A hold point is a step in an inspection and test plan beyond which work must not continue until a nominated party has inspected, witnessed or accepted it and formally released it. A witness point is a step the nominated party must be invited to attend, but if they don't turn up after proper notice, work can normally proceed. Review (R) and surveillance (S) points are lighter still: a document check after the event, and routine monitoring without a specific call-out. Together these codes are the ITP's intervention points, and they decide who can stop your job.
Hold point vs witness point: the key difference
The difference comes down to one question: can work continue without the other party?
- At a hold point, no. The work stops until the hold is released in writing by the named party.
- At a witness point, yes, provided you gave the required notice and the party chose not to attend or didn't arrive in the agreed window. The work goes ahead and the record shows the witness was notified.
That makes hold points expensive. Every one is a potential stoppage for your crew, so they should sit only where the activity cannot be checked or undone afterwards: a pressure test before the line is insulated, a foundation before concrete is poured, a pre-energisation check before a switchboard goes live.
The four ITP intervention points
The codes below are common, but they are not universal. Some clients add others (such as "M" for monitor or "I" for inspect), and a few use "R" to mean record. Always read the key on the ITP you are working to.
| Code | Name | What the party does | Can work continue without them? | Typical example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| H | Hold point | Attends or inspects and formally releases before work continues | No | Hydrotest witness before insulation |
| W | Witness point | Is notified and may attend | Yes, after the required notice | Motor no-load run |
| R | Review point | Reviews completed records or documents | Yes, review follows the work | Weld procedure qualification records, calibration certificates |
| S | Surveillance point | Monitors the activity at their discretion, no specific notice | Yes | Routine cable pulling |
Each party on the ITP normally has its own column: the subcontractor, the main contractor, the client, and sometimes a third-party inspector or certifying body. The same activity might be H for the main contractor, W for the client and S for the third party. For how the ITP links to the records that prove each point, see ITP vs ITR vs checksheet.
Who can release a hold point?
Only the party named on the ITP, acting through someone with the authority to do so. On most projects that means a named inspector or engineer, not "anyone from the client's team who happens to be on site".
Good practice is to agree up front:
- Who is authorised to release each type of hold, by name or by role, and who their deputies are.
- How release is recorded: a signature on the ITR, an electronic sign-off, or a release note. Verbal release should be followed by a written record straight away.
- Whether a hold can be delegated, for example from the client to a third-party inspector. If it can, the delegation should be in writing before the work, not explained afterwards.
A hold point that has been worked past without release is a non-conformance in its own right, regardless of whether the work itself is fine. Depending on the activity, you may be asked to expose, retest or redo it.
Notice periods for witness and hold points
The ITP, the quality plan or the contract usually sets how much notice the inspecting party needs. Notice periods vary widely: a local client inspector might need a day, while a vendor factory acceptance test attended by a travelling client team may need a week or more. The contract governs, so check it rather than assuming.
A practical notification contains:
- The ITP reference and line number, and the intervention code.
- The tag, system or test pack concerned.
- The ITR or procedure that will be used.
- Date, start time and a realistic window.
- Location and access arrangements, including any permit or induction requirements.
- Confirmation that prerequisites are complete, for example that the preceding "A" checks are done and the test equipment is calibrated.
- A named contact on the day.
Point 6 matters more than it looks. Calling a client inspector to witness a test that then can't run because a prerequisite is missing wastes their time and yours, and inspectors remember who does it.
What happens if a witness point is missed?
It depends on why it was missed.
- You gave proper notice and they didn't attend. On most contracts you may proceed. Record the notification, the time you waited and the fact that the witness did not attend. The record should show the point as "notified, not attended", not quietly as "witnessed".
- You didn't give proper notice. The party can reasonably ask for the test to be repeated, or for the work to be exposed. Some contracts treat this the same as a missed hold.
- The test time moved. Re-notify. A witness invited for 09:00 on Tuesday hasn't been notified of a test run at 16:00 on Monday.
If a missed witness point is disputed, the notification trail decides it. That is why ad-hoc phone calls are a poor substitute for a logged notice.
What happens if a hold point is missed?
Working past a hold point is more serious. Typical consequences are a non-conformance report, a requirement to expose or retest, and a review of why it happened. Where the activity is irreversible (buried, concreted over or energised) the options can be limited and costly, and the client may choose to accept a concession only with extra evidence. Treat any missed hold as a quality event to be investigated, not an administrative slip.
Setting intervention points sensibly
The most common ITP problem isn't too few holds; it's too many. When every line is H, inspectors can't keep up, work stalls and people start treating holds as optional. A few principles:
- Hold only what can't be verified later. If the check can be done on the finished item, a witness or review is usually enough.
- Match the party to the risk. Client holds on safety-critical and irreversible steps; contractor QC surveillance on routine work.
- Sample where the specification allows it. First-off witness, then surveillance, is a common pattern for repetitive work.
- Think about the programme. Clusters of hold points on the same day for the same inspector will create a queue. Plan witness activity like any other resource.
- Review after the first few weeks. If a hold is always released without comment, it may be a candidate to downgrade, by agreement.
Managing witness notifications without email chaos
On a large project, witness requests quickly outgrow an inbox. Invitations get lost, times change without re-notification, and nobody can say which of 400 open tests is waiting for which inspector.
What works better is treating witnessing as part of the record, not a separate conversation:
- The requirement to witness lives on the ITR itself, carried over from the ITP's intervention points.
- Each inspector has a queue of records waiting for them, rather than a list of emails.
- Accept and reject decisions are recorded against the record, with the date and person.
- A record with an outstanding hold can't be closed, and later work that depends on it can't start.
That last point links inspection to the completions sequence. A system shouldn't reach mechanical completion with unreleased holds on its ITRs, and "B" tests shouldn't begin until the "A" checks they rely on are accepted. See pre-commissioning vs commissioning for how those stages fit together.
Managing hold and witness points in Accord
Accord includes a witnessing workflow on its Inspection and Test Records: witnesses are assigned to records, can accept or reject them (individually or in bulk), and see a personal queue of what is waiting for them, with full status tracking. Its dependency engine stops "B" records starting until prerequisite "A" records are approved, and certificates can't be issued until their prerequisites are met. Commissioning test procedures in Accord support hold-point enforcement during step-by-step execution, and in-app notifications keep the people involved informed.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a hold point and a witness point?
At a hold point, work must stop until the named party inspects and formally releases it. At a witness point, the party must be given proper notice and may attend, but if they don't, work can usually proceed. The contract and the ITP key define the exact rules.
Who can release a hold point?
Only the party named against that line of the ITP, through a person with authority to release it. That is usually a named client or contractor inspector, or a third-party inspector where the hold has been formally delegated. The release should always be recorded in writing.
What is a review point in an ITP?
A review point (R) means the party will review documents or records rather than attend the activity. Examples include welding procedure records, material certificates and calibration certificates. Work usually continues while the review happens, though some projects make certain reviews a precondition for the next step.
What is a surveillance point?
A surveillance point (S) means the party may monitor the activity at their discretion without being specifically called to it. It is used for routine or repetitive work where continuous witnessing would add little. The inspecting party can still raise findings from what they observe.
Can a witness point be converted into a hold point?
Yes, by agreement, and it happens when quality concerns emerge on a particular activity or contractor. The change should be made through a revision of the ITP or a formal instruction, not informally on site, so everyone is working to the same intervention points.