CFA Standards

MNL-127, Erector’s Manual – Standards and Guidelines for the Erection of Precast Concrete Products, and MNL-132, Erection Safety for Precast and Prestressed Concrete, are the study texts used for CFA certification. Topics include:

  • Preconstruction planning and erection safety plans
  • Unloading, rigging and lifting
  • Connections, guying and bracing
  • Installation and repair procedures
  • Product and erection tolerances
  • Quality control, inspection and record keeping

CFA Required Skills and Knowledge

Candidates for PCI Certified Field Auditor should be familiar with:

  • precast erection and construction equipment,
  • precast concrete construction tolerances,
  • fall protection plans,
  • precast project specifications, and
  • 29 CFR 1926 OSHA Construction Industry Regulations and its applicability while erecting precast concrete components.

Candidates for PCI Certified Field Auditor should have experience:

  • reading erection drawings and verifying cast in-place concrete strength prior to setting precast components,
  • identifying, marking, inspecting, and documenting the disposition of products as they are received from the precaster,
  • monitoring and documenting erection operations by following a predetermined piece-by-piece sequence, and
  • following lifting, bracing and connection procedures.

CFA Requirements

Candidates for Certified Field Auditor (CFA) certification must meet the following requirements:

  • Submit a signed and endorsed CFA certification application
  • Attend a PCI CFA training course
  • Meet one of the following experience requirements:
    • Two (2) years of experience in the erection of precast concrete
    • Four (4) years of experience in precast design or manufacturing, either of which includes exposure to field operations
  • Pass the PCI CFA certification exams

CFA Certification Examination

  • The CFA exam is a 100-question multiple choice closed-book exam.
  • The examinee is allowed ninety (90) minutes to complete the examination and a minimum score of 70% is required to complete the examination requirement for certification.

CFA Recertification

CFA certification is valid for a period of five years from the examination date. Recertification requires meeting all the above requirements for initial certification but does not require attending another PCI CFA School. Recertification with examination is required every five years until the individual has taken three exams over a 10-year period. Individuals who have passed three (3) CFA exams over a 10-year period and have been continuously certified at CFA for 15 years no longer have to meet the examination requirement.

Recertification without examination requires completion of a certification application, submittal of the request for exam exemption, and submittal of a Field Audit Log. The log should indicate the candidate’s performance of ten (10) field audits during the previous five (5) years. The individual’s certification application must include evidence of acceptable continuing education and/or training every five (5) years.  Continuing education or training must include one of the following:

  1. Attend a PCI approved CFA school (without taking the examination)
  2. Pass the CFA recertification examinations administered by proctor with a minimum grade of 80% on each examination
  3. Submit evidence of fifteen (15) hours (total for five (5) years) of continuing education or training in the field of erection, safety, or other topics relevant to the erection industry
  4. Submit evidence of 36 months, (total for five (5) years) of continuing work experience in the field of erection in the precast industry
  5. Submit evidence of conducting a total of twenty (20) field audits in the previous five (5) years

Failure to recertify within ninety (90) days after the expiration date shall require re-examination. Failure to recertify within six (6) months after the expiration date shall require re-examination and the individual’s certification records will reflect a gap in certification.