind the site area. After that is a sheet of notes........93 notes after counting. Then the drawing sheet which has 22 notes (the part we will need). Then five sheets of details which aren't anything for the surveyor but the contractor will want them. I don't know how many notes are on those, but I'll guess about 50.
For a crew it's a morning of staking, probably will need to return for some details on a small rip rap structure, maybe they will eyeball that in.
But what struck me is how we've turned into the CYA nation. Can't blame the engineer, all those notes basically say: it's not our fault or responsibility to do,,,,,,,,,,,anything.
Instructions on a shampoo bottle stuff.
I always liked seeing the note that the contractor to verify all topographic data before using. As if they are going to budget to complete a full survey for 10 miles of highway with complex underground structures, yet is happens all the time where they agree and never conduct the topo.
I received an invite to bid on a small county project which is basically a sheet metal building with a small parking lot, so I clicked the link to download the project files. There was the plan set .pdf and then a specifications .pdf. I clicked the spec one first and it was 457 pages long...