Guide for Concrete Inspection (ACI 311.4R-05)

Description

This document is primarily intended for guidance in the development of inspection and testing plans that are part of the overall system designed to ensure quality in the finished concrete product. ACI Committee 311 recommends that the owner develop a quality plan, as outlined in ACI 121R, and that 311.4R be used to develop inspection and testing plans by those organizations assigned by the owner’s quality plan to conduct inspections.

Inspection and testing requirements typically vary, based on the specific scope and needs of construction, and should there fore be tailored to each project individually. The content of an inspection plan is dependent on the type and complexity of the project, special features involved, quality level desired, building code requirements, and the responsibilities of the inspection organization performing the work. Any of these may necessitate the addition of more detailed inspection than conventional or may warrant a reduction from conventional requirements.

Inspection is simply a subsystem of the quality plan. Itmay be employed by the owner to evaluate future acceptanceof the work or by contractors and material producers forquality-control purposes. In addition, inspection may be partof a program of activities performed by government agenciescharged with enforcing building codes and other governmentregulations.

The inspection process does not add quality toinspected items. Inspection simply establishes the status ofinspected items relative to specified requirements. Theinformation derived from inspections and tests, however,when properly evaluated, and with conclusions and decisionsimplemented, can result in the improvement of the quality ofthe product or process.

The specified quality is achieved only by implementation of an adequate quality plan. Such a plan affects the entire project, from planning through design and construction to acceptance by the owner. Quality of work during the construction phase is achieved almost entirely by the contractor or producer’s quality-control program. This quality-control program involves everyone from management to field supervisors to workers. Quality assurance and quality control should have strong, active support from top management and the active concern and participation of everyone involved in the construction process. Inspection and testing are only a part, though a very important part, of both quality-assurance and quality-control programs