ensuring the quality of construction materials · •no vested interest in the project •not...
TRANSCRIPT
ENSURING THE QUALITY OF CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS
BY ALLAN MAYNARD – EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Outline
• About CCIL
• Quality Management
• QC and QA in construction
• Importance of certification
• CCIL certification programs
• Summary
CCIL
Federally incorporated / non-profit
Representing independent, tax-paying professional
laboratory firms
Ensure standards of excellence and high business
ethics
Main Divisions / Members
Geotechnical / Construction Materials
Environmental / Life Sciences
Conformity assessment
Over 300 lab locations
Non-voting associate members - suppliers / other associations
What We Do
Advocacy - high standards of laboratory services
- certification requirements
- fair and practical regulations
- benefits of private sector laboratories
Certification programs
Involvement in certification standards
Technical leadership
Communication
Other business services to members
MORE ON CCIL
• www.ccil.com
Quality Management
• Definition – varied
• Mainly – Quality planning, control (QC),
assurance (QA) and improvement
• Overall quality of service or product
• AND – the means to achieve it
• Also called TQM
QM IS CRITICAL
• Longevity of the asset – this is key
• Safety
• Cost effective delivery
• Part of a quality culture – for all aspects
of a municipality’s operations
• To avoid unwanted headlines
UNWANTED HEADLINES
• Contractors reinforce newly built
highway retaining wall – Vancouver Sun
Collapsed retaining wall snarls
Kelowna traffic” – CBC News
Experts inspect collapsed
Montreal tunnel” – CBC News
Road deteriorates early
UNWANTED HEADLINES
• CBC series “The Big Fix”
• ******* “Claims regarding faulty concrete
foundations” – presented in Cape Town
– this year
TROIS RIVIERES CASE
• Over 600 claims – concrete
deterioration (2004 to 2007)
• 80 to 250K per claim to repair (over
100M)
• Cause – improper aggregate ( reacted
with the concrete)
QC AND QA IN
CONSTRUCTION
• QC - process control –
responsibility of contractor (or the
contractor’s supplier)
• QA - independent audit function
required by the owner (eg – a
municipality)
CONTRACT LANGUAGE
• MUST – detail the specifications
• MUST – identify roles and
responsibilities
• QA – independent consulting
engineering firm – P Eng oversight
• Testing – number of tests // and
certified & (for QA) independent
WHY INDEPENDENT
• No vested interest in the project
• Not affiliated with the product, the
contractor, owner, government, etc
• THUS – fully arms length
IMPORTANCE OF
CERTIFICATION
• Uniformity of methods
• Up to date with standards
• Demonstrated proficiency
• Qualified staff
• Equipment to specification
• QA and QC of testing
Importance - continued
• Increases confidence
• Decreases disputes on job site
WHAT IS CERTIFICATION
Defined as – “The procedure by which an
authoritative body gives formal
recognition that an organization or a
person is competent to carry out
specific tests”
Globally – based on ISO
Most testing – certification or accreditation
is required – food, env, products, etc
WHAT IS INVOLVED
• Laboratory audits (inspections)
• Technician evaluation (tests,
inspections)
• Proficiency testing
• Follow-up
• Forums for continuous improvement
WHAT IS EVALUATED?
• Personnel
• Equipment – calibration, maintenance
• Methods
• Lab QA & QC
• Record keeping and reporting
• Quality manual
• Management oversight
CCIL PROGRAMS
• Asphalt lab and technician certification
• Aggregate lab and technician
certification
• Concrete lab and technician certification
• Labs include private sector, contractor
owned and government owned
Certification Program
Asphalt and Aggregate
Certification standards developed by CCIL
Methods based on ASTM
Laboratory Inspections/Audits (once per 2
years)
Quality Manual & internal audit process
Technician certification
Proficiency testing and follow-up (annual)
Concrete Lab Certification
CCIL acquired from CSA
250 labs throughout Canada
To the CSA283 standard
Technician certification
Laboratory audits – once per year
Certification Program – admistration
committees CPACs
BC, AB, Ont - establishing, reviewing and revising,
as necessary, the technical criteria for the core
elements of the program (asphalt and aggregate)
For concrete – national CPAC
Participation in Program Advisory Committee by all
stakeholders i.e. testing labs, contractor firms,
provincial and municipal authorities, etc
NUMBERS OF LABS -
CANADA
• Asphalt labs – 170
• Aggregate labs – 270
• Concrete labs – 250
• DETAILS – www.ccil.ca
NUMBER OF LABS IN BC
• Asphalt labs – 25
• Aggregate labs – 28
• Concrete labs – 43
• IMPORTANT - see web site to get
details concerning what the lab is
certified for
REQUIREMENTS FOR
CERTIFICATION
• BC – MOT - for referee labs (roads)
• Concrete – all work should be by a
certified lab (CCIL to CSA standard)
• Municipalities – growing interest – CCIL
is on MMCD web site
• BUT – profile needs to be enhanced
CCIL POSITION
• All contracts – especially for QA should
specify certified labs
• A definite requirement for all other lab
work – public health, environment,
products, food, etc –
• So – why NOT for construction projects
Benefits of Program
Uniformity in test procedures and
performance – and we can show data
Improvement in laboratory test standards
and quality control
Increased confidence in test results
Reduced potential for disputes
Encourages technician training and
certification
Questions ?