Many people are not aware of the role of Quality Assurance in a refurbishment project
Quality Assurance is an integral part of all work at the higher levels of the Construction and Engineering Industry
Is it used on smaller refurb projects?
When you come down to the residential sector its different. On projects such as refurbs and HMO’s it is not given the same importance and this can become a problem
Most people at this level of the construction industry have never heard of an inspection and test plan
Most people are not familiar with manufacturers recommendations, British Standards or Building Regulations
Will the builder take care of Quality Assurance?
When they pay a general builder or tradesman to do a job they just assume that it has been done correctly and all conditions have been adhered to. But that is quite often not the case. Some people want a cheap builder so cant complain when they get poor workmanship.
Just because everything looks nice and works as it is supposed to doesn’t mean that it has been installed correctly. If you cant see it , you wont know if a builder has cut corners
If you have had your house rewired do you know if the electrician maintained the correct spacings when he was drilling through the floor joists? Or when he gives you a test certificate do you know if his test meter has a valid Calibration Certificate with it? Similarly If you have had a copper pipe central heating system installed do you know if the plumber has installed Armaflex on all the pipes or glued the corners? Once the floorboards are down you will never be able to tell. The specification document might say that 2 inch ten screws should be used. Do you know if they have used inch and a half eight screws instead?
When is quality an issue?
Quality can become an issue at any stage of a project. A particular thing to look out for is work done on a pricework basis. Quality Assurance goes out the window in these situations. Sometimes people make mistakes or do something wrong and they try to cover it up. Or inexperienced people take on tasks they are not capable of doing properly. When a project is behind and there is a rush to complete on time and then quality can become an issue
What are the impacts of quality issues on a project?
The main cause of delays on a project are quality issues caused by defective workmanship. These can cause additional expense. They can also hold up following work and throw the whole project programme into turmoil. Other work may have to be removed to get to the particular defective item. Contractors may be unwilling to return to site to fix work they have already been paid for. It can delay completion certificates being issued which means the property can’t be sold. In extreme cases it may mean the project has to be demolished. That’s why its important that you should employ somebody with Quality Assurance knowledge to oversee your projects
We have several experienced Quality Assurance Engineers in our team. We can prepare an Inspection and Test plan for you to oversee the Quality Assurance process. Please contact us for further details. This is one of the many services we offer