Proof of concealed work photos: show it before cover-up

Use a joint check if…, use photos if…

Pick the method by what the reader needs to know later.

• Use a joint inspection if an engineer must approve the work or measure something before cover. Earth resistance, a pressure test and rebar spacing all fall here.
• Use live-captured photos and video if you need a record of what the work looked like, where and when, after it is hidden.
• Use both if the work is expensive to open up. Most earthing, conduit, waterproofing and rebar work is.

The contract specification decides what you must do. For government work, that is often the CPWD Specifications and Works Manual, along with the tender conditions. For earthing, the national code is IS 3043, published by the Bureau of Indian Standards. Read the clause your contract names, not a summary of it.

How concealed work goes wrong

Most disputes about hidden work are not about bad work. They are about nobody being able to show what was there.

• The inspector was not called: the pour or plaster went ahead because the slot was missed, and the sign-off came later.
• Photos exist, but say nothing: a close-up of a conduit could be any floor of any building.
• Dates are doubtful: a phone clock can be changed, and a forwarded chat photo loses its location. See how a photo's date and time can be changed.
• The checklist is signed, the work is not checked: a tick box records a claim, not what was seen.
• The work changed after the photo: a pit was photographed open, then backfilled with different material.

Each cause needs a different fix, which is why the methods below are not interchangeable.

The methods compared: joint inspection, checklist, photos, live capture, tests

Joint inspection

• What it stops: hidden work nobody approved. Two parties see the same thing at the same time.
• What it misses: anything later, unless someone writes it down. Memory fades and people change jobs.
• What you need: a notice period, both parties on site, and a signed note.

Signed checklist

• What it stops: skipped steps, because each hold point has a name beside it.
• What it misses: whether the item was actually right. It records a claim.
• What you need: a checklist per trade and a person with authority to sign.

Ordinary phone photos

• What it stops: very little on its own, but it is better than nothing.
• What it misses: place and time. Gallery photos can be old, edited or from another site.
• What you need: only a phone, and a habit of sending them.

Live-captured photos and video

• What it stops: doubt about where and when. The stamp is burned in at the shutter, and the camera takes no gallery files.
• What it misses: performance. A photo shows a bend radius, not the earth resistance.
• What you need: an app with in-app capture, and a routine for what to frame.

Tests

• What it stops: hidden defects that cannot be seen, such as a leaking membrane or a high-resistance earth.
• What it misses: which pit or which room, if the test is not tied to a location record.
• What you need: a calibrated instrument, a witness and a signed result.

The strongest record joins them. The test result is signed, the joint check is dated, and the photos show which element each one covers.

When another tool or way fits better

Some jobs need something other than a camera.

• Earthing: use an earth resistance test, witnessed and signed. A photo can show the pit, the strip and the joint, not the ohms. IS 3043 is the code to check for method.
• Waterproofing: use a flood or ponding test over the period your specification names. A photo shows the membrane laid, not that it holds.
• Rebar: use a bar-bending schedule check by the engineer, with a cover block and spacing checked against the drawing.
• Conduits and pipes: use a pressure or continuity test before closing the chase.
• A one-person job with no client to convince: a free stamp camera app is enough. Our post on GPS Map Camera as an alternative explains where a stamp stops being enough.

How to do it with Verafii

Verafii is a camera and report app. It records the photos and video; it does not do the test or the sign-off. It is not a government portal and does not replace an official app.

What the app does at a hold point:

1. Open Verafii at the location and start a job session for the site.
2. Take a wide photo from the Verafii camera that shows the room or pit and its surroundings. There is no gallery, so you cannot add an older picture.
3. Take close photos of the work: the joint, the spacing, the membrane edge. Hold a tape or marker in the frame where it helps.
4. Record a short video with audio for a run you cannot show in one frame, such as a conduit route. Say the location and the stage aloud.
5. Add a note for each photo, such as the floor, the grid or the drawing number.
6. Make the one-tap PDF report before leaving, then share it with the engineer or client.

Every photo carries the GPS and time stamp burned in at capture. If a fake location is used, it is flagged on the photo and the report, on Android and iPhone. All items land in one numbered job record tied to the site. Anyone can check the report: scan the QR on it, or check a Verafii report by dropping in the file. A match means the file is untouched.

Set it up in a week

1. Day 1, list the hold points. From the contract and drawings, write each element that gets hidden: earthing pits, slab conduits, chase pipes, membranes, rebar before pour.
2. Day 2, set the photo standard. For each hold point decide one wide photo, two close photos and, where needed, a short video. Write the notes to add.
3. Day 3, match photos to sign-offs. Make the joint-check or test form refer to the photo numbers or the report.
4. Day 4, install and test on one floor. Have one crew capture a full hold point and generate the report. Fix what was unclear.
5. Day 5, brief the foremen. One rule: no cover without the photos and the sign-off. Say it in one line, in the crew's language.
6. Day 6 to 7, review the first reports. Check that a stranger can tell where each photo was taken. Adjust the standard, then roll out.

Start with a 30-day free trial if you want to test it on live work. The app is in 11 languages; reports and watermarks stay in English.

What this can't catch

A photo record has limits. Say them to the client before they find them.

• Performance: a photo cannot show earth resistance, pressure test results or a membrane that leaks.
• Depth under plaster: a photo of an open chase does not prove cover depth after finishing, unless a tape is in frame.
• Changes after the photo: work can be altered between capture and cover. Time stamps narrow the gap, they do not remove it.
• What is outside the frame: a reviewer sees only what you pointed at.
• Accuracy of GPS indoors: GPS drifts in basements and near tall buildings. A pin a few metres off is not proof of wrongdoing. Ask the crew first, and use the notes and wide shots to confirm location.
• Acceptance: whether a client, PMC or department accepts the record is their decision.

For how this fits into billing, read our running bill photo proof routine. This is a record of what was seen, alongside the tests and signatures, not a replacement for them.