Assuring Construction Quality and Preventing Defects and Failures
DISCLAIMER
Before purchasing, review the rules of your licensing or certifying entity. It is your responsibility to confirm this course meets your CE requirements. See the credit tab on the course page for details.
What’s Included: Full webinar recording, written course materials, expert instruction, a mandatory quiz, and a certificate upon completion.
Deliverability Timeline: All courses are generally available within 1-2 weeks after the live presentation.
CE Credits: AIA and/or LA/CES accreditation is available by request for courses recorded prior to March 11, 2026. All courses after that date include those accreditations by default, if applicable. With these accreditations, our courses qualify for credit in nearly all states for engineers, surveyors, architects, and landscape architects.
Learn more about the on-demand format in our FAQ or contact us at (715) 835-5900 or customerservice@halfmoonseminars.org
Agenda
Webinar instructions will be emailed 24-48 business hours before the date of the webinar.
Please log into the webinar 10-15 minutes before start time.
Thursday, August 6, 2026
9:00 am – 5:00 pm CDT
Agenda:
Building Construction Quality and Quality Assurance into Projects
Presented by James Cohen
- Addressing construction quality from the beginning: contract language
- Quality assurance
- Quality control
- Components of quality jobs: design, materials, communication and monitoring
Examining Common Defects and Failures
Presented by Collins O. Y. Ofori-Amanfo, P.E.
- Analyzing defects and failures for methodology and causality
- Site selection and engineering
- Building design
- Foundation design and construction
- Design and construction of floors, walls and roofing
- Exploring defects and failures in mechanical and electrical systems
Adopting Practices that Reduce Defects and Failures
Presented by Leonidas (Leo) Emmenegger, Ph.D.
- Reviewing proposed use and preparing construction documents
- Complying with building codes and standards
- Choosing materials and construction techniques
- Construction site communication, coordination and other practices that minimize problems
- Monitoring construction
- Quality assurance and quality control
- Correcting problems before project completion
- Building commissioning, operation and maintenance
Preventing and Resolving Disputes Generated by Defects and Failures
Presented by Matthew Smith
- Identifying parties with potential liability
- Understanding theories of liability and defenses to liability
- Acting to remediate defects/failures
- Participating in conflict resolution procedures:
- Mediation, arbitration, litigation
- Reviewing types of damages and how they are calculated
- Insurance coverage issues
Handling Ethical Issues Associated with Defects and Failures
Presented by Rebecca Bowman, P.E., D.F.E.
- Understanding the parties roles and relationships
- Understanding the liability and indemnification provisions in construction documents
- Duty to raise potential safety, durability issues
- Making warrantees and guarantees
- Working outside areas of competence
Webinar Instructions
All attendees must log-on through their own email – attendees may not watch together if they wish to earn continuing education credit. HalfMoon Education Inc. must be able to prove attendance if either the attendee or HalfMoon Education Inc. is audited.
Certificates of completion can be downloaded in PDF form upon passing a short quiz. A link to the quiz will be sent to each qualifying attendee immediately after the webinar. The certificate can be downloaded from the Results page of the quiz upon scoring 80% or higher.
Webinars are presented via GoToWebinar, an easy-to-use application that can be run on most systems and tablets. Instructions and login information will be provided in an email sent close to the date of the webinar. It is highly recommended that you download, install and test the application before the webinar begins by clicking on the link in the email.
GoToWebinar App requirements:
Windows 10 or higher, macOS 11 or higher, Linux, Google Chrome OS
Web Browser:
Google Chrome (most recent 3 versions)
Microsoft Edge (most recent 3 versions)
Internet connection: 1 Mbps or better
Hardware: 2GB of RAM (minimum), 4GB or more of RAM (recommended)
For more information, visit the Support section at www.gotowebinar.com
Credits
Engineers
7.0 PDHs
Architects
7.0 HSW CE Hours
AIA - American Institute of Architects
7.0 HSW LUs
ICC - International Code Council
0.70 CEUs (Building)
Continuing Education Information
This webinar is open to the public and is designed to qualify for 7.0 PDHs for professional engineers and 7.0 HSW continuing education hours for licensed architects in all states that allow this learning method. Please refer to specific state rules to determine eligibility.
HalfMoon Education is an approved continuing education sponsor for engineers in Florida (Provider License No: CEA362), Indiana (License No. CE21700059), Maryland, and New Jersey (Approval No. 24GP00049300). HalfMoon Education is deemed an approved continuing education sponsor for New York engineers and architects via its registration with the American Institute of Architects Continuing Education System (Regulations of the Commissioner §68.14(i)(2) and §69.6(i)(2)). Other states do not preapprove continuing education providers or courses.
The American Institute of Architects Continuing Education System has approved this course for 7.0 HSW LUs (Sponsor No. J885). Only full participation is reportable to the AIA/CES.
The International Code Council has approved this event for .7 CEUs in the specialty area of Building (Preferred Provider No. 1232).
Attendance will be monitored, and attendance certificates will be available after the webinar for those who attend the entire course and score a minimum 80% on the quiz that follows the course (multiple attempts allowed).
*On-Demand Credits*
The preceding credit information only applies to the live presentation. This course in an on-demand format is not pre-approved by any licensing boards and may not qualify for the same credits; please consult your licensing board(s) to ensure that a structured, asynchronous learning format is appropriate. The following pre-approvals may be available for the on-demand format upon request:
7.0 HSW LUs (AIA)
Speakers
Rebecca Bowman, P.E., D.F.E.
Law Office of Rebecca Bowman, PrincipalMs. Bowman is a sole proprietor, practicing in dispute resolution, estate planning, civil engineering, real estate, legal services, strategic development, and training. She is experienced in dispute resolution, estate planning and administration, engineering design and forensic analysis, construction/project management, real estate, small business start-up, employment law, and nonprofit support. She is a registered professional engineer and a certified arbitrator and mediator. Mrs. Bowman writes a column for the PE Reporter, “Risky Business,” and she lectures for the Community College of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania State University, the Washington County Bar Association, the Pennsylvania Society of Professional Engineers, and others. She earned her B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from the University of North Dakota, her M.B.A. degree from Oklahoma University, and her J.D. degree from Duquesne University. She recently joined the National Society of Professional Engineers as their Senior Director of Ethics and Professional Practice.
James Cohen
Professional Engineer, James Consulting in Richboro, PAMr. Cohen was the winner of the 2019 Build Magazine Construction & Engineering Award for Leading Specialist in Forensic Engineering, NE USA and the 2019, 2020 and 2021 Global 100 awards for Leading Specialist in Forensic Engineer, Eastern Region USA. He offers over 40 years’ experience in forensic engineering, failure investigation, complex litigation, large loss, CAT and other insurance claims, property damage, personal injury and worker compensation claims, mitigation, response, repair and rehabilitation. Mr. Cohen has provided expert testimony in numerous collapse and other litigation projects involving fire, hurricane, earthquake, wind, flood, demolition, adjacent construction, other construction and design for residential, commercial and industrial buildings in local, state and federal courts. He has also appeared as an expert on construction failures for MSNBC. Mr. Cohen was recipient of the Partner In Mitigation fellowship sponsored by ASCE and IBHS to FEMA and is a former Advanced Structures Specialist on the New Jersey USAR team, Structures Specialist on the Pennsylvania USAR, and was a first responder for both during the 9/11 attack at the World Trade Center. He has given lectures on failure investigation, emergency response and other topics at various professional organizations and universities and is active in numerous organizations. Mr. Cohen is a licensed Professional Engineer in Florida, Ohio, Idaho, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, and Wyoming.
Leonidas (Leo) Emmenegger, Ph.D.
Civil and Structural Engineering Associate at ExponentDr. Emmenegger specializes in analyzing and predicting the deterioration of civil infrastructure such as bridges, buildings, and airports from the perspective of concrete material science, corrosion engineering, and civil engineering. Since joining Exponent as a forensics consultant, He has been involved in numerous matters including construction defect litigation, structural failure analysis, extreme event claims, codes and standards compliance research, and personal injury disputes. Dr. Emmenegger’s experience in construction and engineering litigation support typically includes site visits to collect critical data, review and distillation of pertinent documentation, engineering and scientific analysis, and dissemination of findings through technical reports and presentations. Some notable cases he has worked on include a concrete failure and construction defect dispute at an environmental facility, the failure of a metal building under extreme weather conditions, and litigation arising from contested curing practices and quality assurance testing per FAA regulations at an airport. In addition, he also has experience with building envelope investigations (water intrusion, façade anchorage, etc.), structural foundation movement from expansive soils, and construction repair cost disputes. Prior to joining Exponent, Dr. Emmenegger was a graduate research assistant at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), where he earned his Ph.D. with a construction infrastructure systems engineering specialization. He is a member of American Concrete Institute (ACI) technical committees on concrete nondestructive testing and durability.
Collins O. Y. Ofori-Amanfo, P.E.
Owner and Board Certified Diplomate Forensic Engineer, Principal EngineerMr. Ofori-Amanfo’s broad-based experience includes investigation of collapsed structures, investigation of construction defects and damage, investigation of condensation in building envelopes, evaluation of roof and wall leakage, field water spray testing of windows, and assessment of wind and hail damage. His work also involves giving expert testimony and assisting attorneys in resolving disputes over construction and materials-related problems. Prior to establishing Collins Forensics LLC, Mr. Ofori-Amanfo previously worked for many years at Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. (WJE), the Illinois Department of Transportation, and Twin City Testing Corporation. He received his B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Science and Technology in Ghana and his M.S. degree in Structural Engineering from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. Mr. Ofori-Amanfo is a registered professional engineer in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, North Dakota, Nebraska, and Missouri.
Matthew Smith
Member of Clark Hill in Lansing, MIMr. Smith is a full-service construction attorney handling a large portfolio of suppliers, subcontractors, developers, engineers and general contractors in a variety of construction and commercial litigation matters. A seasoned attorney, He handles matters involving construction liens, bonding and surety claims, contracts, bankruptcy, creditors’ rights, labor, real estate, and design and construction defect litigation. Mr. Smith is experienced in business, bankruptcy, construction, creditors’ rights, real estate, and civil litigation.
AIA Info
AIA Provider Statement:
HalfMoon Education Inc. is a registered provider of AIA-approved continuing education under Provider Number J885. All registered AIA/CES Providers must comply with the AIA Standards for Continuing Education Programs. Any questions or concerns about this provider of learning program may be sent to AIA/CES (cesupport@aia.org or (800) AIA 3837, Option 3).
This learning program is registered with AIA/CES for continuing professional education. As such, it does not include content that may be deemed or construed to be an approval or endorsement by the AIA of any material of construction or any method or manner of handling, using, distributing, or dealing in any material or product.
AIA continuing education credit has been reviewed and approved by AIA/CES. Learners must complete the entire learning program to receive continuing education credit. AIA continuing education Learning Units earned upon completion of this course will be reported to AIA/CES for AIA members. Certificates of Completion for both AIA members and non-AIA members are available upon request.
Course Title: Assuring Construction Quality and Preventing Defects and Failures
Delivery Method: Live Online
Course Description: This seven-hour course focuses on quality assurance and control for design professions with an emphasis on preventing construction defects and failures. The course explains how to assure and control quality of projects, identifies and analyzes common defects and failures, highlights practices that reduce said defects and failures, explains how to prevent and resolve associated disputes and how to handle ethical issues associated with defects and failures.
Learning Objectives:
Learning Objective 1: Learners will be able to discuss how to build construction quality and quality assurance into projects and identify components of quality jobs.
Learning Objective 2: Learners will be able to describe the procedures for examining and analyzing common defects and failures for methodology and causality in the foundation, floors, walls, roofs, and mechanical and electrical systems.
Learning Objective 3: Learners will be able to adopt practices that reduce defects and failures, including code compliance, proper material selection, construction monitoring, quality assurance and control, building commissioning, and maintenance.
Learning Objective 4: Learners will be able to discuss ethical issues associated with defects and failures such as a professional’s duty to raise potential safety and durability issues and to not work outside of their areas of competence.
LUs: 7.0
LU Type: LU|HSWs
Prerequisites: None
Advance Preparation: None
Program Level: Intermediate
Course Expiration Date: 07/16/2027
Complaint Resolution Policy:
Complaints regarding this course can be emailed to fchapman@halfmoonseminars.org or by calling (715) 835-5900. A HalfMoon Education representative will respond within 72 hours to resolve the complaint, which will include, but not limited to, access to another CE activity at no or reduced cost or a full or partial refund. Each instance will be resolved on a case-by-case situation.
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