Mechanical Inspector in FDA Pacific Southwest Laboratory & District Office, California at Unified Business Technologies Inc

The FDA Pacific Southwest Laboratory & District Office facility supports laboratory operations including work with controlled biological and chemical agents.

The construction project involves two related scopes of work:

• Vacuum Pump System Replacement: The existing AES-Dekker Laboratory Vacuum System (Model AES-VMX0153MA2-45-DS, approximately 23 years old) has reached end-of-life with no available replacement parts, presenting a single-point failure risk to the facility's vacuum system. The construction contractor will replace the system with a new unit of matching or greater capacity, including N+1 redundancy, a new control panel integrated with the existing Building Automation System (BAS), and independent isolation valves.
• Room 2309 VHP Exhaust Correction: Room 2309 contains three isolators that use Vaporized Hydrogen Peroxide (VHP) during operations. VHP detection systems have alarmed at levels exceeding safe human exposure thresholds (greater than 1 ppm). A design has been completed to correct this issue by directly ducting the isolators to the outside via an exhaust fan. The construction contractor will implement this design.

Both scopes involve critical laboratory systems in an occupied facility, requiring careful coordination with FDA facility management, minimal disruption to ongoing operations, and strict compliance with biosafety and safety requirements.

Vacuum pump system inspection; HVAC and plumbing observation; pressure test witnessing.

ICC or NICET certification in mechanical inspection; laboratory mechanical systems experience preferred

• Observe and document vacuum pump installation activities, including equipment placement, connection to existing systems, valve installations, and housekeeping pad work.
• Verify compliance with submitted shop drawings and equipment cutsheets approved by FDA.
• Witness and document pressure testing of the vacuum system.
• Verify N+1 redundancy configuration is correctly installed and operable.
• Inspect temporary utilities provided during shutdowns exceeding 3 days.