POST GRADUATE PROGRAMME IN PROJECT

MANAGEMENT

COURSE NO: PGPM 23

CONSTRUCTION
QUALITY,
SAFETY&
ENVIRONMENT

SUBMITTED BY

P.CHANDAR
210-03-31-8105-2123

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Quality

Quality is the ongoing process of building and sustaining relationships by assessing,

anticipating, and fulfilling stated and implied needs

Making Concrete

Concrete is the name applied to an artificial combination of various mineral substances which
under chemical action become incorporated into a solid mass. There are one or two
compositions of comparatively trifling importance which receive the same name, though differing
fundamentally from true concrete, their solidification being independent of chemical influence.
These compositions only call for passing mention; they are: Tar concrete, made of broken
stones (macadam) and tar; iron concrete, composed of iron turnings, asphalt, bitumen, and
pitch; and lead concrete, consisting of broken bricks set in molten lead. The last two varieties,
with rare exceptions, are only used in connection with military engineering, such as for
fortifications.

Concrete proper consists essentially of two groups or classes of ingredients. The first, termed
the aggregate, is a heterogeneous mass, in itself inactive, of mineral material, such as shingle,
broken stone, broken brick, gravel, and sand. These are the substances most commonly in
evidence, but other ingredients are also occasionally employed, such as slag from iron
furnaces. Burnt clay, in any form, and earthenware, make admirable material for incorporation.
The second class constitutes the active agency which produces adhesion and solidification. It is
termed the matrix, and consists of hydraulic lime or cement, combined with water.

One of the essential features in good concrete is cleanliness and an entire absence of dirt, dust,
greasy matter, and impurities of any description. The material will preferably be sharp and
angular, with a rough, porous surface, to which the matrix will more readily adhere than to
smooth, vitreous substances. The specific gravity of the aggregate will depend upon the
purpose for which the concrete is to be used. For beams and lintels, a light aggregate, such as
coke breeze from gasworks, is permissible, especially when the work is designed to receive
nails. On the other hand, for retaining walls, the heaviest possible aggregate is desirable on the
ground of stability.

The aggregate by no means should be uniform in size. Fragments of different dimensions are
most essential, so that the smaller material may fill up the interstices of the larger. It is not
infrequently stipulated by engineers that no individual fragment shall be more than 4 inches
across, and the material is often specified to pass through a ring 1.5 to 2 inches in diameter.
The absolute limits to size for the aggregate, however, are determinable by a number of
considerations, not the least important of which is the magnitude and bulk of the work in which it
is to be employed. The particles of sand should also be of varying degrees of coarseness. A
fine, dustlike sand is objectionable; its minute subdivision prevents complete contact with the
cement on all its faces. Another desideratum is that the particles should not be too spherical, a
condition brought about by continued attrition. Hence, pit sand is better in many cases than river
sand or shore sand.

The matrix is almost universally Portland cement. It should not be used in too hot a condition, to
which end it is usually spread over a wooden floor to a depth of a few inches, for a few days

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prior to use. By this means, the aluminate of lime becomes partially hydrated, and its activity is
thereby modified.

Roman cement and hydraulic lime may also be used as matrices.

Portland cement will take a larger proportion of sand than either Roman cement or hydraulic
lime; but with the larger ratios of sand, its tenacity is, of course, correspondingly reduced. One
part of cement to 4 parts of sand should therefore be looked upon as the upper limit, while for
the strongest mortar the proportion need hardly exceed 1 part of cement to 1.5 or 2 parts of
sand. In the ensuing calculations there is assumed a ratio of 1 to 3. For impermeability, the
proportion of 1 to 2 should be observed, and for Roman cement this proportion should never be
exceeded. The ratio will even advantageously be limited to 2 to 3. For hydraulic lime equal parts
of sand and cement are suitable, though 2 parts of sand to 1 part of cement may be used.

The quantity of mortar required in reference to the aggregate is based on the vacuities in the
latter. For any particular aggregate the amount of empty space may be determined by filling a
tank of known volume with the minerals and then adding sufficient water to bring to a level
surface. The volume of water added (provided, of course, the aggregate be impervious or
previously saturated) gives the net volume of mortar required. To this it is necessary to make
some addition (say 10 per cent of the whole), in order to insure the thorough flushing of every
part of the work.

Assuming that the proportion of interstices is 30 per cent and adding 10 for the reason just
stated, we derive 40 parts as the quantity of mortar to 100 — 10 = 90 parts of the aggregate. An
allowance of 0.25 volume for shrinkage brings the volume of the dry materials (sand and
cement) of the mortar to 40 + 40/3 = 53⅓ parts, which, divided in the ratio of 1 to 3, yields: 531

Cement 53⅓ / 4 =....... 13⅓ parts

Sand, ¾ X 53⅓ =....... 40 parts

Aggregate........... 90 parts

Total..........143⅓ parts

As the resultant concrete is 100 parts, the total shrinkage is 30 per cent. Expressed in terms of
the cement, the concrete would have a composition of 1 part cement, 3 parts sand, 7 parts
gravel and broken stone, and it would form, approximately, what is commonly known as 7 to 1
concrete.

There are other ratios depending on the proportion of sand. Thus we have:

Cement Sand Aggregate

1...........1.5...........4⅓

1...........2 ...........5

1...........2.5...........6

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1...........3 ...........7

1...........3.5...........7.5

1...........4 ...........8.25

The cost of concrete may be materially reduced without affecting the strength or efficacy of the
work, by a plentiful use of stone "plums" or "burrs." These are bedded in the fluid concrete
during its deposition in situ, but care must be taken to see that 'they are thoroughly surrounded
by mortar and not in contact with each other. Furthermore, if they are of a porous nature, they
should be well wetted before use.

The mixing of concrete is important. If done by hand, the materials forming the aggregate will be
laid out on a platform and covered by the cement in a thin layer. The whole should be turned
over thrice in the dry state, and as many times wet, before depositing, in order to bring about
thorough and complete amalgamation. Once mixed, the concrete is to be deposited immediately
and allowed to remain undisturbed until the action of setting is finished. Deposition should be
effected, wherever possible, without tipping from a height of more than about 6 feet, as in
greater falls there is a likelihood of the heavier portions of the aggregate separating from the
lighter. In extensive undertakings, concrete is more economically mixed by mechanical
appliances.

The water used for mixing may be either salt or fresh, so far as the strength of the concrete is
concerned. For surface work above the ground level, salinity in any of the ingredients is
objectionable, since it tends to produce efflorescence— an unsightly, floury deposit, difficult to
get rid of. The quantity of water required cannot be stated with exactitude; it will depend upon
the proportion of the aggregate and its porosity. It is best determined by experiment in each
particular case. Without being profuse enough to "drown" the concrete, it should be plentiful
enough to act as an efficient intermediary between every particle of the aggregate and every
particle of the matrix. Insufficient moisture is, in fact, as deleterious as an excess.

Transport of Concrete

Ready-mixed concrete shall be transported from the mixer to the point of placing as rapidly as
practicable by methods that will maintain the required workability and will prevent segregation,
loss of any constituents or ingress of foreign matter or water. The concrete shall be placed as
soon as possible after delivery, as close as is practicable to its final position to avoid re-handling
or moving the concrete horizontally by vibration. If required by the purchaser the producer can
utilize admixtures to slow down the rate of workability 10 SS, however this does not remove the
need for the purchaser to place the concrete as rapidly as possible. The purchaser should plan
his arrangements so as to enable a full load of concrete to be discharged within 30 min of arrival
on site. Concrete shall be transported in a truck-mixer unless the purchaser agrees to the use of
non-agitating vehicles. When non-agitating vehicles are used, the mixed concrete shall be
protected from gain or loss of water.

Time in Transport

The general requirement is that concrete shall be discharged from the truck-mixer within 2 h of
the time Gf loading. However, a longer period may be permitted if retarding admixtures are used
or in cool humid weather or when chilled concrete is produced.

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The time of loading shall start from adding the mixing water to the dry mix of cement and
aggregate or of adding the cement to the wet aggregate whichever is applicable.
Ready-mixed concrete plant shall have test facilities at its premises to carry out routine tests as
per the requirement of the standard.

QUALITY CONTROL

Quality control of ready-mixed concrete maybe divided into three components, forward control,
immediate control and retrospective control.

Forward Control
Forward control and consequent corrective action are essential aspects of quality control.
Forward control includes the following.

Control of Purchased Material Quality

A control system shall be operated to provide assurance that all materials purchased for and
used in the production of concrete conform to the Indian Standards agreed with the material
supplier and the requirements of the producer’s mix design methodology and quality control
procedures. This may include visual checks, sampling and testing, certification from material
suppliers and information from material suppliers.
The producer shall be able to demonstrate that a documented calibration procedure is in place.
Calibration records should contain details of any corrective action required; the date of the next
calibration, confirmation that any required corrective action has taken place and the signature of
the designated manager for that plant. The producer shall also maintain a daily production
record for that plant, including details of which customers were supplied, which mixes were
supplied and which delivery dockets were dispatched. There should be a record of what
materials were used for that day’s production including water and admixture. The use of electro-
mechanical weighing and metering systems, that is, load cells, flow meters, magmeters, etc, is
preferable over purely mechanical systems, that is, knife edge and lever systems.

Plant Mixers and Truck-Mixers

Plant mixers where present and truck-mixers used shall be in an operational condition and shall
be purchased
from a supplier of proven experience and quality. The producer should ensure that regular
maintenance is performed as per requirements.
Immediate Control
Immediate control is concerned with instant action to control the quality of the concrete being
produced or that of deliveries closely following. It includes the production control and product
control.

Production Control

The production of concrete at each plant shall be systematically controlled. This is to ensure
that all the concrete supplied shall be in accordance with these requirements and with the
specification that has formed.

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Statistica1 quality control (SQC) is the term used to describe the set of statistical tools used
by quality professionals. Statistical quality control can be divided into three broad categories:

1. Descriptive statistics are used to describe quality characteristics and relationships.

Included are statistics such as the mean, standard deviation, the range,
and a measure of the distribution of data.

2. Statistical process control (SPC) involves inspecting a random sample of the output from a
process and deciding whether the process is producing products with characteristics that fall
within a predetermined range. SPC answers the question of whether the process is functioning
properly or not.

3. Acceptance sampling is the process of randomly inspecting a sample of goods and deciding
whether to accept the entire lot based on the results. Acceptance sampling determines whether
a batch of goods should be accepted or rejected.

The tools in each of these categories provide different types of information for use in analyzing
quality. Descriptive statistics are used to describe certain quality characteristics, such as the
central tendency and variability of observed data. Although descriptions of certain
characteristics are helpful, they are not enough to help us evaluate whether there is a problem
with quality. Acceptance sampling can help us do this. Acceptance sampling helps us decide
whether desirable quality has been achieved for a batch of products, and whether to accept or
reject the items produced. Although this information is helpful in making the quality acceptance
decision after the product has been produced, it does not help us identify and catch a quality
problem during the production process. For this we need tools in the statistical process control
(SPC) category.

All three of these statistical quality control categories are helpful in measuring and evaluating
the quality of products or services. However, statistical process control (SPC) tools are used
most frequently because they identify quality problems during the production process. For this
reason, we will devote most of the chapter to this category of tools. The quality control tools we
will be learning about do not only measure the value of a quality characteristic. They also help
us identify a change or variation in some quality characteristic of the product or process. We will
first see what types of variation we can observe when measuring quality. Then we will be able
to identify specific tools used for measuring this variation.

INSPECTION & CHECKLIST

The interior finishes, plumbing and prevention of rain water seepage works performed in the
high rise building needs regular and thorough inspection with supervisors appointed for every
work so that each and every work is monitored in detail closely. The workers are needed to be
given clear instructions about the exact work to be done which will be written in their job sheet
so that confusions will not prevailing in the work site. Clarifications can be raised and cleared
then and there for ensuring faster work completion and quality is ensured in each and every
work. Engineers need to inspect the work twice a day without fail and checks are to be
conducted before every critical work.

Checklists are to be prepared which will contain all the site specific works and the engineers
and supervisors must strictly follow the checklists and the standard procedures.

An example checklist for the quality control of the finishing works are as follows:

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Part 1 - Pre-drywall Inspection Completion

Verified

A drainage plane must be provided with sub-grade drainage for below

grade spaces ref: BSC Information Sheet 101 �

Exterior or interior perimeter footing drainage system is installed �

Drainage membrane or draining insulation is installed around below grade

walls �

Free-draining backfill is installed over perimeter drainage �

Sub-slab gravel bed is connected to perimeter drainage �

Perimeter drainage is connected to storm water drain or sloped to daylight �

A capillary break separating the entire foundation from the soil must be
provided ref: BSC Information Sheet 101 �

A below-slab capillary break has been installed �

A capillary break has been installed on the foundation wall and footings
(horizontal and vertical surfaces) �

Use soil gas resistant construction techniques ref: BSC Information Sheet
110 �

Floor openings, concrete joints, and foundation checks have been sealed
against gas entry �

Floor drains and sumps have been sealed against gas entry �

Passive vent stack with "T" in sub-slab gravel bed has been installed �

Protect construction materials from moisture before installation ref: n/a

�

Keep all building materials dry during storage on-site �

Separate wood from concrete or masonry with appropriate capillary

break ref: n/a �

Sill plates separated from foundation wall with capillary break �

A drainage plane must be provided that is integrated with flashings ref:

BSC Information Sheets 300, 302 �

Drainage plane has been installed in a continuous manner �

Sheet material has been properly lapped to drain water �

All flashing elements specified have been correctly installed �

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Drainage plane overlaps flashing or connected by a transition membrane �

Drainage holes and through-wall flashing have been provided at brick seat �

A drainage plane must be accompanied by a drainage space ref: BSC

Information Sheet 300 �

Materials to create drainage gap have been installed as specified �

Intentional drainage spaces are clear of construction debris �

Subsill flashing: windows and doors must be “pan-flashed” ref: BSC

Information Sheet 301 �

All windows and door openings are "pan-flashed" �

Pan-flashing installed with end dams and positive slope towards the exterior
�

Flashing materials are correctly lapped �

Reservoir claddings must be “uncoupled” from wall assemblies ref: BSC

Information Sheet 304 �

Reservoir claddings (such as brick, stucco and fiber cement) are back-
ventilated with min. 1/4" ventilation space

(1" for brick) or are installed over a moisture-tolerant and vapor impermeable
material

A continuous air barrier must be provided ref: BSC Information Sheets

403, 404, 405, 406 �

Air sealing provided between bottom plates and floor deck �

Rim joists areas are caulked or sealed with sprayed foam �

Carrying beams running to outside walls and beam pockets are sealed �

Perimeter of windows and doors are sealed on the interior side with low-
expansion foam or sealant �

Bathtubs on exterior walls have draftstopping materials installed behind tub �

Fireplace enclosures have draftstopping material installed to line enclosure �

Cantilevered floors (including floors over attached garages) are sealed with
spray-foam or sealant as appropriate �

Bay and Bow Windows are sealed �

Walls and ceilings separating attached garages from living space are properly
sealed by: installing gas-proof membrane, taping gypsum board, and sealing

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all penetrations �

Chimney chases and interior soffits running to exterior walls have been
draftstopped and air sealed �

Electrical wiring or outlets on exterior walls and other penetrations have been
sealed �

Only airtight-rated recessed lights installed in insulated ceilings �

Vapor control of wall, roof and foundation assemblies must be provided

as specified ref: BSC Information Sheet 311 �

Materials with vapor permeability characteristics matching the products

specified for each assembly in the

construction documents have been installed

Wet rooms should have floor drainage ref: BSC Information Sheet 305 �

Floor drainage installed in bathrooms and showers �

Floor drainage installed in laundry rooms �

Floor drainage installed in mud rooms �

Install floor drain and drain pan where water heater is installed over living
space �

Paper faced gypsum board should not be used in multi-family party

walls or any part of the building

constructed before the roof is applied

ref: n/a �

Plumbing should not be located in exterior walls ref: n/a �

Make plumbing easy to inspect and repair and insulate plumbing pipes
to keep them warm (above dewpoint

temperatures)

ref: BSC Information Sheet 305 �

Access panels for plumbing inspection have been installed where specified on
plans. �

Pipe insulation has been installed on exposed hot and cold runs not located in
walls. �

Install insulation to meet HERS Insulation Installation Grade 1 ref: BSC

Information Sheet 501 �

Few installation defects, only very small gaps around wiring, electric outlets,

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etc. and incomplete fill amounts to

2% or less. Gaps running clear through the insulation amount to no more than
2% of the total surface area covered by the insulation. Wall cavity insulation is
enclosed on all six sides and in substantial contact with the

Sheathing material on at least one side (interior or exterior) of the cavity.

ENERGY STAR Thermal Bypass Inspection Checklist has been completed

In my experience, checklists are used compulsorily to ensure the safety measures and the
procedure is very much useful for such kind of prestigious projects.

Quality is assured only by physical verification and periodical supervision. These activities must
be scheduled along with the work flow and procedures so that assurance of quality becomes
mandatory at every single stage of work flow.

Quality assurance at work site:

(a) The contractor and employer shall be responsible for the establishment and execution of the
quality assurance program. The contractor and employer may delegate to others, such as sub
contractors, workers, the work of establishing and executing the quality assurance program, or
any part of the quality assurance program, but shall retain responsibility for the program. These
activities include performing the functions associated with attaining quality objectives and the
quality assurance functions.

(b) The quality assurance functions are--

(1) Assuring that an appropriate quality assurance program is established and effectively
executed; and

(2) Verifying, by procedures such as checking, auditing, and inspection, that activities affecting
the functions that are important to safety have been correctly performed.

(c) The persons and organizations performing quality assurance functions must have sufficient
authority and organizational freedom to--

(1) Identify quality problems;

(2) Initiate, recommend, or provide solutions; and

(3) Verify implementation of solutions.

(d) The persons and organizations performing quality assurance functions shall report to a
management level that assures that the required authority and organizational freedom, including
sufficient independence from cost and schedule, when opposed to safety considerations, are
provided.

(e) Because of the many variables involved, such as the number of personnel, the type of
activity being performed, and the location or locations where activities are performed, the
organizational structure for executing the quality assurance program may take various forms,

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provided that the persons and organizations assigned the quality assurance functions have the
required authority and organizational freedom.

(f) Irrespective of the organizational structure, the individual(s) assigned the responsibility for
assuring effective execution of any portion of the quality assurance program, at any location
where activities subject to this section are being performed, must have direct access to the
levels of management necessary to perform this function.

2 While the term "contractor" is used in these criteria, the requirements are applicable to
whatever design, fabrication, assembly, and testing of the package is accomplished with respect
to a package before the time a package approval is issued.

Conclusion

Quality is the ultimate factor which drives civil works to perfection and the purpose gets solved
only when it gets achieved. Nothing can be compromised for sake of quality and assurance of
100% quality is highly important.

Bibliography

1. Jwan’s book of Total Quality Management

2. Quality management in Construction Industry – NICMAR Publication.

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