TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF CIVIL ENGINEERING BUCHAREST

FACULTY OF CIVIL ENGINEERING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGES

QUALITY CONTROL AND

SAFETY DURING
CONSTRUCTION
Report No.1

QUALITY CONTROL AND SAFETY DURING CONSTRUCTION

Quality and safety concerns in construction
The quality of the construction process is the quality of integrated action due to
human, material, machinery, process methodology and work environment, also known as
process quality, which reflects the quality of products. In order to ensure the quality of
construction project, the quality of each process must be controlled, which is the focus of
quality control during construction.
Process quality control is implemented on the process conditions for the activities (the
quality input of process activities) and effectiveness of the process activities (the quality of
sub-project)
Safety is a substantial risk on a construction jobsite. Site conditions change by the
minute creating dynamic situations that require constant adjustment. The work of one crew
can affect the safety of everyone on the job and the public in general. Consider a crane
swinging steel beams. Every worker on the job site must be aware of the activity and change
their work accordingly to maintain safety. And if that crane must swing across areas outside
of the job site boundaries, the public is now at risk and is totally unaware of the hazard.
The following work should be focused on during process quality control:
1. Determining the program of process quality control
On the one hand, specific measures to ensure quality of technology for the different
processes, and the provision of inputting materials and the order of activities are required. On
the other hand, the work flow and quality inspection system are needed.
2. Controlling the quality of conditions of process activities actively
There are five main factors affecting the quality of process conditions: human,
materials, machinery and equipment, methods, and the environment.
3. Inspecting the quality of effectiveness of process activities in a timely manner
The implementation includes self-inspection, mutual inspection, the handover
inspection of upper and lower working procedure, especially for hidden works and sub-items
(Section).
4. Setting the process control point (process management point) with key control.
Process quality control points are major control objects determined for the key
components affecting quality or weaknesses. Control points should be set correctly and
implemented strictly.
Quality control and safety represent increasingly important concerns for project
managers. The role of construction safety professionals has significantly expanded over the
past decade. The industry employs thousands of safety professionals, most of whom work for
contractors (general or subcontractors). Today, construction safety professionals also find
themselves involved in insurance coverage and placement; employee discipline; labor
relations; claims management; fleet management crisis management and disaster recovery;
business continuity planning; purchasing and contract reviews; subcontractor
prequalification, selection and management; and permitting.

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As with cost control, the most important decisions regarding the quality of a
completed facility are made during the design and planning stages rather than during
construction. It is during these preliminary stages that component configurations, material
specifications and functional performance are decided. Quality control during construction
consists largely of insuring conformance to this original design and planning decisions.

Organizing for quality and safety

Organizations must adopt a cultural change that appreciates the primary need to meet
customer requirements, implements a management philosophy that acknowledges this
emphasis, encourages employee involvement, and embraces the ethic of continuous
improvement.
When we talk about organizing for Total Quality Management, we mean preparing
and organizing people in such a manner that they could work according to the philosophies
and practices. The traditional organization of employees in a company is based upon
cascading of authority that can best be illustrated in a pyramid, on the apex of which lies top
management, then comes middle management, functional management, supervisors, and
employees. This organization of employees though traditionally accepted and most
appropriately defined way to express the employee organization in a company.
A variety of different organizations are possible for quality and safety control during
construction. Inspectors and quality assurance personnel will be involved in a project to
represent a variety of different organizations. Each of the parties directly concerned with the
project may have their own quality and safety inspectors, including the owner, the
engineer/architect, and the various constructor firms.
Total quality management
In the global marketplace increased levels of competition have resulted in quality
becoming of increasing importance to organisations and consequently Total Quality
Management (TQM) has become a key management issue. A considerable number of
companies are applying TQM and the topic is the subject of many books and papers.
Total quality management (TQM): A term initially coined by the Naval Air Systems
Command to describe its Japanese-style management approach to quality improvement.
Since then, TQM has taken on many meanings. Simply put, it is a management approach to
long-term success through customer satisfaction. TQM is based on the participation of all
members of an organization in improving processes, products, services and the culture in
which they work
Total quality management can be summarized as a management system for a
customer-focused organization that involves all employees in continual improvement. It uses
strategy, data, and effective communications to integrate the quality discipline into the culture
and activities of the organization.
In a global marketplace a major characteristic that will distinguish those organizations
that are successful will be the quality of leadership, management, employees, work processes,
product, and service. This means that products must not only meet customer and community
needs for value, they must be provided in a continuously improving, timely, cost-effective,
innovative, and productive manner.
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